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“The figure they’re asking for would destroy Dufort Dynasty, so we can’t pay it out, nor can we prove the documents are forged. I need leverage. A man like Mackenzie will have left some crumbs to some illegal dealings somewhere. Find me the crumbs.”
Josh cursed. “In three weeks? Fuck, Dufort.”
“Sorry, man, next time I’m blackmailed I’ll ask them to give us more of a heads up so you can plan better.”
“Do that,” Josh said, a grin in his voice. “Let me see where I land with this, and I’ll come back to you in a few days. Assume the budget...”
“Whatever it takes.”
“Gotcha.”
––––––––
A FEW HOURS LATER, Daniel was working at his desk when a video call came through. He clicked answer.
“You’re alive.” He smirked at Fletcher, who was sitting up in a private hospital bed.
“No, I’m calling from heaven to say you cannot have my Maserati.”
Daniel grinned.
“How did it go?” he asked, referring to Fletcher’s medical procedure. He’d had sudden and severe pain in his left knee over the past month. It turned out to be a ligament tear from running and required surgery.
“Good. The doc said I can go back to the gym and even run in about six weeks.”
Of the three of them, Fletcher was the sportiest. Daniel was the broadest, preferring to lift weights and run two or three times a week.
Hunter had been into baseball when they were young. There was no time for team sports in their lives now, but one day he could imagine his brother coaching minor league if he had kids. That would entail him settling down, and he knew Hunter’s sex life was more alternative than him or Fletch, but that was a whole different story.
Daniel wondered if either of them would have families. There was no shortage of women interested, but none of them had ever showed any interest in matrimony.
“Still unbelievable that you didn’t feel the injury happen.”
“Doc said it's common. I think I know when it happened, but there was no severe pain at the time, and I just carried on,” Fletcher said, then began to smirk.
“If you are going to tell me it was some wild sexual act, please don’t bother,” Daniel said. “I’ve heard you’re a missionary guy.”
Fletcher laughed quietly and gave him the bird.
“Did you message Mom?” he asked, and Fletcher’s smile faded.
It was difficult for all of them to be with her. While she was sober, Marie Dufort still hadn’t forgiven their father and was full of anger about what could have been. It was the same conversation every time.
All of them had tried to help her in one way or another, but she wouldn’t accept any of it.
“Yeah,” he said. “I told her you were in Hawaii and...”
Together they both said, “Your father and I honeymooned in Hawaii.”
“Anyway, now that you are back in the world of the living, has Dad updated you on the Mackenzie situation?”
Fletcher shook his head.
“Of course not.” He launched into the details of what had happened, leaving space for Fletcher to curse and shake his head.
“Hunter know?”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah, I updated him on the flight over. Sorry, bro, I just wanted you to focus on the operation.”
