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A smile crossing my face, I reached for my phone, hesitating only briefly before dialing a number I’d refused to remove. When the call was answered, I sucked in my breath. “Jackson. It’s time for us to talk.”
“What do we need to talk about?” His voice was filled with anger.
“The winery. Our family. What happened between you and me.” I could hear Jackson’s hesitation. I didn’t blame him for being leery of my call. Given what had occurred on the mountain, I’d forced myself to take the two days to think about everything that had happened. The discussion with Bryce had been more eye opening than I’d originally imagined.
To think he’d been working with the FBI for months, maybe years was… I rubbed my jaw as I thought about the possibilities and what that could mean. Of course Prescott was cagey with his business practices. I’d found out just how much as I’d pulled every string, calling in every favor in order to gather the information I had.
It would seem Prescott had several local officials in dire straits. From what I’d learned, he’d either used basic threats or blackmail in order to achieve his goals. And everyone was afraid of the man.
Except for me.
Up until two weeks ago, I would have said I had nothing to lose in taking him head on. Now I knew better. I needed Jackson by my side in order to fight this.
And I had to get the monkey off my back in order to live the kind of life I hungered to do. With Aspen by my side.
“Fine, Montgomery. Where would you like to meet?”
“I’ll leave that up to you.”
He took his time answering. “How about sharing a cup of coffee?”
“The little coffee shop you always loved?”
Jackson finally laughed. “You remembered.”
“Of course, I did. You’re my brother. Fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll be there.”
I’d kept tabs on him even though I’d done everything to push my brother out of my life. I knew he’d found a little house and was working for another winery. Grunt work. But he was working and had been for a few months.
As I drove to the little shop in town, I thought about everything he and I had gone through as kids. We’d been inseparable for so long, pretending we were kings preparing to take over the world. If only things wouldn’t have gone so badly.
I found a parking spot only a block away, enjoying the short walk. It had been one hell of a long time since I’d even bothered to enjoy the area surrounding the winery. I’d stayed cooped up, except for required meetings. I’d become nothing more than a hermit. I laughed as I walked into the shop, the odd time providing some privacy given the lack of customers.
He stood, walking two feet away from the table he’d already selected. He’d even purchased a cup of coffee for both of us. He held out his arm, hoping for a handshake.
I stood in front of him for a few seconds, staring into his eyes. He was a younger version of myself, but somehow during the time we’d spent apart, I could tell he’d grown stronger than I was. I yanked him into a bearhug, slapping him on the back. “It’s good to see you.”
Jackson was stiff at first then wrapped his arms around me. “I didn’t think this would ever happen.”
I pulled away, easing onto the chair. “I know. That’s my fault.”
He held up his hand, shaking his head. “No, that’s my fault, brother. I was a fucking mess and I took it out on you.”
“Yeah, well, I certainly didn’t give you the kind of help you needed.” I fiddled with the cup, finally taking a sip, grinning after doing so. “And you remembered what I liked.”
“Of course, dumbass. We are brothers after all.” He laughed genuinely, his eyes twinkling. We could be twins except his eyes were a shade lighter than mine. He appeared happy and healthy, and I hadn’t noticed before, but he’d put on a solid thirty pounds of muscle.
“That we are.”
“I also heard about the wreck. You’re damn lucky to be alive.”
I nodded, the crumpled mass of steel remaining in the forefront of my mind. I’d never felt so damn helpless in my life. “Just another tragedy in the making.”
“Like your damn brother.”
“I didn’t say that, Jackson. Our entire family had issues, a dark abyss that constantly tried to drag all of us into hell.”
