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The door opens and our lieutenant for all illegal operations, Nolan, walks in with a nod and a clap on the back. He sits down next to Dad, and the bubble of informality bursts immediately. The mood shifts. Too soon. Too heavy.
I don’t feel guilty about Big not being here. I told Mom that he’s checking out some Void related issues. I mean, he’s the one responsible for finding Angélique in the first place, isn’t he? He might as well watch her then. And report every single move back to me.
“So…” Dad laces his fingers together, a nervous tick they all know too well. He eyes Mom, who gives him a small nod as she takes over. “Ella found something in the office yesterday.”
For a beat of a second my thoughts go to the photo of Angélique and a shiver of shame slides down my spine. It's as if Mom can read my thoughts and has identified my weakness. I blink, but when Mom takes out a brown envelope, I automatically crane my neck toward the center of the table.
“What’s that?”
Ella shrugs, but her gaze avoids mine. “Yesterday late afternoon, you had already gone home, Logan,” she adds, having the decency to sound apologetic since it wasshewho sent me home. “We received this.” The envelope makes a crackling sound when she takes out a single sheet of white paper.
I freeze. “The Wilkinson case?”
“I believe so,” Ella agrees. “First of all, because of the timing of the note. Secondly, because of the nature of the case. Logan, let’s face it, we really didn’t have anything against him. We did him wrong.”
Dad slams his hand on the table. “I told you we should have just paid the fucker,” he barks.
“No, you said wecouldpay him,” I counter, anger forming in the pit of my stomach. “Such a good kid, huh? Well, guess he’s notsucha good kid after all.”
“Hewasa good kid, you just managed to piss him off!”
“Oh, so it’smepissinghimoff? Since when do we just run around handing out dollar bills to every single motherfucker who wants to screw us over?”
Dad directs a finger at me, his eyes like daggers. “He wasn’t, until you and your rookie attitude completely disregarded the fact that sometimes you have to do what’s politically correct.”
I huff, fuming. “Politically correct? Oh, excuse me, but it’s not in my nature to do that. As a lawyer to the firm, I get paid for using our constitution against those who try to rip us off. And excuse me for misunderstanding, but yesterday you seemed rather happy that I got rid of Wilkinson and his ridiculous demands. So don’t you rookie me, Dad.”
“Enough!” Mom barks, and she gives us both a look that makes me shrivel. Looking at Dad, he’s got the same reaction, which makes me feel strangely satisfied. “What the hell is wrong with you? We’re trying to find a solution here, not spit our frustrations. Weknewthis was coming. Weknewthat the pressure’s building, which is exactly the reason that we are here together today.”
Silence. I can’t help but ask Ella, “You found the note in the office. Why didn’t you call me? Why are we sitting here, discussing this stupid threat with the entire crew?”
Ella opens her mouth, but Mom beats her to it. “That’s exactly what I’m saying Logan. We are currently facing more threats than usual. This is par for the course, as your father and I are trying to retire. You know this. Other predators are on the loose, we have an ongoing issue with The Void and until we know what this note means, and who it came from, we need to stick together and figure out who we are dealing with.”
Connor’s husky voice sounds slightly tinny through the computer. “What are you saying, Mom? That Wilkinson is behind this note, or that perhaps some other organization is behind it? Could it be The Void?”
“I’m not sure.” Mom admits.
Connor’s gaze lands on mine. “So bro, what happened with Wilkinson yesterday? And please keep it short and sweet and leave the snappiness out,” he adds sweetly. I give him a brief summary of yesterday’s events and sigh when I finish. “Do you think we should just pay the guy?”
Connor thinks for a moment and then shakes his head. “Nah, I wouldn’t make too much of a fuss out of this one. I mean, apart from a handwritten note we have nothing. If, and it’s a bigif, anything happens in twelve hours, we’ll deal with it then.”
I hum, then look around to check for reactions, but there are none. I turn back to Con. “Sounds good. After all, none of our competitors have anything to gain if we don’t pay Wilkinson. Not even The Void. It feels like it’s a separate issue. And leaving a note is so amateur.”
“We could still pay him a visit,” Mason prompts, voice neutral and nearly careful. “That way we can test the waters, see how he reacts and send the message that nobody fucks with us.” His eyes dart to Mom as his cheeks blush. “I mean—”
Mom waves him off. “I know what you mean.”
“Sounds good,” I nod, and Mason looks nearly grateful. “Ella, please check Charlie’s address. Harry and Samuel, you’ll be following us.”
Connor waves to the camera. “Keep me posted, big bro, and keep safe. Love you.”
When I’m sure he can no longer see me, I snatch another taco off the plate and stuff it into my mouth. So damn delicious.
Charlie’s home turns out to be a good forty-minute ride from Greenwich Village. Against the dim light of the evening, the Manhattan streets are lit up like Christmas trees. After all, it’s a Saturday night in the city that never sleeps.
While Ella and Mason are bickering about the correct address, and I can’t blame them as the fucking street is filled with identical one-story boxes, I catch Ruby’s stare in the rearview mirror. She averts her eyes immediately, but she knows that she’s too late. She’s seen my intention and I smirk at the way she’s now fidgeting on the driver's seat. Before this night’s over, I’ll have her right in front of me, on her knees.
“Right, have we figured out where the asshole lives?” I snarl, glancing out through the black glass, suddenly eager to move on to the next part.
