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“Negotiations?” I echo, incredulous. The word leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. If he’s calling to negotiate, it means he intends to use Dad as a bargaining chip. And if he’s using Dad as a bargaining chip, that means Lucius must want something of equal or greater value for Chet’s safe return. The only question is what? What could be worth going to such great lengths?
“The McHale Fortune,” Lucius answers my inner questions matter-of-factly. “I want it.”
I frown. “The fuck are you on about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Rocky. I know you know about it.”
“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about. What fortune?”
There’s a brief pause, then, “He never told you.”
Frustration bubbles to a boil in my chest. “I swear to God, Lucius, if you don’t tell me in plain, simple English what’s going on—”
“Your father has been a thief longer than either one of us. I heard rumors. He’s been squirreling away a good portion of each one of his takes for the last twenty-five years.”
I shake my head even though I know Lucius can’t see me. Is it true? Dad never told me about some so-called McHale Fortune, and even if he did, how much—
“We’re talking over thirty million dollars, Rocky,” Lucius provides the answer before I even have time to ask.
My mind reels.
Thirty. Million. Dollars.
Dad’s been in the business a hell of a lot longer than I have, so I suppose it’s possible he’s amassed an impressive fortune. Still, it’s the first I’m hearing of it, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to say or do in this situation.
“Rumors,” I hiss venomously. “You betrayed us because you heardrumors?”
Lucius scoffs. I can practically see the curl of his shitty pencil mustache and greasy black hair. “Obviously I made sure to check my sources, Rocky. I’m not fucking stupid. While you and the rest of the crew prepared to steal the Picasso, I did some prep of my own and looked into Chet’s financial records. He’s got offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands.Severalof them. Did he ever tell you that?”
I want to tell Lucius no. Obviously not. This is all news to me, but he doesn’t know that. Judging by his tone, I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m in on it —the McHale Family Fortune. If I reveal to him off the bat that I know nothing, I can kiss whatever imaginary leverage I have in this scenario goodbye and my father’s safety along with it.
“Let me guess,” I grumble through gritted teeth. “Dad wouldn’t tell you how to gain access, so you want me to get it for you.”
Lucius chuckles. The sound makes my skin crawl. “I always knew you were a clever girl.”
My stomach flips so hard I think I’m going to be sick. All this time, Dad’s been in Lucius’ custody. IknewI should have set out to find him sooner. I could feel it in my gut. Why did I ever doubt my instincts?
I set my jaw. Lucius doesn’t have to spell it out for me. I either help him gain access to Dad’s offshore accounts or he’ll kill my father. Most people would beg, plead. They’d complain that this isn’t fair, that it’s inhumane. But we’re a different breed. In our world, this is simply a matter of good business.
“So much for honor amongst thieves.”
“You and Chet are the thieves,” Lucius points out. “I’m just the transportation specialist.”
I roll my eyes and snap, “Put Dad on the phone.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, Rocky. He’s already got me in a piss poor mood.”
“I want to hear his voice. I need to know he’s safe and well, or I’m keeping the fucking money for myself.”
It’s a bluff, of course. I don’t give a shit about the money. I didn’t choose this career because of some innate greed, but because I wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps to help those who couldn’t help themselves —even if it meant bending the rules or breaking them all together. Laws don’t benefit the less fortunate, after all, but the ones who designed them in the first place.
“Lucius,” I prompt, making sure to keep my voice firm and steady despite the fact that I’m shaking uncontrollably. Whether I’m shaking out of fear or anger, I can’t tell. Probably both.
On the other end of the line, I hear the man sigh. “Fine, fine. Make it snappy. I don’t know how many minutes are loaded onto this thing.”
I hold my breath as I listen to the sound of shuffling. It’s hard to tell what’s going on until I hear the painfulriiiipof duct tape.
“Fuckingow!” Dad hisses.
