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And for plotting how to get away with killing a journalist and not looking like a suspect to the mayor.
We all move down the hall to the main room, a white room with tile floors and tall, vaulted ceilings. The table is near the window, and I face it head-on while I sit down, not sure if I can contain myself much longer if I have to sit and stare at Jacob Lacey’s lookalike.
“Carter, I wanted to talk about Killian because I had a meeting today with his second-in-command, Yuri.”
“Yuri Natori,” I mutter. “I know the bastard. He works with the Russians downtown. They’re a little group, nothing like ours, and they’re not very friendly. He likes to branch out, though. Can’t say I’m surprised he is looking in unlikely places for help.”
“He wanted me to join them and bring the Donahue name over to his jurisdiction of power. They’re coming for you, especially. The Phillips family, too. You know them?”
I can’t help but laugh at Rich’s question. “Yeah, I know the Phillips family. Why?”
“They have a few stragglers from the motherland. They sent a few men over to restart production and ship out guns. They aren’t anywhere near where they used to be, but they’re recruiting outsiders. They want to come after you. Made them perfect for Killian’s work.”
“So, what’s new? I gain another enemy every day.”
“I can see why,” Rich sighs. “But these little groups are going to be a big problem, eventually. I want to help keep the main names intact.”
I look away from the city, surprised he thinks the Donahue name has any weight in this town. “Really now? And who is going to help do that? You have no power in New York.”
“I agree, Carter. But if we cut through the weeds and worked together to do that, we could come out victorious against the mayor.”
“He’s going to pin everything and anything on my back.”
“Yes, he will try. But he’s not coming after me and my family.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I’m working with him as of today.”
My fists ball on the table, and he holds his hands up in surrender like there’s a gun pointed at him under the tabletop. He’s wise to do so, too. I may be empty-handed with my gun strapped behind me, but Tristan always wears his pistol in the front.
If he tries anything funny, I trust my righthand man enough to take care of it, even though we aren’t on the best terms either.
“So, you want to double-cross the mayor, is that right?”
He nods vehemently. “I think we can, Carter.”
“And do what?”
“Same shit he’s trying to pin on us. We need to catch him in the act. That journalist of yours is doing a good job undercutting Isabella and your relations with her. I don’t see why we can’t do the same to the mayor’s political face. He would look like a bad leader if we managed to get some dirt on him.”
I relax, finally seeing where this is going. “Okay, so you’re going to work on the inside and gather dirt. I’ll throw it in his face, and we can discredit him when he tries to come after me.”
“Precisely.”
But still, one thing haunts me. “So, what does any of this have to do with Isabella?”
He inhales slowly, his voice quiet as he replies, “It has everything to do with her. She’s the key to this operation, Carter. The only thing I ask of you is to trust me.”
“You’re not taking her.”
“No, but we should get her somewhere safe. Somewhere better to watch her.”
My brows furrow. “Safe from what? A rogue journalist trying to ruin my life?”
“She’s going to publish something much worse one day, Carter. Something you can’t come back from, and I don’t just mean with Isabella. I mean with everyone. You need to heed this warning. That woman is dirty as they come, and this vendetta against you isn’t reserved for just her. She’s working with Killian. She’s not a good example of the press, but she gets the word around.”
I bury my face in my hands for a minute, knowing that Isabella is going to hate me when she wakes up. “Yeah, yeah. She’s going to be dealt with somehow. I have my family already on it. I just need some time. Some place where we can rest and recoup from this. Somewhere that Killian can’t fuck with us for a few nights.”
