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“Gabriel, please, let your old man be of use to you,” he ordered. “I’m no detective but I have contacts who could help.”
My knee jumped. “You can help by telling me what dealings you’ve had with him.”
Dad spread his arms. “Without details, I really can’t do anything.”
“You’re useless to us if you don’t know him,” I pushed.
His lip curled. A tell that I’d pissed him off. Not only was I being rude to him but I’d taken ownership of my brothers.
When he spoke again, it was precise and measured. Without switching his gaze off the screen, he slotted the pieces of the gun on his desk together. “What are you now, Raphael, twenty-one, twenty-two? Still into guns? At ten years old, you were as good a shot as me. You’d be an asset to the family business if you returned.”
I sensed Raphael’s flinch. The same horror sank through me.
I gave it one final and desperate attempt. “Can you just give me the contact details for Larson? A phone number? A handler?”
“You already stated I don’t know him. Ariel, don’t make me repeat your words.” He smiled, and this time, at last, it was for me.
I knew this was coming.
He’d sensed an opportunity and he wasn’t about to give anything up for free.
But I didn’t anticipate the cost.
That ask was Raphael. Our father had laid out his terms.
I had to get off the call. “Then I guess you won’t help. Got to go.”
Dad didn’t hasten to stop me. Instead, he simply raised a hand. “Speak soon, boys.”
The line disconnected. He’d hung up on us.
Chapter 15
Jackson
Ariel turned to her brother, her face pale. “I’m sorry that happened. I should’ve just called him by myself and not let him see you.”
My friend wrinkled his nose. “He wouldn’t have even spoken to ye. I’m not worried. Don’t assume he’s rattled me.”
I sat forward. “For the sake of me being an outsider, did he just offer information on Larson in exchange for ye working for him?”
Raphael nodded. “Basically. My sister’s safety for me returning to the fold.”
Hatred and frustration bloomed in me. In university, he’d confided that his father’s world scared the shite out of him. Raphael was strong and fucking smart, so for this to shake him told me just how bad things had been when he’d lived there.
“That’s never going to happen,” Ariel breathed.
“Agreed,” I said. “What was your take on whether he knows anything or not?”
She sighed, her gaze searching the middle distance. “He knows the name. He said ‘I’m not sure’ rather than no. It’s harder to tell if he owns the guy or not. If he makes contact claiming to have discovered something, that’ll be the answer.”
She looked to her brothers for their views. Both gave glum agreement.
But I didn’t imagine she was about to sit around and wait. I held my question about what next, because if she’d wanted her brothers in on a plan, she would’ve said.
Raphael checked the time. “I need to hit the road. The last fucking thing I want to do now is leave for a week.”
Ariel set her jaw in a stubborn slant. “Don’t. You have to. You’ll be qualified, and your hard work will be behind you. I’ll be perfectly fine here, and we’ll keep you updated. Don’t worry about me.”
