AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Have you talked with Greg? I’m sure he’d be happy to help you.”
“My father-in-law doesn’t know where they are. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, would I?”
Interesting.That’s a turn I didn’t expect. I figured the first thing Greg would have done after our little encounter at the hospital would be to contact Martin and tell him all about Clara and Willow and the shooting.
Speaking of which… the shooting.
Martin hasn’t mentioned the school shooting.
Very interesting.
“I’m sure you’ve both been busy with everything that happened this week,” I muse with feigned empathy.
“What are you talking about?” He frowns at me like I’ve suddenly sprouted a second nose.
Where has he been this whole time? Did someone bury his head in the sand somewhere way out in the Mojave? “The school shooting? It was all over the news.”
“Oh. That.” He shrugs like it wasn’t a direct threat against his own child’s safety. “Nothing we can’t handle. Nothing that can or will distract me from finding my wife and child.”
There are two options standing in front of me: either he’s a complete dumbass who is too unobservant to carry a detective’s badge, or he’s trying to play me for information. Either way, I’m not loving his tone or the way he refers tomyfamily.
Because fuck it—that’s who they are to me now.
I push my chair back abruptly and stand. “Great to hear LVPD’s finest cares so much about the safety of our children,” I rumble with sarcasm dripping off every syllable. “Since you can’t seem to find your own job, let alone your child, allow me to direct you to the exit.”
“Hold on.” Martin holds a hand up to stop me from pushing him out. He’s dangerously close to me breaking his fucking wrist like a matchstick. “I think we got off on the wrong foot here. I came to negotiate.”
I arch a brow. “Probably should have led with that.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway. I know you’ve got your own family problems you’ve been dealing with. Tolya, right?”
I freeze and say nothing.
He seems to take my silence as an affirmative. “I can help you get him out. Just work with me here. Give me Clara and Willow and I’ll give you your brother.”
Did I just hear him right? Did he just go from not knowing about a massive school shooting in his own jurisdiction to acting like he can free a convicted murderer from prison?
“I’m listening.” I shove my hands inside my pockets and lean against the desk.
Martin glances around suspiciously.Yeah, like I’m gonna keep all my recording devices in plain view. Dumbass.“I know the coroner’s report was doctored. I can work with that.”
He pauses, so I nod for him to continue.
“Say the case gets reopened. Say new evidence is discovered. Say the arrows start pointing away from Tolya and towards someone else who had a stake in the whole thing, like Raizo Watanabe… or even Greg.”
One big benefit of being the owner of a casino is having the best poker face in the house. That’s the only way I’m able to hide my surprise—my utter fuckingshock—at this man’s eagerness tothrow his own mentor and supposed “father-in-law” under the bus.
Something else catches my attention, too. “What stake did Raizo have in it?”
“Oh, come on. You were there. You saw the business Greg’s been helping him with all these years. Michael Little was gonna blow the whistle. Everyone knew it.”
I’m so glad I didn’t kick him out when he walked through those gilded doors. This has proven to be a very fascinating and informational barge into my peace and quiet. “So if I’m understanding you correctly, you’ll reopen the case and fabricate new evidence to exonerate my brother?”
Martin nods. “In exchange for Clara and Willow.”
“Hm.”
I pretend to think about it. I pretend like it’s tempting.
