“Jack, I know there was evidence collected. I know there are little things, things telling you how the bomb was put together, maybe where those pieces were purchased. Bombs have their own signatures. I know this, and you’re sitting here telling me you found nothing except that it was in a locker?”
“Sir—”
Cole shook his head, cutting him off. He leaned down, resting his hands on his legs until he was right in the police chief’s face. “I know you’re feeding me a line of bullshit. I don’t know what other family members you’ve worked with, but that won’t work with me. I’m smarter, and I’m less patient. Give me the name of the person behind that bomb by tomorrow, or you’ll find out I’m not as nice as whoever you were dealing with before.”
The man’s sweating had dampened the collar of his shirt. He bobbed his head up and down. “I will. I’ll find out and bring it to you tonight. I will.”
Cole’s eyes were still narrowed, but he leaned back, allowing the police chief to stand. “Thank you, Police Chief Smith. I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”
“Yes. Yes, sir.”
Cole flicked a hand to Leo. “Escort him out, please.”
Leo and the police chief left the room, leaving one other family member still with Cole: Gene. He shook his head, leaning back in his chair and resting his ankle across the knee of his other leg. He looked at me. “You think he’s working for the Bartels?”
I didn’t say anything. I waited for Cole to speak.
Cole ran a hand down his face as he went to his desk chair. “Has he worked with us before?”
“He was with Leo,” Gene said.
“And Shavon?” Cole asked me. “Was that the truth, what you said before?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. She tried to prevent me from coming in here. One guess is that Leo is running his own agenda, and he wanted to see if you’d buy what the cop was saying. Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Or he is working with the Bartels and wanted the last bit of evidence we might have on them, the cameras?” Gene asked.
Cole shook his head, frowning. “Either way, I can’t trust some of my own family, or I can’t trust who each of them has in their pockets.”
“We have family politics, just like every other family.”
Cole shot Gene a look. “I’m not an idiot, and I know I came in and took over. I knew my place as the leader wouldn’t be met with smiles and thumbs-up, but that was complete bullshit. They have evidence.”
“Wait and see what he shows you,” I murmured.
He shook his head, rubbing at his jaw. “I have to order surveillance on all the elders, don’t I?”
Gene glanced at me. The question hadn’t been directed to me, but I answered it anyway. “It wouldn’t be a dumb idea.”
I’d thought the takeover was fine. I’d thought the initiation was successful. I was wrong, and I knew I’d been too quick to hope this change would be smooth. I’d hoped because I’d wanted everything to be handled and dealt with so none of it would affect Emma.
“I can’t trust anyone except you two,” Cole murmured, his voice deep and low.
I started to shake my head, and he looked right at me. “I need your help, Carter.”
“I came here for information. I needed to know if Emma had been the target.”
“I know, and I know you’re technically out, but I’m telling you—I need you in. I need you to help me.” He looked to Gene. “Because of you, I know I can trust my uncle here.”
Gene stiffened. I knew he was remembering his doubts about his own nephew, but he nodded. “You can trust me. I’ll take care of the surveillance with the rest of the family. I’ll handle it.”
His gaze met mine, and I knew he was doing that to help me. I was here to protect Emma; that was all. And I nodded, thanking him. That was one item off the list Cole would need help handling.
“Thank you, Gene,” Cole said.
Gene nodded, then glanced at me. I nodded as well. He was leaving, letting me have my time with Cole.
We waited until he closed the door, then I started. “You’re bringing the police chief in here? To see your face? To see mine?”
Cole tensed, frowning. “What—”
“That’s reckless. You meet with dirty cops, dirty politicians, whoever, outside of the house. Never in the house.”
“What, you’re the All Mighty Trainer? Do you have a rulebook? How to be a Mafia Leader for Dummies?”
“Cole.”
“What?” His eyes flashed a warning. “You trained me to fight and to kill. This stuff I have to learn on my own.”
“Trust Gene.”
Cole scoffed. “Right, because my uncle isn’t judging every mistake I make, huh? Because he really thinks I deserve this chair.”
Well, fuck. He’d sensed Gene’s reservations. “He means well.”
Cole waved me off. “My father was the head of the family. I just—” His hands fell to his desk, and he held onto it for a second. “This was his. This whole house. This chair. I have so many memories of watching him in here, and now it’s me and…” Shadows flitted across his face. “There are a lot of ghosts in here, Carter. More than I thought there were going to be.”
His father, mother, brothers, sisters—and he would’ve been another. I softened my tone. “I’ll help you, with what I can.”
“Oh, gee.” His lips curved in a mocking grin. “Thanks so much for that.”
“Don’t be an ass,” I growled.
I kept getting pulled in. Granted, I had come myself, but I needed to know for sure. “Who do you think was the target?”
Cole sighed. “I have no idea. I really don’t. How’s she doing?”
She’d been sleeping when I left. “Bruised, sore, resting.” I needed to get back to her.
“You’re at your place?”
I nodded.
“Are you going to be training tonight?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Always.”
“I’m going to come over.”
Despite all the complications, at a basic level, it felt good having him back. We’d fallen into our old routine. When AJ died, Cole had replaced him as my brother. I hadn’t been looking for another best friend, but we were alike, and when I took him away from the family to hide and train, we became even more alike. Neither of us had blood family. I had been in the shadows, watching over Emma, and he was in the shadows, just surviving.
“Sir—”
Cole shook his head, cutting him off. He leaned down, resting his hands on his legs until he was right in the police chief’s face. “I know you’re feeding me a line of bullshit. I don’t know what other family members you’ve worked with, but that won’t work with me. I’m smarter, and I’m less patient. Give me the name of the person behind that bomb by tomorrow, or you’ll find out I’m not as nice as whoever you were dealing with before.”
The man’s sweating had dampened the collar of his shirt. He bobbed his head up and down. “I will. I’ll find out and bring it to you tonight. I will.”
Cole’s eyes were still narrowed, but he leaned back, allowing the police chief to stand. “Thank you, Police Chief Smith. I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”
“Yes. Yes, sir.”
Cole flicked a hand to Leo. “Escort him out, please.”
Leo and the police chief left the room, leaving one other family member still with Cole: Gene. He shook his head, leaning back in his chair and resting his ankle across the knee of his other leg. He looked at me. “You think he’s working for the Bartels?”
I didn’t say anything. I waited for Cole to speak.
Cole ran a hand down his face as he went to his desk chair. “Has he worked with us before?”
“He was with Leo,” Gene said.
“And Shavon?” Cole asked me. “Was that the truth, what you said before?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. She tried to prevent me from coming in here. One guess is that Leo is running his own agenda, and he wanted to see if you’d buy what the cop was saying. Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Or he is working with the Bartels and wanted the last bit of evidence we might have on them, the cameras?” Gene asked.
Cole shook his head, frowning. “Either way, I can’t trust some of my own family, or I can’t trust who each of them has in their pockets.”
“We have family politics, just like every other family.”
Cole shot Gene a look. “I’m not an idiot, and I know I came in and took over. I knew my place as the leader wouldn’t be met with smiles and thumbs-up, but that was complete bullshit. They have evidence.”
“Wait and see what he shows you,” I murmured.
He shook his head, rubbing at his jaw. “I have to order surveillance on all the elders, don’t I?”
Gene glanced at me. The question hadn’t been directed to me, but I answered it anyway. “It wouldn’t be a dumb idea.”
I’d thought the takeover was fine. I’d thought the initiation was successful. I was wrong, and I knew I’d been too quick to hope this change would be smooth. I’d hoped because I’d wanted everything to be handled and dealt with so none of it would affect Emma.
“I can’t trust anyone except you two,” Cole murmured, his voice deep and low.
I started to shake my head, and he looked right at me. “I need your help, Carter.”
“I came here for information. I needed to know if Emma had been the target.”
“I know, and I know you’re technically out, but I’m telling you—I need you in. I need you to help me.” He looked to Gene. “Because of you, I know I can trust my uncle here.”
Gene stiffened. I knew he was remembering his doubts about his own nephew, but he nodded. “You can trust me. I’ll take care of the surveillance with the rest of the family. I’ll handle it.”
His gaze met mine, and I knew he was doing that to help me. I was here to protect Emma; that was all. And I nodded, thanking him. That was one item off the list Cole would need help handling.
“Thank you, Gene,” Cole said.
Gene nodded, then glanced at me. I nodded as well. He was leaving, letting me have my time with Cole.
We waited until he closed the door, then I started. “You’re bringing the police chief in here? To see your face? To see mine?”
Cole tensed, frowning. “What—”
“That’s reckless. You meet with dirty cops, dirty politicians, whoever, outside of the house. Never in the house.”
“What, you’re the All Mighty Trainer? Do you have a rulebook? How to be a Mafia Leader for Dummies?”
“Cole.”
“What?” His eyes flashed a warning. “You trained me to fight and to kill. This stuff I have to learn on my own.”
“Trust Gene.”
Cole scoffed. “Right, because my uncle isn’t judging every mistake I make, huh? Because he really thinks I deserve this chair.”
Well, fuck. He’d sensed Gene’s reservations. “He means well.”
Cole waved me off. “My father was the head of the family. I just—” His hands fell to his desk, and he held onto it for a second. “This was his. This whole house. This chair. I have so many memories of watching him in here, and now it’s me and…” Shadows flitted across his face. “There are a lot of ghosts in here, Carter. More than I thought there were going to be.”
His father, mother, brothers, sisters—and he would’ve been another. I softened my tone. “I’ll help you, with what I can.”
“Oh, gee.” His lips curved in a mocking grin. “Thanks so much for that.”
“Don’t be an ass,” I growled.
I kept getting pulled in. Granted, I had come myself, but I needed to know for sure. “Who do you think was the target?”
Cole sighed. “I have no idea. I really don’t. How’s she doing?”
She’d been sleeping when I left. “Bruised, sore, resting.” I needed to get back to her.
“You’re at your place?”
I nodded.
“Are you going to be training tonight?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Always.”
“I’m going to come over.”
Despite all the complications, at a basic level, it felt good having him back. We’d fallen into our old routine. When AJ died, Cole had replaced him as my brother. I hadn’t been looking for another best friend, but we were alike, and when I took him away from the family to hide and train, we became even more alike. Neither of us had blood family. I had been in the shadows, watching over Emma, and he was in the shadows, just surviving.
