“Lionworth is definitely a made-up name, right?” Jasmine guessed.
“Oh, totally,” Sesame said. “Their real name is Klump.”
“Can’t say I blame them for the change,” Josie mused.
“Anyway, I found a lawyer and set up a meeting to make a deal. I’d give up everything on Lucore and HardMax and our prescription business in exchange for immunity for me and Tommy. The FBI agreed. I gave them enough evidence, including a sample of HardMax, for them to get arrest warrants for your aunt and uncle. They’re making their move on them tomorrow. In a couple of hours, we won’t ever have to worry about them again,” Sesame promised.
Tommy stared at Sesame in awe.
Nick had to admit even he was impressed. Sesame was still the same diabolical genius she always had been, just on a grander scale.
“I was under strict orders from the FBI not to get into any trouble before they arrested your aunt and uncle. Any sign of us talking to the police could tip everyone off. That’s why I had to get creative about getting inside to explain everything.”
“So you didn’t even come back to reconnect with me. You came back because you were tired of running your cartel empire and thought you could once again avoid paying the price for any of your actions,” Kellen said flatly.
“I’m gonna need you to hold off on the brotherly outrage for a bit,” Nick said. “Because right now, they’re in more danger than they’ve ever been. If Gunther the Goon and Tommy’s relatives catch a whiff of this deal Sesame made, there’s nothing stopping them from snipping all the loose ends.”
Kellen heaved a sigh and scrubbed his hands over his face. “You’re right. Fine. Get your lawyer on the phone now,” he said to Sesame. “I’ll update him or her about the FDA guy’s homicide and tell them we need an FBI security detail to protect you until Aunt and Uncle Whoever are in custody.”
Sesame’s eyes went damp again. “I always knew I could count on you, Kelly. Even when you’re mad at me, you still do your best to protect me.”
Kellen didn’t look like he was pleased with the compliment, but he didn’t pitch a fit either when she handed him her phone.
“Brian,” Nick said, snapping his fingers at his cousin. “Bring up photos of all the bad guys so everyone can take a good look and memorize their faces.”
“On it.” Brian pulled out his laptop.
Nick turned to Riley. “Thorn, you and Jasmine are going to have to kick everyone out. They’re gonna be safer in their own homes than here. No trick-or-treaters. No elderly visitors.”
Riley nodded and Jasmine threw him a mock salute. “You can count on us.”
“We’ve already got law enforcement eyeballs on us, so we might as well just lie low here for the night,” Nick said. “Jos, you’re with me. We’ll turn this place into Fort Knox on lockdown.”
Josie flashed him a thumbs-up before reaching for her fifth slice of pizza.
“Here’s our gallery of baddies,” Brian said, turning his laptop around to show everyone the photos.
Next to Gunther’s creepy, scarred face was a photo of a couple standing in front of alook at how rich we aremansion. The woman was a medium-height unnatural redhead with pale blue eyes and a large mole on one cheek. The man looked to be close to six feet tall. He had broad shoulders, a square face, and a neck tattoo of a spider. Both looked like they wouldn’t have a problem throwing down and starting shit.
“Uncle Royce has two more spiders on his neck and more hair now,” Tommy said.
“Yeah, he got a hair transplant through one of our South American suppliers,” Sesame explained.
“Memorize these faces,” Nick said. “None of these people are getting inside this house.”
Kellen hung up Sesame’s phone and nodded at Nick. He joined him next to the door. “What’s up?”
“I talked to Sesame’s attorney, and she’s making contact with the FBI about security. They could be here in a few hours.”
Nick nodded. “Okay. We can hold down the fort until then.”
“There’s something else,” Kellen said, pulling out his phone. “Christian Blight was released from prison yesterday.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? As if dealing with some prescription cartel hit man isn’t enough, now we’ve got to deal with Blight?”
“Look, the guy’s been locked up for six years. Let’s just hope he decides to spend his first few hours of freedom with his family, not looking for revenge.”
Nick was kicking himself for not getting around to installing that damn security system.
