“Right,” Roman says slowly. “We know all this. How is it relevant to us now?”
I smile and hand Lio my tablet. “I want you to watch this. It was live about thirty minutes ago.”
Lio and Roman crowd around Carter’s bed, so the three of them can watch the news broadcast.
I can’t see the video from where I’m standing, but the image of Special Agent Dowing standing in a formidable black skirt-suit, in front of the podium, isn’t easy to forget.
“Good afternoon, thank you for being here,”Agent Dowing says on the video.“It is with regret that I stand here today, to inform you all of the untimely death of my younger brother, Kieran Dowing.”There’s a pause for dramatic effect.“Last night, at approximately nine-thirty PM, the car Kieran was in exploded. It is believed that someone with an agenda against me or my family is behind this heinous act, as…my brother was not supposed to be in that vehicle.”
Dowing clears her throat, seemingly overcome with emotion as her next words are thick and hoarse.“I was supposed to be in that car. My fiancéand I were to drive it home after a night out with my family, celebrating our engagement. My brother, for reasons only he knew, decided to enter the vehicle ahead of us—probably for some type of joke. He always loved playing around with me.”Another pause, this one longer.“Anyway, whoever took my brother from us, that wasn’t a joke, and I can assure you, they will be punished to the full extent of the law. My father and I have worked too hard to bring peace, and an end to the violence. We urge you to please speak up if you know anything. Big or small, please call the tip line at the bottom of your screen. We would like to lay our dear Kieran to rest knowing that those that took his life so callously will pay for what they have done.
“If you have something against me, or my father, whatever we may have done to incur your wrath, this is not the way to get revenge. Kieran did not deserve to be a casualty of whatever wrong or sense of injustice you feel was made against you.
“Please, allow our family space to grieve and deal with this tragic loss. Myself, my father, and my fiancé thank you foryour sympathy and understanding in the midst of this tragic event. We implore you once more, if you know anything, do not hesitate to speak up. Thank you for your time.”
The video ends and Lio hands my tablet back. “Thoughts?” I ask them.
“Seems…fake,” Lio says carefully. “She didn’t show much emotion. You can excuse some of that away because of her position, but the emotion she does show…it seems fake. What do you think?”
I shrug. “I didn’t watch the entire thing, I felt the three of you needed to see it as soon as possible. But yes, the sound of her voice, it is too perfect, too rehearsed. She's trained to speak in front of people, despite whatever her emotions might be or not…but if you lose your sibling, someone who meant so much to you, you wouldn’t be so unaffected.”
“She made a good show of it. To the untrained eye, it’d be believable, but she’s no Leandro,” Roman comments.
“And the father…he didn’t look like a man who just lost his son.” Carter’s voice is soft, but there’s an edge to him. “If I were to lose Roman or Cole? I wouldn’t have been able to stand there so stone-faced and put together. That is not a grieving father.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I reply.
“Did they kill him?” Roman asks. “Or do they just not care? This dog and pony show could be simply for sympathy. What better way to get people to vote for your father in the next election than to make him out to be someone who’s been through some terrible tragedy. I’m not surprised they’ve got enemies, not with what we now know about the daughter.”
“So we’re in agreement, the father is probably in on our destruction as well?” Lio asks carefully.
“With what Doc and Dr. Ranlen said about how off he seemed? Then this today? And the fact that his daughter has the right connections? I would say it’s safe to assume he eitherhas something to do with everything that’s happened, or knows something. Either way, it would be remiss of us not to look at him closely. I’ve already been building a file on him, since he’s connected to Cecily, but now we need to look closer. Maybe get Antonio and the twins on it—I don’t want surveillance inside his house, not yet. Let me try to hack his system first, but getting eyes on who comes and goes before that can happen wouldn’t hurt.”
“I think we can agree to that,” Lio says, looking at Roman and Carter. “We’ll meet with Antonio, Marcus, and the twins, to see if we can come up with a plan to cover all our bases.”
“Leandro and I haven’t been able to break into Cecily’s system yet, but we’re close. It’s more sophisticated than most people have, with her job, though that’s to be expected. It’s not impossible, but it’ll take a bit of time. I’m going to assume the senator’s house will be the same. You will make it clear that neither Antonio nor the twins are allowed to enter either residence without our permission. If they risk themselves, it is not just their Dom they’ll have to fear.”
Roman snorts. “Noted, we’ll make sure they understand.”
“Good. Now, to the second order of business. Luca wants permission to come here and speak to the Council. Doc and Dr. Ranlen will be trading places for a few days. Doc and Soren need a break, and Dr. Ranlen and Kail can watch over the old Bosses while they’re gone.”
Pain crosses Lio’s face. “How are they doing?”
I sigh. “I think it’s better to have Luca explain. Tennant and I will both attend the meeting, and…we’ll tell you everything you want to know, okay, Baby?”
Lio swallows and nods. “Dr. Ranlen has a guard, right?”
“Of course, Tennant would never leave her unprotected. He sent Joel and another guard he trusts to watch over her whileshe’s away. Don’t worry, we know how important she is to you. We won’t leave her alone.”
He nods again. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. Not only is she an important part of this Family, but sheisfamily. We’ll protect her.”
As Lio takes a deep breath, I drop out of “work mode” and move to his side, pulling him into me. Lio sighs and gives me his body weight, relaxing into me, trusting that I’ll hold him up.
“It’ll be okay, Pup. Whatever happens, you have me and Daddy.”
“Okay.”
