"I shouldn't know any of it," Gabe cut him off. "My father's never confirmed anything directly. He can't—he's bound by the investigation. But after Olivia had her first miscarriage and there was a mix-up with an insurance claim, my mother had a panic attack. I’ve never seen her so distraught. She’s always been a pillar of strength. It freaked both me and Olivia out. That’s when my dad sat me down and told me the whole sordid tale. All of it.” He stopped pacing, turning to face them. “Olivia doesn’t know. I’ve never lied to my wife before, but my dad and I came up with a story about how Olivia’s loss affected her so deeply and oddly, that helped pull Olivia out of her emotional distress.”
“Your dad took a big risk in telling you all that,” Bryson said.
“Maybe, but at the time, he thought, who the hell was I gonna tell?” Gabe raised his palms toward the sky, then dropped them to his thighs. “How was my dad supposed to know that Emery would be publicly humiliated and then land a job here.”
“Is that why you didn’t want us to hire her?”
“Yes and no,” Gabe admitted. “I was worried about the optics. That’s true. But I also worried about the information I’m carrying that I definitely can't share."
“Emery desperately wants to believe her father’s innocent,” Devon said, his voice tight. “But he’s always telling her to let the wheels of justice work. Could she know the feds are involved?”
“You know her better than I do,” Gabe said. “But I doubt Michael would tell her anything, so I don’t think so.” Gabe met Devon's eyes. “Even if she did know, she couldn’t talk about it.Ishouldn’t even be talking about. If my dad knew, he’d flip.”
"So, when that article mentioned her father's scandal..." Devon felt sick.
"It referenced real accusations, real allegations. The federal investigation is public record—anyone can look up that Michael Tate is under investigation for insurance fraud." Gabe planted his hands on his hips. "What's not public is that he might be innocent. That he’s helping federal prosecutors catch the real criminals. That he might have been framed to protect whoever's actually guilty."
"And that's information that can’t get out,” Bryson said.
"Not without destroying two years of investigation. Not without potentially letting the real criminals walk free. Not without exposing every cooperating witness—including my mother—to retaliation or legal jeopardy." Gabe's voice rose. "Do you understand what I'm saying? The truth that could vindicate Emery's father and restore his reputation—that truth is locked away in a federal case that might not conclude for years—and it seems, based on my conversation with Winston, that he might be digging where he shouldn’t , use it as leverage to keep me from making a claim while that clock ticks down for the next three months.”
The magnitude of it settled over Devon like suffocating smoke.
"Your mother," Devon said. "If this case goes to trial..."
"She'll have to testify. So will my father.” Gabe's voice cracked. "But if someone exposes their involvement before the case is ready, if details leak that compromise the investigation, the whole thing could fall apart. The real perpetrators could walk free with the best lawyer’s money can buy, and everyone who cooperated—including my mother, including Michael—could still face charges for their unwitting involvement because prosecutors can't prove their innocence without the full case."
“Jesus, this is a lot to take in,” Bryson said.
“You’re telling me. Federal witnesses in an active investigation—they're all bound by secrecy. One wrong word to the wrong person, one detail that gets back to defense attorneys or the press, and years of careful work collapses." Gabe looked between them desperately. "I'm already betraying my parents' trust by telling you this much. If they knew, if federal prosecutors discovered information leaked..."
Devon's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, saw Emery's name on the screen, and felt his chest tighten.
Emery:Good morning. You snuck out of bed early. Coffee?
Such a simple text. Such ordinary normalcy. She had no idea of the size and ferocity of the storm gathering around her.
"What do you believe Winston knows based on what he implied?” Bryson asked quietly.
"I don't know. He was vague. Even his threats were vague, but he still launched them like a bottle rocket. Whatever he knows, whatever he thinks he knows—he's using it as leverage." Gabe's hands opened and closed at his sides, and he turned away to stare at the vineyard rows stretching toward the hills. His shoulders hunched forward as if he were hauling a sack of rocks. "At the funeral, he made it very clear he had information about Michael's case. Information that could destroy Emery's reputation even if her father is ultimately exonerated."
"Because the investigation is ongoing," Devon said, understanding dawning cold and terrible. "Even if Michael's innocent, even if he's cooperating with the feds to catch the real criminals, publicly it looks like he's under investigation for fraud. That's what Winston can use—the appearance of guilt while the truth is locked away in a federal case that might not conclude for years."
"Exactly." Gabe's voice dropped to barely above a whisper, and he looked away toward the distant hills. His jaw worked like he was grinding his teeth. “That article that came out about Emery, the piece about her dad was a side note. It focused more on her and what happened with Harold, and the fact she might be sleeping with her new boss. No one is talking about her dad. But if Winston spreads that around the valley, tells collectors and auction houses that Emery's father is being investigated for federal fraud charges, that the case is ongoing and serious..."
"It destroys her credibility before she even has a chance to build it," Bryson finished. "No one will want to work with her. No one will trust her authentication. Everything we're trying to build with the premium wine program—it all collapses under the weight of her father's apparent guilt."
“So, Winston believes you’re his brother. He tries to buy you off, because everyone knows you don’t want those guns, and he threatens you with what might happen to Emery because if she goes down, so will Stone Bridge Winery, and he knows your loyalty lies with this family.” None of this should surprise Devon. Both Winston and Callie grew up believing they were better than everyone. As kids, both of them thought the people around them should bend to their will because of who their father was and what their family meant to this Valley. “That’s a pretty convoluted plan, and it means he’s had to have known about a sibling long before the reading of that will, because this isn’t something you just slap into place.”
The three of them stood in the vineyard, trapped in an impossible situation.
Devon's phone buzzed again.
Emery:Everything okay? You didn't respond to my last text.
He stared at the message, his mind reeling. How did he answer this? How did he look her in the eye knowing her father might be innocent but unable to say so without destroying a federal investigation?
"There's something else," Gabe said quietly. "Something that's been bothering me since Winston's warning."
