I felt nothing as I stared down at him.
“Where’s my mom?” I asked, unsure how I felt that she wasn’t here.
“In the community, doing her duty,” he said shortly before he waved me closer. “Why did you want to see me, son?”
I’d made a mistake in letting him know that “son”bothered me. Fucker would use it every time, and I decided to ignore it as best I could going forward. It was that or reach out and wrap my hand around his throat and choke him to death.
There’d be time for that later, along with figuring out if he’d just told the truth about my mom or if she had long since died and been buried by his hand.
“You need something from me,” I said in the same monotone. “Something very important that will save your life. I’m willing to donate it to you, but nothing comes without a price. You taught me that.”
Jeremiah smiled, yellowing teeth a similar color to his yellowish skin. “You are a chip off the old block, aren’t you, son. I expected you’d come back into the fold eventually.”
Delusion was his middle fucking name.
“What do you require of me?” He was playing that affable fatherly figure now, the one he’d perfected to draw in the weak and unsuspecting with promises of a better life, prosperity, and eternal peace.
There was no sense in beating around the bush, and I didn’t want to linger a second longer than necessary. “I need you to orchestrate, through your contacts in the IRS, the takedown of a few key families in Ricci Corp.”
I let that hang in the air for a few minutes as Jeremiah tried and failed to hide his surprise. “You’re involved with the mafia?”
“My involvement is none of your concern,” I continued. “All I need is for you to make some calls. You and I both know you have the contacts to initiate this investigation, and I need you to fast track it—which is really in your best interest, since I won’t consent to any liver transplant until everything is signed and sealed and the perpetrators are all arrested.”
His surprise was hidden once more, and he regarded me carefully before he nodded. “If I do this for you, I have one further stipulation.”
Of course he fucking did because me cutting out a piece of my body for him wasn’t enough.
“You come back to Townsend. You come back and take your rightful place with us as my heir.”
I laughed. It burst from me and grew out of quickly control, until I was near gasping for air. Just the thought of that request had me nearing hysteria.
“It’s a simple request, really,” Jeremiah said, a snap of anger underlying his words now. My lack of respect or fear was finally getting to him. “You don’t even have to live with us, at least not at first, but you must promise to visit. To learn how to lead.”
A promise wasn’t worth shit, so I’d indulge this asshole to get what I wanted.
“Fine. If that’s what it takes, I will visit the community on occasion, outside of my normal commitments. Baby steps, Jeremiah. Baby steps.”
He nodded. “I never like when my sheep leave the flock. There’s always something missing.”
We were sheep to his wolf, which was the part he never told anyone.
“So, we’re agreed?”
Not like he had a damn choice, but I wanted him to feel as if he had power here still. At least until I got what I wanted.
“Agreed,” Jeremiah said, before he coughed a few times and sank back into the bed. “Hand me the phone, and I’ll call my contacts.”
Two hours later I’d gone over everything with Jeremiah’s people in the IRS and emailed them copies of everything in the folder of information from Angelo. With their assurance they’d have a plan of action in the next few days, I made my way out to Billie, who was reading a book on her phone. When I called her name, she jumped up and smiled brightly. “Zepp,” she said. “I’ve been worried.”
Before I could say anything, the doctor emerged from somewhere. Probably the depths of hell.
“Time to sign that consent form and schedule the surgery,” he said, thrusting it at me one more time.
I shifted Billie so she was behind me, and I was grateful that our security stood on either side of us.
“Jeremiah knows what I need from him,” I told the doctor. “We’ll be back when his side of the bargain is complete. I’m staying nearby.”
Nearby but not in Townsend.
