Yesterday, another of my allies withdrew from our previous agreement, and I had no choice but to get Leonard to start an urgent, very deep dive into whatever the hell was going on.
“And?” I huff. “Don’t make me read the whole fucking thing, just tell me.”
He pulls the chair out from opposite my desk and sits down, folding his arms across his chest as he leans back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this tired.
“Did you sleep at all?” I ask, a pang of guilt shooting through me for always being so hard on him.
“Not since Tuesday,” he grumbles. “Look, what’s happening is that someone is playing out a series of attacks against our inner-city alliances—but they are making it look like we did.OurMO. Even some of our weapons are being used. Most likely the ones stolen when we were experiencing those annoying attacks.” He waits.
“Fuck,” I mumble, folding my arms across my chest and tilting my head back as I roll my neck. The muscles between my shoulders blades are tightening with stress. “And do we have evidence pointing to who it might be?”
“We both know who it is,” he snaps.
I nod. “We do. But do we have evidence?”
“Subtle. Not enough to show our allies and reassure them, but enough that it’s clear to us. If you plan on approaching the allies and proving anything to them, we need more than what we have.”
I swallow hard, huffing out a tight breath. “Alright. Okay. Well, all we can do is try. You get out there and find me the evidence I need. I’ll get on the line with our allies and see what relationships I can salvage. And this evening, I’m going to see if I can visit my father in person. He won’t be able to resist gloating, and hopefully he’ll slip up and say something that damns him.”
Leonard stands. “I’m going to put a team on that evidence hunt. I desperately need a few hours’ sleep, then I’ll be back inaction. And if you’re going to try bait your father into confessing his shit, make sure you’re recording the conversation.”
“I will. Go ahead and get some rest,” I nod, gesturing for him to get out of here.
He’s no good to me in that state anyway.
It’s going to be another day of phone calls. Endless calls trying to mend these damaged relationships.
After each call, I hang up and immediately dial the next. I don’t have a lot of time, and I have to try to speak to everyone. If I can at least plant a seed of doubt in their minds, letting them understand that someone is trying to frame me, I can stop the cascading effects of being thrown to the wolves like this.
I talk for hours, working tirelessly to fix things. Leonard checks back in with me after he slept for a few hours. He stands in the doorway of my office and reports some good news. Finally, his team might be onto something. He’s going to check it out himself.
“Where?” I ask.
“Your old territory. The one you traded to Ali.”
“I’m coming with you,” I say immediately, standing up and getting ready to leave. I am so desperate for solid evidence. I’m tired of sitting behind a desk; I want to get my hands dirty.
“No, sir. We need to be stealth. You’re too well known. I’m sending a team of guys whom I’ve worked with for years. I’ll stay in the vehicle listening in, but they’re doing the footwork. I assure you, it’s better if you stay out of this for now.”
Frustration rolls through me, and I hesitate, caught between telling him I’m the one who calls the shots and he has no right to say no to me, and the fact that I know he’s right. If Ishow my face there, it will be like setting off an alarm. Everyone knows me.
“Fine. Keep me in the loop. I’m going crazy here,” I huff, dropping my jacket onto the back of my chair again.
“I know. Don’t worry. I’ll let you know the moment I hear anything at all.”
I watch Leonard walk out of my office. I’m standing there without direction, unsure what to do. I’m exhausted, I’m drained, I’m hungry. But I don’t want to go home just yet, because I can feel something is about to break in this investigation. We’re close to something, and I want to be nearby when things happen.
It’s still early enough. Almost seven. The sky is only just starting to grow dark.
I sit down at my desk again and wait for his call.
***
Eight thirty-seven. That’s when my phone rings. Just as impatience is getting the better of me.
“Sir, the info was right. All of the material used in the attacks against us and our allies is being stored in the warehouses that make up Ali’s new territory, including a large number of your father’s products. This proves that they were working together.”
“Are you certain?” I growl, anger pulsing through me. Yes, I knew it was my father, but somewhere deep down, in some pointless pit of my thoughts, I had hope.
