“He has that talent. I don’t think he worked a day in his life, but he always felt entitled to whatever he wanted.” Chris exhaled. “I’m sorry about dumping this on you with the campaign and all. I only told Jay, and he thought you may be able to think of something. I got the Mitchells’ lawyer looking for loopholes, but knowing Robert, there won’t be any.”
“Don’t ever apologize for asking for help. Let’s startwith you getting me a copy of that damn will. I don’t know who the lawyer you spoke to is, but if there’s a possible loophole, my people and I will uncover it. In the meantime, can you and your family find somewhere else to stay?”
“I got Melissa and the twins to leave today for Massachusetts. I’m going to keep living in my house in case the brothers are watching me. I don’t want Trevor to get suspicious and do something crazy.”
“If you’re alone in there—”
“Jay is coming to stay with me. Both of us have guns.”
Mickey nodded his approval. “You boys know what you’re doing, but Jay can’t be with you around the clock. We’ll need help from someone who knows about discretion.” He picked up his phone and made a call.
After a few seconds, he said, “Good morning, Oscar. Is this a good time? Oh, I’m sure your caviar won’t get warm. I’m calling on behalf of Chris Roberts. What? No, he doesnotwant to be a toy in the club—that ship has already sailed and hit an iceberg. I need you to meet with him as soon as possible. This might be a life-and-death situation. Tomorrow evening?” He watched Chris, who warily nodded. “He will meet you at the club at six o’clock. Please take this seriously. Yes,of courseyou take everything seriously.” He rolled his eyes. “Goodbye for now.”
“Thank you,” Chris said, although he wasn’t sure what to expect from Oscar. Tobias’s former partner hadproven to have multiple faces, each unpredictable yet dangerous, even though he had ended up saving their lives by gunning down Tobias.
“Go home,” Mickey said, the warmth in his voice surprisingly human.
“It’s still early. I have work.”
“Your head is not here, nor should it be. If you don’t want to go home just yet, there’s a shooting range not far from here; I believe it’s called Westside Rifle and Pistol Range. I might have gone there a time or two to blow off some steam.”
Chris nodded, knowing that his work wouldn’t be productive if he stayed. “I’ll go there. Thank you.”
“Send me the will today, and write down everything else that you can think of regarding those... people.” Mickey smiled grimly. “I need you alive and well to hand out flyers for my campaign.”
6
JAY
He didn’t fancy driving by the big houses with their pretty front lawns. Where he grew up, the houses were ramshackle, and the sidewalks were cracked and dirty—as they ought to be.
He parked his bike far enough from Chris’s house to not make it obvious where he was heading. The sun had started to set, painting the sky with a stunning golden glow. Back in Kansas, he used to watch the sky for hours with Stu, both because it got them away from their parents’ never-ending fighting, and because there wasn’t much else to do in their shithole of a town.
Jay used to talk about leaving and becoming an engineer, while Stu wanted them to work together in their own garage. Big brother got the final say on that one.
Jay took out his phone and checked the tracking app they had installed on Chris’s phone, making sure he was already home. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would put his faith in apps, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to have another way of knowing where Chris was during theday.
With his bag strapped around his back, he walked across the quiet street, scanning every house and bystander. A few gave him lingering looks, eyeing his leather jacket, loose jeans, and long hair. He didn’t fit in with the local scenery, and he couldn’t care less. He made sure to give an extra glance at parked cars, searching for people who were sitting inside. In a peaceful place like this, suspicious people were easy to spot. Once he was convinced no one was spying on Chris’s house, he walked to the front door and knocked.
Chris opened the door wearing a gray sweater and sweatpants, his dark blond hair a bit damp from a recent shower. “Hi.”
Jay entered and took off his jacket, noticing the strong scent of cooking meat. “What are you making?”
“You asked for steak.”
He had, but only to decrease the heaviness of their conversation. He followed Chris through the well-equipped kitchen and out to the backyard. The grill was on, with the table already set for two. Cold beers waited on the table from Jay’s favorite German brand.If this was a date, I’d totally put out.
It was very Chris-like to be so well organized, even under such circumstances.
Jay picked up one of the bottles and cracked it open. Close by, Chris flipped the two juicy steaks on the grill. They looked incredible. As always, he possessed aneffortless ability to add class to the simplest activities, even to barbecuing.
“Need help?” Jay asked.
“You can bring the mashed potatoes and salad from the kitchen. I’m just about done.”
In the kitchen, awful paintings hung proudly on the fridge.Thank God those twins are cute, because they have zero talent.
Jay picked up the food and placed it outside on the garden table. A minute later, Chris brought the steaks over and placed the bigger one in front of Jay. The smell was so lush and raw, it made his mouth water. He put some of the mashed potatoes next to the steak, ignoring the salad’s existence. He took a hefty bite and moaned. “Damn, these mashed potatoes are sick.”
