"Can't discuss client confidentiality, even if the client's..."He trails off, studying my cut."You're the brother she mentioned.The one in the motorcycle club."
"That's right."
Walsh pours himself three fingers of bourbon from a bottle he keeps in his desk drawer.It's not even noon, but I'm not judging.We all have our ways of coping.
"She was scared," he says finally."Not just worried, scared.Said she'd stumbled onto something that didn't add up, and when she started asking questions, it spooked the wrong people."
"What kind of something?"
"She was helping her sister-in-law with wedding stuff and found some statements that didn’t sit right."Walsh takes a long sip of bourbon."Seems the future brother-in-law's business dealings weren't as clean as they appeared."
My hands clench into fists."Ethan Morrison."
"That's the one.On paper, he's squeaky clean.Successful financial consultant, big clients, all the right connections.But your sister was smart.She noticed some things that didn't add up."
"Like what?"
"Guy makes two hundred a year tops.But he’s got a penthouse, six-figure cars, the works.It doesn’t add up."Walsh refills his glass."So she asked me to dig a little deeper."
"What did you find?"
"Dozens of shell corps, all tied to his firm.Money’s moving in circles; laundering, plain as day."He pulls a file from his desk drawer and slides it across to me."Your sister was right to be scared."
I flip through the records, bile rising.It’s all there, clear as blood on concrete—he’s not just dirty.He’s lethal.
"Money laundering?"Tempest asks, reading over my shoulder.
"Among other things.See the amounts?Just shy of the reporting line.Classic structuring to avoid detection."
My vision starts to go red around the edges."What else?"
"That's where it gets really ugly.A couple of these outfits?They’re tied to real shit; trafficking, drugs, weapons…The whole fucking menu."
My vision goes red.I shove the file away like it’s burned me, pacing to the window with my fists clenched so tight my knuckles crack.
I’ve seen a lot of darkness in this world, but the thought ofhim, this polished snake in a thousand-dollar suit, touching her, using her family as cover for this filth.
I brace a hand on the windowsill, head down.If I don’t keep it together, I’ll break something.
"How much of this did you share with Calla?"
"All of it.She said she needed to warn her sister-in-law, needed to make sure she knew what kind of man she was planning to marry."
The timeline clicks into place.Calla found out about Ethan two weeks ago.She started asking questions, hired Walsh to investigate.Probably planned to tell Evangeline at some point, but wanted to be sure of her facts first.
And someone killed her before she could reveal the truth.
"You keep copies of everything?"I ask.
"Multiple copies.Hidden in multiple locations."Walsh's smile is grim."I've been doing this long enough to know when a case might turn dangerous."
"Good.Keep them that way."
As we're leaving, Walsh calls out, "Hey.Your sister...she loved that girl like her own sister.She was terrified of what would happen if Morrison found out she was investigating him."
The words follow me out of the office, confirming what I already knew in my gut.Ethan didn't just have Calla and Marcus killed to silence them.
He had them killed to protect himself.To keep Evangeline from learning the truth about who he really was.
