By the time Kane’s finishing telling me Luka’s story, I’m incandescent with rage and ready to murder the bitch who assaulted him as a teen. He was an adult by the time we realized he existed, but it was clear from the beginning he’d not had a happy childhood.
Thanks to my father cutting Luka’s mother off without a penny the moment she got clingy, but mercifully before he found out she was pregnant and he could do something about it, Luka grew up in poverty.
He’s made a decent life for himself now. He also has a significant allowance after Fina and I lobbied our father to guilt him into compensating Luka for not financially supporting him growing up.
But being raised by a depressed, poverty-stricken mother meant he was easy prey for a predator like the bitch who put her filthy hands on him.
“Do we have a full name?”
“No, but I can figure it out from the information I have,” Kane confirms.
“Good. Get her name and address, and I’ll take it from there.” I bet Luka isn’t the only kid that woman preyed on.
“Will do.” Kane picks up his keys and moves to leave.
“Oh, Kane?” He turns, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”
“Keep your fucking hands off my wife.”
My best friend bares his teeth as he looks me straight in the eye.
“No.”
I sit at my desk seething. Kane made it clear last night he considered Chiara part of the deal we made years ago, when we were still young and dumb. I still remember that day with sparkling clarity.
Kane’s three years older than me, so by rights we shouldn’t have even been at the same frat party, but by then he’d begun working for my father.
Dad had sent him to the party with pills to sell, but mostly it was to keep tabs on the son of a rival, an idiot called Liam. Dad needed blackmail material and didn’t trust me to get the job done.
I remember walking into the kitchen in search of another drink, only to find my friend with his hand up my girlfriend’s skirt. I’d seen red. We ended up having a massive fight over her while Liam Finlay overdosed on MDMA in an upstairs bedroom.
Once I’d sobered up and the police had left, we talked and agreed that if we liked the same girl, we’d share. Not Becca, as I dumped her that same evening, but the next time I met a girl we both wanted, we didn’t fight about it.
But that was then. I have no intention of honoring the agreement now. Chiara is my wife, for better or worse. I don’t share my wife. Not when she’s the woman I’ve obsessed over for years.
The pen in my hand breaks in half, spilling ink everywhere as Cecelia comes rushing into my office.
“Federal agents are here!”
My mind races, but I force my expression to stay calm. I can’t afford to drop the ball.
“Do they have a warrant?”
“Yes.”Fuck.I wonder which asshole judge signed off on that. Clearly not Judge Peckham, as he’s on our payroll. It’s most likely Judge Callahan. The bastard hates my father and would love to see our family go down in flames.
“Stall them while I call our lawyer.” It’s about time Martin Rosen earned his fucking retainer.
Cecelia scurries off as I hit call on Martin’s personal cell.
“Martin,” I bark. From the sound of traffic, he’s on the move. “Get your expensive ass over here right the fuck now. The feds have shown up with a warrant.”
There’s a muffled curse. “I’m on my way. Don’t say a word.” I roll my eyes. How dumb does he think I am?
The line goes dead as a federal agent wearing a dark gray suit strolls into my office with a smug smile that says he thinks he has me by the balls.
“Agent Lincoln.” The man’s a snake. He’s been after our family for years, but there’s never been enough evidence of wrongdoing. “Care to explain why you’re upsetting my staff and ruining my day?”
“I’d love to.” He sits in the chair opposite my desk and relaxes, like he’s here for afternoon tea. “A little bird told us there are some irregularities in your accounts.”
