“So this could be about port entry. I thought thepressure was coming through labor, through who worked the docks. This was aimed at the lines themselves.”
“That’s what I’m thinking now.”
“So you think it was Duvall who ordered my father’s murder?” I ask quietly, more to myself than to him.
Vin doesn’t rush to agree. He never rushes when he knows I need to arrive somewhere on my own.
“They knew exactly where that would send you. Laurent operates close enough to this world that the overlap looks intentional. The Duvalls counted on that. Counted on you reacting fast and starting a war between the two families.”
It makes sense.
“I still don’t see how they turn one of our men,” I say. “And one of Laurent’s. Not without something big.”
Vin watches me closely. “If I’m right, which I’m pretty sure I am now, then we will get to the details of why and how. But my guess is money. It’s always money. And power.”
I drag a hand through my hair. A bitter laugh slips out. “So I burned time and goodwill chasing the wrong man. And I brought an innocent woman into this.”
“Yep. And they stayed invisible while you did,” Vin says. There’s no judgment in his words, just a clean understanding of how we ended up here. Thank God I didn’t do anything more than I did.
Heat builds low in my chest.
“We’ve got to make this right before it gets out of hand. But I want to know this time, for sure, before I make any more moves.”
Vin’s mouth curves slightly. “There’s a way to turn it. We let them think you’re still locked on Boudreaux publicly. Meanwhile, we start closing in quietly. I’ve alreadygot Wells working on getting proof to support my theory, which I fully expect to come through.”
“I don’t want to keep Coco any longer than necessary,” I say through gritted teeth. “Boudreaux was measured yesterday, but he was unequivocal. I don’t want to create any more bad blood than I have.”
“We need to keep her for a while longer,” he says without hesitation. “They already see her as evidence you’re following their breadcrumbs. We don’t correct the assumption. Send him something to show him you’re taking care of her. Hell, that bunker is nicer than my house. For now, we continue to use her. We want Duvall thinking you’re on the wrong track.”
I consider that. Slowly. “And Tripp?”
Vin doesn’t answer immediately this time. But when he finally does, his voice is calm and professional.
“He’s compromised,” he says. “Whether he meant to be or not. He’s got to go.”
“Nothing happens until we know for sure. After I have proof. I’m not moving on assumptions again.”
Vin studies me for a long moment, then nods. “Fair.”
He leans in slightly. “But be ready. This isn’t going to stop. They’re watching how you respond.”
I sit back, drawing in a steady breath as the weight of it settles across my shoulders.
Fucking A.
The Aston Martin’stires crunch softly over loose gravel as I pull in front of The Black Orchid and drive around to the back. From this side, the building gives nothing away. A loading bay, or a service entrance. It’s thekind of back-of-house access every place like this needs to function.
I walk into a nondescript side door. It’s not hidden, but insulated. A room built for money to move without friction. My father started the private high-end tables about four years ago, and Keller runs them. This is where deals are tested quietly, and appetites are indulged without spectacle.
This isn’t where people come to lose control. It’s where they come to see how much of it they actually have.
Twice a week, capital shifts hands in this room. Tonight, the pace is faster than usual.
I’ve been putting off going back to the Creston House since meeting with Vin. I know what I’m supposed to do. I took Coco when I believed Laurent ordered my father’s murder.
But if Laurent didn’t have a hand in it, directly or indirectly, then keeping her stops being strategy and starts becoming something else entirely.
I should let her go.
