“You always did think you were better than everyone else, didn’t you?” The bitterness in Byron’s voice was unmistakable, and Jason truly had no idea where it originated. “But if I’ve learned anything from Ren, it’s that everyone has their price.”
“What was yours?”
“Oh, fuck off. I—” Byron took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if searching for patience. “Just meet him, JJ,please. If he goes down, I go with him.”
Suddenly restless, Jason stood. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you started doing his dirty work.”
“Quit being so goddamned selfish for once,” Byron said.
Now that was rich. Jason scoffed. “I’m the selfish one here?”
“You don’t understand. He’s threatened Ava.” Byron’s voice broke. “Ava.”
Fuck.Jason banged his fist against the wall, his stomach twisting with disgust. Was Byron telling the truth, or just invoking Jason’s niece to get him to back down? Either way, father of the year material right there. “I’ll protect Ava, but you need to turn yourself in. Testify against Warner and maybe the Feds will go easy—”
“I can’t do that. In or out of jail, he’d kill me!”
“You fucking coward.” He wanted to strangle his brother through the phone.
“You don’t understand what he’s like, JJ.” Byron sounded defensive now. “He sucks you into his world and makes all your dreams come true. Maybe some parts of the job are a little sketchy now and then, but you justify it. They’re small things, and your wife likes the beach house and her new car. Your daughter needs dance lessons and a French nanny and private school. Meanwhile, Renfro keeps pushing your boundaries, and before you know it, you’re in too deep.”
Jason just shook his head, out of comebacks.
“JJ,” his brother said, his voice low and fragile, “I’m begging you. He won’t stop with me and Mallory and Ava. You’re in this now, and if you care at all about Mom and Dad and our grandmothers, or anyone else you’re close to…please, just take the meeting, take the money, and then forget you ever heard of Renfro Warner.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ALARM RANG THROUGH Emma’s body as she watched Jason end the call with his brother. His eyes were wide, his face ashen as he sat hard on the sofa.
She crossed the room and sat down, taking his large hand in hers.
Still staring at the phone, Jason said, “My brother has never begged me for anything in his life.” He looked down at her, the muscle in his jaw jumping. “I think he’s genuinely scared.”
“Areyou?”
“Hell, yes.” He disentangled his hand to caress her face. “It’s one thing to threatenmylife, but to make threats against my family, the people I love…that scares the shit out of me.”
The shivers chasing across her skin from his touch, his words, the look in his beautiful brown eyes, seemed wholly inappropriate given the circumstances. “Do you think that’s why Byron kept working for him?”
Jason dropped his hand with a sigh. “Part of me almost hopes so, but I doubt it’s that straightforward. The carrot has been pretty effective so far. I’m guessing Warner only brings out the stick when absolutely necessary.”
“Like with Kerry.”
His lips pressed flat. “Yeah.”
“You really think he’ll try to offer us a deal?”
Jason shrugged. “I think my brother believes he will. I’m not sure he’s the best judge of what Warner will do anymore though.”
“But we’re going to meet with him anyway.” There had to be a way to use the meeting to their advantage, to extract a confession or plant a bug, something.
“Well,Iam,” Jason said.
She sat up. “We both are.”
“Emma, I can’t watch you put yourself in danger like that.”
“I feel the same way about you,” she said sharply. “And if you can’t handle it, then you should stay here.”
