I shake my head. “No. The police arrested someone, but…” My voice trails off.
He scoffs. “Did they give you a name?”
“No.” I lower my voice. “They haven’t charged him, not yet. At least, I don’t think they have. Actually…” I bite my lip. “I wondered if there was any way you could find out.”
His eyes harden. “I don’t have contacts anymore, Leoni. Those days are done.”
I nod, then hesitate just long enough for the fear to show. “Could it have been anything to do with you?”
“No.” His answer is immediate. Too fast. “Who would come for me now? I’ve been locked up almost ten years.”
“I just thought,” I twist my fingers. “With you being on seg all the time, maybe you upset people here.”
“No one knows anything about my family,” he says firmly. “No photos. No addresses. Nothing. I’m careful, Leoni. Always have been.”
I release a shaky breath. “Nothing makes sense. I can’t believe someone would take his life over drugs.”
“Drugs,” he repeats, expression darkening. “He was dealing?”
I shrug. “The police won’t tell us anything. But people on the estate say that’s what he was involved in. Isaac wasn’t a big-time anything, Dad. Even if he pissed off a local dealer, why come for him twice? Yeah, they could’ve jumped him. They did. But they dumped him near Mum’s. They knew him off the estate. He got a cab to mine, yet they tracked him to my place a day later, and killed him?” My voice cracks. “It doesn’t make sense.”
He thinks for a long moment, eyes narrowed. “Unless he upset someone bigger.”
“At most he made enough to buy a crappy car,” I argue. “Why would anyone bigger even notice him?”
“In my experience,” he says slowly, “the big guys only step down to handle disrespect. If Isaac had a hit put on him, it’s because he was deeper in than you realise. For a hit, he’d have had to steal—”
“A hit?” I choke out. “You think someone put a hit on Isaac?”
He glances around, then grabs my hands again, gentler this time. “I don’t know. But like you said, it’s strange he was tracked to your apartment. Bigger guys, they’d know everything about him. They’d have the help and resources to track his entire life. Look,” He leans closer, his voice dropping. “I don’t think you should stay at your place. Not until the person responsible is charged.”
I rub my palms against my thighs. “Then where am I supposed to stay? Mum and I, we didn’t exactly part on good terms.”
“Friends?” he suggests gently. “Someone who can keep an eye on you?” I hesitate. His brows lift. “What? What’s that look?”
“Nothing,” I say too quickly. “I just… I’ve kind of been staying somewhere the last few nights.”
He leans in, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Somewhere? Or with someone?” Heat rushes up my neck. “Ohhh,” he laughs, in full dad-teasing mode. “My girl’s smiling like she’s hiding something. Come on, Lee. You can tell me.”
I shake my head, but I’m grinning. “It’s nothing serious.”
“So, thereissomeone.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s new. Very new.”
“Details,” he insists. “What’s his name? Where’s he from? What does he do? Is he looking after you properly?” He softens. “I missed too many years, Leoni. Let me at least hear what your life looks like now.”
I take a breath. “He’s my boss,” I admit.
His eyebrows shoot up. “Your boss? Bold move.”
“It’s not like that,” I say quickly, though the flush in my cheeks tells a different story.
“And his name?” he asks, nudging.
“Warren—”
I jump in fright as a loud buzzing fills the room. Guards immediately start calling time. “That’s visiting over, folks. Up, let’s go! Move it!”
