Aidan plunked the pictures we’d collated on the desk, slapping proof that President Devere was a pedophile and that Brackton Sr. had been in bed with him.
I kept the knife’s tip buried into his skin. “We’re at war with the Albanians, Brackton. If you don’t want your pretty face carved up, you’ll be at war with them too.”
“Their backers aren’t people you want to piss off. My dad’s dead. They’ll kill me next!”
Baby Brackton didn’t know his mom was behind his father’s death.Interesting.
“So, you’re not as out of the loop as you’d like us to think you are…” Brennan jeered.
“If you know their backers, you’ll have heard of Cosimo Favaro.” At his immediate stillness, I whispered in his ear, “Cosimo is currently being digested by one of our pigs. If you don’t want to join him, then you’d better start cooperating with us.”
Luc chuckled as the younger man released a sob. “You’re toying with the four factions who own New York and whosereach covers both coasts. How well do you think that’ll go for you?”
Blanching, he panted. “Oh, fuck. These people aren’t who you think they are. Their ties areancient?—”
“Then you need to figure out how to juggle two masters, Brackton. We can destroy your legacy, your family, yourworldthrough these pictures. Whatever we offer you is a gift.”
“A gift? Are you being serious?!”
“How much of the Brackton family fortune did you invest in KinoBit on Graham Sr.’s behalf, Finn?” Luc asked, his tone pleasant.
“Seventy percent of liquidated assets. The returns were of great interest to your father, Brackton. The rest is locked up tight in bonds that will appreciate in twenty-four months’ time. That means he lost seven hundred million from the heist with the remaining three hundred million locked out from early access for maximum tax avoidance,” Finn practically chirped.
“He can use his investments as guarantors?” Aidan inquired.
“No. I made sure that no one deposit was large enough for that. Each investment outside of the KinoBit account hinges on his good behavior.”
“They’ve been planning this for months, maybe even years. No matter what they’d like us to think, they obviously believed the Bracktons were a threat to the Five Points’ long-term goals if they intended on crippling the family financially.”She argued with herself, “Orthey wanted leverage on his Super PAC. Either way, would a little transparency be too goddamn much to expect? Fucking men.”
I’d have laughed at her tirade if I could—I loved my sister but she was the last person who could talk about ‘transparency.’
“What does that mean? I’m not good with figures,” Brackton bawled.
What a baby.
“It means your money is invested with firms we own and that, at the snap of our fingers, we can crash and burn. You might have a billion dollars remaining at your disposal, son, but we have tens of billions to push you around with. You want any access to your money, it’ll be through us.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Instinct had me digging my thumb into the brand at the same time as I sunk the blade deeper into his cheek. “I think you know the answer to that.”
“I want guarantees,” he blurted out, rolling over with such haste that I was almost disappointed.
Enough that I shoved the crybaby away from me like he stank of shit.
It was, after all, time to postulate a theory—one I hadn’t even discussed with my siblings.
I crooned, “Why should we give you guarantees when you’re actively helping our enemies?”
A nerve in his eye twitched. “What are you talking about?! I don’t know what you mean?—”
“Don’t you think it’s interesting that his father was in bed with the Albanians, but Baby Graham always played in our playground?” I stirred the shit, almost giddy when he whined in distress. “The last time you were atRussu—yeah, I checked. You haven’t been around in a while. You helped the Albanians get into our club. Tell me why we shouldn’t just take your money and let you rot.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I didn’t want to help them.”
“Pezz’i miedda,” Rory snarled in my ear. “How long have you been chewing on this?!”
I ignored her. “You might not have wanted to, but you’re complicit.”
