“Yes, I’m afraid I can’t go into detail. He left requests for his burial and such with Gunny. He said you’d know him. I’m sorry he died. Jeremiah hoped to reconcile with you. I’m quite surprised by his passing.”
Owen glanced at Elias. “Do you know the official cause of death?”
“No. You can ask the sheriff. I know his son discovered him. Leslie called 911, but it was too late,” Mr. Williby said, opening the folder.
“Maybe Leslie can enlighten us when we see Conner,” Elias suggested.
“We’ll ask her,” Owen said before turning back to the lawyer. “Can we have the others join by video? I doubt my brothers will make the trip.”
“No. Jeremiah stated they must be physicallypresent, or I’m to exercise my right as his attorney to move forward with the second option.”
“Which is…” Owen prompted.
“Sorry. I’m not at liberty to say,” Mr. Williby stated. “I’m sure this feels frustrating, but your father made his wishes known. He wanted the entire Wolfe family together.”
Owen rose and shook his hand. “I appreciate the heads up. I have an appointment tomorrow with the funeral home and will let you know the date to come to the house and bring the will.”
Elias rose, shook Mr. Williby’s hand, and followed Owen out of the office. They got into the truck, and Owen started the engine.
“What do we do now?” Elias asked. “The Wolfe men rarely change their minds. You know they won’t come. What’s the plan?”
“First, I’m introducing you to our youngest brother, who will be there at the reading. Then, tomorrow, we’ll plan the funeral,” Owen said, his mind went into overdrive as he formed his next moves.
“What about the others?”
“If they won’t come, it’s up to us to make them. The Wolfe brothers will be present for the reading of the will. Dad may not have deserved an award for his parenting skills, but he tried to fix things. It’s only fair we give him a chance, despite how we feel.”
Elias nodded, saying nothing. Owen glanced overat his younger brother, seeing the pained expression on his face. Dad warned him about Elias's habit of hiding his emotions. If Jeremiah knew this much about Elias, what did he know about the rest of them? Most importantly, why did he wait all these years to bring them back together?
CHAPTER 5
“Text Leslieon my phone and tell her we’re on our way to pick up Conner,” Owen instructed his brother.
“I’m surprised you still have her number,” Elias said, scrolling through the names and typing out the message.
“I didn’t. She left it on the fridge and frostily pointed out hers never changed,” he admitted with a chuckle. “She’s still feisty.”
Elias laughed. “Awww, you’ve grown more sensitive in your old age. You used to call her a pain in the ass before you rammed your tongue down her throat.”
“Shut up,” Owen ordered, giving Elias a brotherly punch on the arm.
“Tell me about yourself,” Owen prompted. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a hacker. I help companies get their data back when someone tries to hold them hostage,” Elias said, glancing out the window.
“There’s a degree for hackers?” Owen asked in surprise.
“Not exactly,” Elias said, shrugging. “I went to school for programming and Cybersecurity. I started hanging around a couple of friends who liked to have contests to see who could break into a company’s back door first.”
“It’s illegal,” Owen said in a fatherly tone.
“Companies pay people to do it to test their own security. The payments can be phenomenal,” Elias said. “It allows me to work from home.”
“Then why did you say you lived in a studio and can barely afford rent?” he questioned his brother, raising a brow.
“Sometimes, I help people. Those who get a tough break and can’t seem to snap out of it,” Elias said quietly, making Owen wonder if his brother tended to toe the line.
His phone buzzed, and Elias read. “Leslie will have him ready.”
