I stared at him. “You think the Agency would just let me go so easily?”
A smug smirk played on his lips. “Don’t you get it? We’re bigger than the Agency. The Agency answers to us. How do you know they haven’t already cut ties with you?”
“And if I say no?”
“You won’t. Because you care. As much as you can’t stand it, you care about your mother. You care about that little Banks Crew, especially Mr. Jackson.”
I pushed back from the table and stood. My body felt cold even under the weight of my fur vest. “I’ll think about it.”
Jack raised his glass. “We’ll give you thirty-six hours.”
Leaving was a blur. One minute I was getting in the elevator, the next I was gripping the steering wheel, my pulse hammering in my ears.
I screamed. I screamed until my throat was raw and slammed my hand against the wheel.
How could Sterling use me—his daughter—as a fucking bargaining chip? He’d made me into a weapon, and I’d spentmost of my life trying to build something around that. Now I was back in his shadow, paying for his sins.
I pressed my forehead to the steering wheel, squeezing my eyes shut. Quiet tears slipped down my cheeks and onto my lap. My body shook as I tried to calm myself down.
God knows how long I sat there like that. But I sucked in a breath, wiped my face, and grabbed my phone. There were a series of missed calls and texts, most from Fontaine, and one from CJ.
CJ (Brooklyn)
You crossed my mind. You good?
Bear
You need to call me ASAP
I couldn’t call him back. If I heard his voice, I’d break for real, and I couldn’t afford that right now. I had to keep my head in the game. I’d deal with him tomorrow.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Kenya asked as she stepped into the kitchen.
Instead of answering her right away, I poured myself a glass of sweet tea. I’d spent the morning buried in Sterling’s paperwork, digging through every drawer and filing cabinet in that bitch. Neither Fontaine nor Jack had shown me anything concrete, just words. I needed to see the mess with my own eyes to justify how my life had turned into collateral for his secrets.
Of course, there wasn’t shit. Everything was organized down to the letter—no hidden ledgers, no random memory stick. Only the echo of a man who’d worked so hard to keep his image so spotless. The whole time, Fontaine had been blowingup my phone. I hadn’t called him back and disabled the tracker malware I knew he’d installed on my phone since I knew he’d figure out I was at my mom’s. Honestly, that’s part of why I was back here—because I knew that man was crazy enough to show up at my condo unannounced. I wasn’t in the mood for his stalker games.
I glanced down at the small snack plate I’d thrown together—some fruit, cheese, and dry ass crackers. I picked at the fruit absentmindedly, trying to figure out how much I should tell her.
Kenya sighed and smoothed her hand down her olive sweater, her eyes searching my face. “Something’s not right, Nairobi. I can feel it. I’m not as ditzy as you think. I know you’re not just here sorting through old papers.”
She reached over and stole a strawberry from my plate. “It’s been over a week. The memorial’s done. You handled everything like you said you would. So, what’s keeping you in the city? Normally you’d be gone by now, off to your next assignment or whatever it is you do. I know you’re not just here for my sake.”
I lifted my glass and watched the condensation bead up, trying to buy myself another moment. I took a slow sip before setting it back down on the counter.
“Daddy had a gambling addiction,” I said finally. “And there’s no money left. Nothing. He lost it all.”
It was strange, referring to Sterling as “Daddy” after all these years, but in the moment, it felt necessary to soften the blow.
Kenya’s brows shot up with genuine confusion plastered all over her face. “What do you mean, no money? He always told me the poker games were just a way to unwind. It wasn’t supposed to be anything serious. He said it had it under control.”
My eyes narrowed. “So, you knew he gambled?”
“I knew he played cards from time to time.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I figured it was some harmless fun with his old Marine buddies. It never seemed like anything that could put us at risk. He wasn’t that kind of man.”
I shook my head. “It was more than that, Mama. He didn’t just lose a few thousand dollars. I’m telling you everything is gone. If I don’t figure this out, you could lose the house.”
She pressed her lips together as the realization began to sink in. This life Sterling had built for her was more fragile than she’d imagined. Her eyes shimmered with the threat of fresh tears.
