Jennifer looks back at my dad and drops her voice. “I think something is happening.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s some chatter. Something about a Payne takeover.”
My blood turns to ice, and I force myself to remain still. “How do you know this?”
“I’m not the head of an empire,” Jennifer replies, “but I keep my ear pressed to the ground.”
“You could get in trouble for telling me this.”
“Yes.”
I shove both hands into my pockets and turn to face her, careful not to give anything away. “Why are you telling me?”
Jennifer won’t meet my gaze. “I don’t know.”
“Jen—”
“We were friends once.” Her eyes rise to meet mine, and she glances back to the men, but no one is paying attention to us. “I’d like to think you’d return the favor if the roles were reversed.”
“We were kids,” I respond. “That’s hardly worth getting ostracized by your family.”
I don’t like the thought of Jennifer putting herself in harm’s way, but there’s little I can do about it without arousing suspicion.
I have enough on my plate without confronting the Harrisons.
“It was only a matter of time, anyway.” Jennifer shrugs and offers me a sad smile. “Might as well go down on my terms.”
I press my lips together and say nothing.
“There’s someone on the inside, someone high-ranking in the inner circle,” Jennifer says quietly. “He’s the one pulling the shots. You need to be careful.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
There’s a dull thud in my ears as I realize what she’s trying to tell me.
It has to be Oliver.
He’s decided to stop dragging his feet and face me head-on.
You should’ve taken care of him when you had the chance. Now you have no one to blame but yourself.
Brother or not, the son of a bitch will not put one over on me.
It’s time for me to figure out a way to deal with Oliver permanently.
Jennifer looks like she might say more, but notices my father and the mayor looking over at us. I offer them both a small smile and clear my throat. “Thank you for telling me.”
“For what it’s worth, I would’ve told you, too,” I add in a quieter voice. “I won’t forget this.”
Carlisle finds me a short while later. I pretend to show him around the docks and wait until we’re out of earshot. “What’s happening with Oliver?”
“Nothing new.”
I look at my right-hand man and frown. “I just received intel that something is happening. I’d hate to discover that Oliver gave you the slip.”
Carlisle stiffens. “Who gave you the intel?”
