With a sigh, Judge rounds the edge of his desk, then leans his hip against it and crosses one ankle over the other as his fingers grip the solid wood on either side of him.“Yeah.With a brick wall.Over and over again.”He swallows thickly.“So much so, he was unrecognizable as I was held back, forced to watch the entire thing.”
His words hit like a punch to the gut, and I stagger toward one of the armchairs, collapsing into it.So, not a bar fight.Holy shit.Is he telling the truth?Was Rudy murdered?Right in front of him?My chest expands, and my hands tighten into fists as I imagine it.Being held against my will while forced to watch any of my brothers be beaten to death.We always knew Gus wasn’t someone to be trifled with, but murder?And not the cut your brakes so it looks like an accident kind, but cold-blooded, undeniable, we’re so untouchable we could pull the trigger in front of an entire town, and no one calls you out, kind of murder?That’s a different beast.I know it, and my brothers know it, too.
Fuck.
“It’s different,” Jagger pushes.“We have an agreement?—”
Uncle Judge’s humorless laugh cuts him off.“You think we didn’t?”
“You borrowed money,” Jagger argues.
Uncle Judge’s eyes thin.“And you’re threatening his nephew.”
My gut twists.He’s right.We might not have started this shit, but we are willing to end it.Judge, my father, they warned us we were biting off more than we could chew when we began talking to Gus, but we had no idea he’d take things so far.But what does this change?We’re already in.Hook, line, and sinker.And we sure as hell can’t back out now.
“Here’s the thing, Unc,” Jagger decides.“We’re not going to sit back and let Morgan threaten us, let alone try to burn down our house?—”
“While simultaneously fucking with our futures,” I add.“If we’re pinned for this, and it comes out as insurance fraud, we can kiss our seats on the board goodbye.”
“If we submit a claim,” Hawke says.
Yeah, that would make things a hell of a lot easier, wouldn’t it?
“Pretty sure Cobie already submitted the claim when we were at the house,” I grit out.Dammit!How had I not pieced this shit together before she offered to call them?
Defeated, Hawke’s head rolls on his shoulders.“Shit, you serious?”
“When I pulled up to the house, I saw her on the phone with them,” Roman confirms.
“So we can kiss our seats on the board goodbye,” I repeat.
Jagger hesitates, and I feel like I can see the wheels turning in his head.“Technically, Titas’s name is on the insurance.He’d be the one on the hook for fraud.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose.“Which means we just gifted him free blackmail for life.”
Fan-fucking-tastic.
“Dad’s gonna love that,” Jagger mutters.
He’ll never let us live it down, and whatever side gig we’ve built over the last year on campus would turn into our only option.There would be no exit strategy.No future.No honest income.We can say what we want about Harden Nights and taking a few bets here and there, but it was never long-term.Never something we wanted to continue after graduation.So, where does that leave us?
“Take a step back,” Roman urges.“Right now, we need to focus on what happened to your house.”
Look at Rome being the voice of reason.
“Rome’s right,” Jagger says.“Let’s take Lexie out of the picture for a minute.Even if she had nothing to do with it, Morgan could’ve still seen an opportunity when we all walked into The Body Shop.And if we’ve learned anything about Morgan, it’s that he has no issue capitalizing on opportunities.”
“Unless it comes to him sharing the haunted house video,” I reply.“Then he keeps it tucked in his back pocket for a rainy day.”
“If he was planning to set our house on fire, maybe he didn’t need the video,” Roman argues.
The bastard makes a good point.Besides, I actually like Lexie.She’s kind of a pain in the ass, but overall, she’s not half bad, and if anyone is sympathetic to the shit-hand people are dealt, it’s me.
Folding my arms, I ask, “So, what do we do?”
“We need proof,” Roman says.“If we go after Gus’s nephew without it, we’re fucked.”
Jagger snaps his fingers at Rome.“See if your brother knows anything.”
