Chapter 16
“Glad you’re not dead.”
On the other end of the call, Lachlan sighs. “I had to protect myself. The Senator has shown no indication that he’s aware of my deception, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
I hum in contemplation. It’s not that I don’t trust what he says, but…I don’t trust anyone right now. Not after everything that’s happened.
“Any updates, or is this a social call?” I ask mildly.
“It’s an ‘I’m not dead’ call,” he grouses. “And a warning. There’s going to be a press conference tomorrow, where the Senator is going to point his finger at ‘heartless criminals who are targeting him because he’s finally standing up and fighting for what’s right’. Thought you’d like a heads up.”
I growl. “Thanks. Is he calling out anyone specific or…”
Lachlan laughs. “You know better. He isn’t going to want to answer uncomfortable questions about if he has evidence it is your Council that is going after him.
That doesn’t mean he won’t hint at your involvement, so watch your backs.
I highly suspect you’ll be seeing a lot more police activity around your businesses—the legal and illegal ones. ”
“Federal or local?”
“Local. Cecily was the one with federal connections. I’m not saying the Senator won’t attempt to use his influence to force people on his side, but he currently doesn’t have any contact with anyone on a federal level.”
I try to determine if he’s lying or not.
It wouldn’t be the first time in our acquaintance that he omitted or straight up lied about what he knew.
We might work together, but trust is scarce.
With everything that’s happened the last few months, it’s understandable, but to be allies, there has to be a bit of faith in the goodwill of others. Lachlan and I don’t have that.
“Thank you for the information.”
“Leandro,” he says, as if sensing he’s seconds away from losing me.
“Be careful. Don’t let arrogance—yours or anyone else’s—get in the way.
You can very easily lose this fight if you underestimate the Senator.
He is not like either of his children. There’s a reason he’s made it this far, as both a politician and a criminal.
I don’t know what he has planned, but it’s not going to be straightforward.
I’ll keep in touch and let you know when I do, but assume it’ll be something underhanded. ”
“I’ll take that under advisement.”
“Kieran lost his life because he thought he knew his father. I don’t want to see your Family go down because of the same.”
“Don’t worry; I learn from my mistakes.”
Lachlan sighs. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
The line goes dead and I sit back in my chair, staring blankly at my monitor as I go over everything Lachlan did and didn’t say.
As much as it might have seemed to him that I didn’t take his warning seriously, the opposite is true.
The more he feared losing his only ally—as far as I know—the more he revealed to me, even if it didn’t seem like it.
He might not have been able to tell me anything about the Senator’s plans, but the stress he put on how…unconventional and underhanded the Senator is, is concerning. He’s not going to hit us head on, I know that much. It’d be too easy, too straightforward, and over too quickly.
With a sigh, I grab my phone and send a message to Hollis, knowing I need his help to start putting a plan together to protect our assets from the threat of law enforcement. The Council will need to be updated, but right now… I’d rather show them I’m not as underhanded and untrusting as I seem.
I know what the Martellis think of me now, but I don’t really care.
Trust me or not, I will do everything possible to keep what’s mine safe.
Case in point, I sent Tennant to fucking Benjamin rather than letting the fucker kill himself with his stupidity.
If I didn’t think Lio would have a meltdown over the death of his supposed best friend, I would have left him.
But…both Lio and Tennant are mine, and for some reason, they care for the asshole, which means dragging his life out a little longer.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I sigh again. Boston whines from under my desk, and I reach down to scratch her head, reassuring her that I’m fine, even if it’s a lie.
Straightening in my chair, I turn to my computer and get to work on fixing what’s damaged. I might not be able to save Roman and Lio from their demons, but I can make sure nothing else touches them…except monsters of my own creation.