Chapter 11
HARLOW
"You can't go," Cass said, staring at Jules.
"Who's going to stop me? You?" Jules crossed his arms over his chest and stared down his younger brother.
"If I have to." Cass toyed with the clip in the front of his hair. "They'd help me put you into Harlow's box if I ask." His gaze flicked back and forth to the rest of us before returning to his brother.
"Would we do that?" Boner asked, looking over at me.
I cocked my head at Jules appraisingly. "I don't know. Is that something I'd do to him?"
"You wouldn't fucking dare," he growled. "You know how this has to go down. If I don't turn up to do his electrical rewire, he's going to ask why."
"He's going to ask why if you do go," Cass said. "It's a set-up. It has to be. Right?" He looked around at the rest of us, hoping we'd agree.
"There's a very good chance it's a set-up,” Boner said, like he wasn't at all concerned. If it wasn't for the slightest wrinkling around his eyes, the hint of worry, I'd think he and Jules were back at the start. Barking at each other and getting on each other's nerves.
"I can handle myself," Jules said.
Boner grinned.
Jules flipped him off. "I didn't mean like that, asshole."
"You can handle your own asshole?" Boner asked, pretending to look surprised. Maybe even a little bit impressed.
"Archer," Jules said. "What are the chances of me dying if I jump off the roof of this building?"
"Not that good, actually," Archer said. "You could die, but you'd be badly injured first. I wouldn't recommend it."
"You're not going to jump off the roof of the building," I said to Jules.
"If I do, you'll know who's to blame." He gave Boner the side eye.
"Everyone has to have a hobby," Boner said. "Mine is stirring up shit."
"You could say that again," Jules muttered. He held up his finger and glared at Boner. "Don't say it again."
"Say it again. Don't say it again." Boner tipped his head from one side to the other. "You're giving me whiplash. Make up your mind."
Jules ignored him. "I'll be two hours away. If you need me, I can get back quickly. I have to go down there. Someone needs to see what he's doing."
I chewed my lip. "Someone should go with you."
That someone wasn't going to be Cass. Putting him back in the lion's den with his father was out of the question. Even if I thought he'd go, which, judging by the sudden clenching up his jaw, wasn't an option.
It couldn't be me either. As nice as it would be to get out of the city for a few days, I still had to get back to my restaurants. I had staff to hire.
If anyone dared to apply.
My track record of keeping staff alive wasn't great lately. If I was them, I'd think twice about putting in a resume.
"I'll go with you," Boner offered.
Jules groaned.
"I know you don't always get along with each other, but it's not a bad idea," I said carefully.
Boner could look after himself if anything happened. He'd be okay. In theory. Of course I'd miss his sense of humor, but it would be better than Jules being by himself.
Jules glanced over to Archer, who looked back at him without blinking. Evidently he wasn't going to make the same offer.
"If you get in the way—" Jules started.
"Excellent!" Boner interrupted. "Road trip.” He fist-pumped the air. "I'll pack up a few things." He disappeared into the bedroom we shared.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Jules said scrubbing a hand over his face.
"You might regret going alone even more," I pointed out. "If it's some kind of trap, you'll need someone to back you up."
"Harlow is right," Cass said. He looked happy as his brother at Boner tagging along. He'd miss the other guy and no doubt he'd prefer if all of us were going. Or none of us.
Personally, me too. I didn't want any of them out of my sight, much less out of the city.
"I hate the idea of leaving you here." Jules stepped over to me and cupped my cheek.
"I have Cass and Archer," I said. "I'll be fine."
"You mean we have you," Cass said.
Archer quirked an eyebrow.
"I mean, I have Harlow and Archer," Cass corrected, his face slightly flushed. "They're both badasses. They'll keep me safe."
"You can stick up for yourself if you need to," I reminded him. He'd proven that in the past. When it came down to it, he could hit a man in the face with a chair along with the rest of us. I turned back to Jules. "It's only for a little while. You'll be back before we know it."
"Yeah, I will," he agreed.
"We still don't know if Zeus knows anything about us," I said. "This could be the most boring few days in history."
"Not for us it won't be," Boner said cheerfully, pulling his suitcase along behind him. "Jules and I are going to have the best time. We're going to bond over music and electrical wires. What part of that doesn't sound like the greatest party of all time?"
Jules looked pained, but didn't have anything to say other than, "Okay, I guess we'd better get out of here."
He leaned in to brush his lips over mine and stepped back to let Boner do the same. Although the Englishman added a little more tongue.
I told them. "Stay in touch or else."
"We'll check in every hour," Boner said. "You do the same."
"I will," I said, "If we don't hear from you, we'll go down there ourselves." I hated to think what we'd find if it came to that, but we'd break a few land speed records getting there. Possibly a few laws as well.
Whatever, it wouldn't be the first time.
"And if we don't hear from you, we'll be right back," Boner said. "Come on bro, let's go enjoy the wide open road." He stretched his arm out in front of himself, looking down the line to his hand and beyond, as if he could see all the way to the Hamptons.
"I pick the music." Jules grabbed up his own bag and swung it over his shoulder.
"Depends what you listen to," Boner said.
"No, it doesn't. I picked the music." Jules opened the door and they stepped out together.
I could hear them arguing about radio stations before the elevator took them away.
"I don't like this," Cass said. He'd pulled his clip out and was now turning it around in his fingers. His hair covered most of his face, like he could hide from his thoughts behind it somehow. Or trap them in to keep them from running wild.
"Neither do I," I said. Was it too late to chase after them and tell Jules we'd all go? Or insist he stay?
Yeah, I supposed it was.
Needing a change of subject, I asked, "Have either of you figured out how to get at Forrest yet? With any luck, he'd be dead by the time Jules and Boner returned.
"He has a tight schedule," Archer said. "His court dates are booked out for the next year or so. He's known for being hard on criminals. The sentences he gives are usually on the high side."
"Ironic much?" I said.
"Exactly," he said.
Archer's expression barely changed, except for a hint of disapproval in his eyes and around the sides of his mouth.
Jules said I had a good poker face, but I was nothing on Archer. The man was a closed book more often than not. I was starting to understand him better though, to be able to read his expressions.
"On paper, Judge Forrest Cross is the kind of person who wouldn't let anyone get away with anything," Archer said.
"On paper," I echoed.
Of course he'd give that impression of himself. The fine upstanding pillar of society. All the better to slide by without being noticed.
If he was in front of me, I'd punch him in the face. What right did he have to pass judgement on others and then do the things he'd done? He was the lowest form of low life. And yet there he was, living the high life instead.
"Sounds like him," Cass said softly, reminding me he was the man's son.
I was still trying to get my head around that, to be honest. Cass couldn't have been more different. He wouldn't hurt a fly unless they swung first.
"Is there any chance…" I trailed off, not wanting to ask something quite so personal.
"Is there any chance he's not my father?
" Cass asked. "My mother was loyal. She never would have cheated on him.
" He shook his head slowly. "I wish she had.
I'd give almost anything to be someone else's son.
Except all the rest of his associates." He looked a little green, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.
I wound my arms around his neck.
"I know. No one wants to be related to a monster." I certainly didn't.
"What if I'm more like him than I know?" Cass whispered. "What if it takes… I don't know, a trigger. Something to set me off. The right circumstances. Something." The devastation in his eyes suggested he'd been stewing on this for far too long.
I pulled my face back and locked my eyes on his.
"You are nothing like him. Neither is Jules. There's nothing anyone could do to make you even contemplate the things he's done." I hated that the thought was even in his head at all.
"Not those things," he agreed. "But I might…
I don't know, like killing. What then? I might be a psychopath and not realize it.
I might kill someone and never be able to stop.
" His voice got higher with each word. The anxiety increased, like he might be the one to run up onto the roof and jump.
If he was going to try that, he might be the one who ended up inside my box until he cooled down.
"If you're a psychopath, then I'm a three-headed purple unicorn," I told him.
"More likely to be a sociopath," Archer said helpfully. "They have the ability to socialize with other people."
I glanced back at him, giving him a quick look of warning. His random information was fascinating and often helpful, but not in this situation.
Cass didn't need the suggestion that he might be a sociopath working its way into his brain either.
"Cass is not a sociopath," I said. "I might be though." I was definitely not normal.
"You're not deceitful or aggressive enough," Archer said.
He didn't mention the the rest of the traits associated with sociopathy.
Didn't tell me I didn't fit right into those descriptions.
The lack of remorse, with occasional flashes of empathy.
The only real relationships I formed with other people were with my men.
I also had moments of rage which were fleeting.
Borderline sociopath might be a better description.
"We might all be borderline sociopathic," Archer said as if reading my thoughts. "I prefer the term 'unhinged as fuck.' It covers a whole spectrum of situations and behaviors."
"That sounds more accurate," I said. "No one would do the things we do if they weren't unhinged as fuck."
"Can I get that on a t-shirt?" A hint of a smile played around the corners of Cass' mouth.
"We could all get one," I said brightly. "No one would take it seriously." They wouldn't look at us and immediately recognize us for what we were. They might assume we frequented BookTok. Which I did.
"We could make a fortune selling them," Archer said. "I know a bunch of people who'd buy one."
"I could sell them out of my restaurant," I said. "With that on the front and Angels Rest on the back."
Of course I wouldn't do that. It wouldn't be beneficial for the reputation of my restaurant. Worse luck.
"I bet Boner would sell them out of his gallery," Cass said.
Now that I could see. I pictured Boner proudly wearing a t-shirt that said 'Unhinged as fuck' across the front. Knowing him, he'd get one in every color.
"He could display them on his wall like works of art."
Reluctantly, I let my smile fade and shook my head. I didn't want to focus on more important things, but we had to.
“So, we know more about Forrest and his work ethic. What about his home life?"
"He lives in an apartment in Tribeca," Archer said.
"Let me guess, we can't walk through the front door and go straight up and kill him," I said with a sigh.
"No," Archer agreed. If I didn't know better, I'd think he took it personally.
Cass grimaced. "Knowing him, it has white carpet. It'd make a mess." He didn't seem to mind it too much, but he'd already mentally ruled out walking right in as an option.
So had I. Even if we could get past security, there'd be cameras filming our every move.
“However…” Archer said slowly.
I tilted my head and listened to him explain what he'd found.