Chapter Sixteen
Just let it be.
Her mind had been taken hostage by that phrase for the last week. After their conversation that night, Jonah remained on edge. There was more silence than usual. But she stayed the night, and by morning, it was as if it’d never happened.
But it did.
Roxanne had spent hours debating how to approach her brothers, or even if she should.
Jonah had made his wishes loud and clear.
Still, there was something eating at her, gnawing at her heart, knowing there was a possibility of foul play in his parents and brother’s deaths.
She couldn’t make sense of why he wouldn’t want to try different avenues if it could give them closure.
She walked into the office expecting to see Sadie at the reception, but it was empty. She bypassed the waiting room and went down the hall. She heard masculine voices in the office at the end and peeked inside.
T was behind his desk, and Bogs was sitting across from him with Stone leaning against the wall.
This couldn’t have worked out better. Initially, she was going to speak with T first, but she wanted all her brothers in on it.
With more boots on the ground, the greater the possibility they’d find him.
T was the first to notice her standing in the doorway. His brows dipped when they made eye contact, and he lifted his chin.
“What are you doing here?”
“I can’t surprise my brothers?”
Bogs laughed, shaking his head. “Oh, fuck, what did you do?”
Typical.
She rolled her eyes and walked into the office. “What makes you think I need something?”
“‘Cause it’s the only time you show up for a,” he lifted his hands and curved his fingers in air quotes, “surprise visit.”
She snorted. “That’s bullshit.”
“Remember last time you were here?”
Well, he had her there. Instead of admitting the truth, she pointed to his chair. “If you were a gentleman, you’d get your ass up and let me sit.”
The corner of his mouth curled. “I’m not a gentleman.”
Before Roxanne could say another word, she heard a rumbling growl from across the room.
“Get the fuck up,” T snapped.
She had a different relationship with all her brothers, each one unique. Of all of them, T had taken his protective big brother position the most seriously when it came to her. Bogs shook his head but stood and walked past her with a deep scowl. She smiled triumphantly and took a seat.
“What’s going on?” Stone asked.
She would have to approach this conversation delicately. The fact that Jonah didn’t know she was speaking to her brothers about this could backfire if he ever found out. That was the last thing she wanted.
“This isn’t a personal request.”
Stone shared a look with Bogs and knitted his brows. “Then what is it?”
“Professional.” She shrugged.
Stone smiled. “Well, I’m fucking intrigued. Let’s hear it.”
Her stomach twisted, and she nervously shifted in her chair.
Once she put it on the table, there was no going back.
A tinge of guilt made her pause and take a breath.
It was as if she were breaking Jonah’s confidence—a betrayal, in a sense.
She was sure her brothers knew his backstory, but her request would have them digging deeper, invading his privacy.
Only if he finds out.
“If I asked you to do something,” she glanced between T and Stone, “would you do it in complete confidence?”
Bogs snorted. “Jesus, where’s the body and how deep do you want it buried?”
Stone laughed at the comment. But he was the only one. She noticed T’s stare boring into her. He couldn’t possibly know what she was going to ask. Right?
“I want you to find someone.” She eyed her brothers, watching their reactions.
“Who?” Stone asked.
“The guy named as a person of interest in Jonah’s family's accident. Apparently, he took off after being investigated, but from everything I know, it sounds real shady.”
“What exactly do you know?” T asked, but it came across as an accusation.
“Well …” She shifted in her seat. “This guy, Reuben Pryor, was reported as being drunk when he left the bar, and the quickest way to his house would’ve had him passing the scene.
If he was drunk, there’s a good possibility he was too impaired to see Sawyer and hit him.
But even drunk, he would’ve had to have known he hit something, right?
Maybe he got out, saw what he did and just took off knowing he’d get in trouble.
And the sheriff who investigated? Pryor was his son-in-law?
That in itself is unethical, not to mention extremely suspicious.
He had every reason to lie for Pryor. If this doesn’t scream cover-up, I don’t know what does. ”
The room fell silent. Roxanne made a plausible argument. She was hoping it was enough for them to help. Why wouldn’t they? Not only was she their sister but, more importantly, Jonah was their friend.
T settled in his seat, clasping his hands over his stomach. “Jonah know you’re asking?”
Shit! This was where it would get tricky.
“Not exactly, and,” she cleared her throat, “that’s where the complete confidence part comes in.”
“It’s not your place, Rox.”
Roxanne sighed. She assumed her brothers had heard from the women about her and Jonah. Apparently not. She wasn’t planning on having this particular conversation today, but if it got them to help, she’d share.
“It kind of is,” she paused. “Jonah and I are together.”
Bogs snorted. “Yeah, we know. You think that wasn’t the first thing outta Kenzie’s mouth when she got home from your girls’ night?”
She’d assumed it would be.
“Okay, so then you can see my point.”
“No,” T’s tone was stern. “This is Jonah’s business. If he isn’t asking, we ain’t looking into it.”
“What if his brother, Cord asked? Because he was the one who asked me to come to you guys. What does it hurt just to look into it? You guys have access to files and autopsy reports. Just look and see if you find something that might’ve been missed.”
“No.”
Why not?
“He’s your friend, T,” she pleaded.
“Yeah, and until he comes to me and asks for help in the situation, we’re not doing shit.”
Stone pushed off the wall and stepped toward the end of the desk, staring down at her. “How do you think Jonah would feel, you coming to us behind his back about something that’s none of your business?”
Oh, the fucking hypocrisy.
“I don’t know, Stone, why don’t you tell me?
” She narrowed her gaze. “How did Sadie feel when she found out everything you kept from her? Or I can ask T.” She glanced over at him.
“What were Cassie's thoughts on you keeping her in the dark while you were undercover, infiltrating her life?” She raised her brows, turning to Bogs. “And don’t even get me started with Kenzie and the shit you conveniently didn’t mention to her.
None of them asked for your help. You all inserted yourselves into their lives. So how is this any different?”
“Jonah and the boys aren’t in danger. That’s the fucking difference,” T snapped.
“You don’t know that!” She scooted to the edge of her seat. “The fact that Reuben Pryor was never properly investigated puts them in danger. I can’t believe you don’t see the hypocrisy here, T.” She shifted in her seat, looking up at Stone. “Or you?”
Stone dragged his hand through his hair. “You’re asking us to dig into a twelve-year-old case, Rox.”
She lifted her brows. “And?”
Bogs stepped between her and Stone. “If it was a shady cover-up, then they’ll never cop to it, Rox. And this guy has been gone for years. We don’t even have a starting point as to where he might be.”
He was proving her point.
“Exactly, Bogs. Technology has come a long way in the last decade. So, why can’t you all just help Jonah and the boys?”
The silence in the room was deafening. The tension was thick. But maybe she’d finally gotten through to them. Where was the harm in looking into it? Her brothers were good at what they did. If anyone could find something, it’d be them.
She scanned their faces, but none made eye contact. She glanced at her brother behind his desk.
“T?”
He straightened in his chair, resting his arms on his desk. His expression was impossible to read. Even after knowing him for most of her life, he could easily mask his emotions.
“Like I said, Rox. No.”
She slowly stood. Stone and Bogs didn’t say a word as she exited the office and made her way down the hall. Roxanne was dealing with a barrage of emotions. None more overwhelming than her disappointment in her brothers.
****
Jonah took the elevator to the top floor and walked down the long hallway to Ethan’s office.
His friend hadn’t given him any details regarding the meeting.
Ethan hadn’t made it sound urgent, but when Jonah suggested the following week, Ethan asked him to come in the next day.
He assumed it had to do with the new project he’d been working on.
Unlike Jonah, who worked on his own timeline, big contractors had a way of demanding a tighter schedule.
He knocked on the door and heard Ethan’s voice.
“Come in.”
Jonah grabbed the knob and opened the door, walking in a few feet. He scanned the room, seeing three additional familiar, yet unexpected, faces.
What the fuck is this?
“Hey, man.” Bogs lifted his chin in greeting but made no move to get up from his chair.
“How’s it going?” Jonah said, darting his gaze between Stone and T, who stood side by side near the wall.
Stone smirked. “You look surprised, motherfucker.”
He naturally assumed the meeting was work-related.
By the brothers' presence, he came to a different conclusion. All signs pointed to Roxanne. He knew she’d mentioned their relationship to the women.
If it was a problem among her brothers, he expected a call from one of them. Not a meeting with all.
Jonah sighed, closing the door behind him. “I am.”
Ethan stepped around his desk, stopping in front of it. “We thought it’d be best to keep this between the five of us. If Roxanne got wind of it, she’d be suspicious.”
What the fuck?
Jonah walked deeper into the room, eyeing T. On his best day, he was a scary motherfucker. They’d be evenly matched in a fight, but not even Jonah would take his chances. Thankfully, T didn’t seem angry.
“Is this the warning you give to all of Roxanne’s men?”
Bogs snorted, clasping his hands over his stomach, leaning into his chair. “No, we usually just scare the fuck outta them. Figured that shit wouldn’t work on you, so we’re not even gonna bother. Though I will say,” Bogs grinned, “I miss that shit.”
Jonah snorted, shaking his head. Roxanne’s words played over in his mind. They’d approve.
“This is a warning though. Just not the kind you’re thinking.” T folded his arms over his chest.
Unlike Stone and Bogs, he was devoid of any and all humor. T wasn’t known for his lighter side, but Jonah could sense his tension.
“Alright,” he said.
Ethan sighed, sharing a look with the brothers before he spoke. There was definitely something serious on their minds.
“Usually, I wouldn’t share a personal inquiry, but considering the special circumstances, we think you should know. Roxanne is asking a lot of questions.”
Fuck.
“What questions?”
T lifted his hand. “She stopped by yesterday and asked if we could look into your family’s case. Seeing if we could track down Rueben Pryor.”
He’d hoped she’d respect his wishes and privacy, but Jonah had had his doubts. In the back of his mind, he’d been concerned. Roxanne seemed shaken by the information about what’d happened. It affected her. He should’ve known she wouldn’t let it go.
Jonah clenched his jaw. “After I asked her not to.”
Ethan spread out his hands. “She thinks she’s helping.”
“Well, she’s fucking not, E,” T snapped.
No, she’s not.
Jonah sighed. “What did you tell her?”
“We said we wouldn’t look into it unless you came to us directly. But she’s got theories, Jonah.”
“Good ones,” Bogs added without a trace of humor.
Shit! First Cord and now Roxanne. His past had officially come back to haunt him.
Jonah walked to the opposite side of the room, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window.
He knew eventually his past would catch up with him.
He always thought it would’ve been the authorities.
He spent a long time after the incident wondering if the police were going to show up.
But it never happened. He’d been assured, at the time, that it wasn’t a possibility.
Everything had been meticulously planned without room for error.
It was a secret pact made between a handful of men.
Something they’d take to their graves and would never come to light.
Until now.
He cupped his mouth, looking over the parking lot of Ethan’s building.
He’d always made excuses for why he hadn’t gotten involved in a committed relationship.
With the boys, it was an easy justification.
As they got older and his business grew, he claimed he didn’t have time for anything more than casual.
But if he was being honest with himself, the root of it would be knowing that he could never fully open up to anyone about his past. There would always be a silent wedge in his relationships.
With Roxanne, he was facing the very thing he feared.
“How much does she know?”
He slowly turned and found all the men staring at him.
“About you?” T arched his brow. “Nothing.”
At least he had that going for him.
“But the business?” Stone inched forward, his hands tucked into his front pockets. “She was a part of it for a while, man. She knows a lot.”
That caught him off guard. “What part?”
“She knows how the wheels turn, the operations behind it.” Ethan paused. “But she was never active in the whole process. We kept her away from that end. She was only involved for a short time.”
It was hard to digest everything he was hearing. Roxanne knew? It should’ve given him some hope, but it didn’t.
“Listen, man.” Bogs stood. “You tell her everything? She’s gonna understand.”
Jonah immediately shook his head.
Stone stepped forward. “Like E said, she knows about everything we do. Hell, she was a part of it for a while and had no issues with it. She’ll understand.”
“No, she won’t,” Jonah shouted, and balled his fists. They weren’t seeing the big picture.
“Jonah—” Ethan started, but he didn’t let him finish.
“She may understand the reason and even be fine with justifying it. But those people were strangers.” He ground his teeth. “Not a man sharing her fucking bed.”
I’m going to lose her.