Chapter 28—Bobby #2
“No.” Vinny steps closer. “He had to have planned this.”
“Does he even know we’ve connected him to all of this?” Tommy asks as he plops himself on my couch.
“Doubtful,” I say with a shake of my head and look at Willow. “You said he knows you’re part of the team looking into the finances?” She nods, and I shake my head. “I’ve kept that close to the vest, and I know the team has as well.”
I made sure each person I handpicked kept their mouth closed on the matter. I wanted to catch those in the act, assuming it was more in-house. I never expected someone on the outside would break in like Trevor did.
“Someone must have told him before or something,” Tommy says with a shrug as he puts his arms on the back of the couch and spreads out. He might seem relaxed, but I know my brother. He’s pissed about this, like the rest of us. He just has a different way of handling it than we do.
“Spencer,” Danny says, and we all look at him.
“Jessica said the other night to say hi to Spencer. Your old boss.” He looks at Willow with a nod.
Not needing her to confirm, as he already must know.
Probably from the background he ran on her after he saw her in the elevator with me that day.
“The one who started this, his name was Spencer, right? Think it’s the same one?
” Danny looks at me with an eyebrow raise while I feel mine draw together in rage.
If that son of a bitch had anything to do with this, he’ll be dead before he can even utter a single apology.
“Look for connections,” I say through gritted teeth as I turn to Marco, who’s typing on his phone.
“Already doing so,” he growls.
Not at me, but at himself. We all are. We should have known of this connection, if there is one. We should have at least been able to rule it out the second Danny mentioned it.
“If it is, I doubt she even knew what we did to him if she said that. That would mean they knew of each other before all this.” Tommy nods along with his words as if it’s fitting together. And unfortunately, it is.
“They’re both in the same aviation club,” Danny tells the group as he looks at his own phone.
I absently notice Marco set his phone down and look away, his jaw tight and hands in fists.
He’s trying not to lash out, to throw something or break something that isn’t his.
But I can tell he’s close to not giving a fuck and doing so anyway.
He’s pissed that he missed the Spencer connection.
And mad as hell that Danny got the details before he did.
Not that he should be. Marco is one man.
Danny has an entire team I know he’s been communicating with during this entire talk.
Hell, they might be listening in for all I know.
Danny likes to have his information at a moment’s notice, and sometimes I swear he has a team monitoring his thoughts to give him what he wants to know sometimes before he even knows he wants it.
“That’s the connection.” Vinny nods as he shares his thoughts out loud. “Spencer opened his mouth somehow and brought Trevor in. From what we know of Trevor, he isn’t the type to make the righteous move and instead saddled himself up with an easy one.”
“Boss.” We all turn at the word, but it’s Danny’s man who steps up and speaks to him. “We just found this.” He hands Danny his phone, who quickly scans it before looking up at us.
“Spencer and Trevor have another connection. A man by the name of Eric Von. Charged with four counts of arson but never convicted.”
“Oh my God.” Willow’s hand moves to cover her mouth.
“Okay, so the ex is an asshole who thinks if he puts Willow’s girls in danger, she’d do what he wants. First, he set the fire,” Tommy says, with a count of his fingers.
“Allegedly,” Danny mutters, keeping his head down and focusing on his phone. He’s all for getting the guy, but he likes to have correct data before accusations are made. Doesn’t mean he won’t rough someone up to get that information. He just won’t say so in public until he knows for sure.
“Right, allegedly set the fire. Probably thought Willow would go to him or something.” Tommy looks to Willow for confirmation, who’s hugging herself.
“I guess if I had nowhere else to go, I would have asked. Maybe. I don’t know what I would have done.” She turns away and looks out the window as tears continue to leak down her face.
“Right. But your ex doesn’t necessarily think things through.
He probably thought he was the best option, and you’d go to him.
Might have put you up for a while and then tried this blackmail bit, or just to see how much you know.
But you didn’t go to him. You came here.
And when you kept digging, and he heard about more and more people getting found out, he panicked.
Seeing us all the other night backing you probably let him know you have options.
Ones he didn’t think about. So he set this in motion.
” Tommy gestures about, not that she sees.
Willow turns back around, letting her arms fall to her sides after a moment of silence as we all think it over. Not a single flaw stands out in Tommy’s assessment. Tears have stained her cheeks in tracks down her face, but no fresh ones fall. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“You don’t have to,” I say as I finally cave and let my inner beast comfort my girl. I go to her and pull her close, kissing her forehead and not giving a damn who sees. “Not yet. The only thing we need to know is, do you think Trevor is the type of man who would risk family for money?”
She looks up at me and nods. A single tear drops down her cheek, and I brush it away with my thumb.
“Then we move,” Danny says as he stands, a sense of finality in his voice at the decision that was just made. He might not run the famiglia, but he runs security, protection details, and extraction for anyone who is family inside it. And no one, not even Vinny, will question his orders.
“But we can’t.” Willow pulls out of my arms and steps closer to the group, panic and fear riding her hard.
“What if he’s watching this place, or you all?
He said not to get others involved. I don’t know if he means the police or what, but how do I know he won’t hurt the girls for me simply talking to you? How do we even know where he is?”
“We know he’s in Texas.” Marco’s voice is devoid of emotion. He’s turned it off. He does it before he starts killing.
“My boys are already on the way to the aviation club to find something out. Discreetly, of course,” Danny tacks on at the end as he looks at Willow, who nods.
“We need a ride. And a fast one.” Marco takes a step closer, making it known that he’s coming no matter what any of us say.
Vinny shakes his head. “Can’t take our planes. If he is watching us, he’s watching our airstrip.”
“I know a few guys,” Tommy offers, and we all look at him with skepticism. “What? I do.”
“Who?” Vinny’s eyes narrow, and I barely hold back a groan at the smile spreading across Tommy’s lips. That’s never a good sign.
“The Strays.”
“Fuck no,” Danny says instantly, but this isn’t his call. He may lead the charge, but he’s not the one who involves others. That falls to another brother.
Vinny’s lips pinch, and then he nods. “Make the call.”