Chapter 23 #2
Sam whirls on us. “What the fuck was that?!” he hisses, looking pissed.
“Are you seriously pulling a gun in the middle of my god damn poker tournament? Do you have any idea how skittish those rich idiots are in there? I bet half them have never even seen a pistol before, much less watched a man get his teeth broken in.”
“They probably liked it,” Brenden says.
Sam rubs his forehead. “And how the fuck did you even find me?” He frowns between us and groans. “Ah shit, it was you two, wasn’t it?”
I point at Brenden. “It was him, actually. I only found out recently.”
Sam slumps behind his desk, pulls a bottle of good whisky from his drawer, and slams three clean glasses down. He pours, smashes his back, and pours again with a sigh. I don’t touch mine. Brenden indulges though, sipping and grunting with appreciation.
“When that safe got cracked I figured it was someone in the Brotherhood. I’ve been going through my days waiting for the fucking sword to descend on my neck, and now I’m finding out it was you.” He tilts his glass toward Brenden.
“Arsen sent me.”
“Does he… you know…” Sam looks young all of a sudden.
“We didn’t give him anything,” I say which seems to help my brother relax somewhat. “But he knows what you’ve been up to.”
“I fucking figured. For the past few nights, there have been at least two or three Brotherhood spooks hanging around the house keeping an eye on things. They’re tracking me, you know that? It’s not easy losing them when I come here.”
Brenden sits up straighter. “The Brotherhood’s waiting your house?” He glances at me but his face remains neutral.
“Day and night. You’d think they’d get bored or make a move, but not yet. And it’s not expensive running a real surveillance team, even for criminals.” Sam taps a finger to his glass. “So you’re not here to kill me?”
I put a hand on Sam’s desk in alarm. “Absolutely not. Is that what you thought?”
He groans in relief, looking up at the ceiling. “Fuuuucking hell, I figured Brenden was going to shoot me in the face or something, I don’t know. I’ve been freaking out ever since the safe got picked.”
“You’re okay, I promise.” Guilt rolls over my shoulders. We could’ve talked to him sooner, but Brenden’s trying to be careful. It took a few days before he was willing to come back into the city, and only then under strict circumstances: fresh car, new clothes, my hair dyed a honey blond.
“If you’re not here to kill me, what are you doing here?” He looks between us and the shrewd manipulator and planner starts to show itself. “I’m guessing not to punch my bouncer in the face.”
“We need something from you.” Brenden’s voice is clipped and matter-of-fact.
It’s business time and he’s all in. “Tallie and I have a game running, but Arsen’s on our ass.
If he catches us before we get what we need, we’re all fucked, including you.
” He pauses for that to sink in. “It’s time we pool resources. ”
Sam spreads his hands magnanimously. “Whatever is mine, brother-in-law, will also be yours. Ask and ye shall receive and all that shit.”
“The Davises.” Brenden jerks his head back toward the door. “They have grandsons, don’t they?”
“You mean the arms dealers?” Sam grabs a book and flips it open.
“They sure as hell do have devil spawns. Randolf and Peter Davis. Here, let me see…” He squints at the writing.
I can’t read it upside down. The page looks like it’s covered in alien scrawl.
“They’re not here tonight, but they come more often than not. ”
“How much do they owe?”
“Enough. A lot. Randolf’s not a bad player but Peter…” He clucks his tongue. “Peter’s dumber than rocks. What do you two need with those idiots?”
“We need information on the Davis family home. Have you been there before?”
“Once or twice. I can go again—“
“No,” I say instantly and put a hand on Brenden’s arm. “Absolutely not.”
“But if you need—“
“You aren’t getting more involved than you already are and I’m not arguing about it.”
Brenden touches my fingers lightly. “What your sister means is, if you can give us the layout of the house and anything you know about the grandparents, that would be good. We’re looking for a safe. Something high-tech where they’d likely keep important documents.”
“I might be aware of somesuch safe, and I’d be happy to show you—“
“No,” I say emphatically.
And Brenden backs me up. “Information only, and only what you already have. Arsen’s got his eyes on you which means we can’t risk you doing more. You won’t contact the Davis boys. You won’t do anything out of the ordinary. Assume all your electronics are under surveillance too.”
“Please, my op-sec is solid, there’s no way—“
“Alexan Sarkissian is one of the most talented information technologists in the world. If you have a phone, he cracked it. You’re tapped.”
Sam’s face pales. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“What can you give us about the house?”
My brother wipes two hands down his face, takes a third shot, and flips open a book to a blank page, where he starts to draw.
It’s a good diagram. Brenden leans over and they discuss the details. Sam adds what he can, though he clearly hasn’t been in every corner of the place. By the end though, Brenden seems to think we have enough.
“Be careful,” I say, hugging Sam tightly. “And don’t worry about us. No matter what you hear, we’re fine.”
“What did you two do, anyway? Seriously, is Arsen watching our house because of me? Or is it because of you?”
I don’t bother answering. “Just be careful, okay? We’re working on it.”
Brenden leads us back out into the game room, which is now noticeably louder as the free drink tops off blood alcohol levels. Jason’s sitting at the cramped bar with an ice pack on his face and blood down his shirt, glaring as we walk past. Sorry, I mouth to him, and he flips me off. Fair enough.
“We’re going to put this right,” Brenden says once we’re back out on the street. He takes my hand like it’s an impulse, and one that I like, but I don’t share his optimism. Meeting with Sam and seeing him afraid put a stone in my guts. I don’t know how to get it back out.
“What happens if we mess up? If we don’t get the other ledger?”
“I’ll get it.”
“But what if—“
“I’ll get it, Tallie, and if I don’t, I’ll come up with some other way to protect you and your family.
” He stops and faces me. His face is hard as he grips my arms and leans in closer.
It’s dark where we are under a broken street lamp.
“I dragged us into this, and I’m going to make sure we can get out of it.
I swear, baby, no matter what, you’ll be okay. Sam will be too.”
“You don’t know that.”
“But I do.” He says it grimly, like the options aren’t good. “You’re trusting me, right?”
“I am, but—“
He kisses me. His mouth is firm like he doesn’t want to hear any more arguments, and if I’m honest with myself, I don’t want to make any more. I kiss him back before he leads me away from the bar, leaving my nervous brother behind, hoping that’s not the last time I see him.