6. Ryan #7
I look at Dad. Walter Harrington taught me how to talk to a crying six-year-old. Roman O’Toole is teaching his son that crying makes him weak. Something about that makes me hate Roman even more than I did yesterday.
Arthur sets his pen down. “This helps.”
I stare at him. “That kid crying because he’s scared Victor is going to take his sister away helps?”
“Legally, Ryan.”
“Then say legally.”
“Legally, it helps establish coercive control and emotional harm. It does not solve the custody problem.”
Dad looks at Arthur. “And if Roman gets arrested?”
“That changes the landscape.”
“Tremblay?”
“Potentially.” I glare at him. Arthur sighs. “It depends what he’s arrested for.”
“Better.”
Danny has been staring at the papers for the last few minutes. Then he says, “Stop looking for one thing.”
Arthur looks at him. “What?”
“You’re doing it too.” Danny gestures toward everything on the desk.
“We keep looking for the thing that fixes the problem.” Kaiden looks over.
Danny continues. “Cat had evidence against Pennington. Daisy gave the feds Lucian. Hartley eventually gave everybody enough Hartley to bury herself.” Theodore’s face changes.
Danny sees it. Doesn’t apologize. Doesn’t twist it either.
“But this isn’t one thing.” He looks at me.
“Ally has Roman. Victor. Tobias. Jane. The marriage. The pregnancy. The money. Whatever this network is.” Then back to Arthur. “So stack it.”
Arthur is quiet. Danny starts counting. “Jane secretly calling Cassandra.”
“Relevant.”
“Tobias being told he loses Ally if she isn’t good. Roman teaching him Victor owns the decisions after the marriage. Victor choosing Ally at thirteen. Fucking everything!”
“Relevant.”
Danny spreads his hands. “Then stop waiting for one smoking gun.”
Arthur pulls his legal pad closer. “That’s exactly what we’re doing. Building the totality.”
“Good.” Danny picks up his coffee. “Because while you guys are looking for a perfect case, Roman is planning a wedding.” That wipes the tiny bit of humor out of the room. And reminds me. Today.
I look at my phone. 6:47. Nothing from Ally.
Arthur sees me. “We need a plan for today.”
“Finally.”
“If Ally learns where she’s going, she tells you if she can do so safely.”
“Obviously.”
“You do not ask her to text while she’s with Tremblay unless she can do it without drawing attention.”
“I know.”
“You do not follow them.”
I look at Dad. “Did you fucking tell him?”
Dad looks innocent. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Traitor.”
Arthur ignores us. “If Tremblay changed his travel plans specifically to see Ally, we cannot assume the lunch is harmless. But we also cannot assume he suspects the pregnancy or your relationship.”
“Nobody said he did.”
“All of you,” Arthur says. “Roman noticed the five of you. He is watching the pattern. You give him nothing new to see.” Kaiden nods first. Then Danny. X. Iz. Me last.
“Fine.”
Arthur looks at the fathers. “The federal prosecutor is handling the existing records. Nobody contacts anyone connected to Aster, Vaughn, Carlisle, Hollis, Vane, Bellamy, Mercer, or Ashford until we’ve coordinated it.
” Theodore nods. Dad doesn’t look thrilled, but he nods too.
“Thomas and Walter, I want everything public on Roman’s political work.
Committees, campaigns, advisory roles, donors, nonprofits, every professional overlap with Pennington, Lucian, Hartley, or Tremblay. ”
Dad looks at Thomas. “Easy.”
Thomas’s mouth twitches. “Nothing about this has been easy.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Gideon, we’ll work through the names without direct inquiries.” Gideon nods. “Clifford, I want another look at Aster Foundation from the research and grant side.”
“Done.”
“Theodore, international business connections. Public records only for now.”
Theodore nods. “Zurich, Geneva, Montreal?”
“And London.”
“What about Palm Beach and Middleburg?”
“Everything Ally heard.” Arthur looks at the five of us. “You go to school.”
Xander stares at him. “Everyone else gets international crime and we get calculus?”
“You get to be teenagers.”
My phone buzzes. Every fucking person in the room stops. I pull it out. Ally.
Ally: morning
My entire body loosens by maybe half an inch.
morning baby
Ally: dad is being weird
weird how
The dots appear. Disappear. Appear again.
Ally: keeps checking his phone
I look at Arthur. “She’s awake.”
Dad leans toward me. “Everything okay?”
“Roman’s acting weird.”
Arthur’s expression sharpens. “What kind of weird?”
“Checking his phone.”
Xander looks at the clock. “Waiting for Victor?”
My phone buzzes again.
Ally: mom made pancakes
Ally: i think she’s trying to feed me my feelings
Despite everything, I smile.
eat them
Ally: bossy
Ally: i don’t want to go today
The smile disappears. Dad sees it. “What?”
I don’t answer immediately. I stare at those six words. Not Victor is gross. Not this is annoying. Not one of her jokes. I don’t want to go today.
I know.
you don’t have to pretend with me
The dots appear. Disappear. Come back.
Ally: i’m scared
Something cold settles under my ribs. I don’t think.
I know. I’m right here.
Ally: i know
I swallow. Then another message appears.
Ally: dad says victor is calling at 8
I look at the clock. 6:52.
Arthur watches my face. “What’s happening?”
“Victor calls at eight with the time.” Nobody says anything. Sixty-eight minutes.
I put my phone facedown on my thigh and look at Arthur. “When we move, Tobias goes with her.”
Arthur holds my eyes. “Yes.”
“No. I need everybody in this room to hear me.” Nobody interrupts. “Ally doesn’t leave that house and spend the next six months wondering whether Roman is punishing Tobias because she got out. We don’t get her safe and call that a fucking win while her six-year-old brother stays behind.”
Dad’s expression is steady beside me.
Arthur nods. “We agree.”
“And we don’t take Tobias until Roman can’t get him back.”
“Agreed.”
I look around the room. At the boys. At our fathers. At men who six months ago would’ve had no fucking reason to be sitting together at six in the morning trying to save Roman O’Toole’s daughter and son. Now nobody looks away.
Arthur pulls the folder back toward him. “We build it carefully.”
“Build it airtight.”
“We will.”
I pick up my phone again. 6:54. Sixty-six minutes. “Good.”
Because Roman and Victor have spent years thinking Ally was the stupid girl sitting quietly at their table. They’ve been wrong about her for eighteen years.
Now we’re going to make that mistake cost them everything.