Chapter 21 Twenty Years Ago
Twenty Years Ago
“So what is this then?” Frank asked. “Your version of handing in your resignation letter?”
It was the night of Quinn’s engagement party.
Nicholas and Frank were at a home in West Palm Beach for a celebration toast that was nicer than most weddings.
Quinn was marrying a young lawyer who was from there.
Wesley was his name. He was a good kid, smart, and supportive—and tonight was the happiest Nicholas had seen Frank in a long time.
Frank couldn’t hide his excitement for this upcoming wedding, for how it felt to see his daughter beaming.
And, on the work front, the threats were neutralized.
That’s how Frank liked to put it, and most nights Nicholas didn’t let himself think too much about his part in it.
How Nicholas had helped those threats be neutralized.
How he had stepped outside the bounds of what he thought he would do in order to provide that help.
You spend so long saying what you won’t do, keeping yourself on the right side of it, the side that you decide defines you—I won’t break the law, I won’t cheat, I won’t lie—that it can never cease to surprise that you crossed over.
“I need to step back, Frank,” Nicholas said. “However you want to put it.”
Frank paused, but only for a moment. Then he nodded.
“I understand that. And if time’s what you want, Nick, you’ve got it,” Frank said. “It’s certainly due, my friend…”
Nicholas didn’t say anything. He was a bit surprised that Frank was agreeing so easily to him stepping away from the organization—stepping away from Frank himself.
Even if these last rounds of threats were neutralized (even if Nicholas had helped to neutralize them), there was no denying that the Feds were still circling.
Though, of course, when it came to Frank, they always were.
Nicholas knew that his timing didn’t hurt.
It certainly didn’t hurt that Quinn was marrying a young lawyer.
A public defender—just like Nicholas had started out.
Wesley was effective, deliberate, and had already expressed his desire to be involved with the organization—an idea Frank had told Nicholas he supported.
Wesley’s own father had gotten in trouble with the law while he was growing up, had been indicted for insider trading.
And, so, apparently Frank’s work didn’t scare Wesley.
He was more inclined to want to step in—to be on that side of justice.
Certainly, his enthusiasm was helping Frank feel covered—for the moment, at least.
Or, really, maybe it wasn’t any of that. Maybe at this point Frank knew that Nicholas was too invested (that he had given too much of himself, for too long) to completely step away. Isn’t that the worst part of finding yourself too deep in? The reasons don’t count anymore. You can’t just get out.
“I appreciate that, Frank,” Nicholas says. “I’ll of course get Wesley up to speed, help set him up with the team…”
“That’s fine,” Frank said. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Just like that?”
“What? Did you think I’d say no to you? After all this time. You should know me better than that.”
“At this point,” Nicholas said. “It’s me that I don’t know better than that.”