I want this over as soon as possible. “Get on with it.”
“The Fellowship built its first US casino on the Mississippi coast in the early nineties. Amanda Lawrence came to work for us as a blackjack dealer.”
“I never knew that,” Dad says.
“You were unaware we once employed her because her position with us ended before you took Father’s place. She also had no idea she had worked at a facility owned by The Fellowship. That’s why it didn’t come up when you met her years later. The coastal casino had two million US dollars to go missing after the doors were open for about a year. So did Amanda Lawrence.”
Bleu puts her hand up. “You can stop right now if you’re about to say that my mother stole from The Fellowship.”
“There’s no evidence leading us to believe your mother was the thief. She was a dealer without access to that kind of money. But I strongly think she stumbled upon the thievery and made a run for it. A man named Quinn Stroud was fingered for the crime, but he was likely framed.”
I look at my father for validation. “That much is true. Money did go missing and Stroud was accused.”
“You believe the thief is my mother’s killer, so who is he?” Bleu asks.
“When we built that casino, Father sent many of our brothers there to work. We obviously needed someone with expertise in casino management to run it. Todd Cockburn was his choice,” Abram says.
Todd Cockburn, our Edinburgh casino’s current pit boss, was one of Bleu’s suspects but she dismissed him early in her investigation.
“Years later we bought an existing casino in Tunica, Mississippi. We moved Todd to that location to manage. Amanda was employed at a different casino but Tunica is a tiny town. It stands to reason that their paths probably crossed at some point.”
Bleu is rocking back and forth from one foot to another, chewing her lip. Thinking. It’s the same thing she does when standing in front of her wall of suspects. “My mother was involved with Thane. If Todd knew that, it’s very possible that he would’ve been desperate to keep her from talking about the coastal casino incident.”
The pieces fit. Abram may be on to something.
“Because I owe you my life, I have some bonus information for you, and it won’t cost you a thing. Amanda and Todd were lovers for more than a year while working together. They were romantically involved when she became pregnant with you. There’s no father listed on your original birth certificate. I’m inclined to believe Todd Cockburn is your father. But whether he is or isn’t, I can assure you that your likeness to your mother hasn’t escaped his attention. Like me, he isn’t going to accept that as coincidence. You’re a threat to him and that’s a potentially hazardous situation to be in with a man who’s feeling the walls close in around him.”
“Todd Cockburn cannot be my father. If that’s true, then it means my own father murdered my mother and attempted to kill his own daughter.”
“I can lead you to the truth, but I can’t make you believe it. You’re the agent. Figure it out.”
We go into the living room where Torrie, Jamie, Evanna, and Westlyn are gathered. I’m certain they’re anxious to hear the verdict.
“What will penance be?” Torrie asks.
They know The Fellowship creed. No member shall bring harm to another member or his family. I have every right to execute Abram. No need to remind them of that. “We bartered. He had information Bleu wanted. He discovered her mother’s killer so he negotiated that knowledge in exchange for exile instead of death.”
Torrie stands. Her lips are rigid as she speaks. “You’re banishing him after all he’s done for the brotherhood?”
I’m certain there will be no love lost between Abram and his wife. I suspect she’s more upset about what his leaving will do to her status within the brotherhood.
Torrie’s concern for herself sends me into a rage. My body shakes from anger. “Do you so quickly forget he attempted to kill my wife and children?” I growl.
Jamie goes to his mother and places a hand on her shoulder. “Our family thanks you for your lenient decision.”
“I’m giving him three days to recover and then he must go.”
I love Jamie and Westlyn. It saddens me to see them hurt, but my wife and children come first. Always.
Chapter Fifteen
Bleu Breckenridge
The drive home with Sterling isn’t the place to discuss the new information provided by Abram. Sin and I wait until we’re in the privacy of our home to bring it up, although it never leaves my mind for a second.
“Would you like some tea?”
I prefer whisky––and I’d probably have some despite the time––if I weren’t pregnant. “Please. Mint, if we have it.”
I go to Ellison’s bedroom and ease the door open to ensure she’s sleeping. She’s like the dead.
I return to the living room and sit on the sofa as unmoving as a statue while I wait for Sin to brew the tea. A million things clutter my mind at once so no single thought has the space it needs.
Sin places a cup and saucer on the table. “Two cubes and a dash of milk, just the way you like it.”
“Thank you.”
I lift the cup and hold it, not bringing it to my lips. “My mother told me my father’s name was Bryan Fletcher and he was killed in a drunk driving accident before they were able to marry. She had a picture of them together.”
“Is he named as your father on your birth certificate?”
“It’s blank.” Abram had that much right, but it could be coincidental.
“How did your mother explain that?”
“She didn’t. I was a young child so the only thing I ever asked was why I didn’t have a daddy like the other kids.”
Is it possible that everything she told me was a lie? “Do you believe Abram was telling what he believes to be the truth, or was all of that fictitious––him grasping at straws to hold on to his life?”
I’m asking Sin a question he can’t possibly have the answer to.
“This is what I know. Abram was obsessed with learning what brought you into our lives. I’m confident he’s telling the truth about continuing to dig into your past. He gained leverage by having information, but as far as truth versus fabrication, I don’t know.”
I think of all the times I spoke with Todd while gambling at the casino over the last several months. To think he could possibly be my father is bizarre. “I’m trying to remember every little detail about Todd Cockburn. I want to compare myself to him for similarities, but I’m having a hard time envisioning his face for some reason.”
“I’ve known him my entire life, and I see no resemblance between you.”
I agree. Todd has nearly black hair, brown eyes. He’s on the short side for a man. I’m not incredibly tall but I look down on him when I’m wearing heels.
Physical appearance isn’t a tool for determining paternity. “I’m my mother’s clone. There wouldn’t be much room for anyone else’s features to come through. We can easily prove or disprove what Abram is claiming. Do a paternity test to see if he’s my father and examine his leg to see if he’s my mother’s killer. Those things will tell us everything we need to know.”
Concrete evidence. Finally.
This is happening. I could actually be confirming my mother’s killer––with the help of my worst enemy. That’s unexpected, to say the least.
We need a paternity test without him knowing we’re on to him. “I can go into his apartment and collect the DNA sample while he’s gone,” I say.
“Hell no, you’re not. I’ll do it.” I should’ve known he would put a block on that.
“Do you even know how to collect DNA?”
“No, but I’m sure my highly intelligent former FBI agent wife can give me proper instructions. I’ll do a search of his place while I’m there. If he’s not your mother’s killer, we still need to know if he’s a thief.”
Definitely. There’s no room for thieves within The Fellowship. “When d
o you think you’ll do it?”
“The next time he works so I’m guaranteed the time I need to perform a full sweep.”
Good idea. “I want you to take someone with you just in case. If Abram is right, Todd might respond like a cornered animal.” That could make him very dangerous.
“Sweeps aren’t Leith’s strong suit. And I can’t ask Jamie. Not after this.”
There’s potential for a bad outcome. “Are you afraid of what this might do to our relationships with Jamie and Westlyn?”
Sin looks at the ceiling and runs his hands through his hair. “Aye. They aren’t blind to his ways, but he’s still their father.”
Sin’s phone rings. A confused expression materializes. “It’s Dad.”
We just left Thane at Abram’s house so I instantly imagine the worst. Please don’t let him be calling to nullify the exile.
Thane knows Abram for the man he is but still has a soft spot for him. They’re brothers. I’m sure he doesn’t want to see him leave forever. But Abram made his bed. Now he must lie in it.
The call with Thane is over almost before it begins. “Dad wants us to come to his house.”
We just got home. “Right now?”
“Aye. He says it’s important.”
Oh God. This is going to be bad.
I’m thinking of every possible scenario on the drive over but there’s one front runner. “I’m afraid your father wants Abram to stay.”
Sin is already holding my hand but he gives it a supportive squeeze. “We don’t know that.”
My father-in-law loves his brother despite his evil nature. “Thane always lets Abram off the hook. I don’t have to tell you that.”
“You’re right, but I’m not letting Dad overturn my decision.”
I love Sin for wanting to stand up for me, but Thane is still head of The Fellowship. His word overrides anything Sin decides. If Thane says Abram stays, then he does. End of story.
He’ll come for me again. I’m sure of it.
I’m going to face the same scenario again and again. Kill or be killed. My choice will be the same every time.
Kill instead of be killed.
We go into my in-law’s home and find them waiting for us in the living room. “We apologize for dragging you out into the cold again, but it’s with good reason.”
Sin wastes no time jumping straight into why we’re here. “I assume something happened after we left Abram’s.”
“Aye. He demanded to be pardoned and allowed to return to The Fellowship. He threatened to join The Order and become their new leader if I don’t agree.”
Oh God. Here we go. Abram manipulates Thane and gets his way again.
Isobel places a supportive hand on Thane’s leg. It’s odd. I’ve never seen them within touching distance. “Their organization is in complete mayhem right now. I think they’re desperate enough to accept his offer regardless of him being raised Fellowship. His reputation precedes him. They’d be happy to have him for a leader,” Thane says.
Motherfucker. I hate his guts.
“I told him there would be no pardon and asked him to not join The Order because it would make us sworn enemies. In fact, I forbid it as his leader. His response was that your twins would be the first to die under his rule if he wasn’t allowed to return to The Fellowship.”
My stomach flips. I may literally be sick.
Sin reaches for my hand and looks at his father. “I let him keep his life by exiling him and now he threatens to kill my children if he’s not allowed back in? Surely you know I can’t let this go on any further. He’s giving me no choice. I have to kill him.”
I sit on pins and needles awaiting Thane’s response to his son’s declaration. My heart will break if he rules against Sin in Abram’s favor.
“He’s ruthless. Can’t be controlled,” Thane says.
I see the pain in his eyes and know what’s coming next.
“Even from an early age, there was something wrong with Abram. A disconnect somewhere in his head. He enjoyed hurting people. I couldn’t fix him, but I did my best to control him. But now he has threatened to go to The Order. Become our enemy. The only choice we have is who will be the one to kill him.”
“I’ll do it,” Sin says. “You can’t kill your only brother. It will haunt you the rest of his life.”
I’m relieved, yet sad for Thane. He will not soon stop grieving the loss of his brother.
It was inevitable. Abram had to die so it wasn’t one of us, particularly my children. I’m not sorry he’ll soon be dead.
Chapter Sixteen
Sinclair Breckenridge
No doubt. This is going to be the hardest thing I ever do in my life. Not because of any love I have for my uncle. It’s the pain I’ll cause his family. Especially Jamie and Westlyn.
How do you tell two people you love that you’re going to kill their father?
The family is in the living room when I return to the house. They immediately know why I’ve come when they see Sangster at my side.
“No. You negotiated for exile!” Evanna shouts.
I tell them of Abram’s demands and threats. “He sealed his fate when he vowed to kill my children. I can’t give him another chance to be successful. There’ll be no more bartering.”
My word is final and no one tries to convince me otherwise.
I go into Abram’s bedroom. I’m hopeful he’ll come with us peacefully. It would be awful to kill him in their home but I will, should the need arise.
“Thane must have discussed my new terms with you.” He appears so self-assured, as though he’s untouchable. Wrong.
“He informed me of your threats. But there was no discussion since neither of us are bending to your demands.”
Abram’s eyes narrow, his jaw stiff. “Then I can promise you that your twins will never see their first birthday!” he shouts.
“I can promise you they will. You’re the one who won’t be here to see it.”
I call out for Sangster to come into the room. “You can exhibit honor and come with us peacefully, or we can kill you with your family in the next room.”
I’m not oblivious to his arm easing beneath the covers. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He’s a coward without honor. I know this so I’m prepared when he pulls a gun from beneath the bedding.
But I’m the faster shooter. One shot to the center of his forehead and it’s done.
A woman’s screams carry into the bedroom. Torrie’s.
Only one thing to do. I phone Oscar Lennox, resident cremator for bodies we need to dispose of. “Come to Abram’s for a pickup.”
I’m sitting on a cold concrete bench in Torrie’s extravagant garden when Jamie and Westlyn find me.
“Oscar has taken him away,” Jamie says.
Killing Abram wasn’t the difficult part. This is. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but he gave me no choice. He was going to offer to lead The Order. First on his agenda was killing my children.”
“I came to Dad’s bedroom. I wanted to talk to you. To see if we could work something out. But then I heard him tell you that your twins would never see their first birthday. And it was over for me after that. You did what a husband and father does to protect his family. Westlyn and I understand. We don’t bear a grudge against you.”
Westlyn puts her arms around me and squeezes. “We understand.”
Relief washes over me. “I was so afraid both of you would hate me.”
Westlyn continues, “We will grieve the loss because he’s our father. But he wasn’t the same man we knew when we were children. He wasn’t well and hadn’t been for some time. He gave you no choice.”
* * *
It’s been five days since Abram’s death. My father won’t soon stop mourning the loss of his only brother. But I think it’s important for him to do something to get his mind off it. That’s why I’ve asked him to accompany me on the sweep of Todd Cockburn’s flat.
I remove Bleu’s lock-pickin
g kit from my pocket and choose the tools I need. “This may take a minute. I’m rusty.”
I insert the tension wrench into the lower portion of the keyhole. I put the pick into the upper section and rake the pins. Though I learned this when I was eight, I haven’t had to use these skills in a long time.
I continue unsuccessfully raking the pins with the pick. “I should have brought Bleu for this. She’s damn good at it. She can pop a lock in a snap.”
I pass the pick a final time and hear the magical click. “Got it.”
I push the door open and look inside before entering. A thief stealing large sums of cash will be looking to hold on to it, so I inspect the entrance and foyer before entering. “Looks clear.”
I’ve never visited Todd Cockburn’s home. It’s clean—no, immaculate is a better word. Most bachelors aren’t this organized, even if they have housekeepers. I know I wasn’t before I married Bleu.
We need to get what we came for first in case we have to leave. “I’ll collect the sample now and then we’ll do a search front to back.”
I go into Todd’s bathroom and retrieve his toothbrush from its holder. I swab the bristles just as Bleu directed.
I rejoin Dad at the front of the house. We comb through one room at a time, not moving on until each space has nothing left to search.
Nothing.
“If he’s a thief, he’s a thorough one,” Dad says.
My gut says we’re missing the evidence. “I wouldn’t expect anyone in The Fellowship to be less than methodical. It’s here. We just have to find it.”
“There’s nothing else to check unless you want to start ripping open furniture and mattresses.”
I look at all the potential hiding places. I don’t think we can call this an extensive search if we don’t take it all the way. “Let’s do it.”
I take my knife from my back pocket and stab it into the center of a sofa cushion, dragging it downward in one motion like gutting a fish. I find zilch.
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