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This isn’t a smoking gun, no, but it could be a clue.
I have to bring this shit back to my brothers now.
* * *
Junie’s gonewhen I finally get home, but that suits me just fine.
I need to think through what I’ve read and sit down with my brothers. They’re already on their way while I’m pacing the office.
Surprisingly, Patton shows up first, swaggering in like he’s going to get paid just for walking through the door.
“Shit, Brother. It’s cold as hell in here when it’s just you without your better half.”
“Don’t be a dick,” I snap, nodding at the chair in front of my desk. “This is serious.”
“I’ll say. You don’t usually summon us to meetings. That’s Archer’s job.”
“What job?” Archer asks, coming through the door. Instead of his suit, he’s wearing jeans today, though he’s still wearing a shirt and a jacket. Old habits die hard.
“Being the assertive asshole,” Patton says, sending me the ghost of a wink. “Dex beat you to it today. Better quit slacking.”
Archer brushes his dark hair back from his face and glares at us. “What’s so goddamn urgent? I had to cancel Colt’s swimming lesson to make it here on time.”
“We’ll make it up to the kiddo later. It’s too important.” I push carefully written notes across the desk so they can see them. “I found more material on Haute we need to look into.”
“Didn’t I do that already?” Archer growls. “You’re the one who wanted the deal to go forward, full steam ahead.”
“I still do,” I say as Patton picks up the paper. “But I can’t hide this. I’m getting a bad feeling, and now he’s got his hands in the bakery, too.”
“Fucking hell, Dex.” Archer rubs his eyebrows. “If this is about you getting cold feet—”
“You think I’d raise a bullshit concern for no reason?” I spit.
“Have you heard ofcoincidence?” Patton grinds out, shoving the notes away. “So what? With a business his size, dealing with the public, you probably have all sorts of weird people blowing through. Imagine who stays in our properties—you can’t vet everything,Bro.”
Yeah. I knew Patton would want to plow through with the plan anyway. “The dates are important. Remember all that bad press about money trouble and the casino going down? Haute Ozark or whatever it was called?”
Archer chews his lip as he picks up the paper and reads.
I summarize the police report, highlighting the lack of contract and his clear disinterest in the future of the Mill.
“Guys, I want this deal as much as you. Nothing else will land us this kind of money,” I say, my eyes on Archer, “but something about this waves every red flag in the book. I don’t trust him. I don’t trust that his dirty dealings are purely history. My gut says there’s something else rotten going on.”
Patton rolls his eyes.
“Seriously, Dex? That’s what you’ve got? A gut feeling?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Archer says. “How’d you get a hold of this, anyway? Looks like an internal police file.”
“Ask no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.” I fold my arms.
“When we started this company, we agreed that everything would be aboveboard,” Archer says with a heavy sigh.
I spread my hands. “Sometimes, you’ve gotta fight fire with fire. Especially when doing everything the right way didn’t yield results.” I nod at the report. “I still want the Mill, but Idon’twant to risk the company getting trapped in legal quicksand.”
He nods slowly.
Patton groans. “You guys will stop at nothing to get out of making a buck.”
