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“Care to explain that?”
“Not my story.”
I figured that was going to be her answer.
So I was shocked to shit when she went on, “Zane’s Maddon’s backup plan.”
“How so?” Smith inquired before I could.
Nebraska shifted in her seat but remained quiet. Her silence lasted long enough I righted myself in my seat and was scanning the apartment buildings that lined the street when Nebraska finally answered.
“Maddon’s banking on the truth ruining Zane.”
Apprehension unfurled in my gut.
Before I could press what the fuck she meant by that her phone rang and she announced, “My father.”
I glanced at Smith. His jaw had yet to loosen. When he felt my stare he turned his head, gave me a ‘what the fuck’ look before his eyes went back to the road.
Then I listened to a one-sided conversation that was nothing more than Nebraska responding with “yes” or “no.” Until the end when she proclaimed, “I’ll call you after I sit down with Amani. However, I’d just like to point out, you’re speaking to me like I’m twelve. But more than that you’re treating me like I don’t know what I’m doing when I’ve more than proven I do. Another point, father; if you didn’t trust my judgment you could’ve told me to come home after I met with Zane. You knew what would happen. You knew he’d have his people dig. But they didn’t need to dig, did they? You just played into Maddon’s hand and handed everything over. Now not only do I have to hope Amani believes me and doesn’t turn this around as a sign of disloyalty to Maddon, which will make me look untrustworthy, but I also have to worry about Zane Lewis going all Viper on me. Charlie, out of all the players Zane scares me the most and not because I’m at the mercy of two of his men. You know, when he has his talk with Dutch and Dutch comes clean, it’ll be me that pays the price. Not only that, we’ve put Zane in a tight spot and I’m positive that’s not a spot he’ll be happy to be in. Which means he’s going to lash out. At me. At us. At Dutch. We don’t need this. We need to be a united front until Maddon’s stopped. Now, that will be impossible.”
Throughout Nebraska’s soliloquy there was no inflection, no anger present, no attitude. She spoke in a calm, even tone despite her words conveying just how pissed she was.
Interesting.
The woman had tossed attitude at me for far less.
There was a pause on her end before she finished with, “I hope that’s the case, father.”
I waited a few beats before I craned my neck and looked back.
“Wanna explain that?”
“No,” she whispered.
I took in her hunched shoulders and grim look and decided I didn’t like how she’d folded into herself.
“Zane sent us here to protect you,” I reminded her.
Nebraska’s blue eyes lifted to mine and I nearly flinched at the defeat I saw.
“Okay.”
“He won’t hurt you.”
“Okay.”
“He won’t,” I pressed.
“You don’t know what I know,” she softly murmured and looked away.
And she didn’t know what I knew, at least that’s what we’d be told.
So many secrets.
Secrets that had the potential to ruin lives.
Or worse, kill.
