Page 84 of The Logic of Loyalty

Chapter Twenty-Six

TREVOR

“Dammit, Paul, you useless sack of shit.”

“Amen.”

“Shut up, Patrick! Nobody asked you!”

His chuckles echo through the garage and into the office.

“Go home, Patrick. Your wife is going to slaughter me.”

“She’s going to bake you a pie and make me watch you eat it.” His voice gets louder until he’s standing in the doorway. I snort and flip through a series of random handwritten IOUs and try to match them up with the deposits and service charges they belong to. It’s a disaster, but I’m making progress.

“I might consider it if it’s chicken-pot-pie. That’s Paige’s specialty … though.” A rolling wave of loss cascades through me, leaving me breathless.

It’s moments like this that the acute agony of missing the person most vital to you becomes unbearable. Time moves funny when you live with your heart outside of your chest.

“Suit Boss⁠—”

“I’m not your boss.”

“Pfft, yet. We all know you’re coming over here once you get that sack of—I mean, once you get out from under your pop’s nose.”

“Good night, Patrick.”

“Sure. Sure. Goodnight, Suit Boss.”

I throw a wadded-up piece of paper at the now-empty doorway, and Patrick chuckles again before walking out the garage door.

I’ve been avoiding working down here most days since there’s been unusual after-hours traffic, and I’m not interested in having multiple nosy-Neds sniffing around me. Patrick and Billy are bad enough. Carter would be up my ass in an instant.

Despite the nosing around, working on the mess that Paul has made of the books here is a walk in the park compared to the tightrope I’m walking at the bank. Though I’m pleased with how efficiently I’ve been able to close out or transfer my clients. I’m down to a handful and just waiting for the grand finale. From what little I’m able to get out of Asher/Glenn, I’ve uncovered something far worse than the financial misconduct I was anticipating.

Apparently, Bobby, my father, and a few other members of the higher-ups on staff, have dipped their toes into some major legal no-go zones. The most Asher told me was followed swiftly by, “Stay out of it, baby Whitaker.” Then the fuckface laughed.

My phone vibrates as I’m trying to decipher a particularly difficult note, and I nearly ignore it. However, the possibility that it could be Paige or about family in any way leads to me pausing my mystery, just to be met with a new one with a message from Becky, of all people.

Becky

sad Paige wants a ride from Joe!

“What the hell …” I grab my keys and head to my car, knowing what she means at the base level. Paige needs a ride. I double-check my thread from Paige and Bethany, but don’t see anything new from either of them.

Who the hell is Joe? Joe Joe? The Joe? “I give up.”

Trevor

Shit, what?

Becky

Yup

I shake my head, grab my emotional support rock, and start my car, ready to start scanning the world for her.

Trevor