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“Yes,” I said.
Colton leaned back. “Well, we have no choice but to fire him. I could look away if he’d stolen paper clips or a stapler. But a collectible baseball in Luke’s office? No, we can’t let this go.”
“I was afraid you would say that.”
“Afraid? What are you talking about? You’re the first person to lecture us on right vs wrong. He broke the law, Ryan. I would think you, of all people, would want justice for that.”
“I would, wouldn’t I?”
Colton was right. My moral compass was always on point, never steering me in the wrong direction. Why was I wavering now? I knew the answer.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“Is the man in some predicament? Did he need to sell for a good reason?” my youngest brother asked.
Luke had always been the kindest one of the three of us. Even now, he wanted to understand someone’s motive for why they had stolen from him.
I shook my head, though, not sure if I truly understood Peter Stevens’s motivation. It didn’t matter.
“That’s not the complication I meant. Peter Stevens isn’t just our employee…” I inhaled again. “He’s Laura’s father,” I blurted on the exhale.
“Oh, shit,” said Colton, taking a sip of his drink.
“Laura’s father?” Luke repeated. “Your Laura?”
My heart kicked up at Luke’s words. I liked the sound of that, but my head told my heart to shut up. She wasn’t my Laura, nor did I want that.
Did I?
“How do you know all of this?” Colton asked.
I explained how Laura had followed her father to Giancarlo Rossi’s house and was later accused of attempted armed robbery.
“She’s facing ten years,” I said.
Colton whistled, and Luke stared at me with his puppy-dog eyes.
“Yeah, I can see how this is complicated,” said Colton, leaning back. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m working with her on the case, but it doesn’t look good. Her dad will testify on her behalf, but that obviously will look biased to the jury. Rossi’s corroborating witness is a cop, unfortunately. I don’t know what hold he has on the guy other than being on his payroll. But I don’t think I can get him to shake.”
Colton shook his head. “You’ve got to try, Ryan. I know these cops stick up for each other, but maybe call our PI. He might have some dirt you can use on the cop. Usually, when they’re willing to lie under oath, they’re willing to do a lot more than that.”
“I know. I’m not thinking straight, that’s all.”
“Of course not,” said Colton. His tone was neutral yet still authoritative. “The woman you love is facing prison time, and—”
“Whoa. I said nothing about loving Laura. We dated, that’s all.”
Saying those words felt like a betrayal, but I couldn’t let Colton make this into something more than it was. Laura and I had never spoken those words to each other. Hell, I was pissed about that empty paper bag before this went down, so I don’t know if we were even dating anymore.
Fuck, this really was complicated.
Colton scrunched up his nose. “What are you talking about? You love that woman. I can tell.” Then, he sipped his drink and smiled.
“Nice try, Colton. But telling me what to feel won’t work. We’re sort of on a break.” Except, the last time I’d seen her, we’d made love in my office.
“A break? Why?” Luke stared at me as though I’d lost my sense of reality. He didn’t understand.
