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“That’s not what I asked you.” He leans closer. “Do you think you can go through with it? Are there any alternatives?”
I consider that and slug down half my drink. I know the answer, but I don’t want to say the words out loud because I’m afraid of what they might mean. But Evander’s looking at me and I feel a strange sudden rush of dizziness run down my spine. Since when was I so weak? Since when was I so fuckingpathetic? I’ve never cared about another human being in my life—why is Kat any different?
“Yes, I can go through with it,” I say and stare down at my glass like I want to break it. “There’s no other way.”
“Then hurt her. Fuck the girl. But don’t be a goddamn bastard about it.” He jabs one big, meaty finger into my ribs. “Make it quick and make it count.”
“That’s the plan at least.”
“Here’s to owning your family. Here’s to achieving your lifelong dream. I know how much this means to you.” He raises his glass and takes a long drink.
I finish mine off, and the alcohol burns a bitter trail into my guts and stays there like I swallowed molten lead.
We catch up some more over several drinks and I walk back to the hotel a couple of hours later. It’s always good to see Evander—even if he’s loud and crude and rough, he’s still loyal and kindbeneath that shabby and violent exterior, and he’s one of my best friends. I miss my brothers from the Atlas Organization and as I ride the elevator up to my room, I make a silent promise that I’ll put in an effort to visit them all more often.
Except for Lanzo. That chaos creep is somewhere in Eastern Europe right now hacking into Russian server farms, or at least he was the last I heard, and I’m not about to travel to a war zone just to say hello.
I undress and shower and think about having another drink at the hotel bar to help me pass out but my phone starts ringing. I get out, towel off, and my stomach leaps—for one hopeful second, I think it might be Kat calling to talk.
Instead, it’s Grandpop, calling at just after ten at night.
I answer right away. “Hello, Grandpop. You’re up late.”
“I barely sleep these days.” Grandpop’s laughter sounds like chewed-up leather. “I heard that you took a trip to Chicago today.”
How the fuck does everyone know my every move?
“That’s right. I have some business out here, and I wanted to meet with Evander.”
“How is that Greek boy doing? His family is well?”
“Good as they can be.” I pace along the suite and glance at the clock. Right now I bet Kat’s brushing her teeth and doing her skincare routine and getting ready to slip under the covers. I bet she’s thinking about me—wishing I were there.
I wish I was there too.
“Good, good, I’m glad you went to see your friend since there is nothing more pressing going on.”
I stop pacing and clear my throat. “Grandpop—”
“Let me ask you something, Ford. It’s a simple question and maybe you can give me a simple answer. Why are you in Chicago when your new fiancée is back at your apartment in Dallas?”
I tense and don’t answer. I let the seconds tick past and I can hear Grandpop breathing. He’s wheezing more these days and I wonder if he’s thinking about retirement because he’s beginning to realize he doesn’t have much time left. But no, that’s just me projecting.
“I told you, I have business here,” I finally answer after what feels like forever.
“Business.” He grunts with annoyance. “Your onlybusinessis back home with that girl. You do want to fulfill our agreement, don’t you?”
“Yes, Grandpop, but—”
“Go back to Dallas in the morning. Drive back to your apartment. Sit down and talk to your new fiancée. Do yourfuckingjob.”
I grind my jaw. “It’s not that simple.”
“It’sverysimple. Don’t you have a friend that can do some computer hacking? Get him to break into the girl’s phone. Steal her texts, her contacts, her emails,everythingrelated to the Stockton family and send it all to me. I want it soon.”
“I can’t just—” I stop myself before I dig a deeper hole. Grandpop’s right—I can’t hide away in Chicago forever. I leftDallas because I’m afraid to go too far and do something I’ll regret, but maybe this is worse.
Evander’s right too. If I’m going to hurt Kat, I need to hurt her. I shouldn’t drag this out any longer than I need to and make things even more complicated.
