Broken by His Hand - Piper Stone Page 0,41

about how or when to use blackmail techniques. My father had described them as being similar to a board of directors of a corporation, only their identities had been kept secret. Whether or not they were provided with additional benefits I’d never been able to determine. My father certainly wasn’t going to keep an open book on exploitation and acts of extortion.

What I did know is that my father spoke of the members in a revered manner, as if being a part of the core group was more powerful than any government position. Except for whoever the bad apple had been. I couldn’t remember if I’d even bothered to try to question those involved. My father rarely talked about the club and when he did, for the most part I’d blanked out the conversation. Then after my parents’ death, I’d attempted to forget everything about the club. For years I’d been able to accomplish that deed.

Had my parents been killed because someone wanted to gain more control?

“Fuck.”

Was it possible that one of them had been given the job of keeping the ledger hidden and for what reason? A sudden realization hit me. What if one or more of the former members of the inner core was using the information to continue making decisions and acting on them?

Fuck.

The thought might be considered preposterous, but worth considering. There’d been too many signs not to place some level of importance on the idea. When I heard the doorbell, I bristled. I’d asked William to come to my home instead of going to his office. The conversation I was prepared to have had to be in confidence, without any possibility of others hearing what was said. While I’d come to trust Mr. Rappaport, I’d always believed he’d held back a portion of my father’s wishes for unknown reasons.

If that was the case, it was time to bring it to a head.

I took my time going to the door. “William. Thank you for coming.”

“You left me no choice, Michael. You made it sound as if something is wrong.”

I allowed him to close the door and trail behind me into the office, doing everything I could to keep my anger at bay. It was likely he didn’t deserve my wrath, but only time would tell. I moved to the edge of the desk, sitting down on the edge as I studied him. He certainly seemed more nervous than I was used to seeing.

“The inner circle. Tell me about it,” I said in a controlled voice. I grabbed my drink, watching him as his facial expression immediately changed.

He seemed extremely uncomfortable, his entire demeanor changing. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Let’s cut the bullshit, William. Of course you do. You were not only my family’s attorney for years. You were my father’s friend. I’m certain he mentioned that he had a group of men inside his club who helped him run it with an iron fist. I’m asking a simple question. Who were they?”

Shifting from one foot to the other, he glanced around the room. “I’m surprised you didn’t keep your father’s house.”

I chuckled before taking a sip of the Bloody Mary, allowing him to wait for my answer. “Too many memories.”

“He wanted you to keep the house, you know. He thought it would add to your legacy.”

After rubbing my eyes, I put the drink on my desk. The man was obviously trying to hide something from me. “Legacy. I’ve heard the term to fucking death. The legacy my father left me was a legal corporation handling their business in an old-fashioned manner. My father was more like a godfather than a businessman. He left fear and anger when he died. Or maybe I should say when he was murdered.” Since no one had ever floated the idea into a conversation, I could tell he was genuinely shocked at the idea.

“You think your parents were murdered?”

“I’ve thought that for years. Think about it. He held secrets regarding dozens of the most powerful men in the city. Why an attempt hadn’t been made before, I have no idea, but my suspicions have always been that someone or a group had performed the deed.”

“The wreck was ruled an accident,” he insisted.

“You’re right and because of a very quick accident report. The fact no one questioned why my father ran off the road was surprising as hell. The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. Even after I asked for the car to be checked by a mechanic,