raised finger. “Let me finish. I was no different but also no better. Just as bad, even if my scale was much smaller. And I regret a lot of what I did. Not all, there were plenty of people and organizations who deserved everything I did to them. But I certainly don’t consider myself a good guy.”
Bob looked pained, the corners of his mouth pinched. “Are you still doing things like that?”
“Not directly. Mostly now, I trade in information. Buying and selling it, suppressing or spreading it.”
Bob nodded in understanding. He worked in financial investments. He knew exactly what the right piece of information at the right time could be worth. “That’s not illegal,” he said.
I shrugged. There was a limit to how much I was willing to talk about in public and around Leo, no matter how convinced I was he was a friend. My parents didn’t need details.
“Are you a bad guy?” Sammy asked me eyes wide.
Oh Jesus. Fuck it, I was going to lie to him. I couldn’t risk losing his love and his respect. Nothing was worth that.
“No,” Eric said quickly, beating me to it. “He’s not.”
Sammy didn’t look convinced. He stared at his plate, carefully pick the peas out of the casserole.
Danny slid off his stool and walked over to Sammy’s side. He laid a gentle hand on Sammy’s arm. “Hey,” he said softly. “I haven’t known your brother for very long, but I promise you, he’s not a bad guy. He’s a good man.” The smile he gave me was so genuine and the picture he made next to Sammy broke something in me. I had a Grinch Learns the True Meaning of Christmas moment, and my heart grew three sizes that day.
No matter how the rest of this wild goose chase Charlie had set us on went, I was done being the bad guy. I would use my powers for good. Now, I wasn’t making any promises to play by the rules. The rules were a joke, written by people in power to help keep them in power. And I was going to dedicate the rest of my life to hurting the real bad guys. I looked at Wesley. Of all of us, he was the one who had been fighting this fight the longest. He’d made a name for himself by hitting companies that were hiding behind the letter of the law, all the while screwing over people and the environment.
“We need to talk,” I said to him.
His slow-spreading grin was downright gloating. “One of us, one of us,” he said, pounding his fist gently on the table. I had no idea what he was referencing, but I appreciated the sentiment.
“Really?” Sammy asked Danny. Then he looked at Leo. I could understand checking in with him. No matter how he tried to fit in, Leo’s whole being radiated authority and trustworthiness. He looked like the solid, dependable citizen he was.
Leo’s shoulders rose and fell with an unvoiced sigh. Tilting his head to the side, he studied me. I did something I hadn’t done for anyone except Eric. I dropped the mask, letting the habitual Carson detached amusement slip away and willing him to see me. We’d only been in my hometown for a few days, but he knew more about me and the forces that had shaped me than almost anyone.
He nodded, looking not at Sammy but at my mother and Bob. “Yeah. He’s not a bad guy. I’ve seen a lot of bad guys in my life. Too many. And your brother, whether he goes by Jake or Carson, is not one of them.”
Sammy’s smile lit up his face. “I knew it!” he said. “I knew you were a good guy!” He gave Danny a hug. Danny clung to him as if he needed a hug more than Sammy did. I made a note to find a way to have Danny’s sister meet up with us as soon as possible. He was wiping his eyes as he walked back to his seat.
Sammy’s belief in me brought tears to my eyes. I pushed myself away from the table. “I need more wine,” I said ignoring the half-full bottle on the table. “Anybody else?” I fled to the kitchen before anyone could answer.
The boys eating at the breakfast bar gave me the illusion of privacy while I splashed some water on my face. I looked around for something to justify my presence.
“There’s a bottle of white in the fridge,” Ridge said softly. “We