all the info you can. Maybe hint that you have gambling debts, too. Neo, keep looking into Symanski slash Dude. And someone keep monitoring Ryan’s phone calls.”
“Got it,” Danny said. “We’ve got a program on it we can set to flag us for certain keywords in texts, emails, and voice conversations.”
“That’s just…fucking creepy,” Eric said. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
“What are you thinking?” Leo asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure. I don’t know how much of a threat this guy is yet. I need more info.”
“We’ll work on it, Chaney, promise,” Leo said. “You try to get some sleep.”
“I’ll watch your family’s back, okay?” Steele said.
“The house,” Eric said excitedly.
I gave him a look.
“Dad’s house. He’s got it all wired up. One of those smart houses.” There was a general groan from everyone on the other end of the phone conversation.
“Why are people so stupid?” Wesley asked.
“Now that was a rhetorical question,” Danny said.
Eric continued as if they hadn’t spoken. Smart man. “I’ve got an app on my phone for it. Can you, I don’t know, hack into it and keep an eye on them that way?”
He really was a smart man. With a mind for crime. I appreciated that. “Very smart,” I said. “And sexy.”
He smiled. “Really?”
I nodded.
“I’m on it,” Wesley said. “Eric, give Carson the network name and password and any information you have. Fucking unbelievable…” His words faded into mumbled imprecations against anyone stupid enough to invite the entire world into their homes.
I hung up. And looked at Eric. “So.”
“So,” he said. “Good date.”
That surprised a laugh out of me. “Yeah.”
Eric held up a finger. “So, just to recap. You’re a con artist. You’ve got some sort of crew of your own. Someone named either the Dude or Symanski is trying to con me and Bob, and Ryan is probably in on it because he owes two hundred thousand dollars to some Czech mobster. Did I get it all?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I think that’s it.”
“You’re taking this rather well,” I said.
“Should I be freaking out?”
“Probably. You should at least be saying you need time to think things through?”
“I don’t think I’ve had one coherent thought since I saw you on the golf course. I see no reason to start now. I’ve done nothing but think for the last year and truthfully I haven’t come up with anything very exciting. You are definitely exciting.”
“In a Chinese curse kind of way, I think.”
“I kind of want to call you Carson now,” Eric said. “It fits you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I mean, I can see Jake, but I don’t think Carson’s as fake as you think he is.”
“Okay then. Truthfully, having people call me Jake is freaking me out. But I guess I’ll have to live with it while I’m in town. Especially from my mom.”
“Is your family in any danger? “
“Probably not right now,” I said honestly. “Symanski won’t play that card until he needs something from me.”
“Do you think he will?”
“Probably,” I admitted. “And sooner rather than later.”
“Is it what you would do if you got that kind of information?”
“No!” I said, honestly offended. “Families are off limits. Besides, I don’t threaten and I don’t use physical violence at all. There is usually very little in-fighting, truthfully. God knows there are enough marks to go around. Everyone is greedy, everyone thinks they can get rich quick. People are practically begging you to take their money. Symanski is a thug. A left-over from the mob era.”
“Which kind of makes him a problem, right? I mean, it’s not the same thing but when you’re on ice with someone who doesn’t know how things are normally done, maybe a new guy, that’s when things get dangerous. When people get hurt. They’re unpredictable.”
“Exactly. You have a good criminal mind.”
“Thank you? I think? Are you sure you shouldn’t call him tonight?”
“Symanski or Ryan? Either way, no. Let him think he has the upper hand right now.”
“Speaking of hands,” he reached for my hand, pulling it off the steering wheel. “I always loved yours.”
“They’re just hands,” I said. “Fairly normal.”
“Hmm,’ he said, doing this thing where he dragged his fingertips up the length of my fingers one by one, from webbing to tip. I could barely feel it, but it gave me the shivers and sent a sharp zing of arousal to my cock.
I made a sound and he gave a soft laugh. Pulling my hand further onto his lap, he switched tactics, running his fingertips in circles over my palm, a feeling unlike