to him, gaze level. “Would you rather he have arrested me?”
Davis’s expression fell. Considering Ridge had broken into his home, you’d think he would have remembered his boyfriend had been, and still was, a professional thief. And one who, despite being engaged to Davis, who could keep all of us in champagne and caviar for the rest of our lives, had never said a word about quitting.
“Anyway,” I went on. “I spent a lot of time with Waters Senior and Junior. Junior and I became friends. We look remarkably alike. And since Junior had a severe agoraphobia problem, he hadn’t been out in public much. Senior wanted someone to show off and attend social functions with. We came to a mutually satisfying and, dare I say, enriching arrangement.”
“J. B. Waters, Jr. is an imposter?” Leo asked, aghast.
“You knew that,” I said.
“I didn’t. Was every time he’s been out you pretending to be him?” Leo asked.
“Not every time. But a lot,” I admitted.
“So would I be dating him, too?” Eric asked. “Would we have to go to social functions and I’d have to pretend you’re him? Would I get to wear a tuxedo?”
I thought about it. I had driven poor Ben Waters’ reputation into the dirt during the course of our first job. It wasn’t a very useful cover anymore and I couldn’t bear to attend another function as him. “Unfortunately, poor Ben has gotten himself in some scandals recently, so I think that nobody will mind if he retires to private life again. Maybe he’ll start a charity, redeem himself.”
“We’ve gotten way off topic here,” Leo said. “We need to figure out how to neutralize the threat from Symanski.”
“I could quit,” I reminded him.
“No you can’t,” Eric said, surprising everyone.
“Why not?” I asked. Not that I really wanted to quit, but I was curious as to his reasoning.
“Because then you let these bastards win,” he said.
“It’s our job to take the bad guys down,” Danny agreed.
“You can do it,” Eric said. “You’re Carson Grieves the man, the myth, the legend.”
“You don’t know anything about Carson Grieves,” I reminded him.
“No, but I knew Jake Karlsson. I believed in you my whole life, and I'm not about to stop now. You can do anything you set your mind to.”
“You're the only one who thinks that,” I said.
“No, he’s not,” Danny said instantly.
“I’ve seen some of the things you’ve done, Carson,” Leo said.
“Allegedly done,” I reminded him.
“Allegedly done,” he conceded.
“It’s true,” Wesley added, shocking the hell out of me. “Besides, it’s not just you, is it? You got a whole crew now. Including one of the best hackers in the U.S.”
“And a man on the inside,” Eric said.
“But Ryan knows you know about Symanski.”
“Not me,” Eric said. “Bob.”
“Your father?” I must have heard wrong.
“Yes, my father. He’s not a bad guy. And he would have lost a lot of money, too, if this con had worked. Plus, Ryan thinks you two hate each other. He would never suspect Bob of working with you.”
“He’s got a point,” Davis said. “The dad is a good resource.”
“And of course, I'll do anything to help,” Eric said.
“Even if it's illegal?” I asked. Whatever I did, it was going to be outside the law one way or the other.
“Even if it's illegal,” he said. “I mean, I won’t murder anyone.”
“Don’t worry about it. That’s my job,” Steele said.
Eric looked at him and then to me as if to ask me if Steele was joking. I gave him a tiny shrug. Steele wasn’t joking.
Eric got very interested in his breakfast for a few long seconds. “I’m in. I won’t go to jail, will I?” he asked Leo.
“Don't look at me,” Leo said with a shake of his head. “I’m not going to arrest anybody, but I also can’t make any promises. Hang around this crowd long enough and eventually, you’re going to do illegal shit. Do illegal shit and there is a chance you wind up in jail. That's how it works.”
“Okay,” I said. “We fight. Eric, I’ll try to keep you out of jail.” I’d like to keep him from doing anything at all, but I might need him. Though he was right, Bob made a much better inside man. “Finish your breakfasts and give me some time to come up with something.”
I ate my breakfast, drank two more cups of coffee, paced around the room, and reviewed every con I’d ever pulled, everything Charlie had taught me, and everything I knew about the Dude and people like