to people.
They spent the next hour visiting, and then a few of the people in the room exited, leaving the team, Joseph’s sons, and Joseph’s brothers sitting at the table.
“Now, it’s down to a little business,” Chad said.
Chad gave a breakdown of information he was allowed to share. They didn’t bring up Damien, and they didn’t share a lot of details. But these were the men paying for the operation, and it was good to discuss some of the operation in person. It made them feel as if they were accomplishing something with the tens of millions of dollars they’d donated.
When Chad spoke of Brackish’s abilities, the group of Anderson men smiled, obviously impressed. Chad sent a wink Brackish’s way, and he shifted a bit in his seat. He wasn’t a humble man. He knew what he was capable of, but he didn’t like high praise thrown at him. It made him feel as if he needed to prove they were right, made him feel pressured to perform. He did what he did because he loved it, not because he needed to prove himself.
“Brackish had an idea I want to speak to you about later, Joseph,” Chad said.
“I’d love to hear it,” Joseph told him.
“We’ll speak later. It’s an off-task mission, and the less people who know about it, the more legit it will be.”
That had everyone at the table sitting up. Joseph wasn’t a patient man, so he pushed Chad to share, but he didn’t cave. The subject was changed, and they continued talking business while laughing, eating, and drinking. The time passed far too quickly.
As the night wrapped up and everyone stood from the table, Joseph thanked them all for coming. It was good to finally meet. Knowing what a good man Joseph was and what a great family he had, made the team that much happier to be doing what they were doing.
“Brackish, can I have a few minutes of your time?” Joseph asked.
“Of course,” Brackish said.
“Perfect. Chad can give you a ride back so the other men can go,” Joseph said. No one tried to argue with him, but they sent curious looks between Joseph and Brackish. Everyone said their goodbyes and were on their way.
“Finally, I’m not in the far back seat,” Green said as they made their way out of the room. Smoke’s laughter could be heard all the way down the hallway.
“Thank you for staying,” Joseph said as he moved over to a large fireplace where a couch and two chairs formed a more intimate setting.
Brackish followed. “What can I do for you, boss?” Brackish asked. He waited for Joseph to be seated before he sat across from him with Chad in the chair next to him.
“With your computer skills I’m sure you know a lot about me, more than many people out there,” Joseph began and laughed, showing Brackish he wasn’t faulting him for his investigations.
“Yes, I like to research,” Brackish said, shifting in his seat. He wondered if Joseph was going to insist Brackish not look into him or his family. That would make him want to do just that. But from all of the research he’d done on the Anderson family, he hadn’t found any deep, dark secrets. It was quite impressive that this family didn’t have skeletons. Well, beyond Damien, that was.
“Family means the world to me,” Joseph said.
Brackish laughed again. “Yes, that’s obvious,” he agreed.
“I also believe in love and justice,” Joseph said. Brackish found himself speechless, having zero clue where this conversation was going.
“With your huge family, that’s obvious, too,” Brackish said after a few seconds.
“I hear you’ve been having some difficulties in that department,” Joseph told him.
Brackish felt a bit of heat enter his cheeks. Never in a million years would he have guessed this is what Joseph wanted to talk to him about.
“I wouldn’t exactly say difficulties,” Brackish finally said. He wasn’t a man to lie, but he also wasn’t a man who liked to talk about his personal life, and they were getting into dangerous territory at the moment.
“Well, we’ve all been there, son, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I just want you to know if you ever need an ear, I’m a good person to talk to about the ups and downs of love and marriage. I’ve been with my Katherine so long I can’t remember a life before her. And I’m grateful every single day for that time together.” He waved his hand in the air before Brackish could respond.