I tried to process my father's confession. No wonder he hated the boy so much. He was a sign of Mom's infidelities. The only question I wanted to ask was one I never would.
Who was Freddy's dad?
Chapter 23
Demetri
"You look like shit, boss." Nathaniel walked into my apartment as I moved back and held the door open for him. I should have gone to meet him at the mansion, but I needed a break for the morning from Joe's to-dos and the high emotion that Izzy left me drowning in.
"You're just jealous like the rest of them." I gave him a genuine smile and patted him on the back as he moved to my kitchen table.
"I'm a little surprised by how small this place is. They don't pay you enough?" He glanced up at me and chuckled.
"They pay me too much, but I'm a minimalist. I don't need a bunch of shit." I shrugged and walked to the fridge to pull out a couple of beers. "Talk to me about the new security system you and Edward have been working on."
"Yeah sure. Is he coming?"
"Nope. I can't stand the prick." I handed Nate a beer and sat down, knowing that I should have held my tongue, but if I had a friend at the house in anyone, it was Nate. He was the type of guy who could shoot straight, protect the assets of the syndicate, and take down any enemy we had. I would be looking to bring him into the syndicate fully over the next few years if Joe was down with it.
He chuckled and took the beer from me. "I find it hard to believe that a man like yourself doesn't like a little bit of competition."
"I don't. I usually take my gun to any fight worth having, but Eddy is a good friend of Izzy's, so there's that." I sat down and tapped the table. "Give me details on the project."
"Of course." He pulled out a roll of papers from the bag he’d had on his shoulder moments earlier. "Here are the blueprints for the various areas of Joe's property."
He laid them down and spent the next hour walking me through what he and Edward had discussed. I was satisfied and borderline impressed by the time he rolled the plans back up.
"What about gun control in the house?" Nate asked as he worked to get the plans into his bag.
"Joe's being a stickler on it. I'm going to keep pushing, but just go with his desires for now. No one needs to be frisked unless they're not a member of the syndicate." I lifted my hand. "Scratch that. Everyone needs to be frisked and their guns taken unless they’re capo or higher. I think we're pretty good on trusting everyone in leadership in the syndicate at this point."
"Everyone except Freddy, right? I swear that fucking kid doesn't know which way is up." Nate stood up and lifted his beer to his lips, draining the rest of it.
"Keep an eye on him with me. I believe Joe is going to ask Izabella to work on getting him into rehab soon, but you never know. She's got a soft spot for him."
"Most of us do where our little brothers are concerned." He shrugged, and I couldn't help but wonder if he were referring to Drake. Did someone beside me and Izzy know that my brother was alive? Did anyone but Joe and I know the truth of Drake's bloodline? Surely not.
"You got a brother?" I stood and finished my beer as well before taking his empty bottle and walking into the kitchen.
"I'm the oldest of six boys. I got lots of little brothers." He chuckled and stopped in the doorway. "You know, it's not any of my business, but my dad used to always tell me that the roughest of storms were always capable of being calmed in the arms of the right woman."
I smiled and shook my head. "You're right. It is none of your business."
He flipped me off and turned to walk to the door. "You better grab a hold of her before someone else does, D."
"That's the hope." I moved up behind him and held the door open as he walked through and turned back to give me an inquisitive look.
"What is? That you get there in time?"
"No. That someone far more worthy of her affection does."
*
I shouldn't have done it, but I needed to hear my brother's voice as I drove back out to the