states. “Do you understand what will happen if this agency catches them doing something illegal?”
“They can do something?” I stare at him, hoping he’s about to offer me a way to deal with my family once and for all.
He nods. “I didn’t hire some private agent that digs up some dirt and calls it a day. I asked someone who has the equipment and personnel to infiltrate governments. They focus on important shit like taking down traffickers, drug lords, even dictators.”
He taps the papers gently. “They didn’t like what they found. This seems like the tip of the iceberg, but I stopped them because you’re my brother.”
I grin. “You’re telling me they can take care of them,” I conclude, and he nods. “But I’m sure they need some inside help for that, won’t they?”
“That’s your family,” he repeats.
I slam my hand on the documents they created. “No, Leyla is my family. They fucked with her. They’re paying for it.”
The lies they spread. Every single agency in Colorado thinks that my wife lied on the applications. She just omitted the part where we were getting a divorce. There’s no fucking rehab. She has anxiety, not schizophrenia or a drug problem.
“Good, because I want to fuck them too. I like Leyla a lot. Even though sometimes I feel like I’m watching the fucking Animal Planet when she speaks,” he laughs, leaving my office.
Nyx is out of town with her sister, but as soon as she’s back from her trip, I’m going to warn her about this. She might be able to get me some information before she leaves, and I’ll get her a new job.
After that, I’m taking down everyone who works in that place. In eighteen months, I’ll be visiting my cousins in jail.
The next week, I try to speak with Nyx, but my mother is making an example out of her. Personal time off should only be used when it’s extremely necessary. Nyx has been using her time to spend it with her family—twice this year.
I can see why Mom can’t understand why other people have to take some days off to visit family. She works with her family.
Try hiring new lawyers who might win cases because they are good and not because you’re paying half of the government of Colorado, Mom.
In the meantime, Beacon’s contact is digging for more information. I told him every rumor I’ve heard about the firm, and the reason why I decided to only take corporate cases. It seemed frivolous, but the gossip surrounding some of the family law cases and the judges who were on my family’s payroll was too loud to ignore.
If Nyx can’t help us, it’ll take longer, but he assures me that they can do the job. The key is to be patient while they turn every rock, question every person involved, and gather physical evidence.
Focusing on everything that requires my attention isn’t hard. My brothers remind me what I need to be doing without failing. Like every day, while I’m busy concentrating on something important, someone just opens the door to my office without knocking and barks orders. This time, it’s Henry. “We need someone in New York to check Aldridge Enterprises. Plus, I could visit Merkel and see how the move is going.”
I grunt.
“You don’t need shit,” I scold him.
“Can I go to New York for at least a couple of days?” he asks.
This has become a weekly request. I swear, some days I feel like a parent who has to remind these guys how to behave and of our restrictions every fucking minute of the day. They are exhausting as fuck. At least we don’t try to kill each other daily. When I told Leyla about it during one of our nightly walks, she said, “You’re welcome.”
Her new way to make my life miserable is by creating chaos around the house so my brothers and I fix it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s reading some books with the best practices to bring your employees together or researching online how to introduce a new cat to your current pet.
When my brothers complain about her Animal Planet analogies, I don’t confirm that she watches it often and always leaves it on for the kids as background noise while she’s at work. It really doesn’t matter what she’s doing. I’m glad it’s working for everyone. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to punch them every day when they swoop into my office demanding I let them get out of here