This Fearless Girl (St. Clary's University #2) - E. M. Moore Page 0,18
I ate with them, I clean my plate in record time. Lucas grabs himself a second helping and brings me back one as well. I take it with a smile and eat half of it before I feel full again. This time, no one stares at me while I eat. In fact, they all look like they have something else on their minds, and I’m sure they’re probably thinking the same thing as me.
We need to talk.
When we’re finished, Lucas clears the plates, then comes back to the coffee table. Stone has taken up a spot leaning against the opposite couch. His legs are outstretched in front of him, his arms crossed.
After Lucas gets settled, Stone clears his throat. “Firstly, I’m sorry for how you found out about Dickie.”
I clamp down on my jaw. That is not how I thought he was going to start the conversation, but I’m here for it. I nod once. “I actually don’t want to talk about that.”
His eyes widen a fraction, but he moves on. “Then the floor is yours. What do you want to talk about, Dakota?”
“Who’s Cole? And how did your father get tangled up with him?”
The three of them exchange glances before Stone speaks. “Cole is the leader of the Dragons. They’re a well-known, violent gang in the tri-state area. They hold a lot of territory and recently gained even more. He’s not a good guy, as I’m sure you’ve surmised yourself. The Dragons take part in various illegal activities and are able to stay in business because they have cops in their back pocket.” He gives me a knowing look. “Which is why Lionel ruled the bombing of your house a gas explosion and my father’s and Wyatt’s injuries as accidental.”
“Basically, what Stone is saying is that they’re scary ass motherfuckers,” Wyatt says.
He didn’t have to tell me that twice. “And your dad?”
Stone blows out a breath. “That part is a lot more complicated.” He crosses his legs at the ankles. “My dad belongs to this rich people group for members of high society in Arizona. They meet to talk business among other things, but it’s more than that, too. They socialize. They strategize.”
“The other two guys who were there? They’re from that same group?”
Stone nods. “Yes.” He glances up to meet my eyes, regret lancing his features for a moment. “Cole sought them out. He wants to legitimize some of his businesses into things that aren’t illegal, so what better way to do that than to meet up with a bunch of businessmen who are already killing it?”
I wait for Stone to continue. He swallows and scrapes his hand down the side of his face. “My father, as you already know, has never been quiet about the treasure. He’s always boasting about one thing or the other, and he happened to boast at the wrong time in front of the wrong people. Whatever he said garnered the attention of Cole and the Dragons and…” He spreads his arms out wide. “…here we are. You know the rest. It ended with Cole threatening that he would kill everyone we loved if we didn’t find him the treasure.”
“And this is his legitimate business practice?” I scoff.
Stone shrugs. “I guess it’s better than some of his other interests.”
I run a hand through my hair. Once again, my curls are silky instead of frizzy. If only curl shampoo and conditioner could help us with this predicament.
“The thing is,” Wyatt says, “what happened the other day on Dakota’s family land was only a prelude to what could be. I know it’s fucked up, but the objective still hasn’t changed. We need to find the treasure. While we do that, we’ll figure out what to do with Cole and the Dragons, but for right now, we continue with our original plan. We research. We couple our resources with Dakota’s and we may just be able to pull this miracle off.”
He settles back down onto the couch, and I can tell from the dark look on his face that he’s made it sound so much easier than he actually believes it will be.
I agree with him—we continue on task.
But the players have changed, and that’s something to be concerned about.
7
Stone turns to me, Wyatt follows quickly after, and Lucas barely meets my eyes. My stomach slides to my feet. Having all three pairs of eyes on me is unnerving. Stone leans forward, drawing my attention. “We know you moved the safe, Dakota.”