“These, however, they will always be mine.” He nips at my lower lip before giving it a friendly tug. After soothing the sting of his bite with a quick swipe of his tongue, he lifts his eyes to mine. “Won’t they, Mel?”
For the quickest second, hesitation stirs my gut. Mercifully, I shut it down before Julian knows of its existence. It’s a pity I can’t wipe my guilt just as quickly. I hinted that we’d be together for eternity only months ago, so what’s caused my sudden change of heart?
I can only think of one thing.
Brandon.
Up until a few weeks ago, he wasn’t part of the equation. Although a two-worded text saying ‘thank you’ shouldn’t cause such a massive upheaval to my life, it kind of did. We were inseparable for almost fourteen years. That’s a big chunk of my life to pretend never happened, so not only did his two-worded text twist my stomach, it produced a foreign sound from my heart as well.
18
Brandon
I’ve only just combed through the first box Grayson collected for me weeks ago in the boardroom at HQ when Isabelle bounces into the room. We’ve seen each other in passing the past couple of weeks, but our contact has been sporadic. My thoughts have been too focused on my past to add fuck-ups of the present into the mix.
It took longer than I would have liked, but I got justice for Mr. and Mrs. Gregg. The person responsible for their death can’t face charges, but Melody knows the truth, and that’s all that matters.
During the process, I also loosened the noose around my neck. Not only did I discover Crombie spilled details on his crew for a reduced sentence, I found out he was wanted for the arson of a building in New Hampshire that killed an ‘associate’s’ wife and children. The target on his back was so visible, even if his death wasn’t ruled a suicide, there were two dozen suspects closer to Crombie than me.
IA is still riding my ass, but not even someone determined to get out of her father’s shadow could deny the evidence I produced. There will still be an inquiry into the fingerprints logged into evidence for Crombie’s earlier conviction. I don’t see it doing much. He was an arsonist, there’s no denying that, so I’m confident in a matter of weeks, Agent Russell’s valuable time will be focused on more important cases. Thank fuck. It’s been a long few weeks.
I stop scrubbing at my tired eyes when Isabelle asks, “Hey, it’s nearly ten o’clock, and we have the weekend off, so what are you doing hiding out in here?”
I smirk when the enthusiasm on her face drains to her shoes when I reply, “I no longer have the weekend off.”
She takes in box after box after box of files before flipping the lid on the ones closest to her. “What are all these files?”
“They’re your Uncle Tobias’s records Alex had shipped here.”
I’m not lying. Alex signed the shipment order. Grayson merely suggested he do it. I’m not necessarily interested in the files Tobias had on Isaac, more the men Isaac associated with back in the day. Many of the faces in the Bobrov crew group photograph were noted in the background of the surveillance images Tobias had of Isaac. Most were the standard bottom dwellers all mafia cartels have, but one was more noteworthy. Col Petretti.
He was the once leader of an Italian association based not too far from here. It all but debunked a few years ago when several high-up members of his association were served consecutive sentences for money laundering, tax fraud, loan racketeering, extortion, and gambling. The only man left standing was Col. Although that makes him an ideal candidate to slot in beneath someone powerful like Isaac Holt or Henry Gottle, no factual evidence alludes to this. Even certain they’re linked in some way, I’ve yet to unearth their connection.
A curious crinkle pops between Isabelle’s brows when I move to a stack in the far corner of the room. “These are your uncle’s files from when he worked undercover in the Petretti family.” I point to the smaller pile she’s standing next to. “And these are his records on the Gottle family.”
Shock is the first thing to register on her face. It’s quickly chased by protectiveness, which is surprising since there have been no reports of her and Isaac uploaded for the past four weeks. “Isaac Holt doesn’t have any business connections with either