know the source of the funds, and they don’t like there to be any delays in making their deals. I just wanted you to keep an eye on Lottie until I can work things through.” He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Xander, what if that man is working for this Moretti person? What if Carl really is behind all of this...the assault, the threats? All because he went behind my back and tried to sell me out?” He slams a fist on his desk. “Goddammit! I’d wanted to talk to you because I need you to keep Charlotte safe until I can get to the bottom of this. But now…” His face twists into a grimace. “Who knows how far down it actually goes? And those things he said to her about Andrew…” His voice cracks, and I have to remind myself that he’s still a vicious snake underneath it all. He’ll find a way to slither out of the mess Montrose created.
Chuckie is no fucking saint.
He looks up at me, a pinched expression on his face. “Just keep Charlotte away from Blaine Montrose. And don’t let her out of your sight, Xander. It’s obvious to me that Carl has been doing more than just fucking strippers. He’s been screwing me left, right, and sideways if what you say is true.”
“What are you going to do about the gala?” I ask.
“The gala is still very much on. But that’s more than I can say about the partnership between us,” he grunts. “I don’t know who these people are or what they want, but they’ve hit much too close to home this time. I’ve already lost so much. I can’t bear to lose anyone else.”
I squint my eyes at the bright sun as I walk across the parking lot to my car. It doesn’t take long before a sense of impending dread crashes over me...right about the time when I see my brothers standing in front of my car.
Fuck. Did they follow me here?
“Don’t you guys have better things to do than track me?” I ask, pulling out my keys and seeing I have no chance of escape since Jase’s car is strategically blocking mine.
“Yes. We do,” Jase hisses. “Plenty of important things, things that you should be just as focused on.”
“Look, I came here because you guys are fucking pussies who don’t want to address a threat to our livelihoods. I’m the guy who’s gonna take control of it, not let it control us.”
“Shut the fuck up and get in the car,” Phoenix nods his head toward Jase’s SUV and I get into the backseat, shutting the door just as Jase zooms out of the parking lot.
I barely get the door closed before the attack commences.
“You were told to stay away from Hawthorne!” Phoenix yells.
“I needed to hear what he had to say about Montrose!” I shout back. “You guys never want to make a move anymore! What in the fuck are we turning into? We’re losing guys, losing respect, possibly losing our fucking businesses! How is sitting around on our asses going to show strength? Oh, that’s right. It’s not! Action shows strength! Why don’t you get that?”
“You don’t have any of the answers, Xander,” Phoenix seethes. “Do you realize that by going in there you may have just completely ruined our chance to take out whoever is working with Moretti? You just tipped off the head of the beast. You think he’s gonna sit on that information and play dead? Fuck no! He’s gonna protect his own, you asshole. He’ll bury any loose ends you just flagged so he can avoid being fingered in this whole deal. He’s a seedy sonofabitch, don’t you realize that?” Phoenix clenches his teeth. “And the only reason you came here was because of Charlotte, not because of us. You’re worried about her when you should be worried about your fucking self and your own family.”
“She’s been targeted by Rossi. Assaulted by him. Threatened by him. Charles wouldn’t put his own kid in the line of fire. He’s a dickhead, but he’s not that sadistic. He needed to know about Carl because he has to protect his daughter.”
“Oh yeah? And how’s he gonna do that, exactly?”
I clear my throat and stare out the window. “He asked me to keep an eye on her.”
“How fucking convenient,” Jase drawls.
“He knows I care about her and knows I can protect her.”
“Great, and who’s keeping an eye on you, bro?” Jase growls. “Because I’m done with babysitting