Ruthless Kings - Laura Lee Page 0,20
sister's lips quirk like she thinks this whole fucking thing is hilarious. "How did that go? I can't imagine you were pleased."
I stretch my neck from side to side, trying to alleviate the sudden tension. "How do you think it went? Bentley was his usual wiseass self, and Jazz was being obstinate as fuck."
Now Ainsley’s full-on laughing. “Dude, you’ve got your work cut out for you with that one.”
“Tell me about it.” I bite the tip of my thumb.
“God, I love her,” my sister says wistfully. “It’s nice having another girl in the fold again.”
A smile breaks free, despite my current irritation. Ainsley has trouble forming relationships with other women since she's not superficial and catty like most chicks we know. Jazz is her first friend since Carissa, and even though I was a dick about it at first, I'm glad she has someone to talk to about girly shit. She sure as hell will never get that from our dad's wives.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
Her expression sobers. “What?”
“I need you to find out what happened at the lake. Jazz won’t talk to me.”
Ainsley shakes her head. “Kingston, I’m not going to be your spy.”
“I’m not exactly asking you to,” I assure her.
“What exactly are you trying to find out?”
I shrug. “Jazz already put my biggest fear at ease, confirming she wasn’t raped, but nothing else.”
Ainsley remains silent.
My eyes widen. “Did she tell you what happened?”
She shakes her head. “Not entirely. I do know some details, though.”
“And you didn’t think to share them with me?” I throw my hands up. “What the hell, Ainsley?”
“I’m not going to betray her trust, Kingston. Don’t you think she’s been through enough? You don’t need all the details to know it was pretty freakin’ traumatic.”
“I do need the fucking details, Ains. How are we supposed to catch these guys if we have nothing to go off of? The police don’t have any leads.”
She eyes me curiously. “How do you know that? And how did you know there were two of them?”
I’ve shielded my sister from a lot of shit over the last two years, but I think it’s about time to clue her in on some of it. I’ll only tell her enough to keep her safe, though. Some things, she’s better off being in the dark about.
I take a deep breath. "I hired a private investigator to look into it. He's been working on something for me for a while now, but he's also trying to find the fuckers who attacked Jazz."
“Why have you had a P.I. working for you? What are you not telling me?”
“Something shady is going on between Dad and Charles Callahan. Possibly Madeline, too. They’re too damn good at covering their tracks, though. I couldn’t dig up shit on my own, so I hired the investigator to look into it.”
“Something like what? And what happened to make you suspect them of doing something so sketchy in the first place?”
“Ains, I don’t want to drag you into it until I have more evidence. Let’s just say...I’m fairly certain they have a lucrative side business that’s really messed up and highly illegal. Based on some recent information I’ve obtained, it’s been going on for almost two decades, possibly longer.”
Her eyes widen. “Like drugs?”
I shake my head. “Worse.”
She stares at me for a moment. “What are you planning to do when you get the evidence you’re looking for?”
“Put them away for life, where they belong.”
Ainsley’s jaw drops. “You’d put Dad in jail? I know he’s a dick, but geez, Kingston, that’s harsh. He’s still the person who’s half responsible for giving us life.”
This is precisely why I haven't told her up until this point. Our dad has treated us like we're nothing more than an inconvenience our entire lives, but she still loves him for some reason. I, however, have not had that problem in a long time. Maybe not ever.
I rub my jaw. “Ains...I need you to trust me on this. I promise I will tell you everything soon.”
Some might think it's a huge risk telling her anything, but I have no doubt my sister's loyalty lies with me when all is said and done.
She hangs her head. “Fine, I won’t say anything about the Dad situation. As for Jazz, the best I’ll do is try convincing her to talk to you.”
“Thanks. John—my P.I.—got a copy of the police report, but I don’t think it’s telling the whole story. Something doesn’t feel right.
Ainsley tilts her head to the