I still didn't expect to hear anything so grave from him.
"You know I always take my job seriously. Every order you give, I follow." It was the only way I could think to change the subject, and it had worked. He knew I was trustworthy. Knew I would do exactly as he asked.
Still, the way he looked at me let me know that if he ever found out about Kathryn and me, I would be toast. I had to make a decision. Take the risk or stop it now.
I could stop it now, at least I hoped.
But as I looked at her, as I watched her walk towards Joanna and sit down, I doubted that was actually the case.
I couldn't forget the feel of her skin or the way she captured all my attention.
I needed to.
But I couldn't.
"Earth to Janson," Joanna said as she held the potatoes, staring at me. "You going to come sit and eat or just stare at the food all day?"
"Sorry, I was just thinking about some responsibilities I need to fulfill," I said as I sat down. "I haven't been to my place in a few days."
"Well, swing by on your way back to the safe house," Greyson said as he stabbed his salad with a fork.
"You sure that's a good idea?" I asked. Bringing her into my condo? I didn't know about that.
"Yeah, why not? I'd have her stay there if I wasn't worried my dad would come snooping around at any time." Greyson said. "But I think she'll be fine for a few hours."
I was more worried about what I'd do to her if I brought her back to my place. It was almost too much temptation.
But an order was an order.
"All right, I'll do that."
"Why are we so worried about Dad?" she asked.
I could feel the fear prickling the back of my spine. Didn't she know?
"Kathryn, you left. You abandoned the family. Do you understand what that means to him?" Greyson asked. He slammed his drink down on the table just a little too hard.
"No, I mean, I figured he would barely notice." She shrugged. "He never seemed to have much time for me anyway, always so busy with his business." Kat bit her lip. She always did that when she was lying. Had since she was an unruly teen. Both Greyson and I registered it.
"You are a traitor in his eyes. He'll see you punished. Not killed, but it'll f*ck
ing hurt. I need to work on him to get him to calm down."
She swallowed, and I watched her go white as a sheet. "Like, will he-"
"You don't want to finish that question. I've put a lot on the line just to go and get you," Greyson explained.
"Yes, but she's family," Joanna said. "Why don't we worry about that later? My ham is getting cold."
James Fitzgerald was a monster. He would send someone, someone like the Butcher, after his own daughter.
We all knew the truth.
We were just dancing around it.
Kathryn
"This is your place?" I asked as I looked over it. I'd expected something different than the industrial brick-walled condominium that stood before me. It looked like something out of a movie or a TV show. So pristine it couldn't possibly be real.
"Yeah, this is my place. What do you think?"
"It's rather... sterile." My brother had a fancy condo, but it wasn't so industrial as it was contemporary and it looked lived in. The addition of baby furniture added to that appeal, I guess.
"What do you mean?" His face fell. "I have a cleaning lady come every other day."
"Right, it's clean. Too clean. Do you actually live here?"
"I'm not home much," he admitted and shrugged.
"So why are we here?" I asked.
"I have some things I need to pick up," he said.
I walked to a set of large industrial style windows, the kind with many panes, and looked out over the city. It wasn't a harbor view. No, this looked out over homes and through the hills. We were a good bit north of the inner harbor. It was so different that it almost felt like an entirely different world.
"Why this place?" I asked. "It looks like it was an old factory."
"It was a mill, actually. They used to make textiles here. I own the building. One of my investments. A long time ago, when immigrants were first coming over, my great-grandmother, who was only twelve, got a job here. She worked here until she died, and my grandmother worked here when she was old enough. My mom moved to Glenburnie when she married my dad, but this place. It's a part of my history. So, when it came up on the market, I knew I had to turn it into something." He shrugged. "I figured it was the kind of building that would appeal to young professionals. A bohemian experience at a bourgeoisie price point."
I'd never realized that he was more than just the mob, that he had his own businesses and side projects.
"You're able to do that?"
"What? Yeah, almost all of us have our own properties and fledgling businesses. Your brother owns half of Glenburnie, your father the other half. Well, I own some, too." He winked at me. "Investment properties and hedge funds. Got to make our money somehow."