Nick studies me for a few beats, and I have the distinct impression he wants to argue but apparently decides better. “Mike Rogers,” he says instead. “He’s rich, powerful, and has a lot to lose by way of a drug scandal. I have nothing to support this theory, but my gut is that Martina has forced his involvement with some sort of threat or leverage.”
“If that’s the case,” I say, “then he’s voting to give my brother control and we can assume that the head of the transportation division is as well.” I consider that possibility, thinking back on my brother’s recent behavior, and my own gut regarding Mike, whose silence, and my father’s file, has made me question. “No,” I say firmly. “Derek is still too afraid of me for that to be the case. Mike must not know what’s going on. He’s a target they want to own, just like me. I’ll talk to him, and feel him out.”
“He’s shut you out, Shane,” Seth reminds me. “That doesn’t speak of innocence.”
“Based on Mike’s file, he’s hiding money with my father,” I say, thoughtful again. “In fact, he has to know Derek isn’t the man to protect his money. I am.”
Seth arches a brow. “Are you suggesting you take over your father’s efforts on his behalf?”
“I’m suggesting I either convince him to let me handle it legally, or that we move his affairs before my father is no longer capable of handling them.”
“You need to tread cautiously here,” Nick warns. “If you’re wrong, and you say anything about Sub-Zero to Mike, he could alert Martina that you’ve become a problem.”
I cut him a hard look. “I can handle Mike. You handle Martina.”
My cell phone beeps with a text and I grab it from my pocket and find a message from Jessica: Brody wants you to call him. And then the number. I glance between Seth and Nick. “Brody Matthews sidestepped his management team and made direct contact with Jessica. He wants me to call him.”
Seth arches a brow. “Really? That’s unexpected.”
I key in the number and it rings once before I hear a voice. “Shane Brandon?”
“That’s me,” I confirm. “I assume your team told you I wanted to chat.”
“Yeah, man, but we both know it’s not about an endorsement deal.”
Yet something else I don’t expect and I eye Seth. “No. It’s not about an endorsement deal.” Seth tilts his chin slightly and I add, “It’s time we talk.”
“In person,” Brody agrees. “Tonight.”
“That works for me. When and where?”
“There’s a bar downtown called Majors. I’ll meet you in the basement level.”
“I know it. When?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“An hour and I’m bringing my right-hand man with me.”
“An hour,” he agrees and hangs up.
I replace my phone in my pocket. “We’re meeting at Majors downtown in an hour and he knows what I want to talk about.” I stand and Seth and Nick follow.
“What’s your read on him?” Nick asks. “Is it a warning or a solution?”
“Brody isn’t the kind of guy you send to deliver a warning.” And a solution sounds really damn good right now.
*
An hour and a half later, Seth and I sit in the dimly lit lower bar area of Majors, sitting against the wall, and watching the door, while Brody is nowhere in sight, nor is he answering his calls. I punch in his number one more time, with the same direct-to-voice-mail response. Frustrated, I set my phone down and reach for my freshly filled cup of coffee. “Why call me at all if he was going to do this?”
“He got spooked,” Seth says, flagging down the waiter and pointing at his cup. “The question is by who? Your brother, or the middle man, who’s most likely the supplier he would have given up tonight.”
The bartender, who’s serving as the only waiter on this level, appears, warming up my cup and refilling Seth’s. “We’re inside his team locker room now,” Seth says as soon as we’re alone again, tearing open sugar packets. “We’re going to find out how he’s getting his drugs.”
I lift my cup, my gaze catching on Nick as he strides across the room toward us. “Looks like Nick gave up on being our front-door guard.”
Seth’s gaze lifts and catches on the other man. “Walking with a purpose. That’s never good. I need the real drink I can’t ever afford to take.”
“Right there with you,” I say, and we both lift our cups, taking drinks and setting them down at the same moment Nick claims the seat across from Seth and to my left, setting an iPad down on the table.
“I’ve got another man on the door,” he announces, as if we’ve asked. “And we’ve had someone watching his house for days. He hasn’t shown up there, either.”
“And yet you’re sitting here, for a reason,” I say. “Why?”
“My man has been on the ground in Austin for the past six hours, and it’s been eventful. We haven’t located Emily’s brother, but we’ve confirmed her story with physical evidence.” He keys his iPad to life. “He went to the stepfather’s house, which was dark, and invited himself inside. Everything appeared in place, until he found this.” He turns the iPad in our direction and the image is of a floor and wall splattered with blue color.
My brow furrows. “What is that?”
“Blood,” Seth answers. “Emily’s brother wiped up but didn’t know how to get rid of the residual blood.”
“My man cleaned it up, to keep it from leading back to Emily,” Nick says. “The brother’s house is dark, and there were papers stacked up. If he told Emily the truth and he’s out of the country, he didn’t leave on his own passport.”
“I can’t believe these words are coming out of my mouth,” I say, “but where is the body?”
“That’s my question,” Seth agrees. “Because considering the way he handled the blood cleanup, I don’t have a lot of faith about how he handled the body.”
Nick’s phone buzzes where he’s set it on the table and he grabs it, reading his screen before he curses softly. “We didn’t find Brody, but he found us. He’s been in a car accident. It’s all over the news.”
Hating where this is leading me, I bite out the question I’m needing answered. “Are we sure it’s an accident?”
“My question exactly,” Seth agrees.
“I know as much as you two do,” Nick replies, rotating in his chair to look around the room, and then stands to make a beeline for the television.