I stiffened. That was a huge accusation to make, on the back end of some pretty seriously surprising news. Scotty had always been a little shit, and I’d loved him despite that, but murder? I didn’t believe that of him. Not without concrete proof. “How did you find this out?”
“People are talking about it. I was . . . online, and somebody asked me, brother versus brother, who I wanted to win the city.” Chris latched gazes with me. His brown eyes were grave. “This shit’s real, man, and there’s no doubt there’s going to be an attack on Leo in the upcoming episodes.”
Leo. Aka me. “God damn.”
“Yeah. I know.”
I leaned back in the booth, my heart thudding against my ribs, and tapped my fingers on the table. If Chris was telling the truth, then my brother had it in for me. And if Scotty was gunning for me, I didn’t have a lot of options that didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth. “You realize what you’re saying, right?”
“I wouldn’t be saying it if I didn’t.” Chris latched gazes with me. “I have it on good authority that Leo is about to find himself under fire, in an episode airing very soon.”
“Fuck,” I said, glancing out the window, not sure what to say to that. I should come up with something cocky to show I didn’t give a damn, but for once, nothing came to mind. “Do you know when that will be?”
“I’d say a week from now, at most.” He picked his coffee up again and took a long swig. “But there’s more.”
“I can’t wait to hear it. You’re just a ray of motherfucking sunshine today, aren’t you?” I said dryly. “Does he drown Leo’s puppy and make him watch?”
“He doesn’t have a puppy,” Chris said matter-of-factly.
I rubbed my temples. “Yeah. I know. It was a joke.”
“Funny. Anyway, there are whispers that the younger brother is playing at being traitor, feeding the feds bad intel on Leo,” Chris said, ignoring my gibe. “So there’s a chance he might get Leo locked up instead of outright killing him.”
That made me sit up straighter. “Bullshit. How would he even—?” I froze. “Oh shit. The shipment. It was a setup.”
“Yeah.” Chris winced. “Last night’s episode. Someone was running surveillance on the area, and he knew it, and Leo almost walked into a trap.”
Motherfucker. I forced a smirk, even though I wanted to kill someone right then. “Wow, sounds like he’s awfully threatened by Leo’s presence. If I was Leo, I’d be honored that someone went to so much trouble to get him outta the picture.”
“This isn’t some stupid joke,” Chris snapped. “Stop acting like it is.”
I held my hands up. “Easy, man. It’s just a show, all pretend.”
“Yeah. Sure it is.” Chris took out a twenty and tossed it on the table. “That’s all life ever is to you. Some big fucking game.”
I picked up the twenty, shoved it back at Chris, and threw my own twenty on the table. Even though I wasn’t sure if I believed him or not, he’d risked his life to tell me his information, so the least I could do was pay for his coffee. I’d also repay him by watching his back, no matter the cost. But that was a given. “You know why I treat life that way?”
Chris eyed the cash, shrugged, and stuffed his money back in his pocket. “Why’s that?”
“Because I don’t like to lose.” Opening the door, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my brown leather jacket. “I hardly make it a habit.”
Chris fell into step at my side. “Yeah, I know. You punched me when we were eight because I sunk your battleship.”
“And I’d do it again,” I said, grinning. “No regrets.”
“I know you would.”
We pushed out into the night, the temperature slicing through our bones. It might be early spring, but it felt more like winter to me. I huddled into myself. It was cold as a witch’s tit at sundown, and it was only going to get colder. The sun had just set, and there was a steady wind that would be sure to freeze anyone stupid enough to venture outside.
Chris sobered and glanced at me. “Seriously, though. What are you going to do about Scotty?”
“No more cryptic codes?” I asked.
“We’re the only idiots taking a stroll tonight. It’s fine. I was just being cautious.” Chris huffed out a breath. “You never know who’s listening.”
“Agreed.” I lifted my shoulders and exhaled. It made smoke in the cold night. “And I don’t know. The way I see it, I have three options. Fight, go to jail again, or run. Leave this shit hole, and everyone in it, behind.”
Chris laughed. “If you do that, take me with you. I’ve always wanted to live somewhere warm. I hate winter.”
“You and me both,” I said.
He stopped at his red Porsche. “You drive here?”
“I walked.”
Chris unlocked the doors. “Want a ride?”
“Nah, I wanna walk. It’s why I left my Mustang at home in the first place. Sometimes I like to pretend I’m one of them for a little bit.” I gestured toward the Freedom Trail. “And the cold clears my mind.”
“All right.” Chris opened his door. “But, Lucas?”
I hunched over against the cold, keeping up my carefree exterior. “Yeah, man?”
“Watch your back.”