“I told you—”
“I want the truth, not the rehearsed bullshit he told you to say. Q told me what happened between you two ten years ago. Is it true?”
“I don’t see why Q felt the need to tell you any of that.” Her eyes lowered with what might have actually been shame. She sat up and crossed her legs, letting her hands rest in her lap.
“He didn’t go into detail.” I had no clue why I wasted time reassuring her. I didn’t care about her feelings. I cared about what was inside her head—her knowledge, her memories… her plans. The daughter of Mario had to have a plan. I just wondered who was meant to suffer. “Just tell me what I need to know. Make this easy on yourself now because I will get it out of you.”
Her eyes narrowed as bitter resentment shone through. “If you knew me at all, you wouldn’t waste your time on threatening me, but since you don’t, I’ll spell it out for you—I don’t care about what you can or are willing to do to me. The life I’ve lived isn’t one I will miss.”
“Then maybe we can help each other.”
“How?”
“Your father… how attached to him are you?”
*
I was taking a huge chance walking into this place, but after what I had learned last night, I was quickly running out of chances. I managed to turn every head when I walked in, and word would likely get out that I was here, but it was a risk worth taking.
Mario was dirtier than I’d thought, and he’d been playing me all along—right from the fucking beginning.
He toyed with my hate for the syndicate to use me as a pawn in order to take over Arthur’s organization. His plan was to either kill me or recruit me once Arthur was out of the way.
He would never get a chance to do either.
I was going to beat him, my father, and Arthur at their own game. Sooner or later, someone would have to be the victor. I just had to ensure that it would be me.
“Mr. Masters, how are you?” The detective with the thick mustache who had arrested me weeks ago greeted me as he walked into the room. Another man, who I assumed was his partner, followed, and they each took a seat in front of me.
“Can we cut the formalities? I have school in an hour.”
“Yes, that’s right… For a high school boy, you sure have your hand in a lot of jars. What can we do for you today?”
“I have information you’ll want to hear, but it comes with a price.”
“Are you here to confess.”
“Yes. I am.”
The looks on their faces were priceless.
*
After carefully arranging all the pieces of the puzzle, phase one of my plan was in play. I pulled into the school parking lot with twenty minutes to spare. The coach including the entire team called a meeting this morning, and for some reason, I was expected to attend.
I’d already resigned myself to never playing on the team or any college team after. College scouts were no longer interested after my status as the only suspect in a double murder went national. There was even a petition to have me removed from the school, but it never generated more than a few signatures. The murders would always hang over my head like a dark cloud.
As I stepped from the car in the mostly empty parking lot, my gaze zeroed in on a familiar form entering the school.
What the hell is Fitzgerald doing in town? Better yet… Why is he at the fucking school?
He had no family here or any real friends other than Monroe, so if he was in town, then he was no doubt here to see her. Had she called him? If she had, then Monroe had bitten off more than she could chew. Fitzgerald was a no safe zone. I didn’t know him, and I damn well didn’t trust him.
I rounded the corner to find where the shit had disappeared to, and I was nearly knocked on my ass.