Dane

In the dark of the car, Chris stared at him, looking unimpressed, and more than a little pissed off. "You really think this is an important conversation to have now?"

​​

"Fuck, yes."

Chris shook his head and sat back in the seat. "Fine. Over a year ago he contacted me. I came to you and I said I had a lead, remember? And I said it was one I needed to manage. And we talked about it, and you said follow it up, but be careful."

"You made it sound like you had a guy inside who was going to feed you information."

"I did. Me."

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking if I could get him to trust me, one day I'd get close to him with a gun and the space to run. And… oh, look! It happened! You're welcome!"

Dane gave him a flat look. "But that means you must have been feeding stuff to him—there's no way he kept you around that long without you giving stuff up."

"Well, of course. But I was picky. Your paranoia helped. I could honestly tell him I didn't have your codes to the system. I didn't know all the plans. And later on, that I didn't know where Lila was. Thanks for that, by the way. Fucker."

"Turned out to be the right decision—but wait, if you didn't tell him, how did he know where to go?"

"I don't know! It's not like we were sitting around painting each other's nails. Part of the reason this worked was because I was more distant than the others. I had to be, I was with you all the time."

Dane tried to think back through the past year. "How many others did he have? Other than Tish?"

"I don't know."

Dane snapped his head around, but Chris had his hands up, shaking his head. "I'm dead serious. He always talked about silos, and no one needed to know what was in anyone else's silo. I knew about Tish and she knew about me. She almost got me killed a couple times when I hid things from him. She was deeper in your shit than you can imagine, Dane."

Dane's teeth clenched and he turned to stare out the window. "So, we still have his people inside?"

"Probably. He definitely learned things—a lot of things—I didn't tell him. And more than once I saw Tish taken off-guard too. I have no doubt sometimes she gave him stuff I didn't, without me knowing. But I really don't think it only came from her. I don't think he'd keep things that narrow. But if we can get things under control with the cops, we can work on that, Dane. We don't have to worry about letting him know that we know anymore."

Dane nodded, but his head was flipping back through everything, tearing him in twenty different directions. He dropped his face in his hands and clawed his hands in his hair. "I can't think straight. I can't believe you didn't tell me, Chris. I seriously… when he told me you were his, I believed him. If you hadn't said stupid peanut butter today… I might have shot you after I shot him."

Chris scowled. "After this many years you think I'd just roll over for him?"

"If you're in his cartel? Hell, yes!"

"I wasn't in—I was using him!"

"And probably almost got yourself killed a dozen times."

"And yet, here we are big brother, are you seriously pissed at me for this?"

"I'm pissed at you for the risks you take. Fucking reckless!"

"Says the man who walked willingly into the lion's den and… what was the phrase you used? Went all-the-way-fucking-in?"

"Different circumstances," Dane muttered. "And now… now I don't even know where to start. He's fucked everything up."

"Shocker."

They both stared at the dark wall in front of them for a long minute, Dane's mind churning over everything that had happened. He couldn't help thinking he was missing something—but then, his gut kept thinking his Dad was on his heels too, and that plainly wasn't happening.

Finally, he looked at Chris. "You're remarkably calm for having just killed a man."

Chris looked away for a second and shrugged. "I've been waiting to do that since you took the blame for me playing in his office and he beat you up. When I was six," he said through his teeth. "I hated him. Hated the way he'd scare us all the time. And how he always felt like this shadow over the house…"

Dane blinked. He'd forgotten about that. He should probably have been hospitalized. He was bedridden for a week, and caught his mother crying twice—which never happened. Not over him. She'd been genuinely worried.

He shook off the memory, it wasn't important now. They were quiet for another minute then Chris broke in.

"Are we done? Your wife is ready to shoot me, and probably getting pretty tired of sitting in that chair. I think she'd be pretty excited to see you."

"I can't believe you tied her up," Dane snarled.

Out of nowhere Chris's head whipped around, his face a snarl of rage. "And I can't fucking believe you put her through that shit with that woman. You don't deserve her, Dane. Do you know she's barely slept, she's still got broken ribs, and yet she's getting up every fucking morning to run your business and carry the weight of that fucking trash your dad kept sending?"

"I'm aware," Dane muttered.

"I don't think you are. I think if you were we wouldn't be sitting here. I think we'd already be at the Penthouse by now and you'd be facing the fucking music."

Dane swallowed. "I don't… I don't think I can go back to her yet."

"WHAT?!"

"I have to show her that I'm making things right. She has to know she doesn't have to fix all this. And… and if we get found, it makes her an accomplice. I won't be the reason she goes to jail, Chris."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No."

"She thinks you cheated, and you're going to get tortured and shot any minute—not to mention that she thinks I'm the bad guy. The only person she'll listen to is you, Dane. You are not fucking bailing on this now."

"I'm not bailing. I'm doing the opposite. I'm going to sort this out, so when I go to her… it's fixed. At least, as much as I can."

"You're insane."

"Probably." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I just… I can't land a felony on her on top of everything else. She's wrung out. She needs a rest, not another crap-ton of shit pouring out of the sky."

"Exactly why you need to go see her! Now!"

Dane shook his head. "No. I have a plan." A vague plan. A rough idea. He needed more time to clarify it. But…

"Well, whoop-de-do. The prodigal son has a plan."

"Shut up, Chris."

"Don't tell me to shut up."

"Shut up. I'll tell you to shut up when I want to because I'm older."

They both paused, the heat leaving them, but neither of them ready to smile. It was a tense moment, but there was a level of comfort between them that let it be. Until finally Dane cleared his throat and shifted his weight.

"So, here's what we're going to do. You're going to film me talking. I'll tell her things that she'd know only happened this morning so she knows it's not old. And I'll… explain. Then you're calling Harry to make sure he's ready to meet me in an hour, privately. And you're going to go settle Lila down until I can figure out what to do to keep her out of the Police case. You're calling John and the lawyers and putting them both on standby, because if Harry arrests me, I'll need both of them."

"You're seriously going to risk getting arrested before you go back and see Lila?"

"To keep her from getting arrested too? Yes."

"Fucking coward," Chris muttered. "Fucking, pussy-ass coward."

"Sure, Chris."

"You can't face her."

"I can't bear what I did to her. But I can promise you there's nowhere I'd rather be than with her right now. Better than being with your hairy ass."

Chris grunted, but he didn't smile. "You mind telling me how you're going to get around if I'm off saving Lila—again—while you play the martyr."

"For fuck's sake, Chris. I'm trying to do this right!"

"Well, we define "right" differently, then."

"Whatever. Let's get this figured out so you can go save her. And I can figure things out with the Police and… and hopefully…" he swallowed convulsively.

Chris snorted without humor, but pulled out his phone and turned it on. "Whatever you say, big brother. You're the boss, after all, right?"

"Not anymore," Dane said, turning so Chris could film him from the front. "Not anymore."