Chapter 10 - BLOOD IS NOT LOYALTY|
I moved between Richard and Jenna.
"Put the gun down."
My uncle laughed.
"You sound exactly like your father."
"You sound like a man who should have stayed dead."
For a moment, the smile disappeared.
Then Richard glanced toward the metal case.
"You found it. I wondered how long it would take."
"Did you kill my father?"
His eyes flickered.
"I didn't pull the trigger."
"That's not an answer."
"No," he admitted. "It's a distinction."
I felt the world narrow to the space between us.
Jenna gripped my arm.
"Don't let him provoke you."
Richard's gaze moved to her.
"Your father was a clever man, Jenna. Too clever. He thought numbers could defeat men who owned guns."
"My father trusted you."
"Your father trusted everyone. It was his greatest weakness."
She stepped forward.
"And what was yours?"
Richard stared at her.
She continued, voice trembling but clear.
"Greed? Fear? Or the belief that you could destroy other people's lives and still call yourself family?"
For the first time, I saw anger break through his calm expression.
He raised the gun.
My team moved, but Richard was faster than I expected. He fired once into the ceiling, forcing everyone to duck.
Then he grabbed the metal case and ran toward a rear exit.
I chased him.
We reached the loading bay at the same time. Richard swung the case at my head. I blocked the blow, and we crashed against a stack of wooden pallets.
He was older, but desperation made him dangerous.
"You don't understand what Voss has built!" he shouted.
"Then explain it."
"He controls more than money. He controls the people who decide whether men like us live or die. Your father wanted to tear it down. He was going to get everyone killed."
"So you helped murder him?"
Richard's face twisted.
"I helped Voss stop him."
The admission landed between us.
I struck him hard enough to send him against the wall.
He dropped the case.
For one terrible second, I wanted to keep hitting him until he could never hurt anyone again.
Then I heard Jenna behind me.
"Evan!"
I stopped.
Richard took advantage of the hesitation. He pulled a small blade from his sleeve and slashed my arm before Marcus tackled him to the ground.
The knife skittered across the concrete.
Marcus pinned Richard's wrists.
"Boss, are you hurt?"
"Not badly."
Jenna rushed to me, pressing a cloth against the cut.
Her hands trembled.
"You could have been killed."
"I wasn't."
"That is not the point!"
I looked at her.
She was angry because she had nearly watched me die.
The realization was more frightening than Richard's gun.
Across the loading bay, Richard began to laugh.
"You think you've won? Voss already has what he needs."
"What?"
Richard looked directly at Jenna.
"The original ledger is not in that case. Your father hid it somewhere else."
Jenna's face went white.
"Where?"
Richard's smile returned.
"Ask your mother."
He leaned back against the wall as my men secured him.
May you like
Then he delivered the final blow.
"She didn't just know about the money, Jenna. She was the one who helped Voss erase the evidence."
