Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

ADAM

I wish I had been kidding about the services for my father. Though we didn't have a body, Hamilton had insisted on a casket for the funeral. Something over the top, luxurious and expensive. Since I'd wanted little to nothing to do with the planning, it had gone ahead.

The service had been a brief one before we moved to host the memorial itself at the country club, because where else would Hamilton plan an event? It was beyond gaudy, and more than a little tacky. Then again, that was my uncle to a tee.

Leopold's snort of derision when we arrived was well-deserved. For now, they were keeping their distance while I made a few strategic stops. Unlike Hamilton, I didn't need to court the board or their cronies. I'd been gathering stock in Reed for a long time.

I also had a few of my own allies. One of which, surprisingly, turned out to be Leopold who apparently owned more than ten percent of the company all by himself. When Lainey had stared at him, her own shock evident, I'd felt a bit better. The old man had seriously been intent on doing some damage to my father, possibly taking the whole company down.

Now?

He said he'd back whatever play I made as long as Lainey approved. I wasn't sure what happened in that conversation with him when I'd gone to find Lainey, but something had clearly changed. The dark suspicion that edged all of his words and actions seemed to have faded.

The fact he included all four of us in his scope of protection when he spoke to Margareta Waldemar promised as much. This wasn't a new ploy or plot. He was supporting Lainey and that wasn't something I would argue with.

Jason, like me, didn't bother with moving to the front of the dining room where Hamilton held court. He was talking to investors, board members, and more.

"He's shoring up support," Jason warned before he took a sip of the vodka on the rocks he'd ordered. It sounded good to me, but I wanted a clear head. I didn't doubt that Hamilton would make a move before they even took the empty casket away for internment in the family mausoleum.

Depressing place. Mother hadn't actually been put there. She had her own gravesite, near trees and a stream. It was a lovely spot. I could visit her without having to deal with the rest of my family.

I rather doubt my father intended to do me any favors with that choice, but I accepted it in full. I didn't need to see him again and I was glad there was no body to put in there. If this were a horror movie, we'd need to salt and burn the corpse just to make sure the demon was gone for good.

"Do I want to know what you're going to do?" Jason asked. Like Hamilton, he was also my uncle. Unlike Hamilton, he wasn't a raging shithead. He was also the father of my favorite cousin.

Our detente had definitely grown after Fletcher called him as part of an agreement to get more answers out of Jason, particularly about what he knew regarding Lainey and her biological father.

"I don't know," I said, taking a sip from the tumbler I had in my hand. The watery iced tea looked enough like a bourbon, that no one commented. If they did? I really didn't give a damn. "Do you?"

Jason paused, lowering his drink. The reproachful look he shot me might intimidate some. Unfortunately, my father had made a habit of baleful looks and dismissive stares. I was immune.

"I thought I made my support quite clear a few days ago," he said before taking another sip. "What do you need? A contract in blood?"

"No," I told him. "We already have one in blood. Blood doesn't make for trust though. You back the strongest player in the room. It was why you backed my father."

Why he would back me.

Instead of dismissing the charge, Jason nodded once. "I also kept my distance unless he pushed the issue of wanting me involved. There's a difference between support and apathy."

The logic was sound. "Agreed."

"I'm offering you support."

Offering.

"For Fletcher?" It was more curiosity than anything else.

"Yes. For Lainey and Andrea as well." The mention of Andrea was a fresh dagger. For all that Jason had been helpful, I didn't trust him enough to ask him about Andrea. Frankly, if I found out he knew the people my father used for trafficking…

Well, it would be Fletcher burying his father next. I didn't hate Jason and I needed to know he wasn't involved. Something Fletcher was also investigating.

"That said," Jason continued, his gaze firmly on his surviving brother. Hamilton schmoozed so well as he glad-handed his way through the circle of sycophants trying to figure out if he was the "newly-minted" head of the family or not. "I'm also doing it for you. Because you deserve more than Harper ever did for you."

I wanted to say thank you and mean it. I wanted to believe him. We weren't there yet. Trust had to be earned.

"I get it, Adam," Jason said. "Guard your secrets, and keep your own counsel. But if there's something you need me to do, just tell me. No questions asked."

"Someday, I'm going to tell you that you should always ask questions. Blind obedience was Harper's way." King's way. Wallace Graham's way. Those ways needed to die with the men. "It won't be mine. However, if you're serious. I need Hamilton dealt with and distracted. I have more pressing matters to deal with before I take care of him. Can you handle that?"

"Am I free to throw money at the issue?" The bland tone surfacing behind the question almost made me laugh.

Almost.

"Depends. We're not paying him off to go away."

"Oh, that wouldn't work anyway," Jason said, then nudged me with a nod to move to another location in the room. More curious than anything, I followed him while keeping Hamilton in my periphery.

Bodhi wasn't far behind me. He wasn't invading the conversations, but he stayed in range. Milo and Ezra were with Lainey and her grandfather. They would keep Hamilton well away from her too.

As odd as trusting Cavendish used to be, it seemed far more natural now. I also didn't have to worry about a knife in the back. Very little distracted him and he didn't have to engage in pleasantries. He had a reputation for rudeness and I kind of wish I'd cultivated something similar.

"I assume you wanted a more private discussion?" I prompted Jason after he tossed back the last of his vodka. He set it on a waiter's tray as the man passed us and then Jason faced me.

"Yes, I'm saying we can't pay him off. We can distract him by making him think he'll get one over on you…" He smirked faintly.

"A wild goose chase?"

"Something like that," Jason said. "He's been trying to gather a power base together for more than a decade. He's never gotten close. Harper allowed it because it kept him busy and out of his hair. Sometimes, he would throw a bone out there… a comment, a company… a problem that he was having. Hamilton isn't deep in the slightest."

"He went for it every time?"

"Pretty much. He's gotten close to becoming more than a nuisance, but his greed always ends up bankrupting him. Then after Harper made sure he took everything, he would ‘bail' him out and bring him back to heel."

Then the pattern repeated itself. "Well, at least my father was predictable."

"Precisely," Jason said. "Tell me something that you ‘need' and I'll let it slip at some point after another drink. Hamilton will think he has the inside track and he won't be able to help himself."

"Have you used the same technique on him previously?" I drained the rest of my tea before setting the glass on another waiter's tray.

Jason chuckled. "Once or twice. Usually when Harper made me deal with him. If you can't tell, I'm not really fond of my brothers. I'm happier when we have whole continents between us."

"I can't say I disagree." Though now I was curious. "If you know how to push his buttons, did you know my father's?"

"Yes, point out someone had beaten him. His ego would never have stood for it and he would become obsessed with doing everything he could… it was why he was insane about Melissa for a while."

I frowned. "Someone beat him…"

Then it hit me.

"Lainey."

Jason nodded. "She was punishing him, had that affair, then she got pregnant and she refused to bow to anyone. Not him. Not her father. No one. Lainey is the living breathing proof of Harper's failure. He didn't knock her up first, and he didn't get the inheritance."

Jason sounded almost joyful about that. He didn't know about the kidnapping or I doubted he'd take that tone. As it was, I could understand enjoying my father's pain.

I had… With every single finger they'd removed from him. The sobs and screams of agony were going to be a balm for my nightmares for a long time.

"If you wanted to get me?" It was an idle question, but I was still curious.

"Depends on what I wanted to get from you. Your obedience? Threaten your girl. Your murderous rage? Harm her. Your enmity for all time? Kill her."

I swung my head around and glared.

"My point," Jason said, not remotely deterred. "She is both leverage, and a cataclysmic error if you don't understand how dangerous threatening her is. You will burn the world down for her and you've been this way for years. That kind of volatility, however, is far more dangerous than it is useful."

"Threatening her in any way…" I warned and Jason nodded once.

"…is a terrible idea. We agree. However, you asked me what would work on you. That would be the fastest way. It could also backfire tremendously because she has her own allies as well."

"Did my father know?"

"I doubt it. Though he might have. Leopold kept him from moving on it though. Leopold's far cannier than most people give him credit for…" He paused as a man came up to us and offered his condolences. A pair of handshakes later, he was gone, leaving Jason and I alone once again. "So, yes, using Lainey against you would be effective, but only if you knew the precise pressure point and how far you could go without igniting reprisal that far outweighed any gain you might achieve."

I had no problems with that. No one would touch Lainey.

"Your best friend was another source of leverage, but he was too volatile on his own. That wild temper of his and that drinking problem." Jason gave me a considering look. "Either one could get him killed, both are a bad combination."

I was aware. "He'll be fine." If I had to drag him up a sober hill every damn day, he would be. We'd eliminated a good portion of the problem already. The rest would take time.

"I suppose the house burning down would be a wake up call." Jason checked his watch. "You have anything you want to share or should I just make something up? I'm fine with making something up, but it might not distract him as long as the real thing."

He had a point. I turned it over in my head and then glanced at where Bodhi stood. He'd been close enough to listen. At my raised eyebrows, he closed the distance and murmured in a low voice that wouldn't carry.

"Mention your interest in Standish and bringing them back into the fold."

Standish was a large conglomerate, but they were in no way on the market for a merger or a partnership. In fact, their current CEO had a history with all of our parents. Despite his return to the area, he hadn't gotten involved with any of his former friends and associates.

"Pointless exercise," Jason said with a grin when I offered up that morsel. "But Hamilton will think he just needs the right leverage."

"Don't let him hurt anyone. Distracted is fine, I don't want him killing people or worse…" Standish had a kid. Leverage came in all shapes and sizes.

"I won't," Jason told me, then clasped me on the shoulder. "Go ahead and get out of here if you want. I'll deal with Hamilton. He's already salivating over what you and I are discussing. If I play dumb for a day or two, he's gonna be like a dog with a bone."

The description was amusing. "Thanks…" I hesitated pausing in mid-step to pivot around to face him. "Can you put together a briefing for me on Julius King, everything you know—no research, just what you know. And about Isla Cavendish. Maybe more on that guy Yuri Leistung."

I caught Bodhi's hard stare drilling into my head, but I didn't change my mind. Jason wanted to be useful? We could use the help.

"How soon do you need it?" My uncle looked intrigued, but he didn't ask me why I wanted to know. It was a gamble, but one I was willing to risk. Right now, we really did need all the information we could get our hands on.

"Last week," I told him.

"I'll take care of it." Then he grinned as he held out his hand. I gripped it. The smile was utterly at odds with the reason for us being here. "Hamilton is gonna be over here in seconds after you leave. So don't mind me, I'm going to wander off and make him craz—ier. Make him crazier."

With that, Jason turned and strode away like he didn't have a care in the world and a huff of laughter escaped me. Who knew? The man had a bit of a twisted sense of humor. Kind of wished I'd known this about him all along.

"Can we trust him?" Bodhi asked.

"Not sure," I admitted. "But I'm willing to find out. Whether he can find out anything for us, it's no harm if he can't."

"True." Bodhi said. A moment later, Hamilton was stalking across the room in the direction that Jason had disappeared. "He does know his brother."

That he did.

"Let's find our girl and her grandfather and get out of here. I've had enough of this ass kissing contest. No one here really liked Harper." I didn't want them kissing my ass. Everyone would be figuring out things had changed soon enough.