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He readjusts in his seat, making it groan, and looks away as he takes a long swig of his beer.
“I know it’s got to suck either way.” I choose my words carefully. Word is Mason killed him. Shot him dead. Still, it’s his father and I don’t know for a fact that Mason really wanted him gone. There was tension between them and rumors they were at odds, but I don’t have a firm grasp on the truth when it comes to that situation.
“Yeah,” he says without looking me in the eyes. “Thanks, but let’s cut the small talk. It’s not often I get a call from you.”
I nod and crack my knuckles one by one with my thumb as I look out the window, scanning the streets. “I think I need to hire someone,” I tell him.
“You’re going to need to be a little more specific than that,” he replies.
“There’s a guy,” I say then pause and lean in closer, resting my elbow on the table and moving my hand so that my fingers cover my mouth as I talk. Just in case someone’s watching and trying to lip-read.
“He tried to kill me.” I blurt out my theory. “Tony wasn’t supposed to die. It was meant for me.”
“You’re still doing coke?” he asks as he eyes me then takes a drink from his glass.
“Not in years, but he didn’t know that. It would hurt my reputation if the clients thought I was clean, you know?”
“That’s what I thought. I was just asking ’cause that means whoever went for you doesn’t really know you.”
“I think it’s my boss.”
“Wouldn’t he know?” he questions and for a moment a tinge of insecurity washes over me.
“He never really asked. He doesn’t ask any questions so long as the clients are happy.”
“All right.” He tilts his head slightly and lowers his voice. “So, why does he want you dead?” Mason asks.
“It was years ago,” I start to tell him and feel sick to my stomach. “I fucked his wife. Before I married Kat.”
Mason’s eyes assess me as if he’s trying to figure out if I’m lying.
“I’ve never cheated on her,” I say, talking louder than I should and in response to my raised voice, Mason looks to his right.
I lick my lips and calm my racing heart.
“He wants to scare her, so he went after me to prove what he could do to her. That no one’s safe from him.”
“But you gave Tony the blow?”
I nod my head once, the memory of his dead eyes looking through me flashing in front of me and sending a chill down my spine. “With the stuff James left in the room for me.”
“So, your boss, James? You want him dead? You want to prove he did it, frame him, what do you want?”
“You have a fucking menu?” I joke with him to lessen the tension in my body.
An asymmetrical grin forms on his face.
“I don’t do anything. I’m not involved in any of the process.”
My body feels heavier with his words.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t still have connections,” he adds and I nod. “So, for a friend, what is it that you want?”
“Three things,” I tell him. “First, your lawyer.”
“That’s a given. He’s already on retainer in case they take you in again.”
“Second, someone to watch Kat. I need her safe.”