Page 34 of Carved Obsession

“Minus some minor kinks. But you know how it is. Some things only you can do.”

I nod in acknowledgment. Takes a specific skill set to get some jobs done.

“All well with you?” He nods toward my drink. “I mostly see you drinking absinthe when you have a stubborn problem to solve.”

He has no fucking idea.

The bartender comes to the table with my water drip, and I set it up over the sugar cube as Jonathan orders his drink.

“Stubborn indeed. Nothing I can’t handle.” I lean back in my armchair, propping an ankle over my knee as I settle my hands onto the carved wooden ends of the armrests. “You might want to check your ranks, though.”

“Explain.”

“While you were gone, word got around thatThe Ghostwasn’t home. The Granges wanted to invade your territory and take over,” I say, relaying the rumor.

Only close friends and old allies know that Jonathan isThe Ghost.There are plenty inside his business that have never seen his face.He prefers running things from the shadows and doesn’t feed into any rumors. The moniker was given by people utterly desperate to figure out who the mysterious, high-value smuggler running half the docks and all shipment train lines in Queenscove is. The nickname stuck.

“Excuse me? Why didn’t my men tell me about this?” He leans forward, a vein in his throat pulsing to the surface.

“Because we took them out before the intention reached your borders.”

“You did?” He cocks his head, relaxing back in his armchair.

I nod in response, noting the last of the sugar dissolving into my absinthe. The wait is worth it, though, when I take the first sip, assimilating the burn into my throat.

“Thank you, Carter. I appreciate that.”

“You know The Sanctum and I will always have your back,” I assure him.

He smiles, and a similar warmth to the one I once saw in my father’s eyes brims in his.

“I’m even more shocked that they thought it would be so easy to simply swoop in and claim my operation and my men as their own,” he says, shaking his head at the absurdity.

And I agree. Jonathan’s business was built well over two decades ago, with roots embedded deep enough in the underworld that even his death wouldn’t pry them out. There are men behind the helm, ready to take over and do him justice if that scenario ever happens.

Even if the Granges invaded his headquarters, even if they managed to kill some of his men, it wouldn’t be enough.

It’s irrelevant now, since their army is disjointed and dispersed and the two Grange brothers running it are ten feet deep underground.

What’s more important is how they knew the boss was out of town. That was internal information. The Granges didn’t mobilize themselves all of a sudden. No. That was an operation on standby.

“You know what it means,” I say before taking another healthy sip of my aromatic drink.

“That I have a mole to track and bury.” He nods as the bartender returns with his drink. “Now, tell me what it is you wanted to talk to me about.”

We spend the better part of the next couple of hours discussing business. Cillian O’Rourke arrives about halfway through since this meeting happened at his request.

The business in question is the one the Holt family left behind—the control of the other half of the docks. Jonathan handles half, plus the very profitable train-line connections that spread like spiderwebs from Queenscove all over the continent, facilitating very profitable criminal operations for other people.

Old-man Holt used to own the other half of the docks, though his operation was nowhere near as well-oiled as Jonathan’s. After a string of betrayals and strategic deaths in the last couple of years, the docks are now under Cillian’s control. It was never his intention or desire to handle the operations, but they basically fell into his lap.

After months of battling with the impact of the previous ownership’s loss, he reached a more peaceful stage. But in order to make this business thrive, he requires experience he doesn’t have.

Two hours or so later, Cillian and Jonathan strike a deal—a silent partnership that benefits them both. Morrigan’s brother gets experienced support, a few profitable clients transferred to him, and more importantly,The Ghost’sendorsement.

“He seems like a good kid,” Jonathan says as he watches Cillian leave Midnight.

“He’s proven himself to us.”