Page 18 of Fighting With Light

It’s two sides of the same coin. My father may appear to be on the right side of the law, but he’s just as bad as Marco Costa. I understand why she hasn’t done anything. My mom is in the same boat, she can’t divorce my father. I would probably feel the same when it comes down to it, only it’s the opposite. I’ve had to do things that none of us have wanted. But not doing anything like Aelia, would kill me, and I think it’s killing her.

“I understand more than you know, princess,” I mutter.

She laughs. “Here I thought you called me that because you treated me like a princess, not because I’m amob princess,“ she says.

“Would it matter?” I ask her because it slipped out but…the nickname fits her and I can’t lie, she is becoming more of a queen in my eyes.

“Look, I realize I’m collateral damage when it comes to my father. You don’t want me, you want him. Fair enough, I won’t stand in your way. But if you are planning something, please don’t hurt my mom or at least give me enough time to get her away from the evil bastard. She doesn’t deserve to be hurt for his actions, and…” Her voice breaks and she takes a deep breath. “My mom has done the best she could for me and she deserves so much more.”

“I’m sure she does,” I grunt out.

Aelia pins her lips together and takes a few deep breaths from her nose. She clearly can’t help me, so I cut the ties at her feet with myknife and unlock her hands. She lays there and rubs her wrists. I expected her to run off, but she sits up and crosses her legs.

“Didn’t you say you had to pee?”

She shrugs. “I lied.”

“So should I trust a thing you say?” I ask, ready to tie her up again, despite knowing deep down in my bones she means every word she has said to me.

“I’m not dumb, Liam. I know you won’t trust me until I prove it to you.”

She’s right. Actions speak louder than words. They always have for me. “Why do you care if I trust you?”

Her tongue runs across her teeth and she pushes her hair out of her face. “Because I want to prove you wrong.”

Not sure what to make of that, I challenge her. “Fine, then prove it right now. Are you aware of the human trafficking issue here and is your father looking to exploit it?” I have no idea what I’m going to do about it, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing if I know it will happen.

“I don’t know, and I wish I did. But I know about almost everything else.”

I jerk back. That could…what she could tell us could change everything. It could help us put Dad away for good, if she’s willing to tell me.

“Explain,” I grunt out.

“I know where his guns come from and I know where his drugs are sourced. I know he uses your father to gain more territory and I know that he’s perpetuating the gang wars in Boston, Massachusetts. I know that your father somehow gets port authorities and other law enforcement to look the other way when it comes to transporting drugs and guns. Is it any surprise that my father would want to expand his empire into trafficking on an international level? He already does it through strip joints and preying on the people that have nothing so they feel they have no option.”

9

Liam

“You’re going to haveto give me more than that,” I command and grab my laptop, ready to start taking notes and cross-referencing everything she tells me. It’s giving me an idea: go for her father first, which will create an opening for mine. If we can get enough on the Costa organization, then we would have enough cause for a RICO case, effectively dismantling both of them. The Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act would go after Costa and link to my father, which is the point of the law. It’s what brought down the head of La Cosa Nostra in New York back in the seventies. It would end Dad’s campaign, get him removed from office, and if we’re lucky, Costa would kill him first, so he couldn’t weasel out of jail time. It might take a while, but this is the best option we’ve had in years. I have to tell my brothers.

“Hold on a second. I’m not just going to tell you everything and walk away.The moment I start telling youanything,I put my name on a bullet aimed for my head. He will kill me if he knows I talked.”

“I know the feeling,” I grumble.

“So then you’ll understand when I say if I’m going to do this, I need to make that bullet mean something.”

My body tenses, and my blood runs cold. I wouldn’t let them hurt her if she wanted to help us and the many people our fathers have affected. I would protect her because of her sacrifice.

“What do you propose?”

She reaches over to the nightstand, where I left a bottle of water, and takes a large drink.

“I want in,” she says like it’s a done deal.

I smile and throw my head back, laughing.

“You cannot be serious,” I say and open my eyes.