Page 19 of Fighting With Light

She’s looking at me with a straight face and determination in her eyes.

“Youareserious.”

“It’s like you said. He’s my father. I have this information and I haven’t done what I should,” she says.

“But he has your mom. I get—“

She holds up her hand, silencing me. “I have a chance to do something now, Liam. I have done what I could over the years, but it’s never been enough. It won’t be enough until it all burns down, with him inside it.”

“Let me get this straight, after I seduced you—” She smiles, then immediately tries to hide it. “—drugged you, and tied you up, you are asking to work withme,therefore my family, to go after your father and, by default, mine. Is that correct? Did I get that right?”

She rolls her eyes, pushing her hand through her hair

“First of all, Iallowedyou to seduce me, as you so finely put it. And honestly, I haven’t slept that well in a while, so thanks.”

“You can see how that is a little concerning, right?”

“But you weren’t going to hurt me.Right?” she says, emphasizing the word.

I dip my head. Women and children are a line I don’t cross. I’ll cross many others, but that’s one I’d put a bullet in my head before that happened.

“Exactly, so we can call it even.”

I chuckle. “How in the world does that make us even?”

“Because you’re going to let me help you bring my father and, by default, yours down. I can’t sit here anymore. You’re right.”

My chest twists with her words. I love my brothers, but Emerson calls the shots, and Kai does the talking. I’m just the crazy one who’s put in a corner until he’s needed. I know they don’t mean that, and I try not to take it personally, but sometimes that’s hard to do.

“What about your brothers?” I ask her.

She purses her lips again. “They are insane, but they were raised in this life like I was. It’s affected all of us in different ways. They don’t like the trafficking,either. But they like the money. That being said, I don’t think they would stand in our way.”

“So let’s just say we theoretically get rid of your father. Your brothers would just step in, right?” I don’t know how that helps anyone. I don’t know how that solves any problems.

“Right, but isn’t your goal to ruin your father, not take down the mob?”

I lean back in my chair and shut my laptop. It feels wrong suggesting that the mob connected to my father be allowed to continue, but she’s right. My goal, my family’s goal, is to go after Dad, not the mob. We simply don’t have that amount of manpower to carry out a strike on a large criminal organization. I’m not even sure we have the manpower or the guns to dothisas it is.

“But I can’t just let the drugs, guns, and human trafficking continue if I can do anything to stop it,” I tell her.

“I don’t believe they would continue the trafficking. They enjoy the thrill of the drugs and guns more. As bad as it sounds, it’s the truth.”

“But all of those things are still killing people.” I’m torn. There is a right thing to do here, but I can only do so many right things because there are too many to do. I have to pick, and I pick my father. The mob itself will have to wait another day.

“They are. It’s all bad. There’s no question about it, but there is no way you could take on the mob. You would be killed before you could get to your father. They simply have more guns and men.”

“Your brothers hate your dad that much?” I ask her because it’s hard for me to believe when you are born into something like that it grows loyalty, I would know.

“Just because they are loyal to my father doesn’t mean they want to be. There is a difference and it includes me, too. Liam, I am offering to help you. I want to help you. I can talk to Romeo. He’s more level-headed than the other two and I’m sure he will help us.”

“But what if he doesn’t, Aelia? I’m not agreeing to anything, but what if he doesn’t? What if he gives us away and then we’re all dead? I can’t take that risk.I…” I trail off because I don’t want to tell her about Cordi and Theo. They must be protected at all costs.

“He’s logical, Liam. He’s a businessman. If he sees that thismoveof power will calm things down, make him more money, and get rid of our father, then yes, he will agree to it. I’m not the only one who hates what my father has done to our mother. I think one of them would have killed him by now if they could. Let me help you,” she begs. Her hands are clasped together tightly, her eyes are wide and pleading. I know this isn’t smart, but I don’t see any other way. We can’t send people to spy, we won’t be able to turn someone who works for him, and we don’t have that kind of time when my father’s campaign has already begun. I have to take the help where I can find it and pray to God that it works.

“I have watched my mother descend into a shell of herself for most of my life. I can’t take it anymore, I can’t take living with the guilt anymore. I will get on my knees right now and beg you if I have to. I think you are the answer I didn’t know I was praying for.”

I scoff. “I’d love to see you on your knees, Aelia, but not for that.”