Page 176 of The Billion Heirs Boxed Set

“Not exactly. You may or may not know, Ms. Hopkins, that the Department of Justice is getting ready to open an investigation into some properties owned by the Bridgers.”

She drops her jaw. Obviously, she didn’t know.

“We had nothing to do with any of this, Sadie.” I set my hand on top of hers.

Chance shakes his head. “Hell no.”

She blinks. “Right. I know that, of course. But…I thought you all were ranchers.”

“You don’t make billions solely by raising beef,” Shankle says.

“Our father had outside investments.” Chance shifts in his seat. His big frame makes the chair squeak. “Several of which were apparently violating EPA regs.”

“What kind of investments?” Sadie wonders.

“You’d be surprised at what kind of companies have hazardous chemicals to dispose of,” Shankle says. “Hospitals, for one. Any business that uses paint, and that’s a lot. Any type of industrial cleaning company. Heck, any kind of industrial business. Mining. Oil. You name it. Jonathan Bridger dabbled in all of those and more. According to the DOJ, he cut corners with hazardous-waste disposal.”

“Why would Jonathan Bridger cut corners like that?”

I squeeze Sadie’s forearm. “From what I’ve gathered, he was a shitty man. All he cared about was money, pure and simple. Proper disposal of hazardous chemicals costs a lot of money. Doing things right is a lot more expensive than doing them easily. I should know. I have to adhere to strict regulations when I’m disposing of motor oil and other chemicals I use in my business in New York.”

“Does it really cost that much to follow regulations?” Sadie pushes.

“More than you think. For a small operation like mine, it’s not going to break the bank. But for Bridger? He probably saved millions by not following the rules.”

Sadie rubs her forehead and then her temples. “So we’ve already determined that your father wasn’t a good man. But how does Joey fit into all of this?”

“He must’ve been working undercover for the EPA,” Chance says. “Right Shankle? Or maybe the FBI or the DOJ?”

“First of all”—Shankle clears his throat loudly—“the DOJ doesn’t operate undercover. But your brother wasn’t working for the government, undercover or otherwise.”

Sadie blinks at him and then leans back in her chair. Damn! I really thought my angle was right, and I convinced her of it too.

“What exactly was he doing then?” I take a sip of my coffee, which is now cold. I grimace at how bitter and awful it is. “What the hell is this?”

“I should’ve warned you.” Sadie stares down at the table. “The coffee here is shit.”

I raise my eyebrow at her. Shit? It tastes like the industrial waste my father dumped illegally.

“It’s not that bad.” Austin pushes his cup away from him. “Compared to diesel fuel, anyway.”

“Are you going to answer my question?” I push. “What was Sadie’s brother doing if he wasn’t working for the EPA?”

Shankle clears his throat once more. I swear to God the man is about to lose a lung.

He leans forward, sets his forearms on the table and scans Chance, Austin, and me. “He was actually working for your father.”

Sadie’s cheeks go white. “Holy shit.”

I squeeze her hand. “Baby, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”

“There must be,” she says. “Joey was good. He would never do anything against the law.”

I squeeze her hand again. She wants to believe the best of her big brother. But Sadie has said herself that she hadn’t seen him in forever. Had little to no contact with him since she was eight years old. And I’ve seen what her old man is like. Joey could easily be the apple that didn't fall far from the tree.

God, I hope he wasn’t. For Sadie’s sake.

“Apparently your brother was working for a business called Racehorse Hauling,” Shankle says, “a freight company based out of Helena.”