Page 136 of The Fates We Tame

And I hold on to that eight hours later when we meet Theo’s club brothers in the large room he refers to as church.

Bizarrely, it’s not that I feel bad about what we’re going to tell them. Theo told me it makes me interesting that things like this don’t turn me into a quivering wreck. Instead, I pull my shoulders back, take a deep breath, and hold Theo’s hand as we enter the room.

“You causing mischief again, sweetheart?” Niro asks as Theo pulls out his chair for me to sit on.

“If we keep having old ladies coming in here to explain why their presence is causing chaos, we’re going to have to get a spare chair for this fucking table,” King says, winking at me.

Clutch chuckles. “Life would be boring without them.”

Theo stands behind me, his hand on my shoulder. “Tell ‘em, Sparrow.”

“Thanks to Vex, we were able to find evidence on my phone and laptop that suggests I was trying to evade my father when my accident happened. That I’d found evidence at my father’s home. I called my brother that morning to say I was up to my neck in figuring something out.”

“Why are you telling us all this?” Clutch asks.

Theo squeezes my shoulder. “We’re meeting with one of her brothers this morning to hand over the information.”

Spark leans forward. “Why are we handing it over? Feels like we should let the Cosa Nostra tear themselves apart.”

“You don’t have to be a Mafia expert to know what happens when a family is suspected of stealing from thefamiglia. I can’t let all my brothers, and by extension, me, go down for something they aren’t involved in. If I give this to Alessio, he can clean house. I had faith in him, before, when I remembered.”

Bates rubs his hand over his chin. “So, you’re saying, if we ignore this, and some mob boss finds out, that they might come for you seeing you were part of their organization, and by association force our hand to look out for you?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know exactly what I’m saying. I may be spinning conspiracy theories. But I do know my father intended to make it look like his thefts were my fault. And I need to get ahead of that by giving this proof to my brother.”

King looks to Theo. “What’s your take on all this?”

“If you park club business, I think Alessio is good on his word. And I’d rather nip Cosa Nostra business in the bud before it comes for my wife.”

“So, what do you need from us, Switch?” Halo asks.

“Don’t fancy heading uptown to meet Alessio without backup. I told him to come alone, but we all know the chances of that happening are slim. And while I believe he isn’t gonna fuck with Soph, I’d like backup to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

“How do we explain this to the Irish?” Saint asks.

King’s brow furrows. “We don’t. Cillian fucked us over.” He glances in my direction. “And this isn’t the time nor place to discuss it. We go because Switch asked for our help. We are going solely with the goal of getting Switch and Sophia there and back in one piece. I do not want a war with the Sicilians, but I’m inclined to believe Sophia and Switch that Alessio is trustworthy. All in favor?”

I blow out a breath of relief when all the hands rise without discussion.

“Gimme the address,” Halo says. “I’ll set the route.”

“Catalina’s gonna be pissed she can’t ride with us,” Niro says. “But I’m in the mood for evening the score.”

“Killing is a last resort,” King says.

Niro huffs. “Well, you’re no fun.”

“We need pictures of your family if you have any. I want to know who all the key players are. Your brothers, your parents, any members of the crews you might be aware of,” Spark says.

“I only have my family, and you’ve met them already, but I can happily show you photographs as a refresher,” I say. “In hindsight, I think my father wanted to keep me far away from the family business because he knew I knew, and he didn’t want me to do anything to jog my memory. But if I could ask one thing? Don’t hurt my brothers.”

King stands. “That will depend on whether they try to hurt you or us. If they succeed, I’ll kill them myself.”

36

SWITCH

When we pull into the lot of the derelict manufacturing plant, Alessio is already there.