Page 124 of On the Double

“He does.”

“And he would be a valued asset by my side.”

I swallowed the contents of my glass, trying to figure out how best to work around the matter of his son. I needed his help, but I couldn’t sacrifice Kavanaugh to the wolves all for my own personal gain.Revenge would always be there, but a man like Kavanaugh would walk away if I even considered what his father was asking.

And he was asking. This was how politicians worked. Subtle hints that reminded you who you were and put you in your place when you needed a favor. I needed something from him, and if he was going to help, I had to offer him something in return. There was no such thing as helping for the sake of helping in a world like this.

“I can’t speak for your son. What he does is up to him.”

“I’m sure you could grease the wheels,” he grinned.

I tried to find the similarities between Kavanaugh and his father, but there weren’t many. While Kavanaugh was tall with dashing good looks and dark hair, his father was older, graying, and had that pudgy sort of look about him from nights spent with too much alcohol. It was clear that the reason he needed his son was because of his personality and the charm he naturally exuded.

“I can talk to him,” I finally said. “But that’s as far as I’m willing to take it. Whether or not he chooses to help you out is up to him.”

“Make it a convincing conversation.” His tone was almost threatening. I could see why Kavanaugh despised the man. “So, what can I do for you?”

“I need inside information about The Syndicate.”

He barked out a laugh. “Is that all?”

Cocking my head to the side, I continued. “Since my brother sacrificed his life to help take them down, the government, as you know, has finally taken an interest.”

“You mean they’ve taken over.”

“Precisely. They’ve made it damn near impossible to get any intel on the few remaining members.”

“Perhaps it’s that way for a reason.”

“The only reason I can see is that someone is trying to protect them. By now, they should all have been taken out.”

“Are you accusing someone of working with The Syndicate?”

“I’m saying that I’ve earned the right to have that information. And I would greatly appreciate any help you can give in obtaining that information.”

He smirked at me. “What makes you think I have any information like that?”

“Senator, you’re on the Senate Intelligence Committee. You have more access to that information than anyone else I know—aside from the other members of the committee.”

“Aside from them,” he repeated.

“I’m not accusing you of anything. To be clear, I only want to take down the members of The Syndicate.”

He nodded, thinking it over. Then to my surprise, he leaned forward and lowered his voice. “And if you did find out who was behind keeping this information quiet…what would you do with it?”

“What would you want me to do with it?” I asked, knowing there was another favor coming.

The waiter stopped by and set down refills, giving him a moment to consider his answer. My palms were sweating as I desperately waited to hear what he had to say. If I only got the members of The Syndicate, I would have to be happy with dismantling the organization. But if he could hand the information to take down the corrupt politicians who had allowed The Syndicate to work for so long without repercussion, that would be the golden ticket.

“If I’m not mistaken,” he hedged, “your father has…a bit of a talent for…controlling certain aspects of government.”

So, he knew who my father was. I didn’t for a second consider that Kavanaugh had anything to do with this. After all, he just found out, and he wasn’t on speaking terms with his father.

“I’m afraid I can’t say what my father does or doesn’t do.”

“You know, you would make a very good politician as well. Come now, we both need something, and the other has the power to get it.”

“It would help if you told me first what it is you want.”

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