Page 21 of A Man of Prestige

Me: We need to talk. Just us three. Meet me at the bench at two.

Sebastian: Can we make it three? I have a meeting.

Conner: Three thirty?

Me: Fuck.

Conner: Tiny house for happy hour?

Me: Fine.

I sit down to go over results from a recent drug trial. I half pay attention to my work for the rest of the day. By the time I get home, I feel like the day has been ten days long.

I pour myself a glass of bourbon and walk over to Conner’s tiny house in the back of his property.

Walking inside, I find Conner and Sebastian already sitting on the couch and chair. I sit down on a long bench along the front wall.

“What’s up?” Conner asks.

“Have you guys ever thought about how we ended up in our exact career places?”

Sebastian groans. “Yes. My fucking family legacy.”

Conner shrugs. “Not really. I mean, we got what we wanted. Why?”

“What if…our current positions were planned?”

“What do you mean? It’s what we want,” Conner asks as he leans back on the sofa and puts a hand on the back of it.

“I mean. What if they want me running my program? What if people in our lives were put in certain places so we could be watched and used for certain purposes for the elite?”

“You’re saying that you think our fathers have ‘arranged’ for us to be where we are in our careers at this very moment to get what they need?”

I nod and swallow. “Yes.”

“But, why?” Conner asks. “I mean, what are they getting out of it?”

“I thought about that the entire way home today. We all know we got our initial jobs thanks to the brotherhood. That’s a given. But our current positions and successes all being tied to it, it is a bitter pill to swallow. I agree. We work hard. However, I started thinking. Why would my father encourage me to specialize in anesthesia? And why encourage me to work in the research side of things? And why at NIH? Up until recently, he had monthly dinners with me. And they were always about what I was working on. He wanted to know the latest information. Doesn’t that seem…suspect considering what we know now? And, Sebastian, yours is less hidden. Of course, your dad wants the family legacy passed on to you. He wants someone sitting on that Transportation Committee. The bill, your big bill, the one that Conner is helping you with that Conner’s dad wants in place. If the regulations can be lifted on details relating to certain classifications in shipping manifestos, then that gives them greater leverage in bringing in these illegal drugs. We’ve been played.”

Sebastian and Conner just stare at me. Neither one speaks for long seconds after I finish.

Finally, Conner clears his throat. “Well, fuck. That all makes a lot of sense to me. But then, what the fuck are they doing with these drugs. What’s with the girls and the military stuff? What are we missing?”

I shake my head. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

“What about the other brothers? We need to start having conversations. I can talk to Aaron and Declan,” Sebastian says.

“Bradley’s lobbying firm sometimes works with mine. I can reach out to him,” Conner says.

“What about Kevin? We don’t have any real need for an FBI agent,” I state.

“Well, maybe I can figure out if there’s something in his area of expertise he can debrief me on,” Sebastian offers.

“I can deal with Paul and Paxton. I’ll just say I’m curious about some legal stuff with my mom’s estate. Not a total lie,” I say.

“What about Jason?” Conner says.

“Maybe I can get a meeting through Aaron?” Sebastian suggests. As we start talking about our pledge brothers, I begin to wonder if they were placed in careers as well. It would make sense. It’s also unsettling to think any of them could be behind what’s happening. I know we can’t rule it out yet, but having to speak to them like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

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