Page 38 of Twisted Contract

“No doubt. The bastard would definitely try to get me. Connor, you want to go instead?”

I chuckle. “Sure.” We leave the house and drive toward my father’s just as the firefighters finally put out the blaze.

“They are the owners,” Johnny informs a man in uniform, pointing directly at us.

“Boss, this is Chief Moses. He has information about the fire and was looking for you.”

“Okay. Please let us know what is happening with our father’s home.”

“Unfortunately, there was a major accelerant used in the garage. It wasn’t just in a container that could be explained away. Although it’s natural to have corrosive and explosive-type items in the garage, this was different. The house caught fire afterward, and inside there were two bombs—inside the main door to the garage, and the other in the kitchen. The mansion is mostly destroyed. We found two dead bodies inside so far.”

The color leaves our face. He didn’t even have the decency to send them off before he set the place ablaze—the damn devil.

“You’re going to need to find my father.”

“We believe he was one of the people in the fire.”

“What?” Jack, Ian, and I stare at each other in shock. They saw his vehicle leave, and so did our guys. It wasn’t him. Who did he set up inside the house?

“Can we see the body?” Jack asks first. We all want to know if they really have the old man. There is no way in hell we believe it.

“They were badly burned and removed to the medical examiner’s office. You’ll have to meet with them.”

“Thank you. If you’ll excuse us, we need to return to our family. How much longer will they all be here?” He gives Jack a peculiar look, but I suppose it’s because we don’t care if our father’s dead or not.

“The fire is out, but the smoke is unfortunately strong. Please keep indoors, and if anyone has breathing problems, make sure they’re away from this.”

“We will. Thank you again.” We each shake his hand and then drive back to Jack’s. “Do you think Saunders has anything to do with this?”

“No, I believe this is all Dad. I need to figure out what to do with Saunders. With all this damn attention Dad’s just drawn on us, I can’t just have Saunders killed because it would be like a fucking neon sign pointed right at me.”

“You’re right.”

“But delaying it will piss off Claudia.”

“She knows you’re waiting until after my wedding, so at least that gives you another week.”

“Yeah, but with dad’s death,” I say with air quotes. “You’ll be expected to postpone it.”

“The fuck I am. Nora and I are getting married next week, and your wife is going to make a killer cake that Nora has been dreaming about for days.”

“Fine with me.”

“You’ll got no complaints from me. I love cake, and if you’re married, the other families will find you stronger. That means the head of the family will usher in his future family,” Ian says.

“Since when do you care about the other families?”

“I don’t, but going to war with other pricks isn’t something I want. Any sense of weakness, and we’ll have a problem. You know that as much as I do. By the way, I’ve got to go. I’ll check the damn car, but I’m guessing the car wasn’t there and he tossed the tracker out on the road.”

“Okay. Just be careful and call us.”

“Let’s go in and see our wives.”

“Your old room is still available,” Jack says.

“Thanks. I don’t know if I feel like waiting until I get home. She might get her first ride in the car.”

He chuckled, and we entered the house. “Trouble, where are you?” Whatever the plans are, I need to be inside her so I can think straight again.

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