Page 87 of Unwritten Rules

“Okay...”

“I need to ask for your discretion.”

My eyes narrowed. “Like an NDA type thing?”

She nodded. “Pinky promise me this doesnotleave this room.”

We linked pinkies and sealed the deal.

“I know why that guy died.”

?Chapter 23

Fallon

“What do you mean youknow why he died?” I wasn’t sure if she was trying to play a joke on me or if she was being serious.

“A few times when I was around my dad, I heard some things. Crazy things.”

It tracked. She clearly knew more than I did. Her actions after we saw–and I wanted to forget–what we did, struck me as strange. Just like Brent. They were around their families before and learned more about the life we lived than I did.

And, honestly? My mom was an asshole for not telling me.

“There are families here who will kill you for one thing or another. I watched some scary men threaten some people, their families, and their kids if they didn’t cooperate–by listening, observing, and reporting back to them. We deal in more than just regular business contracts. I kept my mouth shut soIwasn’t threatened by my own dad.”

“I don't understand. What motivations are there for killing each other?”

She slumped into the couch. “How do you stay above the law? How do two people keep a secret? Threats or if one of them is dead. The connections run deep and wildly far. If I was blacklisted, I wouldn’t be able to show my face in public, let alone get a job as a grocery bagger. It’s the same thing as what made mafias so successful back in the day. We just run them publicly.”

To maintain power, multiple things needed to happen at once. Building a relationship with those who are trusted allies that support you and your goals to maintain your firm grip. These families stayed close knit for a reason. Keeping and expanding resources held power in multiple facets. If you held enough money, you could change the laws to your advantage via lobbying. How else would some of these big names remain on top? The political advantage was second to none. Then there was the threat of retaliation. If you and your allies are threatened, you band together to eliminate or contain those threats.

And those were some of the rules they played by.

“So they were asked to be what, moles?”

“Eyes. Ears. Silence. Encouragement. Those are the four tiers they want. Otherwise you’d be useless.”

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