Page 106 of One Little Mistake
“You scared the shit out of me when your heart stopped. Don’t hide shit like that again.”
“Yeah. I think we all need to agree to no more secrets. For a family that’s so close, we sure do hide a lot of shit in the name of protecting each other.”
“No more secrets?” I hold up my fist, and he meets mine.
“No more secrets. Welcome back to the chaos, little bro.”
I’m about to show him just how little I am when a voice stops me cold.Fucking Fontaine.
I inhale deeply before turning around, but Preston is already running interference.
“I know what you did,” Fontaine accuses.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I watch him step back a few paces. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You think you’re so smart pouring foundations so the town can’t develop that land. But you just wait until the people of Burke Hollow find out how devious and sneaky you are. They will not take kindly to being jilted out of that opportunity—an opportunity that would bring much needed jobs to the area. Oh, and believe me, I plan to tell everyone.” His words slither through the air like a snake.
I take three steps forward before Preston places a hand on my chest, silently telling me to stand down.
Narrowing my eyes, I puff out my chest, making myself as large as possible. “You do that, Fontaine. I’ll even hand you the microphone in two days to do just that. But, while you’re busy spewing your lies, I’ll be letting everyone know how the town is missing over six-hundred thousand dollars. The money you manage, if I’m not mistaken.”
My words have the desired effect and knock the wind right out of his sail.
“I …. Ah, I-I, how dare you. Are you accusing me of something, Westbrook?”
“I’m just stating facts. The truth will come out, eventually. It always does, especially since I offered to hire an independent forensic accountant to audit the town.”
Fontaine pales and starts to fidget.
“Be careful who you threaten around here, Easton. You may not like the consequences.”
I take another step forward. “You forget where I come from, Fontaine. You also forget the resources I have at my disposal. So I suggest you take your empty threats and shove them up your ass. It might come in handy in the federal prison system.”
“Tone it down, East,” Preston whispers beside me. “You have an audience.”
Glancing around, I notice the crowd we’ve drawn.
“We have to get going. Summerfest is getting some Westbrook flair this year. Have a good day, Fontaine.” I spit the words as I pass him.
“He’s going to skip town now, you know that, right?” Preston mumbles so no one else can hear.
“Let him try. Ash already hacked him. We’ll be able to track his every move.”
“Jesus. Don’t tell me shit like that, East. Plausible deniability is a thing, you know?”
I chuckle but acknowledge he’s right. Unfortunately, we still don’t know how or why Macomb is tied up in this. Or why Pacen has gone missing.
When we reach the gazebo, Preston breaks away to search for his wife while I pull out my phone to text Lexi.
Easton: Can I see you yet?
Lexi: Not today.
Easton: Tomorrow?
Lexi: We’ll see.
Easton: I’m going to meet with Dillon tomorrow afternoon.
