Page 71 of Buried Betrayal

“Perfect. No change to the deal since the last time I spoke to Richard?”

I shook my head. “You drop off every two weeks, and we get twenty percent.”

“Perfect. If it’s anything like the Blue Lounge, I’m sure it’ll all work out smoothly.”

I handed him the papers to sign. He took his time reading through them as I sipped my drink. The door swung open, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a young guy poking his head in.

“Sorry to bother you, sir,” the guy said nervously. “But there is a phone call that can’t wait.”

Cole frowned. “Sorry for the interruption, Elias. Give me a few minutes.”

He crossed the room and grabbed the phone before stepping through a side door near the table. The guy who had come in stood near the doorway, keeping his head down. He couldn’t have been older than nineteen, and he looked scared out of his mind. Must be new to the gang. Voices drifted from the hallway, and their words caught my attention.

“…no, he’s there. Yeah, at The Four Corners. The bartender just called. We’re headed there now. I didn’t think River Ward would be brave enough to show his face here again.”

My gut twisted as two guys rushed past the door. River wasn’t joking when he said he’d pissed some people off. It sounded like he was about to learn a painful lesson. One he fucking deserved. After a few moments, I grumbled to myself and pulled out my phone. I should let River watch his own back, but I sent him a text anyway.

Eli: They know you’re at the bar.

If my text gave him a heads up, then fine. If it didn’t, then it wasn’t my problem. River had burned me enough over the years. So why the hell was a twinge of worry weighing on my chest? I didn’t care what happened to him. But his mom cared about him, and Eleanor was one of the only parents who gave a shit about us. I didn’t want to see her heartbroken.

“Sorry about that,” Cole said as he came back into the room.

“Not a problem.”

Cole sat back down and picked up a pen. He signed his name next to mine and Richard’s on both papers before handing one back to me.

“Keep me informed of when the business opens. The sooner the better.”

“Of course. We’re pushing for it to open as soon as possible.”

He nodded, looking at me thoughtfully. “I hadn’t been aware that there was a Whitman heir. I was under the impression that William only had a son, and he’s incarcerated.”

My guard rose, wondering how he’d heard about Kat. “His only child is Noah.”

“I always make sure to know who I’m in business with,” he said, sensing my change. “I work with your father, but I know the founding families are all connected. Why didn’t this girl stay in Braidwood with you? Is she not joining the business?”

“You’ll have to talk to my father about that.” I attempted to keep the edge out of my voice, but for some reason, him talking about Kat was giving me a bad feeling.

“I will.” He grinned, making my pulse quicken. “I hear she’s beautiful.”

How the fuck did he know that? Did he have eyes in Braidwood?

“If your family ever decides to strengthen our ties in more than just business, I would love if one of my sons had a chance to meet her.”

My nails dug into my jeans as I fought to stay in control. There was no way in hell Kat was going to be forced to marry anyone in a gang. I kept my mouth closed, not trusting my words.

“I’ll talk to your father about it.” He waved a hand, dismissing any answer I would have given.

“I’ll tell him to expect your call,” I forced out.

“Perfect. One other thing. River Ward. You know him?”

This was not the conversation I was expecting. “Yes.”

“It’s come to my attention that he’s part of a founding family.”

I raised an eyebrow. “The Wards always have been.”

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