Page 91 of Compelled Obedience

Because my gut told me there was much more at play here, a coverup either no one knew existed or wanted to admit. Either way, Kerri was in significant danger.

“What did Tristen tell you?” Lachlan asked.

“That if he didn’t drop it, he’d face discipline,” I told him before taking a sip of my drink.

Jameson glanced at Lachlan then shifted toward the bar, making both himself and Lachlan a drink as well. “Tristen doesn’t seem like the kind of man to take orders for no reason.”

I chuckled. “No, which is why he’s continuing to ruffle feathers. We’ll get answers one way or the other.”

“When you called, I had a feeling shit was going down,” Lachlan said, studying me as I leaned against the edge of the desk, sitting down. “There’s another shakeup in the LA regime.”

“Meaning what?”

“Did you know when the cartel leader was caught, somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty million dollars in cold hard cash disappeared?”

“That old rumor?” Jameson said, laughing as he returned with the drinks.

“Not a rumor, at least according to my pops.” The fact Lachlan came from a powerful Scottish mafia background had proven useful over the years, even if my old buddy refused to honor the lifestyle he was born into. “But the money isn’t just tainted by the sale of illegal drugs.”

“Are you attempting to suggest that the coverup has more to do with the police?” Jameson asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

Lachlan chuckled under his breath before answering for me. “The DEA to be exact. Front money for a big player.”

“An undercover operation?”

“Yup.”

“That’s a pretty tall accusation,” Jameson was quick to say.

“That makes perfectly good sense,” I told them. “Fifty million put a lot of egg on their face.”

I nodded, swirling my drink then hearing a slight knock on the door.

“Boss. Just like you said,” Brak said as he strolled in, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Silas Young as I live and breathe.”

“Not just him. He’s with the mayor and another guy. Just so happens I had Parker check out the mystery guest.” Brak seemed pleased with himself.

“Let me guess. The guy who came to see me earlier.” I took a gulp of my drink, ready to end the charade as soon as possible. While no one knew where I’d taken Kerri, that didn’t mean she would remain safe for long.

Especially if several parties believed she knew more than she’d let on all those years ago. She did, a bargaining chip or perhaps the very reason she’d remained untouched until now.

“You got it, boss. Do you want them in the conference room?”

I’d made a point of never inviting anyone into my private office that didn’t work at the club. However, the home court advantage was exactly what I wanted.

I scrubbed my jaw and thought about how to play this. “Give us five minutes, Brak. Then bring them to my office.”

“Okay, boss.”

After he left, closing the door behind him, I noticed Lachlan was grinning. “What?”

“You’re getting more like me every day. What haven’t you told us?”

It was my turn to grin. “You’re going to need to wait to find out.”

“What are we doing here?” Jameson asked.

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