Page 27 of Chaos & Corruption

“Don’t change the subject, Victoria. If you got something on Webber, you need to tell me.” I mean that’s what she’s insinuating right? “Why would Webber spread those lies about Mila?”

“I can’t tell you anything more than I’ve already said. I’ve already said too much.”

My hands tighten around the leather steering wheel as my patience teeters. Cutting the wheel, I pull my car into my assigned parking spot and kill the engine. Twisting in my seat, I face her.

“I get you don’t want to betray your friend’s trust, but you said yourself no one knows you here. You also said that Webber is the one spreading lies about Mila. Now, you don’t need to be brain surgeon to connect the dots, Victoria. I know she’s your best friend and all, but you’ve already gave me that much. I swear I won’t say a word.”

She brings her eyes back to me and stares at me for a beat. Then I remember what she asked me in the shower.

How do I know I can trust you?

“Victoria—”

“Alex, you’re his roommate.”

“So?”

“You’re his friend and his teammate.”

“Your point?”

“Your loyalty lies with him.”

Jesus Christ.

What did he fucking do?

Blowing out a breath, I lean back and flex my hands around the wheel. Loyalty isn’t a right, it’s a respect, something people earn. Webber earned my loyalty on the field and convenience allowed for us to become roommates, but I think that’s where it ends. I mean, I’ve had my own suspicions about the guy. I’ve seen who he surrounds himself with and I let it slide because it’s not my business. But that isn’t the case, is it? It’s very much my business if people assume I’m part of the society simply because I live with Webber.

I turn back to Victoria.

“Okay, let’s start somewhere else,” I say. “You said you know about the Scorpio Society. Let’s start there.”

“Is it really that much of a secret?”

I shrug my shoulders. There’s got to be some exclusivity to it. If there wasn’t, I don’t think it would exist. Then again, anyone who has ever tried to take it down is probably dead.

“I didn’t think it was public knowledge,” I reply.

She worries her lip between her teeth and thinks about that for a moment.

“You know silence is the cardinal rule of the mob,” she says thoughtfully. “But it’s not just about keeping quiet about your crimes. Back in the day, people didn’t broadcast if they were connected because it drew unwanted attention to the criminal enterprise. When soldiers started exposing themselves, the likelihood of getting pinched became greater. The feds took notice and started piecing together the family trees, deciphering who was who. In most instances they used the little guy, to get to the boss. Offered them witness protection and absolution for their crimes if they went rat.” She pauses, cocking her head to the side. “If the boss got wind that his soldier was cooperating with the feds, he offed him. Made sure he disappeared without a trace so that he couldn’t testify. But sometimes, the boss caught him before he turned, and fear was the tactic of choice.”

I’m not really sure where she’s going with this or what any of this has to do with Webber.

“I’m not trying to take another jab at your family, but this isn’t the mob.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Alex, organized crime is organized crime no matter if it’s the mafia, a cartel, or some bullshit society that’s running the show.”

I’ve dubbed the society a cult, but maybe there is some truth to what Victoria is saying. I don’t know much about it, don’t understand the mechanics of it all, but I think it’s fair to classify the Scorpio Society as a criminal enterprise. Lord knows they have a long list of crimes under their belt.

“You said Matt Jennings had a tattoo, does Webber?” she asks.

I shake my head.

“No, but I’m not a hundred percent certain that’s a requirement.”

“What do you mean?”

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