Page 35 of Dirty Deeds

“Okay.”

“Do you have any idea why your husband—”

“Ex-husband,” Enzo corrects.

“Right, my apologies,again,” Wolf growls, shooting a glare toward his son. “Do you have any idea why your ex-husband would take that money? Is he in some kind of financial trouble?”

I shake my head. I’ve been racking my brain since I learned the truth. The fundraisers bring in more than enough money for the campaign.

“Like I told you before, I have no idea. Even when we were married, I didn’t play a big role in our finances. Brent has his own investment firm. He’s good with money so none of this makes sense and before you ask, he didn’t know about me and Enzo. I didn’t think anyone did.”

Wolf lets that fester for a moment as he strokes his beard.

“Yeah, well something had to have probed him.” He pauses, cocking his head to the side. “Have you seen him since this all went down?”

I shake my head.

“He’s called me a bunch of times, so have people from the campaign. I’ve been ignoring everyone.” His eyes cut to Enzo and the two of them share a knowing look. “What?”

Wolf steps away from the window, his eyes finding mine.

“You can’t avoid him forever.” No, I don’t suppose I can. “And the longer you put it off, the worse things can become."

"What are you suggesting?" I ask.

He bites the inside of his cheek, carefully considering his response.

“I’m saying he’s not the man you think he is.”

The man I thought I knew would never take money from people in need.

“Well, clearly.”

Wolf is going somewhere with this; I just can’t seem to figure out where.

“My threat against your brother was empty. I used the intel I had to see if I could get a rise out of you. Matthews knows you better, he knows the situation with your brother, and he’s used it to his advantage before. Now, he has a mess on his hands that he needs to clean up and his golden goose—you—is not by his side.”

“You think he’s going to use Derrick to make me cooperate.”

“I think he’s going to try.”

“Well, if he does I can just counter with a threat of my own. I can tell him I’m going to go to the press with proof he’s been embezzling money.”

“Do you have proof?”

Of course I don’t but he should.

“Well, no, don’t you?”

“My proof is a little shady. It confirms everything we need to know, but it won’t hold up. We need something more concrete. That’s another reason I came to you. I figured if I got under your skin, you’d be more inclined to sniff around Brent’s personal belongings. Something had to happen—maybe a bad deal or a debt that went unpaid for too long. Hell, someone could be blackmailing him for all we know. The point is he didn’t take the money because he’s starving,”

“I think you have it wrong. Brent and I aren’t close. This has all been more of an arrangement than anything else. I don’t have access to anything. He calls me and tells me where to go and what to wear and I show up. I pose for some pictures and play Brent up to be some God for the community. Then I go home and wait for the next event. He doesn’t tell me much. Even the other night when I confronted him about the money, he completely blew me off.”

“Then he tried to choke you,” Enzo chimes in gruffly, his tone full of disdain.

Wolf stares at his son for a beat, then rolls his neck. The wheels in his head turning and turning with every silent second that ticks by.

“He has a girlfriend,” I blurt. “Maybe she knows something.”

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