Page 84 of Romeo

Jules stares at me, her expression getting angrier by the second.“Odie put himself in charge of my grandfather’s finances?That’s why he couldn’t get himself out of the contract.Because Odie held all of the money.”Her hands tighten into fists at her sides.

“This should hold up just fine in court, though you’re going to have a fight with the medical piece of it.Unless you can find another doctor to go against Dodger’s word or discredit him.”

“He can’t testify if he’s not breathing,” I growl.

“Careful, brother,” Bradyn says.

He’s right—murder, whether warranted or not, is still murder—but it’s better than Jules losing what little she has left at this point.

“We need to find out what my grandfather knew,” Jules says.“He had to have gotten close to proof; otherwise, why would Dodger kill him?”

I can’t bring myself to tell her that it’s entirely possible he hadn’t found anything and Dodger just got rid of him because he could have gone to the media with his allegations.Even a seed of doubt planted can grow.It could have ended his campaign before it even started.

“Any luck tracing finances to Fletcher’s account or tracking down the shooter at the cemetery?”

“Not yet,” Tucker replies, frustration lacing his tone.“I’m still digging, but Dodger covered his tracks.”

“No one is perfect,” Elliot comments.“You’ll find something.”

“I appreciate your faith in me, brother.”

“I don’t know if it will do any good, but maybe we should talk to my grandfather’s literary agent.See if he has proof Odie switched the contracts.If he does, then we would at least be able to get him on fraud, right?Or something like that?”

“The proof would definitely help,” Beckett replies.“Really, whatever you can get me to back up our accusation that Odie was lying about the dementia to seize your grandfather’s estate.”

“Do you think his agent will talk to you?”I ask her.

“Maybe.Odie did handle most everything though.I never even spoke to his agent, but it’s worth a try.”

“Agreed.Let’s see what he knows about the switched contract.Maybe we can get some proof.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us to hang around?”Elliot asks.Our father called about an hour ago and said they’ve had some issues with trespassers on the ranch.My brothers were going to head back to help figure out just what’s going on and who’s cutting the fences.

Part of me wonders if it’s not a distraction perfectly placed to draw us back home.Which is exactly why I insisted they head back.Just in case.

“No, we’ll be fine.You guys head back, and I’ll call if something comes up I can’t handle.”

While Elliot,Bradyn, and Dylan are all on a plane back to Texas to catch things back up on the ranch, and Tucker and Beckett are focused on tracking down Landers’s lawyer—who is dodging all phone calls at the moment—Jules and I make our way into the small café her grandfather’s agent insisted we meet in.

He’d tried hard to get us off the phone and only agreed to meet with us after Jules mentioned she knew that the contract was swapped.I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man try to rush someone off the phone so fast.My guess is the line was recorded for—what is it they call it, ‘training purposes’?—and he knows his job is on the line.

The café is relatively empty, with only two customers at different tables and a barista behind the counter.One of the customers, a young woman, is reading a book by the window, and a man wearing slacks and a pale blue button-down dress shirt sits in the far corner, facing the door.

He raises his hand and offers us a wave.We cross over toward him and take a seat at the table.

“Thanks for meeting me here.”He holds out his hand.“James Flores.”

“Jules Landers,” Jules says, taking his offered hand.

“Riley Hunt,” I offer as I take his hand once she’s released it.

“Great.Okay, so we have to keep this quick.”He reaches into his briefcase, and my hand instinctively goes to my lower back, but I hesitate before withdrawing my weapon, only relaxing once I see that what he’s pulling out is a folder, not a weapon.“This is the contract your grandfather signed.The original that Ihand-delivered.”

Jules opens it and scans over the front page before going to the second page where the offer is listed.“Yes.This is correct.”

“Then explain to us how the publisher ended up with the contract they did,” I say.“If you hand-delivered it, how did it get swapped?”

“I have no idea.When your grandfather came to me after receiving the incorrect advance, I looked through the files.I scoured the entire agency, looking for where the wires could have gotten crossed.The only thing I can think of is that the contracts were switched after I delivered it.”

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