Page 98 of Broken Wolf Heart
I stop with the coffee halfway to my mouth. “Hijack how?”
Dutch shrugs. “Photos. A speech. Maybe even a call to arms. Paint himself as the true heir to Franco’s legacy. Undermine you with nostalgia and fear.”
I grit my teeth. “And everyone will be there.”
Grey’s hand settles over mine. “Which means we need to be too.”
“I’m not letting him use Franco’s death to rally support.”
Dutch leans forward. “That’s why we need to hit him back. Not with violence. Not yet,” he adds when my expression tenses.
“Then how?”
“The interview you did was a hit, so Mia and I agree we stick with optics.”
Grey nods at the newspaper. “We build on this.”
Dutch flips open the folder he’s still holding. “Andy sent over the guest list for the funeral, and it’s a fucking goldmine. Half these people are connected to Vincenzo’s various criminal schemes, including the money laundering.”
“Wait, I thought that was Franco,” I say. “It’s why he framed Ramsey’s dad. Shot him.”
Dutch and Grey share a look.
“What?” I demand.
“Franco siphoned money from the city’s coffers,” Grey explains. “Taxes that should have gone to schools and child development programs. My father…”
He hesitates, and my entire body tightens. Whatever it is must be worse than Franco.
“Grey, just tell me.”
“He makes his money from his own dealings,” he says at last.
“What does that mean?”
“He sells magic-based weapons and enhancement serums.”
“What? To who?”
“Mostly foreign shifter militias or black-market buyers. Really, anyone with enough money to fund a supernatural war.”
My jaw drops. “How did he manage that without Franco knowing?”
“Franco knew,” Dutch says grimly.
I look from him to Grey, trying to understand how this has been going on all along, and no one told me. “And the people of Indigo Hills—do they know?” I ask.
“Some do,” Dutch says.
“And they don’t care?”
“He pretends the funds go to security or infrastructure, but really, it’s an arms trade,” Grey says.
“And you forgot to mention it until now?” I can’t help but feel like this is something they purposely left out.
Grey refuses to meet my eyes.
I look at Dutch, who looks guilty enough for both of them.
