Page 5 of Omega Tricked
“Retaliate against who exactly?” I arched one brow. “No one has any information. No one is claiming responsibility. No one is asking for money. It’s like he just disappeared off the face of the earth. What am I supposed to do about that?”
“You have contacts. You know people.”
I scowled and then threw back my whiskey, swallowing it in one gulp. My eyes teared as the liquid seared a trail down my throat. Once I felt I could speak without coughing, I said, “He went up to the mountains, and no one has seen or heard from him since. That’s not a lot to go on.”
“You haven’t even gone up there. Don’t you think you should?”
“And do what exactly?”
“Ask questions. At least pretend you give a damn.”
Guilt nudged me. “I do give a damn. Maybe I didn’t get along with him very well, but he was still my dad.”
“Exactly. If someone fucked him over, you need to get revenge. You need to defend the Sabine name, or God knows what will happen. You might be next. If someone is making a power move, we all might be in danger simply because we stand beside you, Lex. None of us have run. Even though there is uneasiness in the ranks because we don’t understand what has happened, we haven’t deserted your side, Lex. We’re still here in case someone comes after you too. We’ll defend you to our last breath. You know that, right?”
His words were so fiercely loyal, it was hard not to be moved. I met his passionate gaze. “I appreciate that, Gabriele. I do. I’ve always respected how loyal you are to my family.”
He gave a sharp nod. “Thank you.” He shifted uneasily. “It would make me and the men feel better if you tooksomesort of action.”
Feeling resigned, I nodded. “What do you think I should do?”
Tension left his shoulders, and he said, “The last phone conversation I had with your dad, he was sniffing around that weird compound in the mountains, trying to locate Jack and Carter. If he found them, maybe Jack killed him just like he did Nick.”
I grimaced. “Do you really think Jack would murder Dad? He felt guilty enough about killing Nick.”
“Yes, but let’s not forget, he killed Nick to protect Carter. Maybe he felt forced to do that again with your dad.”
I frowned. “If that was true, I think Jack would come to me, like he did when he killed Nick.”
Gabriele chewed his bottom lip. “Perhaps. But unless you go up there to poke around, we’ll never know.”
“I don’t know why Dad couldn’t just drop it with Jack. Jack loved Carter. Of course he’d kill to protect him. Nick was an asshole for even threatening to kill the kid. Who of us wouldn’t protect those we love?”
“Isn’t that what your Dad is doing by going after Jack?”
“No. Dad barely had the time of day for Nick. This is all about pride for him. I’d bet money on that. Jack did what he had to do because Nick was being an asshole. He even risked his life to come to Dad and tell him what he’d done. Dad should have dropped it. When Jack and Carter went off the map, Dad should have let it go.”
“Your dad never let anything go.”
“Yeah, and now he’s disappeared and probably dead because of that.”
“If that’s true, we need to know that. We can’t just go on with no leader, Lex. You must know that.”
I exhaled roughly, feeling as if I had no choice. Gabriele had shown loyalty to me, and he and the others were looking to me to lead them. I hated the idea of taking that role, but they had put their trust in me. As much as I wanted to brush my father’s disappearance under the rug, that wasn’t possible. I was a Sabine, whether I wanted that or not. I couldn’t just allow someone to vanish Dad without at least trying to figure out what had happened. Whether I’d been close to Dad or not, I owed him this.
“Fine. I’ll go up to the mountains and see if I can figure anything out.”
“I’ll go with you. Me and one other guy should be good. We don’t want to draw too much attention, but I don’t want you to go alone.”
“Okay.” I poured myself another whiskey. “If we discover Dad is dead, that doesn’t mean I’ll take over the organization. I want you to know that. Yes, I’ll do this because I owe it to Dad, but this doesn’t mean I’m accepting that my fate is running the Sabine mob.”
His expression was empathetic. “I understand.”
I lifted my glass and peered at the amber liquid. “If nothing else, going up to the compound should bring us some clarity.”
“And hopefully, some closure.”
“Amen.” I swallowed the whiskey and left the room to pack.
