Page 66 of Monk
“They’ll back my play. We’re brothers, Kasey. It’s what we do.”
“What about my dad?” I ask. “Should we warn him?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet. Not until we have something solid to go on. If we can work this all out before we have to get him involved, all the better. I’m more worried about you right now.”
I nod, feeling somewhat heartened but still somehow reticent to put all of these men in harm’s way because of my poor decision making.
“Do you think giving the money back will make this go away?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I doubt it. I don’t even think this was about the money for Spencer, truthfully. He has the money to replace what I took. For him, it’s all about control.”
“How much is in the bag?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t counted. But I thought I heard that cartel guy say it’s over a million.”
Jacob whistles low, then frowns. “That’s a lot of cash. I can see why they’d be all over you to get it back.”
“Yeah, I guess so. But I can almost guarantee, even if I hadn’t taken the money, Spencer would still be doing all of this to get me back. And it’s not that he even wants me back. It’s more that he doesn’t want people to know I left him.”
“He sounds like a winner.”
“You don’t even know the half of it. All I know for certain is that people’s opinion of him matters more than me. And people knowing I walked out on him, destroying his idealized image, is damaging to him, even if only in his own mind,” I say.
Jacob glances at his watch. “Okay well, I need to get on the road. Stay here and stay close to Bo.”
I look down at the big dog who’s staring at me, obviously using his eyes to will me into giving him a piece of the bacon on my plate. I give him a scratch behind the ears and then flip him half a piece of bacon.
“Sorry. I can’t resist that face,” I say.
Jacob sets a handgun down on the table beside the plate. Startled, I lean back in the seat, trying to put as much distance as possible between me and the gun, looking at it like it’s a snake, coiled and ready to strike.
“Where did you get that?” I ask, slightly disturbed that he just has plenty of guns to casually hand out.
“I’ve had it since I was in the service,” he replies. “Do you know how to use it?”
“My dad’s the sheriff and he loves to hunt. What do you think?”
“I’m thinking you didn’t get a lot of Barbies growing up.”
“You wouldn’t be wrong. Though my mom did try to make sure some dolls and other girly things made it into my life.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, I guess. Guns are more practical,” he replies
“I don’t want it, though. I don’t like guns.”
“Keep it. And hopefully you won’t have to use it, but if you do need to, do not hesitate to pull the trigger,” Jacob says, his voice earnest. “They won’t hesitate, so you don’t either. If it comes down to it and it’s you or them, make sure it’s them, Kasey. These guys don’t fuck around. You can’t either.”
“I have until the end of the day. And you’ll be back long before that, so I’m not even going to need it.”
He sighs, exasperated with me. “Probably. You’re probably right. But probably isn’t good enough for me. I want to know you’re not only going to be here when I get back, but if some shit goes sideways, that you have the means to protect yourself.”
I hold my hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I doubt I’m going to need it, but I’ll keep it.”
“And?” he presses.
“And I’ll use it if I have to.”
He nods. “Good girl,” he says. “Now, eat your breakfast before Bo gets a mind to take it from you.”
