Page 41 of Lucky Boys
“Do you think the murder and Matthew’s disappearance are connected?”
“It’s possible. If the blackmail was from Bradley, I do believe he may have found out where his son was, and killed his father if he tried to interfere or go to authorities.”
“So, what would you like for us to do?”
Covington sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? Find Larsen and my child. If he is safe, find out why Larsen stopped taking payment from me. I worry that someone else gave him a better deal and it’s only a matter of time before he exposes me.”
God this guy was a fucking scumbag. I was tempted to tell him to fuck himself and go on my own to find Matthew, but I didn’t want to make Covington suspicious. I was starting to believe he truly had nothing to do with the murder, and he might not even realize Brooks had stolen the information. If it was Bradley who had been blackmailing him, as well killed Marshall, than it was much more likely that he was the one who had them attacked and their home destroyed.
“Do you have a starting point at least?” Maverick asked.
Lewis slid over a piece of paper with coordinates on it. “This was where the original home was. Larsen has roots in Scandinavia and spoke several Scandinavian languages. I would have to imagine he stayed in the region.” There was fault to that logic, but it was better than nowhere to start.
I glanced at Maverick as we considered. There were so many red flags about this job, but I did know one thing, there was a kid missing. Based off what Covington told us, and what Diego found out, that seemed to be true. I wasn’t going to let this go and possibly have this fall into hands that would also be willing to harm the child or look the other way for a bigger paycheck.Plus if Covington really was an Academy Award winning actor and had us fooled, turning down the job could put Brooks at risk.
Maverick gave me a slight nod.
“Do you mind if I take this all home? I’d like my man to corroborate the story.”
Covington wasn’t amused, but his PA whispered something in his ear that had him relenting. “Fine. I am trusting your reputation that this stays between us.”
“Yes, of course.”
He pushed the file toward me. “Then you may have it. You would do well to remember that I am not the only one with secrets I’d like protected.”
He was threatening me, but I couldn’t tell if it was a bluff, or if he had something on me, and if he did, what it was. Not everything I did was legal, so it could have been a number of things. But I took the poorly veiled threat for what it was. He won’t spill my secrets if I keep his.
I tilted my head in acknowledgement. “Understood.” Maverick and I stood up. I looked at Covington. “I will take this home. If I can corroborate this information, then my team will take the job. We’ll be in touch.”
Once again, Covington’s face reddened. “When?” he spat.
“Hopefully tomorrow.”
Mav and I said goodbye to Jackson and left with Covington fluttering in frustration behind us.
We stayed quiet until we were safely in our car. I looked over at Mav.
“Well, what’re you thinking?”
He shrugged. “It’s very believable. Very on brand for you rich fuckers.”
I snorted, not offended. My own father had a similar situation, though the woman in hiding in Europe was his mistress, not his daughter. When she’d started to cause troublefor my mother, he’d shipped her to the Swiss Alps and forgotten her there.
“But . . . ” I prompted. There was definitely a but.
Maverick grinned and pulled out. “But, the fucker is an asshole and a terrible father. If the kid is in danger and we find him, are we giving him back to him?”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there. There is too much we still don’t know, and I hate working from a disadvantage.”
“Fair. So you’re going to take the job.”
I sighed. “I think so. If Diego is able to at least give us possible locations for Larsen, and we can corroborate this story, then I’d like to take it. There’s an innocent kid involved in all this that likely needs help. I’m willing to take some risks for that.”
“Agreed. Let’s see what Diego can do, and as long as we’re not chasing our fucking tails all over Europe, we take the job. Just stay ready.”
I nodded in agreement. It wouldn’t be the first time we didn’t completely trust the person who’d hired us. We had ways of keeping things from them and protecting us and any innocents while still completing the contract.
“We’ll talk to the others and make a decision.”
