Page 35 of Unburdening His Heart

I told myself I wouldn’t tell Jack, but I don’t know how I can avoid it. As soon as he suspects I’m holding back, he’ll be all over me. Especially now that his trust is on thin ice. I’ll have to tread lightly.

“And what, Andrew?”

Jack stops pacing and faces me. He pins me with his eyes. The longer I stall, the more suspicious he’ll get.

“Look, Jack, I’m going to level with you as much as I can. There are things I can’t tell you or anyone else yet. I need you to trust me. I’m doing this to protect my sisters. It’ll all come out in the end, but for now, it has to be this way.”

He opens his mouth to speak but slams it shut before pacing again. He stops on a dime, turning to face me again. “I don’t like the sound of that. I understand protecting your sisters. Obviously, I want that, too, but leaving me in the dark won’t benefit them or you and me.”

I rake my hand through my hair and stand. Now I’m the one pacing. Jack starts again, so he and I are pacing in opposite directions. Once I open this door, there’s no going back. Jack is right. He needs to know what we’re dealing with, but I won’t put him in a position to keep secrets from my sister.

If Andrea found out he knew and didn’t tell her, it would break her trust in Jack, and I won’t be a party to that. They’re made for each other. I’m more thankful than I’ll ever be able to express to Jack for what’s he’s done for her.

I sigh and cut loose, trying desperately to word this correctly. “Morales is a pawn; a paid pawn at that. I have the proof, but I can’t use it yet. He’s as slimy as Christopher and Christopher’s attorney.”

We both stop in our tracks and turn to face each other. The look on Jack’s face tells me I’m not doing a great job with my words.

“Who’s paying him?”

I let out a sigh. Fuck. I can’t answer that question, and he won’t like that I can’t, but it’s the truth. I cut my eyes away and back to him, and he seems to get the message. The more Jack knows, the faster this can be planned out and resolved, but until I have the final nail for Malcom’s coffin, I won’t disclose any of that information.

He holds his hands up. “Alright. How do we stop him?”

I have an idea, but it’s not exactly legal. On top of that, I’m not even sure how we can pull it off. I don’t have mafia ties or even know anyone who does. Except for maybe Christopher.

I groan a bit. I have a feeling he won’t like this. “I have an idea, but it isn’t on the up and up. And honestly, I’m unsure how to even go about it.”

Jack is very by the book, so I don’t know how this idea will go over with him. Even when Andrea was in the midst of hiding, he never let either of them step out of line. He wanted to be sure they stayed within the law.

“Spit it out.”

He’s agitated, and I don’t blame him.

“We need to shut him up. No, I don’t mean kill him. We need to stop him from spewing lies. You and I can’t do that ourselves, and I don’t have those kinds of connections.”

I study him, waiting for his reaction. Instead of an obvious reaction or saying anything, he paces again. That’s not at all what I expected. I expected Jack to shut that down immediately.

Stopping again, he faces me, his expression serious. “I do.” My eyes widen at those two simple words. Before I can respond, he starts again. “I can make a call and make it known it’s in his best interest to shut his lying ass mouth…or else.”

“Who? How?”

I’m nearly speechless. I’m stunned. He doesn’t answer before leaving the living room and walking into the kitchen with me close behind. He opens a cabinet and takes out two rock glasses, and closes the cabinet back. Opening another cabinet, he pulls a bottle of bourbon out and closes it back.

It’s eight in the morning.

What the fuck has gotten into him?

He pours us both a double and slides a glass my way. He downs his in an instant and pours another. I hold my glass, watching Jack. This is a side of him I’ve never seen before. Whoever he has in mind has him rattled.

When he tosses back his second double, he gives his head a shake and his neck a roll. I swallow my drink and set my glass down. He reaches for it, but I wave him off. I’m not looking to get hammered for breakfast.

“My brothers,” he says simply.

That doesn’t give much information. Andrea mentioned he has brothers; three, I believe. They were raised by a single mother, but I don’t know much about them beyond that. It’s clear this is a decision Jack is struggling with.

“My brothers aren’t like me. They toe the line of the law.” After pouring himself another drink, he opens the cabinet to put the bottle away and closes the cabinet back. He leaves the kitchen with his drink, walking back into the living room. Again, I follow him.

Jack drains his third double of bourbon before sitting on his sofa and putting his face in his hands. I go around the coffee table and take a seat on a chair across from him. I’ll have to sober him up before Andrea comes home from the café. There’s no way I can explain him being in this state.

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