John opened the cooler. “And what the fuck does his son have that he can’t just go out and buy? I mean, really. Come on. This is ridiculous.”
I paused. “Thanks. I think.”
Rupert reached for another beer. “Well, let’s play hypotheticals, then. It’s all we’ve got right now, so we might as well.”
I shrugged. “I’m down.”
John rolled his eyes. “This is stupid. I have those pictures, remember?”
I turned toward him. “You got them enhanced and tracked down?”
John paused. “Well, no. But--”
I turned back to Rupert. “Okay. Hypothetically speaking?”
Rupert grinned. “If your father’s behind this, what would be your most prized possession? The one thing you think someone might want to take away from you?”
Dani. “Nothing that’s of any concern to him.”
Rupert sighed. “Just play the game. Come on. What’s the most prized thing you own? The most expensive thing you’ve got?”
I shook my head. “The only thing I can think of that’s changed recently is Dani. But she’s not even that big a part of my life. Just some girl riding around with me.”
John pointed. “And attending meetings now.”
Rupert nodded. “That’s a hell of a step.”
I shrugged. “I can’t blame her. Dani’s the one that found me after I was jumped. She wanted to come along and make sure I’d be okay.”
John grinned. “Sounds a bit more than ‘just some girl.’”
Rupert chuckled. “Same thing I was thinking.”
I felt my face turning red. “Fine. Say my father wants Dani. Why?”
I didn't like how close to home this conversation was turning. Especially after the incident with my father that essentially put Dani on his shitlist. But as we all looked around the table, no one could really give me an answer as to why my father would want Dani. Or even want her targeted just to remove her from my life.
Dad did mention you were distracted.
I shook my head. “Let’s just sit tight until John can do what he does best with those images. Those insignias are all we’ve got right now. There’s no use in drumming up anything else like this, especially when we’re talking about some innocent girl.”
Rupert furrowed his brow. “What aren’t you telling us?”
I snickered. “You really want to know?”
John nodded. “It would be nice.”
I licked my lips. “If Dad’s behind this somehow, he wouldn't be after a person. He doesn’t give a shit about people. He only cares about what he can own. What he can claim as his own. Like his property. Or his money. Or his sons.”
John snickered. “Good point.”
Rupert propped his feet on the table. “So where does that leave us, then?”
I sipped my beer. “I think we’re coming at it from the wrong angle.”
John cocked his head. “How do you figure?”
I chugged the rest of it down. “If I can figure out what the hell is being targeted in my life--other than myself--that will tell us whether or not this is Dad. He’s got very few things he treasures. But if we can figure out what this person is after--other than my death, o