Rupert put his food down. “So what do we do about it? If all of this is true, where the fuck do we go from here?”
I paused. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think I have to pay him a visit.”
Rupert’s eyebrows rose. “Your father? You, go to him? Without him summoning for you like some warlock?”
I nodded. “I think it’s the only way. Lay down m
y theories. See how he reacts. Even my father isn’t infallible when it comes to involuntary twitches of his face.”
John cleared his throat. “Well, I’m going with you then.”
“No, you’re not.”
“He’s my father, too. I don’t want you doing this alone.”
“And I don’t want you getting hurt any further than you’ve already gotten hurt.”
John rolled his shoulders back. “Max, you’re not going to bench me because I’m damaged goods. Got it? I’m going with you. And that’s fucking final.”
I sighed as I looked over at my brother. He was the strongest man I’d ever known. After he pulled through all of his surgeries, he’d swallowed his pride long enough to step back and let me have a crack at the show. It took a lot of guts for him to step down like that. Usually, presidents tried to make a comeback after injuries like the ones he sustained. But it just wasn’t possible. With the permanent damage and never being able to ride a bike again, it took a great toll on his ability to govern.
I still respected him for approaching me the way he did and passing the torch. And I needed to treat him as such.
“Fine. You ready?”
John blinked. “What?”
I stood up. “Let’s go. You said you wanted to go with me. No time like the present.”
Rupert choked on his beer. “Wait, now? You’re going now?”
I nodded. “Yeah. We’re going now.”
I stared at John and waited for him to stand. Even with his cane, he walked tall with pride. I threw back the rest of my beer, knowing damn good and well I’d need the courage in order to face my father with something like this.
I turned to Rupert. “Keep your wits about you while we’re doing this. I want you to call around and see if anyone’s heard from Benji lately. I mean, anything. A text. A drive-by. Him yelling at them from across the street. I want to know if he’s been spotted by any of us lately.”
Rupert nodded. “I’ll put out feelers and make some calls.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Good. After you’re done with that, warn the rest of the crew that Benji can’t be trusted any longer. No one is to speak about business with him. No one is to inform him about meetings. Nothing, until we can get this sorted out.”
John piped up. “Are you going to warn Dani about Benji, too?”
I reached for my jacket. “I think Dani knew he was untrustworthy before I did, to be honest.”
I shrugged it on and took one last look around the backyard before I turned to my brother.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
He held his arm out. “Lead the way.”
Rupert stood quickly. “Max?”
I peered over my shoulder. “Yep?”
He sighed. “Just--would you try not to get yourself killed? Okay?”
I sighed. “Yeah. I’ll do my best.”