Seth glanced over his shoulder back to the open kitchen area. Harper was busy stacking the dishwasher with Heath and laughing over something his brother had said. Lunch was over. Now he, Dillon, Zach and Adam were sitting on Heath’s back deck and chilling. Milly was watching Frozen in the living room and eating one of her cupcakes. He had to seize the moment with Harper out of earshot.
He turned back and asked Adam, “Have you heard more from Tollison?”
“He rang last night, so I updated him on Lincoln’s arrival.” At Seth’s nod, Adam continued. “Dane’s been digging deeper, checking into more of Fox’s associates. Seems Harper’s Dad has entered into a business arrangement with some Russians.”
Zach’s gaze narrowed. “As in the Russian mob.”
“Not on the surface.” Adam stretched out his legs. “But if you dig deep enough, you’ll find a connection.”
“What’s the business?” Dillon asked.
“A nightclub.” Adam twisted his mouth. “Which makes no sense.”
Seth agreed. “What’s Dane’s take on Fox’s involvement?”
“He’s laundering money for others and taking the associated risk, which means those who gave Fox his orders wield a shitload of power.”
Seth’s immediate thought was how Fox’s actions could hurt Harper. “They’re threatening him somehow or promised him a fortune in money or power. He wouldn’t take that risk for no reason.” Surely whoever this group was had done their homework, knew Fox wasn’t close to Harper. Threatening his wife or Sienna made better sense as a way to keep Fox in line. Or was the threat held over Fox related to his business empire? Sad to say that was more believable for Seth. “Does Tollison now know who Fox’s working for?”
Adam’s expression hardened. “Dane’s found what he believes is the mother cell. Old school tie brigade. Think Ivy League college and a secret society of old boys. They’re spread out across the US. Their Seattle operations are one branch within a mighty tree.”
“Fuck,” Zach muttered, his gaze on Seth. “And you stumbled into the middle of this mess.” At Seth’s indrawn breath, he raised a hand. “Brother, I’m not laying blame. Just stating you got caught up in some seriously bad timing.”
“Speaking of amazing feats of timing,” Adam opened his laptop and clicked some keys. “Lincoln Harris. Age twenty-seven and ten months. Australian Special Air Services Regiment. Rank of Sergeant. Expertise: Sniper. Recently returned from a mission in Afghanistan. Currently on leave.”
So Lincoln had been telling the truth, at least in terms of his military service. “Do I want to know how you accessed his personal information?”
“No.” Adam typed in more information. “His story on your grandparents checks out. He joined the army close to his eighteenth birthday. He’s single. No dependents. Good credit score. Doesn’t own any property. Makes sense, considering he has to be ready to leave for duty at a moment’s notice.”
“What’s your read on him, Seth?” Dillon leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
“My gut instinct tells me Lincoln’s telling the truth about our grandparents. Grandpa would have stolen Lincoln’s money without a second thought. Gran blackmailing a little kid under the pretext she’d let me return fits perfectly with the evil’s bitch’s form.” His insides burned at how she’d twisted Lincoln to suit her needs. He glanced down at his lap, unable to take the pity he saw in his brothers’ gazes. “But it’s Lincoln’s turning up when everything’s kicking off that worries me.”
“You think he could be behind the posts?” Dillon’s hazel eyes grew wide. “Wouldn’t he be better off trying to get in your good books? Play the long-lost brother card? What would he hope to gain by attacking you?”
“Jealousy.” Adam said matter-of-factly. “Seth’s about to cash in selling Shazad. Lincoln’s got a healthy bank account, but we’re talking enough for a large house deposit, not millions of dollars. He’s been alone for years while Seth had brothers.”
“Maybe.” Seth lifted his face to the sun and closed his eyes. Could the culprit be his brother? Then he remembered what Lincoln had shared. He looked over at Adam. “But when was his opportunity? Wasn’t he on a mission when this started?”
“That’s if he didn’t get someone to do the work for him. Don’t forget his self-confessed contacts.” Adam shut his laptop. “Dillon’s pulled apart your company’s server in his attempts to track the ISPs on those posts. No luck. It’s a never-ending maze of multiple hosts around the globe. Whoever did this is skilled. I’m not talking some teenage hacker sitting in his room eating microwaved pizza pockets and sculling Red Bull.”
“True.” He knew that. Seth wanted to kick himself.
“Nobody has an alibi,” Dillon stated. “Fox could have been having heart bypass surgery, but that wouldn’t mean he didn’t hire the hacker.”
They all remained quiet for a minute, caught up in that somber thought. Harper and Heath’s voices grew louder as they walked toward the guys.
“Hey, sweetness.” He put out his hand and snagged hers as she sat in the chair next to his.
“Hi. You caught up with the guys?” Her open smile let not only Seth, but his brothers know Harper had guessed they’d needed time alone. The conversation had moved on from Tollison. No need to exclude her further. Seth understood including Harper in all other family matters would send a subtle message to his brothers.
“Yes. We’re discussing Lincoln.” He switched his gaze to the group in general. “Where do we go from here?”
“Wait for Lincoln to contact you again.” Heath sat in the empty chair between Zach and Dillon. “He’s SASR. Not the type of guy to come all this way and turn tail when ordered by you. He’s going to fight for what he wants.”
“And what’s that?” Seth wanted to think it was some kind of brotherly relationship, because the alternative to that would be, what? An attack, as Adam suggested?
“No idea. But we’ll find out soon enough.” Heath rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and studied Seth. “I can’t believe you asked him to give you time.”