I nodded. I’d known that for a while. I hadn’t liked it, but the guy had proved himself loyal to X.
“He and I used to work together. When X realized I was the agent you were after, it made things… easier.”
“So you’re easy now?” Rogue asked.
He glanced at my brother. “I could be.”
Rogue whistled, and Ghost winked at him.
“Leave my brother alone.”
“He checked me out first, and he’s a grown man.”
“I don’t fucking care. You’re not wanted here.”
“I get that, but unfortunately for you, I’m needed here.”
“We killed an agent. Are you saying you don’t care about that?”
“Brandon’s death is the last thing anyone is going to care about. You solved a problem for us.”
“Wow. That’s fucking cold,” Rogue said.
Ghost shrugged. “It’s the truth.” He looked at me again. “Do we have a deal?”
“You think I’m stupid enough to agree to anything with one of you without very clear parameters.”
“One of us government servants, you mean?”
I scowled at him.
“Why don’t we find a more private place to discuss those parameters.”
“No,” Jacob said. “You shouldn’t agree to be alone with him.”
Ghost grinned. “I swear I won’t kill him unless he tries to kill me first.”
“Keep looking at Jacob like that, and I won’t just try, I’ll succeed.”
“So violent.”
I sighed. “What do you really want?”
“Information about the Carlottis and their contacts in Houston.”
“And you think I know that?”
He nodded. “I do.”
I was fooling myself if I thought he didn’t know my background. “Fine. I’ll talk to you, but you better have something valuable for me.”
“I do. I have names and info on their successors.”
* * *
When we finished our negotiations, Jacob and my brothers were in the kitchen, and Jacob was kneading the hell out of some bread dough.
“He needed something to do,” Rhys said, keeping his voice low so Jacob wouldn’t overhear him.