“Turn them against each other,” she murmurs, under her breath, and then says, “Kurt suggested we create an enemy for our enemy, someone to take the attention off of us. God. Did he kill Newman to turn Phillips Senior against the organization?”
“If he did, he kept him from talking which doesn’t sit right. It reads like he’s working for them. And in support of that theory, if this operation is as big as he says they are, one rich dude who owns a sports team would not be enough to distract them.”
“The idea that he’s working for them is not a good one, but one we keep coming back to and I don’t like how easily that happens. It means it feels right to us both. But as you say, it is what it is. If Phillips got shut out for another buyer, maybe he’ll be willing to talk. Or maybe he’ll want to help us catch his son’s killer.”
“Or he’ll blame us for his son’s murder and come at us, and we have two enemies. I’m all for going right at the bull, but we need more facts. Maybe between Kurt and Darius, today is the day we make that happen.”
My cellphone rings and I glance down to find Savage calling. “Savage,” I say. “That was fast.” I punch answer on the Caller ID. “Savage. You’re on speaker.”
“I’ve got the SIM card. Adam’s uploading it for Blake to review.” He yawns. “A little too easy a ride out there, Ana. Your old man isn’t all he’s cut out to be.”
My lips curve and I glance at Ana. “That’s the junior range, Savage,” she teases. “The one for the slow learners. That’s why I knew you’d be just fine.”
“Hey hey hey now,” he complains. “I don’t like your tone. Your pop is going to wake up soon. I’ll feed him and then make him talk. I mean we’ll chat. It will be fun. Ciao.” He hangs up.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “He won’t hurt him. He’ll drive him so fucking nuts he can’t help but talk.”
Ana laughs one of her soft, sweet laughs, but there’s a choked quality to her voice.
“He’s not going to hurt him, baby. And in my gut, I believe Kurt really means to do right by you. He’s not going to disappear again.”
She gives a choppy nod. But she says nothing. What is there to say?
Everything that was real is now a lie.
The truth is either going to save us or kill us once and for all. And right now, the closest thing to the truth we have to look forward to is in a lockbox that a dirty cop, who was spying on Ana, left us.