Ruthless Sinner (Ashby Crime Family)

Kat let out a sharp laugh. “You need to spend more time around real people if you think the citizens of the Green Zone look suspicious, little brother.”

To his credit, Cal didn’t react to Kat’s words. He ignored her. “I’m scrubbing the footage from surrounding businesses, traffic lights, and even social fucking media. I’ll let you know when I have something.”

That shit didn’t make sense. “You have nothing? Are you telling me that after all the work Sadie did to fix this place up, you don’t even have an image of a dark figure setting up to shoot our fucking mother? Unacceptable, Cal. Un-fucking-acceptable.”

He sighed and raked a hand through his already disheveled hair. “The cameras were scrambled along the shooter’s path, so there’s nothing for the seconds it took for him to pass by each business. He was careful about getting too close to Lucky Lopez cameras, so yeah, as of right now, I have jack shit.”

“Less than jack shit,” I clarified. “You need to work faster, or I’ll have to call in Jameson.”

Cal shrugged. “The cops have someone more skilled than me at this type of work? Let them give it their best fucking shot, then. You’ll do what you want anyway.”

“No, Cal, I’ll do what’s right for this family. Period. I always have, and I always will. Some of us don’t have the luxury of sulking all fucking day and night.”

“Sorry the murder of my wife is causing me some distress. If you were capable of love, you might understand how I feel.”

I smiled, but there was no amusement in it. “And if you hadn’t been such a pussy-whipped asshole, she might still be here with us. Sulk on your own fucking time Cal, this is important.”

“So was Bonnie,” he growled.

“I know,” I sighed. “But Bonnie isn’t here. Sadie is, and we need to find the fucker who shot her as soon as possible. Preferably before the cops do.”

I stared at my baby brother for a long time, wondering if he still had the stomach for the family business. He was one of us by birth, always had been and always would be, but Cal had never been as much into the business as the rest of us. And the loss of Bonnie combined with single fatherhood, and I wasn’t sure his heart was in it anymore.

Cal stared at me for a long time before he gave a short nod. “I’ll let you know when I find something.”

“Fine, but this is your primary focus until you find something. Got it?”

“Yeah,” he said on a soft, barely audible sigh.

Just then, the dining room door slid open, and Thomas appeared in his signature three-piece suit that was slightly rumpled, probably from spending another day at the hospital before he put in a late night at Lucky Lopez.

“Get the fuck out,” I growled with more anger than was necessary. “This is a family meeting.”

Thomas stared back at me, his dark gaze unflinching, his shoulders squared, his chest broad. He was a man confident in his own fucking skin, which just rubbed me the wrong way right now.

“Oh, fuck off, Jas. I just came back from the hospital with news, but only if the family is interested in what I have to say.” Without missing a beat, the old fuck turned around and walked away.

“Wait,” Kat called out to him and sent an icy glare my way. “Some of us want to know.”

Thomas turned and gave the same crisp nod as was his custom when Sadie needed something. “Earlier today, her heart rate spiked, and her blood pressure plummeted from a clot that formed. The doctors gave her some medicine, and her vitals are stable once again,” he told Kat before turning to me. “But you’re family ,and you own the fucking hospital, so I guess you already knew.”

I didn’t know, but I would never tell him so. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Her vitals indicate that she might be more awake than we realize, according to the doctors. I’ll be at the hospital if you need me. I’d hate for her to wake up alone.”

Without waiting for an order or a word of thanks, Thomas turned on his heels and left the ding room.

“Do you have to be an asshole every waking moment?” Kat glared at me, the hate in her eyes so visceral I could practically feel it.

“Not every waking moment,” I shot back with a smile. “Sometimes I’m very nice.” Though I couldn’t think of one person who might agree with that lately.

“Whatever,” she growled and stood as she shoved the chair back with her legs, nearly knocking the damn thing over. “I’m out of here.”

“We’re not done here.”

“Yeah, well, I am done here, Jasper. You can do your whole dick swinging thing for everyone else just to let us all know you’re in charge, but that doesn’t do shit for me. My job is what it is. You can go micromanage everyone else, but I’m fucking out of here. Enjoy the family dinner.”