Dax (The Theriot Family 4)

“Remington, I don’t want to dance around this. You should also know I’m planning to call Ambrose and bring him up to speed.”

“I’m all for that, especially since one thing we learned is that LePlatt’s minions are handing off their product around St. Claireville.”

“That’s in the middle of fucking nowhere.”

“Correct, just the sort of place where your brother operates best. My assumption is that keeping their operation off the main thoroughfares is how they’ve managed to operate so long when they’re a bunch of fucking idiots. LePlatt is way too volatile to be in this business. He runs through henchmen like you run through bullets.”

I snorted. “Jean-Charles seems to have been with them for a while.”

“True. He’s some distant relation, and he’s just crafty enough to keep himself from being taken out and replaced. What we need now is an exact location where these handoffs happen.”

“And we’ll hit them there once Ambrose gets us the location.”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll talk to him tonight, and tomorrow I’ll make another go at Jean-Charles before silencing him for good.”

Remington cleared his throat. “It would be better to talk to Ambrose in person.”

“I have enough trouble getting him to answer his phone. You know how much he hates visitors.”

“I do, but this assignment could be complicated if he’s going to be as protective of Travis as you are.”

What the hell did he mean by that? Of course Ambrose would want to keep Travis safe. What was wrong with that? “He thinks of Travis as a little brother.”

“Your brother has never had to deal with you having someone special. What happens if he wants to protect Travis from you?”

Oh fuck. “Did Corbin fucking tell you?”

Remy snorted. “He didn’t have to. It’s obvious as hell how you feel about him.”

“Then why hasn’t Beau—”

“Because he doesn’t want to see it. He doesn’t want to think about it. You’re his friend, and you have been for a long time. I want to head off trouble. We need the situation taken care of. Even if Travis weren’t connected, I want LePlatt rotting in a grave. I don’t like the way he does business.”

“Neither do I.” One of the things I’d learned from Jean-Charles was that he’d intended to recruit Travis. Most of their transporters were young, attractive men that they brought in with promises of wealth and power. They operated just like Rob did, and I wanted to kill every single one of them.

“You expect me to go see Ambrose tomorrow?”

“Yes, and take Travis with you.”

“I’m not sure how he’ll feel about that.”

“I want him there to consult. He may have knowledge he doesn’t even know is significant. You know how good Ambrose is at coming up with unique angles.”

I huffed. “You just want me to have to confront the situation with Ambrose.”

“No time like the present for that.”

“Then what about Beau? How is this supposed to work with everyone knowing but him?”

“Let Corbin handle that.”

“I’m not asking Corbin to take this hit for me. Travis is mine, and I’ll claim him in front of his brother whenever I have to.”

“Good for you.” I could hear the smile in Remy’s voice. You’re ahead of where I was at this point in your relationship.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Fuck off.”

“That’s just what I want to do. Travis is making me dinner.”

Remington huffed. “Deal with Jean-Charles first thing, then take your boy to the bayou. Update me after you talk to your brother. We need to move fast. LePlatt’s men are likely looking for Jean-Charles.”

“You know the quality of my work. They aren’t going to find him.”

“Go eat your dinner. No one wants to be around you when you’re hungry.” He ended the call.

After I’d eaten several slices of pizza, I did a walkthrough of the property, assessing security. I didn’t see any sign of someone being sent to follow up on Jean-Charles’s failure to bring Travis in. When I let myself back into the apartment, Travis had fallen asleep reading in a chair. I loved the fact that he still read fantasy novels.

The one in his hand had a woman on the cover astride a unicorn with a sword in her hand. After the first time I read aloud to him, I’d quickly worked my way through the series he’d gotten me started on and picked up several others he recommended. Eventually, I went back to rarely reading anything but nonfiction about weapons, hunting, cars, and then late nineteenth-century architecture as I finished up project after project on the house.

I carried Travis to bed, but I wasn’t ready to sleep, so I picked up his book and began reading. I’d only meant to sample a chapter, but hours passed before I realized how late it had gotten. The woman on the cover was strong and loyal. She underestimated just how much she could accomplish, but when a wizard invaded her kingdom, she ended up leading a rebellion. I was sure she would win in the end because nothing else could possibly be right. The woman who had struggled so much to find her own strength needed to take back the place that she loved.