I could see the wheels turning in Jasper’s head as he tried to figure out how to stay on top of all of this without dropping any of the million balls he had in the air at any given time.
“Terry,” he called out and his right-hand man strolled into the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I need you to trail Addison Beck for the next week, at least. I wanna know where she goes and what she does, who she talks to, what she eats and who she fucks. Everything.”
Terry gave a short nod and pulled his car keys from his pocket. “Keep an eye out just in case she’s too friendly with someone she shouldn’t be?”
Jas smiled. “Fucking right, brother.” And with those words, Terry walked out to do as he was ordered. When Jasper turned back to the family, his expression was inscrutable once again. “We can’t deal with anymore heat, not right now. Got me?” His gaze landed on each of us and lingered, but none longer than on Sadie.
“Understood,” she said eventually and stamped out her cigarette. “Since we’re here, we have two other matters to discuss. Bonnie. And Savannah Rhymer.”
“Bonnie’s fine,” I insisted even though her earlier behavior might call those words into question, if anyone thought to question me. “She’s getting better.” Another lie that was more a product of wishful thinking than maliciousness. She’d been jonesing for a score when I last saw her, and the only way to know for sure, was time.
And spying.
“You sure?” Jasper asked, his expression serious. “Because we can get her help without her roaming around Glitz like a junkie and getting herself into more trouble. We don’t need the liability.”
Sadie nodded. “We need to watch her closely, Cal. Very carefully. Once she’s lost to the drugs, there’s nothing more we can do.” Her words and her message were loud and clear. Her gaze slid to Virgil, silently communicating that he’d have Maisie to deal with if it came to that.
Bonnie would have to get clean or she’d be cut loose.
Or worse.
“Understood.” I’d do my best to make sure it didn’t come to that, but that was a thought for another time. “Now let’s talk about Savannah Rhymer.”
Sadie nodded and picked up the phone, mumbling some words, presumably to Thomas. None of us knew his exact title, only that he was always around and never more than a few feet from Ma. Always. “Have Lance bring the Rhymer girl to the salon.”
“She’s here? For fuck’s sake, Ma. Why?”
Sadie shrugged. “We need to talk her. Now. No more bullshit. No more games.” She lit another cigarette and stood, squaring her shoulders. Readying for battle.
“What do you expect to learn from her Ma? Exactly?” Savannah Rhymer was no more a delicate flower than Kat or Sadie. Or Maisie. “She won’t crack and if she does, how can we be sure the intel will have any value?”
“She is now the heiress to The Crusaders, the Rhymer heiress as well.” Though it wasn’t as big as the Ashby empire, the Rhymers had a solid wall of legit businesses in and out of Glitz. But there were definitely a few we didn’t know about. Yet.
The Rhymers had been on the rise.
Until recently.
“The point is, if she’s going to inherit Rhymer’s estate, this is the perfect time to learn who she is. How tough she is. If she’s formidable,” Sadie said, letting her gaze slide to Jasper, taunting him, “then we’ll kill her. Unless Jas wants to play with his food before he kills it.”
Jasper let out a groan to show his annoyance, much like he did as a kid when Ma was too effusive in her praise.
“Thanks Ma,” he grumbled and rubbed he back of his head. “I’m with Cal. What do you want to know? Exactly,” he said, his tone firmer than he normally used with her.
“Why Glitz? Why us?” She shrugged and sucked down half a cigarette of smoke, holding it in as she contemplated her next words before finally, dramatically, exhaling. “Call me old school, but I’d like to know just how brutal I need to be with these motherfuckers.”
Virgil stood, nodding. “I’m with Ma. Just a few questions. No touching.”
“Unless she tries to escape,” Kat offered with a sugary smile. “What? I’m just saying.” She rolled her eyes, and for a moment we felt like a normal family. Just a moment.
In the next moment, Lance Decker walked in holding onto the cuffed prisoner. Navy SEAL down to his bones. His broad shoulders were twice the size of Savannah Rhymer, his curly blond hair cut down just shy of a buzzcut. His eyes missed nothing. He scanned the room, the people, looking for any threats and all the exits within the first two seconds.
“Chair,” he barked to no one in particular.