Burn (Virtues & Lies 1)
Prologue
MAXWELL
Cutting the end of my Cuban, I wait for Francis and Christopher to settle as I light it evenly. The fire crackles in the silence enveloping the small drawing room facing the dark lake. The quiet darkness is one of the things I love about the North. We’re just touching the edge of Scotland, and although the nights are cold, they’re clear. Beautiful and serene.
“Sit.” I tell them when they both stand looking at me, like they’re in a hurry to get back to the dining room and the gossiping.
“What’s going on, Max?” Francis comes closer, leaning on the back of the armchair opposite mine, rather than taking a seat.
“I received those from the priest today.” They both follow my gesture to the coffee table. Francis reaches for the envelope and makes quick work of going through the contents.
“They know.”
“What’s going on?”
“Sit down, Christopher.” He looks to his dad, and when Francis sits, he follows suit.
“It was only a matter of time before they found out we were onto them.” Blowing on my cigar I let Francis finish going through the envelope.
“Max.” I know the moment he finds the photos, his face pales and he gets this wild look in his eyes that is a promise of all the things he’ll do to keep our girls safe.
“We need to close ranks. Keep it close, Francis. And you need to make sure that Penny and Cassie are ready for anything that might happen. Emily knows what to do if things go south, and these things always have a way of going that way.”
“We’ve discussed this, Penny doesn’t want Cassie to know. She’s a baby still.”
“She’s a woman, and she needs to know the dangers around her so she can guard herself.” No man wants to be the one to show their child the darkness of the world around them, but sometimes it’s the best thing for them.
This is what’s best for Cassandra. Regardless of whether or not I want to keep my granddaughter innocent or not.
Leaning forward, Christopher lights a cigarette and once he’s drawn a lungful and blown it out, he says, “Why does she need to know now?”
“Because that’s the only way to keep her safe. You don’t need to dig to find her, she’s right there in the open.”
“She is safe!” Francis grits, I can understand why he thinks that. But he’s wrong.
“Those photos say otherwise!” Dropping the cigar into the ashtray, I sit forward, bringing myself closer to him. “She won’t be safe until this is over, and until then the only way to make sure nothing happens to her is to make her aware of what could.”
“No.”
“Grandad’s got a point, Dad.” Christopher stands, rounding the coffee table before he sits on the edge of it and takes the papers in his father’s hands. “If she knows…”
“No.”
“Why?”
“You’re the lawyer, you tell me what happens when you break confidentiality.”
Christopher looks over the photos of his mother and sister.
“Those change everything. If she’s a target, she needs to be aware of it.”
“Grandad’s right.”
“Francis, we have no idea who we’re dealing with. We have a list of transactions and one lead. But they know about Torch, secret operation or not, they know, and they are coming for us. If you don’t tell Cassie, you are making her an open target.”
“She doesn’t know; she isn’t going to know. End of.” Francis stands, taking the papers from Christopher, he throws them in the fire.
“Burning them won’t make it go away. Do the right thing.”
Chapter 1
Cassandra
Watching as my mother wipes another tear from her glistening eyes, I find myself incapable of doing the same to mine. It seems wrong to brush off my pain when it’s the only thing that seems to be the perfect companion for all the love I have for my grandfather. My heart sinks painfully lower into my belly, the acid withering it a little more.