Page 11 of Smoke Screen
“What else is going on?” Ash asked.
“With?”
“Anything. How’s business?”
“Good.”
Phin glanced at Zeke and let out a silent chuckle over Zeke’s refusal to give Ash any deets. A toddler-esque, but entertaining move.
“Zeke, you’re an ass,” Ash said, his tone lacking any heat.
At that, Phin cracked up. His brothers. Had to love ‘em.
“Mom said it’s been busy,” Ash continued. “Any new clients?”
Zeke met Phin’s eye and Phin knew exactly where this would go.
“You show me yours,” Zeke said, “and I’ll show you mine.”
Toddler.
Phin shook his head. Somehow he’d entered the deathtrap known as the relationship between his two oldest brothers.
“Uh, no,” Ash said.
“Imet an interesting woman last night,” Phin offered. “The insanely attractive Maddy Carmichael.”
“The Thompson Center’s Maddy Carmichael?”
“Yep.”
“Why was she there?”
Ever so slowly, Zeke inched his head back and forth. As if Phin would blurt it after the whole I’ll-show-you-mine nonsense.
“Beats me,” Phin said. “Kayla introduced us. If nothing else, she’s a great contact.”
“Did she say anything about the heist?”
“Just that the FBI was on it. Shame about those Pierre pieces.”
“The goal is to recover them before they’re dismantled.”
“Yes,” Zeke said. “The historical value alone makes them priceless. Good thing only the Pierres are missing.”
A long pause came from the other end of the line, and Zeke flashed a smile.
As much as Zeke enjoyed it, this wasnotfun. Phin hated hiding things from his family. Secrets gave him a damned rash.
But this was the tone Ash had set early on. The boundary between his job and family.
The hard truth of it was, Phin didn’t blame him for not sharing intel. Sharing meant risking his cases. If nothing else, Phin admired Ash’s loyalty to Lady Justice.
Even if it alienated his family.
The silence dragged on, sucking the oxygen from the room. Time to end this little chat. “Okay,” Phin said. “Gotta go. Work to do.”
“Me too,” Ash said. “I’m up to my nuts here, but I told Mom I’d get out there this weekend.”
