Page 54 of Smoke Screen
“They move quick. A couple rounds with the FBI and they kick her to the curb?”
“Pretty much. Zero loyalty. I didn’t know what else to do. She needed a safe place to stay and we can provide that.”
Before Zeke could respond, an idea so superb filled Phin’s mind he nearly cried. Should he do it? Should he put his finger on his brother’s hot button and pound on that fucker?
In general, no. Except …
“I guess,” Phin said, “I could call Reid and see if he’d let her stay at the hotel they built behind the training center. Security there is good.”
Phin met his brother’s gaze, offering up a smirk because the rock-solid way to irritate any of his brothers would be to suggest asking their Steele cousins for help.
“Good one,” Zeke said. “You fucker.”
They both knew their mother wouldneverallow Maddy to leave their place for the Steeles’. Mom was a Steele and her brother’s family owned a massive piece of property on which one of his cousins, a former Green Beret, had built a law-enforcement training center.
Not that they were bad folks. The weird tension that had developed over the years just impeded rational thinking and Phin was bastard enough to use it against his family.
If they plopped Maddy at their cousin’s place, all of Steele Ridge would gossip about those “shady” Blackwells.
Plus, Zeke was competitive. He’d never admit the Steeles’ security was as good as theirs.
So, yeah, Phin pulled out his grenade launcher and fired it.
“The other thing,” Phin said, “is she can help us identify the assets. She set up that exhibit. Handled each piece herself. She probably knows them better than anybody. And, I don’t think I need to remind you that you brought Liv and Brodie here last month to protect them.”
Zeke rested his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Pops, if you’re listening, give me strength to get through this day without killing him. That’s all I need.”
Zeke. Total pisser.
A few seconds passed before Zeke took his gaze from the ceiling and sat forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “It’s done now. We can’t shove her out the door.”
“We could, but it’d be shitty. And, despite what some people think, we’re not shitty.”
“She’s in the guest suite?”
“Yeah. The one by Rohan. I told her to call me when she got settled.”
“Have either of you eaten?”
“No. That’s next up.”
Zeke stood. “Let’s go find Mom. Explain what’s going on and get you both some dinner. Then we’ll update you. Cruz has been backing up Rohan and working the dark web all day.”
The dark web. An absolute beehive of illegal bartering. Stolen art and collectibles were no exception. “He’s posing as a collector?”
“Yeah. He’s weeding through chat rooms.”
“Anything with potential?”
“Couple of people said they had the stuff, but when he pressed them on details, they were sketchy.”
Scammers weren’t unusual after a big heist. People out to make a quick score often posed as the thieves trying to unload goods. They’d either ransom or sell the pieces to inexperienced buyers, receive payment by way of bitcoin, never produce the items, and once again disappear into the bowels of the dark web.
The Blackwells had been in this game way too long to not identify those creeps.
Zeke waved Phin from his chair and strode into the main area where Cruz and Rohan banged away at laptops.
“Oh, good.” Rohan cracked, “he’s still alive.”
