Harlan bit nervously at the inside of her cheek, standing close to Marc Azeela, a man who had thrown her life into disarray. “If you know who killed Angus then why not go to the police?”

“You really don’t know how this works, do you?” Marc asked, folding his arms across his chest arrogantly. “It’s almost cute.”

“Then why tell me?” Harlan challenged, feeling like this was all a big game, and she had no chance of winning.

“Why did I tell you? Because you want to know,” he quipped. “I think somewhere in the back of your mind you were hoping you’d get the answer to this. You don’t strike me as a woman who can just let things go. Clearly.”

“But what will it matter? It’s not like you’re going to march down to the police station and make a statement. So if you’re going to obstruct justice, at least do it quietly.”

“Not on your life,” he grinned. “No matter the circumstance, you wouldn’t catch me sitting with the cops. But you should know Larry did it. He’s an idiot, one of those guys that thinks he’s going to make something of himself in an organization even though he’s not cut out for it. We call them hangers, because all they do is hang around us and wait for an opportunity to prove themselves. The problem was, he screwed up all the time. Notorious for it really. Earned the nickname Loser Larry. And what’s sad was he was excited to get the nickname, he didn’t care what it was.”

“He worked for you?” Harlan pressed, biting at her lip to keep from screaming in frustration.

“No, he didn’t work for me.” Marc laughed. “He wished, but I never gave him the chance. But the moron got wind of our list. Which places we serve.”

“Serve? You mean extort money from to protect them from your own people and the problems you create?” The look on his face made it clear she was pressing her luck.

“Larry figured any of the places on the list that weren’t paying must have been a deal my other guys couldn’t close. Maybe they were holding out, and he would be the mastermind to get them to pay. If he could, he thought that would be enough to seal the deal for him. He started with the wrong guy though.”

“Angus wasn’t paying because he was your friend,” Harlan said, testing out the information Genie had given her at the restaurant.

“Like family,” Marc corrected. “He and my father went to elementary school together. He was a great man. One of the best.”

“And Larry killed him, thinking that would win him favor with you?” Harlan asked, only imagining how bad that must have backfired.

“I doubt he intended to kill Angus, but knowing the old bird he’d have put up a fight if someone came to rob him. Larry, being the asshole moron he was, probably panicked.”

“Wait,” Harlan said, shaking her head in disbelief. “A man you hate killed a man you cared about, and yet he’s walking around free? Maybe I didn’t need to come here looking for you to promise anything. Your reputation must be all talk.”

“Don’t test the theory,” Marc hissed, his eyes blazing with threats. “The only reason Larry is still breathing is because he’s doing something for me now no one else would be stupid enough to sign up for. He’s a sacrificial lamb who’s on his way to be slaughtered. He just doesn’t know when or how.”

“But an innocent man is rotting in jail for a murder he didn’t commit.” Harlan shook her head in judgment.

“The prisons are full of innocent men. If you don’t believe that, you’re a fool. The system is a mess and for all the judgment people put on me and my organization, the real criminals wear judge robes and prison guard uniforms. At least we live by a code. Things you can count on.”

“He deserves his freedom,” Harlan pleaded, wondering if she could convince Marc for one more favor.

“You only get one wish from the genie, and you already cashed yours in. Find another way to get your boy out and tell that friend of yours to stop coming after Larry. I’m not done with him yet.”

“Or else?” she asked, her words cut off by the loud buzzer that rang when a goal was scored.

“Goodbye, Harlan. Let’s make sure this is the last time we cross paths. Especially here.” Marc turned on his heel and walked away without another word.

Harlan wanted to snatch her phone from her purse and call Dallas. Heading toward her car, she began to think through how she’d get the words out. How would she explain why she was with Marc? It would infuriate Dallas to know she’d done something so dangerous without any security. But the affirmation that Larry killed Angus would be welcomed news.

She could practically picture Dallas on the other end of the phone, once he got over her news about how she’d gotten the information. The first thing he’d do when he hung up . . .

The very first thing he’d do . . . was exactly what Marc had just demanded they stop. Dallas would press harder, he’d dig deeper, and he’d cross Marc and his men along the way.

Harlan wasn’t sure what she should do, but she knew what she wouldn’t do. There was no way she’d be gasoline on Dallas’s fire. They were apart now. For a good reason. Maybe it was best she kept it that way.