Chloe embraced David with the strength of a bear, listening to him repeatedly tell her how happy he was to see her again and how much he had missed her. Matthew impatiently stood against the wall of windows in the conference room, waiting for the reunion to come to an end. When David and Chloe broke their hug and took their seats, Matthew moved to his seat at the head of the table.
Beaming a smile, David turned to Matthew. “It’s so good to have her back, isn’t it, Matthew?” When Matthew didn’t answer, David smiled and turned to Chloe. “You and I will go out to lunch and catch up.”
“That would be lovely.”
Matthew’s scowl turned to indifference as David addressed him. “Now, let’s get down to business. I would like to arrange a meeting with all of the underbosses of the Family. We will hold the meeting here, in Boston. There is business to discuss and announcements to be made.”
This news was unexpected and Chloe could see the wheels turning in Matthew’s head. She also saw intrigue.
“Is there anything in particular you would like them to know about this meeting so they can prepare?” Matthew asked.
“Nothing that can’t wait,” David replied with the wave of his hand. To Chloe, he said, “You’ll make the arrangements?”
“I would be happy to,” Chloe said with a smile. “It’s so good to see you, David. How have you been?”
“Better than I thought I would be at this age. Maybe I should retire.” David let out a hearty laugh while Chloe watched Matthew’s wheels spin faster.
“All I know for sure,” David continued, “is that I’m getting older, I’m widowed six years now, my son is gone, and people I love are leaving me. Even Sasha. I haven’t heard from her in months.”
At the mention of Sasha, Matthew’s body tensed and his eyes burned with hate, but Chloe ignored him.
“Really?” Chloe asked, a slight pang of loss for her friend kept to herself. “Did she finally meet a strange and mysterious man who swept her off her feet?”
“Ha!” David exclaimed, playing along. “I think it would be wonderful if she did; however, she went to California to see her sickly mother and I haven’t heard from her.”
“Speaking of strange and mysterious men,” Matthew chimed in, “it has recently been brought to my attention that the Family has caught the government’s eye. Specifically, the FBI.”
Chloe’s features didn’t give away the surprise and fear she was actually feeling, which meant Matthew wasn’t getting the reaction he wanted. She knew that no matter what she heard going forward, she had to react as if she wasn’t already aware of the truth. David’s reaction was exactly as expected when the Boss of the Lundy Family found out that the government was keeping tabs on him—inquiring, furious, and determined to shut any investigation down.
“What do you know?” David asked.
“There is an agent in New Orleans—two agents actually—who have taken an interest in our Family.”
“Would their interest have anything at all to do with our former employees showing up on the news every other week?” Chloe asked.
Matthew shot a malicious look at Chloe then turned his attention back to David. “Jack called to let me know that a former associate by the name of Mack Finley was willing to turn against us in exchange for government protection. Because Finley was in his jurisdiction, and these two agents are subordinates of Jack’s, he has been keeping an eye on the situation. I was informed that Mr. Finley was prepared to talk, then suddenly changed his mind, deciding to stay in jail instead of facing the consequences of speaking out against the Family. Mr. Finley went back to his cell, fell asleep, and never woke up.”
David stated the obvious. “You have been in this business far too long not to consider the fact that if they are able to connect Finley to this Family, and the fact that he worked for you, you will become the target of their investigation.”
“I’m not that naïve, David,” Matthew said as he nodded in Chloe’s direction, “but, on the other hand, it’s possible they could suspect Renee.”
Chloe’s head snapped up. “Me?”
“You have the tattoo and you have recently been in Louisiana,” Matthew stated. “If you were careless, it’s possible someone has been watching you, which brings about a bigger problem. If they are watching you or looking for you, once you come out of hiding in Boston, they could easily find you and connect you to the Family. That would be a problem we would want to resolve before it becomes a reality.”
Chloe and David exchanged a look that said they were both thinking the same thing—Matthew would use this as an excuse to either eliminate Chloe or use her to get David’s position of power.
“What are you suggesting, Matthew?” David asked.
“Like I said, I talked to Jack and he and I are both in agreement that these two agents of his need to be quietly and quickly eliminated in order to prevent any kind of investigation against Renee, or the Family, from becoming a reality. I have already sent Tucker to New Orleans.”
There was no way she could warn Hunter. Chloe tried to keep shock out of her voice. “He’s already there?”
“If these two agents aren’t stopped, they could ruin me and everything I have worked for in a matter of weeks,” Matthew said sternly. The fact that he was talking only about his own ruination did not go unnoticed. “Tucker needs to be there on my behalf to make sure their death is imminent.”
Reading between the lines, Chloe knew Matthew was more than worried. Her father had finally realized the enormity of the mistakes he had been making, all the while David had been sitting back and letting Matthew braid his own hanging rope. How he obtained Hunter and Judd’s names wasn’t important at the moment. What was important was that over the years, Matthew had ignored David’s golden rule of staying out of the spotlight and not drawing attention to the Family through the media, and was now facing the possibility of irreparable consequences. Matthew’s arrogance had finally gotten the best of him and he realized that he was not invincible. Even though he tried to justify and rationalize placing the focus of the blame on Finley or Chloe, he knew all evidence would lead back to him if Hunter and Judd weren’t killed first.
Finally, David gave a curt nod. “You’ll keep me posted, I assume?”
“Of course,” Matthew said. Then to Chloe said, “In the meantime, we have a meeting to set up. I’ll leave the details to you.”