Page 53 of Merger
We all leaned in.
Lance piped up. “I cleaned it up as much as I could.”
Gwen took a large sip of her drink. "It's a simple search then. I can run facial recognition and we should find this asshole in no time. Then I can get my life back.”
I didn't know what it was, but I couldn't keep my eyes off my wife. There was something in her smile, the way she interacted with each of my friends, the ease of being with her. This was what family felt like.
I glanced over in the corner, wondering what Morgan and Lance were fighting about this time. Was I supposed to do something about that now? She was my sister. She had said that she was happy she now had a big brother, but did that include interference?
I had no idea how to navigate that. Micah had been easy. Honestly, most of the time I thought the kid was smarter than I was, but he had wanted a big brother, so he tagged along everywhere behind me. It was easy to look out for him in most instances.
Except with your father.
I glanced over at Gwen to see if she was clocking what was happening, but she was engaged in an animated conversation with Gavin about his daughter. I'd have to figure out the Morgan situation later.
Reaching out absently, I stroked my wife’s shoulder, and the shift in her weight toward me made me smile.
When I raised my gaze, Micah was lifting a brow at me. I just shrugged at him and grinned. Then he gave me a knowing nod and turned his attention back to whatever the hell Rowan had been saying.
Gwen's laptop finally beeped and she stood. "We've got a match."
My gut twisted as I considered it. The sooner we could get this fucker off the street, the better. So why was I suddenly anxious?
"A Peter Reeser?" Gwen said with a question in her voice.
She glanced up at me as if I knew him. But I immediately shook my head and said, "It doesn't ring a bell." I turned my attention to my brother, who also shook his head. It was my secondary gaze to Pierce that had my stomach twisting.
"I know the name," he said, his voice low. "He's an assassin."
"An assassin?" I asked, not really surprised, given how efficient he’d been.
Pierce's gray eyes were clear but grave. "Yeah, one I know by name."
My gut knotted. Pierce had seen a lot of shit. Shit I didn't even know about. Things he couldn't talk about. I knew that during those years that he'd gone dark from my life he'd been through some stuff. But now he knew assassins?
"That means he was hired,” I said, stating the obvious. “Which means Dad is still in play."
Micah nodded. "I'll go talk to him."
I shook my head. "You are the last person who needs to talk to Dad."
The firm line of Micah's lips told me just what he thought of that, but I didn't give a fuck. I wasn't letting him talk to the old man. I'd talk to him.
You mean kill him?
Gavin, being Gavin, volunteered. "Look, how about I go interview the old man? I'll even notify his lawyer that we need to speak to him, and we can figure out how he knows Reeser."
Pierce cleared his throat then rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't need to do that. Now that I'm seeing a photo of Reeser, I realize I've seen him before."
I frowned at him. "What the fuck do you mean you've seen him before? From your old life or recently?”
He dragged in a deep breath. "I know the name from before. But the face is recently familiar."
I shifted in my seat. Automatically, Gwen leaned toward me, as did my brother.
Was I that volatile?
Well, it looks like you might beat your best friend's ass, so it’s entirely possible that you are that volatile.
