Alice took a deep breath and sighed. “There is much more going on here than you realize. Far beyond what happened in the past.”
“So tell me, what is going on?” she said.
Alice looked at her, fiddling with the sleeve of her bathrobe. “The less you know the better.”
Sydney felt a surge of anger flood through her body. She was tired of being a pawn in whatever game was being played here. Half-truths, hidden pasts, and fake identities weren’t going to cut it anymore. Her friend was dead and a man just tried to attack her during a couple’s massage. She sat up in her chair and slammed her hand on the lacquered wood table.
“Listen, Alice. I am tired of everyone feeding me bullshit answers. Either you tell me what you know, or I’ll share my photos of the birth certificates on my Instagram feed.”
“You wouldn’t do that to Ethan.”
Sydney narrowed her eyes at Alice. “Try me,” she said.
The two women stared at each other for a moment, seeing who would blink first. Alice had a toughness about her that had intimidated Sydney at first. But after everything she had been through, she refused to let anyone get the best of her. She kept still, staring at Alice, willing her to spill the beans.
“Okay, fine,” said Alice, breaking their trance. “You haven’t known Jack and Ethan too long, have you?”
“It’s been a little over a year.” As Sydney said the words, her gaze drifted to the upper right corner of the room, as the memories of Jack tried to pull her into the past.
Jack was one of those people whom she had met at just the right place, in the right time. Two years ago she found herself jaded and alone. Well, not totally alone; both she and Marissa had recently ended relationships. They were back on the singles scene but as a team.
It was a Thursday, or maybe Friday? In those days, all the martini-soaked evenings ran together. This night was somewhat special, as it was her birthday. Sydney was unlucky enough to be born in the dead of winter, just after Christmas in January, when no one had any money left for gifts and the weather in the Midwest was just short of arctic. Not a great time of year for al fresco dining or an outdoor birthday party.
Marissa and Sydney had stashed themselves away in the corner of Mic’s Martini Bar & Grill in downtown Chicago. They were drowning their sorrows in dirty martinis and calamari bites but still laughing and having a good time. Just as they were about to head home to sleep off their vodka-sponsored hangover, two fresh glasses arrived.
Smiling from the bar were not one, but two tall, good looking men. Sydney nearly choked on her blue cheese–stuffed olives. She wondered if there was absinthe in her glass, because there was no way identical twins could be that perfect. Both of them had thick brown hair with auburn highlights that caught dim red lights from the bar, and they each stood over six feet tall with broad, muscular shoulders that held lean frames. But even from across the room, she could pick out some distinguishing features. Jack, whose name she would soon learn, had a closely cropped beard and longer hair. He had a more rugged look to him. Ethan, on the other hand, was clean-cut and freshly shaved, and he wore a preppy sport coat. Both men were striking on their own, but standing next to each other, you couldn’t help but stare.
She smiled at Jack, and with a slight nod of her head invited him over to join them. The air of charisma around the two men was almost palpable. On that night, as they laughed and got to know each other, she knew that Jack was going to be in her life for a long time, possibly forever.
What she didn’t know until now was that he had been lying to her from day one. She shuffled her thoughts back to the present.
“You’re a smart woman, Sydney,” said Alice. “Do you think it’s possible that there were a few things that you didn’t know about your husband and his brother? I know that you post a lot of your life on social media, but did you ever wonder why the brothers did not want their pictures taken?”
Sydney wanted to be offended, but Alice had a point. She looked down at her hands. How well had I known Jack? We’d only been together a year before he died.
Sydney sighed. “Yes, it’s possible.” She looked back up at Alice and straightened her shoulders. Jack and Ethan rarely had their photos taken—something about owning a well-known company and keeping their online resume clean. In fact, neither of them had a Facebook page or even a LinkedIn profile. It wasn’t completely unheard of for someone in their thirties to opt out of the world of social media, but Sydney did find it odd.
“The truth is that the brothers changed their identities so they could have a fresh start. And they had a good run, while it lasted. But some of Ethan’s old habits got them in trouble. He has made some poor decisions that have not only put DoubleDownCasino.com at risk, but possibly even his life at risk.”
“Why?”
Alice cocked her head and gave Sydney a thoughtful look. “Did you ever wonder where the boys got the seed money to start DoubleDownCasino.com?”
“Well, Jack told me they took on investors.”
“One investor. His name is Vincente Estavez—or the Latin Gangster, as many people in the gambling world refer to him. He was and is a very dangerous man. He found the brothers while he was searching for a partner to start operations in the U.S. The FBI has been trying to bring him down for years, but they can’t find a way to break into his inner circle.” She brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and leaned in to the table. “That is, until Ethan and Jack came along.”
Sydney stared at Alice in disbelief. She knew that DoubleDownCasino.com had to operate in some legal grey areas to make the business work, but the idea that the investment funds came from a South American gangster seemed like a bit of a stretch. But considering the events of the last forty-eight hours, Sydney was more willing to suspend her disbelief than ever.
Alice leaned back again. “I believe that it was Estavez who had Lizzy killed. He wanted to send a message.” Alice paused for a moment, letting the idea hang in the air between them. She reached forward and placed her hand on the gun. “And that is why I have a gun. Because I would do anything for Ethan, but I don’t want to die.”
Sydney studied her, trying to decide what to believe. She knew Ethan had a habit of getting into trouble; it had only taken a trip or two with him and Jack to Las Vegas before she realized that Ethan had a bit of a gambling problem. But to be involved with someone as shady as Estavez? Not only was he putting himself at risk, but Marissa might be in danger as well.
The pieces of the puzzle started to fall together in her mind. Jack and Ethan’s sudden trips to Costa Rica for business. Alice’s locked filing cabinet. The FBI’s sudden interest in Lizzy’s death.
Alex!
Did Alex know about all of this and not tell her?
Of course he did.
Sydney felt anger spread like a heat wave over her body. She had trusted Alex, put her faith in his intentions to help find Lizzy’s killer. Maybe even let her guard down. And he had failed to share any of this with her.
Sydney suddenly stood up, causing the gun to wobble on the table. She straightened the front of her dress and began stamping toward the door.
“Thank you, Alice. You’ve really helped shed some light on this whole thing,” she said as she strode past her.
Alice turned her head, watching as she reached the door. “Where are you going?”