I gritted my teeth before responding. “You also know what he’s capable of, you just choose to turn a blind eye to it. What the fuck does this have to do with me? You know the ins and outs. I don’t even have a college degree. Hell, I don’t even know how many corporations you have your greedy fingers in these days.”
“You know I like to keep my investments diverse,” Jack replied before slowly taking a sip of his drink. I watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed, and I had to fight the urge to stab him in the jugular. “And no one else can handle this. We have to keep this under lock and key, Hamilton. If I start digging around, Joseph will get suspicious, and I’m worried his reaction won’t be good. If I tell him you decided to stop working on the rig and join the family business, it’ll be less obvious. He knows I’ve been trying to get you more involved. Joseph underestimates you. He’d expect me to give you some bullshit job with a cushy role.”
“Even if I did this, he wouldn’t buy it. I’ve never shown an interest in your work. The politics, the fortune. All of it.”
“Well, I suppose we’ll have to convince him otherwise. Perhaps you have a reason to want to climb the corporate ladder now? A certain girl you want to take care of? I’m sure we could find a reasonable explanation for your sudden interest in Beauregard Industries. I’m trying to keep this family from going to prison.”
I scoffed. “You’re trying to keep yourself out of prison. You don’t care about me. I’m not helping you. Let’s just get to the part where you blackmail me into getting what you want.”
Jack huffed. “I don’t want to blackmail you, Hamilton. I want us to work together to bring your brother down because he’s out of control.”
“I’m still not convinced. Explain what’s going on. Why do you think there is laundering?”
My father took another sip of his drink before continuing. “Basically, there are large sums of money I can’t account for in a few of my companies. There is a complex audit trail and a series of financial transactions that don’t make sense. I think Joseph has some illegal capital, and he’s using Beauregard Industries as a front to move funds around. One of my accountants brought it to my attention the night before Joseph’s wedding. We were going to assemble a team and research the odd transactions, but she was in a tragic yet peculiar car accident four days later.”
I swallowed. There was so much to dissect in his statement that I didn’t even know where to start. What did he mean by a peculiar car accident? “Do you think Joseph killed her?” I asked, my blood like ice.
“I think he’s involved with people capable of that. The IRS is constantly breathing down our necks, and something like this is usually caught in audits. It’s peculiar. I have some of my best men and women working it out, but we’re all coming up short. Whoever Joseph is in business with is damn good at what they do and has very high connections. I need to get to the source of it all before it’s too late.”
“What kind of illegal shit is Joseph into?” I asked while thinking of the drugs he used to do.
“Could be drugs again. Or it could be weapons. Human trafficking. I seriously have no idea,” Jack said.
“That’s seriously fucked up, Jack. Sounds to me like you have more problems than just your business being used to funnel illegal activities. Why don’t you go to the cops with your findings and let them handle it?” I curled my lip while looking down at my weak father. He was so wrapped up in his own corruption that he didn’t know right from wrong.
“Joseph is sloppy. Killing my accountant? And these funds are astronomical. I’m surprised I haven’t been flagged yet. I just want to save our legacy, Hamilton.”
“And I want nothing to do with this bullshit. If you’re truly innocent, let the feds handle it.”
My father let out a harsh exhale. “I don’t want, nor do I need, an investigation, Hamilton.”
So there was more going on? Dear old dad had too many skeletons in his closet. “I don’t want, nor do I need, to be involved,” I echoed.
Jack slammed his fist on the table, and I flinched, my triggers flooding to the surface of my consciousness with a vengeance. Joseph looked so much like our father. I stood up and straightened my spine, preparing for his rebuttal and aggression. “You will help me. Because there will be consequences if you don’t. And because you can’t resist bringing your brother down.”
Consequences? Jack didn’t know the meaning of the word. I’d burn down his house while he sleeps inside of it and spend the rest of my life in prison with a smile on my face.
Jack steadied his breathing and tilted his chin up. “Vera could have a very good life, you know. She loves her school. Her classes. Her apartment. She’s set up to have a nice career. The only thing holding her back really is her mother.” I didn’t want to be interested in what Jack was saying, but still I leaned closer to hear him better.
“Spit it out already, Jack. I’m bored with this.”
“I know you care about her. You wouldn’t be here right now if you didn’t. You can push her away, but I know you. I know how far you’re willing to go for the people you love.”
Cruel. My father was cruel for reminding me of that gruesome moment. The foam in her mouth. My burning, aching muscles as I tried to bring her back.
“Fuck you,” I growled.
My father wasn’t bothered by my words. “I’ll give her the world. I’ll keep her away from Joseph and me. I’ll encourage Joseph to divorce Lilah and provide the two of them with a nice settlement. I’ll never talk to her again, and she can go back to living her life, going to school, and staying out of Beauregard business.”
My mouth dried. His offer was tempting. “Don’t act like getting rid of Vera and Lilah is such a sacrifice,” I spat. “It’s obvious you hate Lilah.”
Jack’s eyes went glassy. “It’s curious how she managed to raise such a selfless, compassionate daughter.” He took another sip of his whiskey. “And yes. It wouldn’t be much of a hardship on my part, but something tells me that it would mean much more to you.”
He wasn’t wrong. I wanted Vera out of this. I wanted her far away from the Beauregard bullshit, especially if Joseph was dealing with some top shelf criminal activity.
“Vera is more than capable of getting out on her own if she wants to,” I replied.
Jack shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt to shove her in the right direction, though, no?”
“Tell me about your arrangement with her,” I pressed. If I were being honest, it still pissed me off that Vera was even working with him. She didn’t owe me anything, but I thought she was smarter than that.
“I’ve been trying to get you into the fold for years, Hamilton. I figured Vera would help motivate you to at least try and have a relationship with me.”
“And she agreed to this?” I asked in disbelief.
“Of course she did. I held her tuition and her mother’s safety over her head.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line and mulled over his words. I was pissed that Jack was holding this shit over her head. Pissed that she agreed to this bullshit plan. Didn’t she know me by now? Didn’t she know that I’d see through the bullshit and call her out?