Page 130 of Jake's Angel

Vincenzo walks to the bar and pours himself two fingers of whiskey and drinks it down. Pouring himself another, he turns and tips the bottle, offering us a drink. I pass, while a few of the others take him up on the offer, pouring themselves a glass.

Vincenzo sits behind his desk, relaxing back in his chair, one ankle resting on the other knee. “Do you know why Avery wanted to come to Devil’s Canyon?”

The office is nearly as large as his living room.

Gabe sits in the chair across from the desk with Caleb in the seat beside him. Vincenzo’s men have taken up their place at either side of him. I’m standing near the doorway with Hawk to my left. The rest are filtered throughout the room.

“I thought you said they had a connection to whoever murdered George, so you brought her here. But I’ve been thinking about it, and we already know who killed George. He’s no longer breathing.”

“True. Mr. Matthews was the one who pulled the trigger, but he was not the one who gave the order. He was simply the messenger,” Vincenzo says. “And though I brought the girls here, it wasn’t for my own purpose at first. They were planning on coming before I intervened.”

“How do you know this?” Pop asks. “Why?”

“It seems your brother, Thomas, has contacted your daughter, Avery, and has asked her to meet him here to discuss your wife’s murder. To plead his case, as it were.”

Gabe’s on his feet quick. “What the hell? How did he know about her? How’d he find her?” He looks at Caleb, who shrugs. Pop shakes his head. He has no clue.

Vincenzo nods then takes a drink of whiskey. Rolling his finger around the rim of the glass. “Do you know what information he may have for her?”

“I don’t have a clue. Unless he’s looking to finish the job.”

“I don’t believe he intends to harm her. He seems to be trying to protect her. Perhaps he has information he wants her to pass along to the club to help with this,” Vincenzo says, rounding the top of his glass with his finger.

“Why would he want her to tell us? Why not come tell us himself?” Ethan asks from his spot on the couch.

“Because he would be shot on sight—the fucking traitor,” Jameson snaps.

Vincenzo tips his head as if to agree. “Exactly. So, maybe he thinks by telling Miss West his side of the story, you’ll listen. Hear him out.”

“We already knowhis side.” Gabe hisses.“The Devil’s Order set up the hit and Thomas was working with them. He went after my wife and my daughter. You don’t think I was next? He didn’t have plans to take my seat at the table and drive this club into the fucking ground,” Gabe scoffs. “When Maggie died, Thomas went off the grid. Heknewhe earned what’s coming for him. We hadn’t heard from him in years until now.”

“We always assumed the DO had killed Thomas because he brought a war to them they didn’t want,” Caleb adds.

Vincenzo leans forward on his desk. “I have reason to believe it was not the Devil’s Order who was ultimately behind your wife’s death.” The atmosphere in the room changes. Hawk and I both push off the wall at the same time. There are a lot of twitchy trigger fingers in this room and we’re standing next to the only exit.

Gabe slams his hands down on the desk in front of him. Both Matteo and Santiago pull their weapons.

Ah shit.

Everyone is on their feet. Pop and Declan lean in closer, but don’t draw their weapons. Parisi’s words drew us all in like a magnet. Vincenzo puts his hand up, signaling his men to put away their weapons. Our guys all relax their stance but stay mindful and alert.

“What the fuck do you mean?” Gabe is visibly fighting to control his temper. The vein in his temple is throbbing, his jaw clenched.

“Devil’s Order executed the kill, but they were not the ones who issued the hit on your wife.” Parisi reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out a manilla envelope, passing it across the desk to Gabe. He takes it and sits back down in his chair as he pulls everything out.

“What is it, Pres?” Hawk inquires.

“It’s a birth certificate, legal papers, and some photos.” Gabe flips through the pages.

“Maggie has a brother. No father is listed. But Eleanor was the mother.” Gabe looks up expectantly, waiting for Parisi to fill in the blanks.

“The father was not Russell. The birth of the boy is dated at the time Russell was overseas with his platoon.”

“Does Russell know?” Caleb asks.

“He does. And his response to finding out was to write Eleanor out of everything.” Vincenzo takes another sip of his whiskey. “Originally, Eleanor was the beneficiary of Russell’s fortune, with a few exceptions set aside for Maggie. When Russell discovered Eleanor’s deception, he put everything in Maggie’s name, leaving her mother with only her country club and their summer home in Florida.”

“And Eleanor discovered this,” Pop states.