Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4)(103)

“You know about the APBs on Scalero and Porter.”

He nods, the end of his cigarette burning brighter with his inhale.

“Your guys are about to get nailed for murder, with a witness.”

“With no line of sight on the actual murder.”

“So you’re saying you don’t consider her to be a threat?”

He exhales, smoke sailing out his nostrils and into the crisp air. “I didn’t say that.”

“I didn’t think so.”

His lips purse. “I never thought a woman would be the death of our friendship.”

“She isn’t. But you lying to me is.” I’m not used to being in this position with Bentley—the one in control of the situation. That’s what I feel like I finally have here—control of this f*cking disastrous situation. “Are they after her yet?” Now would be the ideal time to make Ivy disappear, before she’s able to listen to Scalero’s deep midwestern accent or see the burn scar covering the back of his hand, or study Porter’s profile, and confirm on a recorded lineup that, yes, these are the two men who killed a Medal of Honor veteran and her uncle. Once that official statement is made, getting rid of her won’t help them any.

“No.”

“You’re lying.”

“How would that look, the witness turning up dead hours after an APB goes out? Give me some credit.” He pauses to take another drag. “They’re in a secure location for the moment.”

“They need to answer for what they’ve done, Bentley. Tell me you know that.”

“I do. That’s why I called you the other day, but you refused to take the assignment and hung up on me.”

Scalero and Porter were my next assignment? “You mean I was going to be tasked with getting rid of those two so your ass is covered completely?” I chuckle, though none of this is funny. He must take me for an idiot.

He turns to meet my eyes, his hard and gray. “And what exactly is your plan, then, coming here? Is it any different?”

When I don’t answer—because getting rid of those two is exactly my plan—he continues. “Despite what you think, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I wouldn’t be standing here today if it weren’t for you. And you and I have saved tens of thousands of lives together. Maybe more. What I have built here? Fuck the media. Alliance is a powerful organization that does incredible things. Yes, I make a lot of money because of it. Yes, there are . . . hiccups . . . Bad seeds, like those two. But I won’t let them tear down my legacy to this country. I need Scalero and Porter dealt with before they can hurt anyone else. I wish I’d figured that out sooner. Save everyone a headache.”

“They do need to go. But they also need to answer for what they’ve done.”

I reach for my phone and Bentley’s eyes widen in a flash of panic. Holding the screen out for him, I press Play on the video. Royce’s voice breaks into the quiet peace of the vineyard, and understanding fills Bentley’s eyes.

“I made copies of the video. Several. You’ll never track them all down before they’re released, I can promise you that.” In this case, I’m bluffing. My dad has the only copy, and I’m sure he went straight to the bank to secure it in his safety-deposit box. “So if you’re lying to me and they’re out there looking for Ivy, you might want to stop them now.”

He doesn’t make a move for his phone. “What exactly do you want from me?”

“You’re going to tell me where Mario Scalero and Ricky Porter are right now.”

“There’s no need for the theatrics.” He gestures to the ended video. “We want the same thing.”

I don’t think he understands, exactly. But he will.

“Give me their location, and I’ll do the right thing.”

He sighs. “And then?”

“And then I’m going to walk away, and this arrangement of ours is over.” I can’t do this and live a normal life. “You’re going to forget about me, you’re going to forget about Ivy, and everyone wins.”

“It’s not that simple, Sebastian.”

“It is. Because if you don’t, and if for some reason something should happen to either Ivy or me, then everything I’ve done for you over the past five years will fall into big hands. Names, dates, locations, purposes. Everything.” While I may not have listened to my father’s warning when Bentley first invited me to work for him, I did hear it. And it ate at me, an insipid voice that grew louder and louder, until I couldn’t completely ignore it. And so I began documenting critical details, figuring that if something ever happened to me, my father could see firsthand that I was doing good, that his disappointing son was making a difference, was saving lives. Maybe he would finally approve of me.

Never did I think I’d be using that information as leverage against Bentley, and yet here I am, doing exactly that.

Bentley’s eyes narrow. He thinks I’ve betrayed him. He’s right, but I don’t really have a choice.

“As long as nothing happens to either of us, that information will never see the light of day,” I promise.

“How can I believe—”

“Because unlike you, I can be trusted.”

Bentley chews the inside of his mouth. He’s always been good at knowing when he’s cornered, with no way out. It rarely happens. “I’m not going to walk away from this unscathed, am I?”