“You’re going to get a hell of one out of my sister. Now, do your brother-in-law a solid and get me some pizza. Or red beans and rice. Or some of Remy’s gumbo.” Dre slapped his abs. “Getting shot and hiding out from my mother makes me hungry. Then I’ll destroy you in video game fashion and we’ll figure a way out of this.”

Rene’s heart felt too tight. He hadn’t expected this, but he knew there was no way out. “Dre, you have to be angry.”

Dre’s expression softened. “No, I don’t. You seem to think I should rage at you because you slept with my sister, like she’s something I own that’s off limits to you. Sylvie is a force of nature, and I would never try to put her in a box. I had a problem with it before because she was still figuring out who she was. She needed that time. She doesn’t now. She knows what she wants and how to get it, and she would never allow herself to be used. I’m not saying she knows your heart. She took a risk, but only because she thought you were worth it. I would make a bet that she still thinks so.”

Every word cut like a knife. “I don’t know about that. She was standing right there when I had the fight with my mother. She didn’t like the fact that I put a PI on Louis. I had every right to do that, but Sylvie took exception. He’s lost a lot of money lately.”

“People make bad business deals,” Dre said with a shrug. “That doesn’t mean he’s not in love with your mom. It doesn’t mean he’s terrible.”

“Someone is working with Charles.”

Dre snorted at the thought. “Well, it’s not Louis.”

How could he be sure? And there were other things to worry about. His mother wasn’t the only one who could get hurt. “Charles has some information on Sylvie. I can’t let it get out.”

For the first time Dre got serious. “What has he got on her?”

He was still in a rage over how Charles planned to use Sylvie. “Nothing real, but it could look that way. He claims she had an affair with a married man in DC, a politician she worked for. It could hurt her here, and she seems to want to stay. He said he’s got a file on her. None of it will be real, but honestly, it wouldn’t matter if it was. I would still protect her.”

“And that is why I am not angry at anyone except Charles, who is going to get the fight you wanted.” Dre’s hands went to his hips. “I know some hackers. I can make Charles’s life . . . difficult.”