“In here,” he said, not enjoying his father’s use of his fake name. The loss of his identity was one of the things he was angriest about. His name was something he’d been proud of since it carried his father’s legacy into the future. That was lost to him now.

His father put his arms around him and held him for a long while. It had been months since they’d seen each other, and he’d missed the only man he’d ever trusted completely. “Anthony, I’ve missed you, boy.”

“Dad.” He couldn’t stop the tears that came at the feel of his father against him. Nothing in life replaced the feeling of having someone in your corner who’d never betray you. Family was the one thing that proved you weren’t alone. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Me too. You’ve done good so far, but we need to talk about the rest,” his father said while their heads were still close together. “There’s still a lot left undone, but I’m here to help.”

“I’ve done plenty, but there’s some stuff that can put us at the top of the game if we get it done right. It’s a gamble, though.”

His father sat down and put his hand on Jerome’s knee. “That’s what I’m here for, son. Nothing is too much of a gamble if you stack the deck.”

Chapter Nine

The number of vehicles that pulled away from the house off St. Charles made Nicola think Casey was running like a scared bitch, and it left her with nothing to do but wait. The windows on every vehicle were tinted so she couldn’t see who was in the entourage, but that didn’t bother her as much as trying to figure out where they were going. With the feds following, she couldn’t get too close as they headed to the airport at the lake. All Nicola saw was the cars driving into a large hangar and two planes leaving. It was a lost opportunity to riddle the vehicles with bullets and deal with them all at once.

“Do you want to go back to the city?” Nina asked as they drove back toward their hotel. “I’ll leave a few guys behind to watch for when they come back, if you want to head home.”

“What you need to do is find out where they’re going. If Casey figured out we’re here, she’s running scared, so I don’t mind following her.” She made a fist and relaxed it in a methodical motion, trying to ease the pain in her hand. Today it hurt much worse than the ache in her head, and she blamed the damn humidity in this swamp. “Try to remember that I’m in charge, so keep those helpful hints to yourself.”