Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers #2)(60)
Author: Jamie McGuire

Thomas worked his jaw back and forth. “Abby gets points for creativity, Trav, but the records show that you purchased the tickets on your credit card well after the fire started.”

Travis simply nodded. “I’m listening.”

“I’ve also been working on a case involving a money-laundering and drug-smuggling ring in Vegas. It’s run by a man named Benny Carlisi.”

“Benny?” Travis asked, clearly confused. “Tommy, are you fuckin’ serious right now? You’re in the motherfucking FBI.”

“Focus, Travis. We don’t have much time, and this is important,” Thomas snapped. “You’re in a lot of trouble. My boss is expecting an answer today. Do you understand?”

“What kind of trouble?” Travis sat back down on the couch.

“You’re looking at the same counts of manslaughter that Adam was charged with. You’re looking at prison time.”

“How long?” Travis asked. He seemed like a scared little boy when he looked up with his big brown eyes at his brother.

“Adam has ten years,” Thomas said, trying to retain his stoic expression. “I don’t see your sentence having a different outcome. The media has been all over this. They want retribution.”

Travis looked down, and his hands touched his head. “I can’t be away from Abby that long.”

His words tugged at my heart. He didn’t care about going to prison. He just didn’t want to be separated from his wife.

“You won’t have to go to prison, Travis,” I said. “Your brother has spent a lot of time and effort making sure that won’t happen. But you have to agree to something first.”

Travis glanced to Thomas and then back at me. “Like what?”

Thomas returned his hands to his pockets. “They want to recruit you, Trav.”

“The mob?” he asked. He shook his head. “I can’t fight for Benny. Abby will leave me.”

“Not the mob,” Thomas said. “The FBI.”

Travis laughed once. “What do they want with me? I’m a college kid…a fucking part-time personal trainer.”

“They want you to use your previous contact with Mick and Benny to gain intelligence on the inner workings of their illegal operations,” I said.

“They want you to work undercover,” Thomas clarified.

Travis stood and began to pace. “He’ll want me to fight for him, Tommy. I can’t do that. I’ll lose my wife.”

“Then, you’ll have to lie,” I said matter-of-factly.

Travis looked at me and then at his brother, crossing his arms. “Fuck you both. I won’t do it.”

“What?” Thomas said.

“I won’t lie to Pigeon.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes. “You don’t have a choice. You can either lie to Abby and keep her or go to prison and lose her.”

“I won’t lie. Can’t I tell her? She grew up around men like Benny. She won’t blab.”

Thomas shook his head. “You’ll put her in danger.”

“She’ll be in danger if I fuck with these guys! You think they’ll shoot me in the head and be done with it? People like that take out your entire family. We’ll be lucky if they stop with Abby. They’ll probably move on to Dad and Trent, Taylor, and Tyler, too! What the fuck have you done, Tommy?”

“Help me take them down, Travis,” Thomas said.

“You sold us out. For what? A goddamn promotion?” Travis shook his head.

I inwardly cringed. I knew Thomas was dying inside.

“Dad told us we couldn’t go into law enforcement. Mom didn’t want it!”

Thomas sighed. “Says the guy who’s majoring in criminal justice. You’re wasting time, Travis. Abby will be awake soon.”

“You fucked us all! You son of a bitch!” Travis screamed, punching at the air.

“Are you finished?” Thomas asked, his voice even.

“I won’t lie to Abby. If I have to lie to her, it’s a deal-breaker.”

“So, you’re not taking the deal?” Thomas asked.

Travis laced his hands on top of his head, looking distraught. “I can’t lie to my wife.” His arms fell to his sides, and his eyes glossed over. “Please don’t make me do this, Tommy.” His bottom lip quivered. “You’re my brother.”

Thomas stared him in the eyes, speechless.

I shifted to my other leg, keeping a confident stare. “Then, maybe you shouldn’t have engaged in an illegal activity that caused the deaths of a hundred and thirty-two college kids.”

Travis’s face crumbled, and then his head fell forward. After a full minute, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at me. “I’ll think about it,” he said, walking toward the door.

“Travis,” Thomas said, taking a step.

“I said I’ll think about it.”

I touched Thomas’s arm and then startled when the door slammed.

Thomas grabbed his knees, gasping for air, and then he collapsed onto the floor. I sat on the floor beside him, tightly holding him, while he quietly sobbed.

I nodded to Anthony again, insisting that he pour Thomas another drink. He hadn’t spoken after Travis agreed to recruitment or when we drove from the hotel to the airport. He hadn’t spoken a word during the plane ride. He’d merely gestured that we share a cab for the short ride to our building.

I hadn’t asked, but I’d told him that we were going to Cutter’s. It had been easy to convince him of things when he refused to protest.

“Jesus,” Val said quietly as she maneuvered her purse off her shoulder. She sat down. “He looks like hell.”

Marks sat on the other side of Thomas, allowing his friend to get drunk in peace. He popped a few peanuts into his mouth and stared at the television.

“He’ll be okay,” I said. “How’s Sawyer?”

Val made a face. “How would I know?”

“Really?” I deadpanned. “Are you really going to try to lie to me?”

She glared at the back of Thomas’s head. “Maddox told you?” she hissed.

“Yes, and he’s had a shitty weekend, so you can’t be mad at him. I, however, can be extremely pissed at you for holding back something so monumental when you’ve insisted on knowing every morsel of information about me.”

Val pouted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to know. I don’t want anyone to know. I wish it never happened.”