Dallas nodded along. “Yet, the Saint James family is who is being targeted. Anthony can’t be taken down any further than he already was, but Adele…”
My jaw ticked. “Why her? Why now?”
His head tilted. “I think we both know the answer to that, boss. Richard knows where your loyalty lies and it’s not with him, or else you would’ve had him as a partner by now at IM. The more I dug into Pratt, the more I saw his investments in businesses outside his area of expertise. He’s in it with Murphy, which means—”
“He paid off the reporter to make Murphy owe him,” I said, rolling it around in my brain. It made sense. He all but threatened to do the same with me, except I wasn’t involved in the lives that he and a few others were. Unlike Anthony, I kept my nose clean. I kept my social circle small. Non-existent. The most he had on me was my aching dick that always stood to full attention whenever Della was around these days. Not necessarily comparable in the grand scheme of drugs, money laundering, and a fuck ton more that I refused to even acknowledge given their nature.
“This reporter, McAllister, did you speak to him directly?”
Dallas rested his hands on his stomach as he got comfortable in the chair. “Persuaded him to give me the list himself, but I’d put my money on it not being the only copy.”
“And what did he say about Richard?”
“Very little.”
I figured as much. “Presumably, Pratt has another copy of the list. Wouldn’t be surprised if it makes the news yet. Did he say anything about other outlets getting it?”
“No. But…” Dallas shifted slightly. “I confirmed the reason he reached out to Lydia Saint James. McAllister has a soft spot for her. Apparently the two used to be cozy once upon a time, which is probably the only reason he agreed to meet me after I reached out.”
My laugh was dry. “Did this asshole honestly think he had a chance? If he was going to release the list, then that would ruin any hope for him and Lydia. She loved her brother.” How did they know each other anyway? Lydia didn’t live in the city. She kept her distance from the lifestyle because of how people lived. I didn’t blame her. Some days, I wished I’d done the same.
Shaking my head, I stood and turned to look out the window that showcased the city skyline. “Money talks more than anything else, I suppose. It’s always worked that way.”
“I don’t think he was doing this just because of money,” he commented hesitantly.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I looked at him skeptically. “Then what? Why would a reporter who has a sweet spot for Lydia go after her niece? They might not be close, but he would have to know he’d be fucked if Lydia found out what he’d been doing behind her back. Hell, if she finds out he was part of the reason the media decided Anthony’s guilt, she probably wouldn’t forgive him.”
His tongue swiped across his bottom lip, his eyes not quite meeting mine. Whatever he knew, he didn’t want to tell me.
“What is it, Dallas?” I growled at him.
His shoulders tensed. “He didn’t outright tell me this, but I think he’s afraid of Pratt. He alluded to him getting into deeper things than we knew. Everybody knows the guy blackmails people to do his dirty work, but McAllister made it seem like he’d lost control.”
My body went rigid. “How so?”
“Again, this wasn’t something he told me directly. I think he was too scared to—”
“Out. With. It.”
“I have reason to believe that Richard Pratt was involved with the murder of Anthony.” He paused to evaluate my expression, which turned cold in an instant. I straightened to full height with my jaw locked so tight it hurt. “Listen, there were a lot of phone records at Rikers Island between Anthony and his lawyer leading up to his death. It was an abnormal amount which meant they probably had a lot to talk about. Things that Richard and others might not have wanted out.”
“He was going to list names of conspirators.”
One of Dallas’s shoulders lifted. “It’s probable. Hell, word around the district attorney’s office was that Saint James was never supposed to be transferred to Rikers in the first place.”
My brows furrowed. “What?”
“I don’t know how much truth is in it, but apparently he was supposed to go to Lincoln. The fact that he went to one of the most notorious prisons known for its brutality says a lot that backs up McAllister’s fear. It was in his eyes, Theo. The man knew not to cross Pratt. Makes sense if you think about it. Pratt has a hand in just about any business you could imagine. If he went too far, he probably doesn’t know how to quit and wasn’t about to let Anthony talk.”
I let that soak in for a moment, my anger rising higher and higher until I was sure my face was red, and steam threatened to billow out of my ears. “It was a set up,” I murmured in realization, cursing, and scrubbing a palm down my face. “If Pratt hired somebody on the inside to take down Anthony so he wouldn’t talk about co-conspirators in the scandal, nobody would think twice about his death because of how many fatalities the prison has in an average week.”
All Dallas did was nod with a grim look on his face.
I cursed again before dropping down into my chair and exhaling heavily. “Adele can’t find out about this yet. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” There was a pause as I stared down at the list of names. “I’ve been keeping your secrets
