“None of this was about the girl.” Brian lied. His underlying anger was definitely about her. “And, yeah, I did.”
Liam dragged a hand down his face. “These antics make you look weak. Not only that, you’ve put us all in a precarious situation!”
Right or wrong, Brian had some pride. He wasn’t going to let Liam continue to talk to him that way. “I’m not weak! I made a mistake.” He raised his voice. “Did we not just leave a private room where you raised a bet by four-hundred thousand dollars? How many hundreds of thousands would you have pissed away had you lost? I’m sure you probably had already dropped several hundred thousand in that big ass pot before I arrived.”
“What’s that to me? I’m worth billions. I would never wager more than I could afford to lose. And, if you haven’t figured this out yet, genius, your bet doesn’t just affect you! If you lose, you’ll be diluting the company with criminals.” Liam tried to gain some measure of control. Although he was ready to explode, he lowered his voice. “If you lose and have to give up your shares to the Luccesses, the FBI, CIA, DEA, and every other government agency will be at our offices within minutes of it happening.”
Brian’s pride wouldn’t allow him to back down or blame it on a night of drinking. “If I don’t follow through, you might as well call in the order for my casket, and that’s if they can find my body.”
Liam wanted to wring Brian’s neck as he looked down at his little brother. Liam had Brian’s six feet by about four inches. His fists clenched at his sides as he fought back the urge to smash it into Brian’s face. Liam thought better of it. That’s all he needed was for him to do something stupid that would make the blogs. Liam took a couple of deep breaths and stepped back. His night was ruined. There would be no enjoying the spoils of his win or the body of a beautiful woman. Instead, he needed to get on the phone with his lawyers and business managers to develop a plan in the event Brian had to give up his shares. Liam would be damned if he let that happen, but he still had to plan for the worst-case scenario.
Liam turned and started walking away from the club’s main floor and toward the parking garage. He barked at one of his bodyguards. “Change of plans. Have them bring the car around.”
“Are you going to help me or not?” Brian called out after him.
Liam kept walking. His mind was racing. Brian had most likely been set up and didn’t even realize it. He didn’t have a choice but to help him. The Luccesses had been trying to launder their dirty money through the Lockwood businesses for years. However, their father, and now Liam, had managed to protect their family and companies from it.
Brian kept yelling as Liam walked farther and farther away. “Anthony’s family has a car in the NASCAR Cup Series in Atlanta. My car has to beat his.”
Liam stopped walking and dropped his head to his chest. He couldn’t believe it. “You don’t even own a fuckin’ car!”
Brian quickly jogged over and caught up to Liam. “Actually, I found a car and a driver that I think could win. The good news is that the team he works for is in financial trouble, and I can buy it for about twenty mil. The problem is NASCAR requires a million dollars in fees straight off, and the team upkeep is around twenty million a year.”
“You’re throwing around millions like it’s not a lot of money.”
“You just said ‘what’s a few hundred thousand when you’re worth billions.’ ”
“I’m worth billions, Brian! Not you. ME! Basically, you’re asking that I sign-off on almost the entirety of your trust fund over a stupid ass bet?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but I’m positive this team can win.”
“I’m supposed to take your word for it when you’ve already proven that you have bad judgment?” Liam looked heavenward. This had to be a joke. He couldn’t believe Brian would be this foolish, not just with his own money but with their family’s company. “This can’t be real.”
For the first time, Brian looked guilty. “I wish it weren’t.”
Liam shook his head in sheer amazement of the stupidity of it all. “You do realize you have to pay to enter the race in Atlanta? Those races are not free.” The boy had no idea what he was doing, and what pissed Liam off even more was that Anthony probably knew it. They were toying with Brian, which meant they were toying with him.
Brian could see the wheels turning in Liam’s head. That was a good sign. “This team qualified in two Majors last year. I have a shot at fixing all of this. But if I’m going to buy the team, I have to move on it right away.”
Have mercy. Brian didn’t know the first thing about cars, racing, or anything else in that world. Liam started walking again. He needed to put as much distance between him and his younger brother as possible before he did something he would regret. “I didn’t say I was going to help you. As a matter-of-fact, if I can’t figure something else out . . .” Liam’s bodyguard held open the elevator doors that led to the parking garage. Liam pivoted to face Brian. “Get prepared to swim with the fishes, and it won’t be at the hands of the Luccesse family.”
Chapter 3
It was strange sleeping in her old bedroom. Colby had been home for a visit a little over six months ago, but that
