“What didn’t he?” Felix rolled his eyes, even as his stomach rolled with memories of what he’d had to do to get the information. “He confirmed Malcolm was in on the kidnapping and that they were his men. At least, most of them were. He also said there was another person involved, but he didn’t know who. Some of the men were that person’s. It seems like they’re working together toward the same or similar end. He gave me all the names that he had encountered and dealt with and where they stood in the grand scheme of things. For the most part, everyone else is just collateral or grunts to get the work done.”
“What is their end game?” Brett asked.
Felix shrugged. “That Maddox didn’t know. As much as he thinks he’s high up in the ranks, I don’t think he is, despite being Malcolm’s son. He doesn’t know enough about the players or the plan.” He glanced at Brett. “He mentioned Venus was a regular messenger for his dad.”
Brett tensed.
“What exactly did he say?” Dominic asked.
They went through it all. Felix told them everything Maddox had said, and it was only when he mentioned that Maddox kept laughing about being a fly in a fly trap that Brett froze and stared at him.
“What?” Felix said.
“What were his exact words?”
Felix swallowed. “He said, ‘It’s never been a cat-and-mouse game; it’s always been a fly and a flytrap.’ Why?”
Brett raked his fingers through his hair, locking them behind his head, and turned his back, cursing up a storm. Felix waited. He faced them again.
“I know who the other person is,” he said.
“Who?” Dominic asked.
Felix put it together the second before he said, “My sister.”
“She’s not just a messenger,” Felix said.
Dominic frowned at them. “Why would she be involved? I know Malcolm has taken over your family’s business, but why would she want to hurt you?”
Brett laughed, but there was no humour in it. “She’s always wanted me out of the way, but Father would never let her do anything. She and Malcolm have had an off and on relationship for years.”
“But how do you know it’s her?” Dominic said.
“The flytrap. Her first name is Venus, and she gained the nickname the ‘Venus flytrap’ at school after several relationships she had didn’t work out well.”
“But why after all this time?” Felix asked. “If she’s behind all these attacks, starting with Dominic and Randall, that was way before your father died and Malcolm got the seat.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s not her.” Brett scratched his head. “What else did Maddox say?”
Felix exhaled, trying to recall anything else he hadn’t already mentioned. “He visits his father more than we realised. Every week without fail. And he sent a check-in message every evening.”
“Where?” Brett asked. “And how did we not know this? I know every-fucking-thing!”
“In a back room of Bernie’s, the chip shop.”
Brett cursed. “Every fucking Friday, he has chips for dinner. He did it right in front of my fucking nose.” He shook his head, hands on his hips.
When Brett started cursing, everyone knew there would be trouble. Having a traitor within his team had hit him hard. Even though Brett had held back from Maddox right from the beginning, it wouldn’t hurt any less that his suspicions were true. He protected everyone with everything he had in him, so it would hurt for a while, and if Felix knew Brett at all, he would blame himself.
“Well, they would have figured it out by now, I’m sure,” Dominic said.
Brett shook his head. “They’ll have eyes on us. If itismy sister, she’ll know our next steps before we even take them.”
“How?” Dominic asked.
“The same way she got the roses into the chapel, the watch, the clothes, the…everything. She’s watching us, maybe listening to us.” Brett exhaled, his eyes narrowing. “I need to talk to Christian.”
Brett disappeared through the door without a goodbye, which everyone was used to, and Dominic blew out a long breath and settled into a seat beside him.