“He’s too much of a risk.”
Damen stepped in front of Demarco, who sagged in relief.
“Look, I know he’s your twin brother, but you’re in this too deep, Damen. We have to get rid of him. You can wait out in the car. I’ll do it.”
“No. He goes in the room downstairs.” Damen faced Demarco. “Come on.”
Demarco stood and Damen gestured for him to go to the basement. With Tony still aiming the gun, about to kill him anyway, Demarco went ahead of Damen.
In the basement, he entered the room and Damen closed the door and locked it.
“You can’t keep me in here forever,” Demarco said, watching Damen play with the key and realize what he was saying. Eventually he’d have to let Tony kill him.
“Damen, this is wrong. Get rid of that guy and let me help you. I’ll get you a good lawyer for the hit-and-run and Collette’s murder. It’s not too late. You can still have a good life.”
“Shut up. Don’t talk. I’m going to make a lot of money.”
“Not if you’re in prison. Korbin said the police have DNA evidence. Is it yours? Tony doesn’t care what happens to you. He will walk away from this. It will only be you who is arrested.”
Damen grabbed the bars with one hand. “I said shut up! That isn’t true!”
“It is true. You’ll be arrested.”
“Only if I’m caught.”
Demarco had to try another tactic. “What about me, Damen? What about you and me?”
“You always had it good. Everything is always so easy for you. Your wife. Your career. It all fell right into place. You don’t know what it’s like to have to struggle for everything.”
“You could have had the same.”
“No, I couldn’t. You were the smart one. Well, you weren’t so smart when you followed me, were you?”
“A life of crime isn’t a life, Damen. You’re going to get yourself killed or sent to prison.”
“You’re as bad as Korbin. Mr. Too Good is what the both of you are. A couple of Mr. Too Goods.”
“Let’s go, Damen.”
Demarco had to reach through to his brother. Somehow. “What are you going to do after you make your money?”
“Take a vacation.”
“What about me?”
“What about you? Are you going to rat me out?”
This time when he answered, he’d be lying. “Of course not. You’re my brother.”
“Well, then I suppose when I can trust you, I’ll let you go.”
Behind him, Tony snorted. “Like that’ll ever happen.”
Damen turned to him. He didn’t like being laughed at. When they were kids, a boy had bullied him in the playground. Damen had started swinging on a swing and the boy had begun teasing him. There was a girl in the swing next to him. It was all very stupid. The bully had said Damen was a girl because he liked to swing with girls. He didn’t play sports like other boys. The boy laughed at him. Damen had stopped swinging, got up and went over and punched the boy. Got him so good he sailed onto his backside and bled out of his nose. He’d been the first of many.