“Everything was in place, and there was nothing to suggest things wouldn’t go according to plan. I had no way of knowing they’d end up—” He caught himself in time to prevent revealing too much. “Look, I know this is less than ideal. Trust me, I was just as pissed as you are when I discovered there’d been a problem securing the funds. But I’m already looking into another avenue, and?—”
“Another avenue, another excuse.”
That churning in his stomach had turned to full-blown nausea. You didn’t cross a man like the one on the other end of the line, and you damn sure didn’t come between him and his money.
He’d just as soon kill you as wait another minute for his cash.
The thought wasn’t one of exaggeration. It was a fact. Either he got this man his money, and soon, or his ass would be just as dead as those incompetent terrorists he’d hired.
“I’ve always come through for you in the past, haven’t I?” His question was rhetorical.
“It’s the only reason you’re still breathing.”
Breathing is definitely good.
“Okay, so I just need you to trust in the relationship we’ve built and consider my past performance as proof that I am a man of my word. Trust me, Iwillget you your money.”
The sooner, the better.
“I don’t trust anyone,” the man nearly growled. “However, you have always done right by me in the past, so I will give you one last extension. Just know that if you fuck me over on this again, there will be no additional chances. And remember… I, too, am a man of my word.”
Yes!
“Thank you!” He wanted to cry with relief. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”
The line remained silent, and it took him a moment to realize the other man had already ended the call. He blew out a breath and shut the burner phone as he rounded his large cherry mahogany desk.
Pulling out the bottom left drawer, he dug beneath the stack of folders and lifted the plywood panel designed to keep the small space hidden from view. He dropped the phone inside and replaced the drawer’s false bottom, rearranging the file folders so they appeared to have been left undisturbed.
After shutting the drawer, he secured its lock with the small key attached to his personal keychain. He then slid the keys backinto the pocket of his dress pants before returning to where he’d been standing at the front of his desk.
He stared down at the near-empty double old-fashioned glass he’d abandoned early into the call. Picking it up, he brought its smooth edge to his lips before tipping his head back and downing its remaining contents.
His legs trembled slightly as they carried him over to the impressive stone fireplace taking up much of his office’s west wall. With the glass still in his hand, he lifted it out in front of him. Turning it slowly, he appreciated its intricate dips and grooves as the sun’s natural light shone upon it from the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows behind him.
Made of the finest Waterford crystal, the glass was like everything else he possessed. Expensive, high-end luxury that screamedI have money. And those with all the money, well…
We hold all the power.
Problem was he didn’t have any money. Not really. Every cent he had belonged to someone else.
It was how the game was played, and he was perfectly fine with it. As long as the score remained in his favor, that is. And unless he came up with another way to get the ten million he owed, he’d lose everything he’d worked his entire life to achieve.
Who are you trying to kid? You don’t find that son of a bitch’s money, your ass will be dead.
In an explosion of maddening rage, he lifted the empty glass into the air and threw it as hard as he could into the fireplace’s brick-lined firebox. Shards of crystal shattered on impact, scattered around the unlit logs and wrought iron grate.
Damn you, Evelynn. You were supposed to be my ticket out.
The beads of sweat returned as his mind raced to come up with another way to get the money. He had no idea where the spoiled bitch was or who had helped her escape. But it didn’t matter.
He needed a new plan. A foolproof way that wouldn’t end with a bullet in his head.
There wasn’t time to reinvent the wheel, so he’d have to adjust his original plan. He’d have to kidnap Evelynn again. He’d found her once. He could do it again. And this time, he’d make sure she was kept in a place that was inescapable.
Once the ransom money was paid and he had the cash in hand, he’d dispose of Evelynn to avoid leaving behind a witness, pay off his debt, and then…
And then, I’ll be home free.