How was I supposed to?
Four nights ago, I caught my wife cheating on me. I actually saw her. I actually fucking saw her with my own two eyes.
Millicent had warned me. She said she saw Tag and Eloise in the park and they looked really friendly. Too friendly for her liking. Suspiciously friendly. Millicent hardly wanted to tell me, because the accusation was so serious.
She warned me, but I wouldn’t listen. I wouldn’t hear of it because there was no way that I would have believed that Eloise would do this to me. To hurt me and our family like this.
Things were bad between us, but damn. Damn it, I didn’t think they were so bad that the problems couldn’t be fixed. I didn’t think they were so bad that she took refuge in the arms of another man. One of my best friends.
Tag… I couldn’t begin to express the disappointment I felt about him. And the hurt to my heart was unbearable.
“I have everyone ready,” Agent Peterson replied with a sigh.
He was my contact with the feds. He’d helped me out a number of times and was a good associate to the business. Of course, I paid him well for his services, so he couldn’t exactly complain. He had the best of both worlds. He loved being a fed, but he also loved money. Who didn’t?
“Raphael, this is Tag we’re talking about. He’s not like you.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“He’s not as reasonable as you. He’s hot tempered and could retaliate. Can you seriously see him cooperating when we arrest him? He’s the kind to fire back and run.”
“You’re a fucking federal agent. You don’t allow the other guy to run from you. You know Tag, and come on, if he gives you trouble, you know what to do. Shoot the fucker.”
Yes, shoot the fucker. I was done with that guy. I’d known him for so long I couldn’t remember not knowing him. I would have trusted him with my most precious possessions. My wife and daughter.
I kept Eloise and Amelia out of business, kept them right out, but the two guys I trusted most were Marcus and Tag. Marcus met both Eloise and Amelia. When he moved to LA, Tag stepped up and became my consigliere. My confidant. A confidant and friend I trusted enough to introduce to my wife. I introduced the two right here in this house. We had him over for dinner one night. It was just the three of us while Amelia had a play date with her friend from ballet.
When he met Eloise, the two got on well, but I didn’t realize I’d just set in motion a train of disaster for myself.
That one meeting, just that one meeting years ago sealed my fate and crippled my marriage. I didn’t know how many more times the two met after, or when this affair started and became full blown because I didn’t have Tag back here after that. All I knew was it happened. Eloise came by the office a few times and would have seen him. It would make me crazy trying to figure it out. Trying to pinpoint the when and the where.
“You want me to kill him?”
“You kill who you have to.”
I seriously hoped this guy wouldn’t cross me the wrong way. Not today. He could come with his bullshit some other time, but not today.
This was the perfect plan. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
The diamonds were coming in on the shipment, smuggled in from South Africa. Tag, his three sons, myself, and a few of my guys were supposed to be there to collect. The plan was to set up and go in for the taking once the coast was clear. We’d been planning this for months. Before I knew of Tag’s deception and betrayal.
We’d checked times for when we could pull off this heist in the stealthiest way. Well, plans changed four nights ago when I watched him pounding into my wife.
I still couldn’t believe it. I’d followed Eloise, and she’d gone to Tag’s place. I snuck in the back and watched. I watched them together out of shock and horror.Sadness.
“You do what you need to do. Get it done and make sure there are no loose ends. He’ll be getting to the docks in about half an hour. Follow the directions I gave you.”
“Okay. I’ll check back in later.”
I hung up.
It was her reflection in the window that startled me, her in that red dress, that made me whirl around to face her.
Eloise was standing in the doorway. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and sorrow filled her beautiful face.
Shit.
I thought I was alone in the house. No one was supposed to be here. She said she was going shopping.
