“Do you really think that the person who scoured the world for every single one of your accounts would somehow overlook the cheap Wi-Fi enabled cameras you purchased off of Amazon?” I clucked my tongue. “He would never be so sloppy.”
Dick’s face reddened, and for a moment I was concerned for his coronary health. I mean, no one would truly mourn the man if he died of a heart attack, but I’d assured DB that this little venture would require no body disposal and indeed had rejected his offer of wet work.
Was I disturbed that wet work had been on the table? Or that I’d had to Google the term just to make sure I knew what he was talking about? Of course. But it was better to have those kinds of people on your side than against you.
“What do you want from me?” he asked, fear creeping into his rage.
“I already told you. Release Hendrix from his contract. Cancel the remaining shows and let him go.”
“I stand to make millions off of that contract,” he said, his voice low and rough.
“If that’s the case, why would you ever offer him an early out?” I asked, suspecting I already knew the answer.
“It was fun to grind that little shit into the ground,” he admitted. “I knew he’d never be able to complete the tour, though I will say he got further than I expected. Canceling his days off to send him to Mexico was my idea,” he added. “Worked, too.”
He went on to brag that he’d forced someone to open up a spot for Hendrix and his group on the music festival’s docket. I clenched my fists, willing myself not to call DB and tell him I’d changed my mind about Anders’ involvement. Instead, I scrolled down to the next shell company and hit the button, blitzing that company and all its assets out of existence.
That company had been exactly the size of Hendrix’s contract.
I held up my phone. DeWitt had been so enamored of his little speech that it took a moment for him to realize what I was doing.
I waited till I had his full attention, then hit another button.
His shocked expression was very, very satisfying.
“What the fuck did you just do?” he asked, circling the desk. “And why the fuck do you care about some punk nobody?”
He’d gotten a little spitty, what with all the yelling, so I stepped out of the line of fire. “Please calm down, Mr. DeWitt. If I end up with so much as a scratch on me, my boss is going to send over his brother-in-law, who has a meat hook in his kill room.”
It turned out that DB’s husband was Anders’ twin, and their combined organizations had been working in Texas for years to keep the worst of society at bay.
Wet work, indeed.
“Fuck. You.”
“No. Fuckyou, Mr. DeWitt.” I obliterated another one of his holdings. “To answer your other question, I care because Hendrix Cavanaugh is the love of my life. I’d do anything for him.”
“Then why didn’t you just do your little magic trick and disappear his contract? Why are you destroying years of my work?”
I shrugged. “Oh, I can do that, too. I just figured that we should come to an understanding first.”
“What kind of understanding? You’re trying to make me think that you’ve blown away millions in assets,” he said, breathing heavily. “Which I doubt. Though, if I’ve lost anything, I’ll have you investigated for theft and blackmail.” All certainty had left his voice, and his threats did nothing but spur me on.
“If you take any action against me, Mr. DeWitt, I’ll erase the rest of your assets and trigger a hostile takeover of your legitimate business ventures. I figured if I showed you how easily I could delete all of your tax dodges, you might be amenable to simply letting Hendrix go. That said, it’s your choice.”
“The second you walk out of this office, I’m calling the police.”
“To say what? Complain that I destroyed your”—I looked through the list and found the shell company that supportedfentanyl distribution in the Pacific Northwest—“drug-dealing operations?” I said, tapping the screen.
“Stop!”
My finger hovered above the next name on the list. “Yes?”
“Fine. I’ll release him from his contract. You’ll get the paperwork this afternoon.”
Despite my calm exterior, I was thrilled to see the man who’d done so much to stall this town’s progress brought to his knees.
“Excellent. I thought you’d see it my way.” I tapped my chin. “Just in case you were still thinking of going to the authorities or attempting any extralegal means of retribution, my friend with the meat hook is an evergreen threat to your safety and wellness. Just ask Chase,” I said, crooking my little finger.
