I would’ve told him it was much too late for that, but I wasn’t about to waste my breath.
“You’re still trying to blame someone else for this, huh?” Chuckling, I shook my head. “You’re a grown fucking man,” I sneered. “You were fucking jealous she left you for me. And I get it.” I shrugged, casually, giving him a sympathetic look. “I’d be fucked up in the head too if she left me. The difference, Cohen, between you and I, is I’d never give her a reason to leave me. She’s my soulmate. My wife. And mine to protect. You could never comprehend the magnitude of what she is to me. You’re just a fucking selfish, spoiled brat who didn’t get his way. Try as you might, you’re no different than him.” I gestured to Jack, whose head was now slumped over, blood slowly dripping from his nose. “You talk a big game about hating the wealthy, but it’s because deep down you know you don’t measure up. You’ve never worked for anything in your life. No wonder she didn’t want to be with you.”
Shaking my head in disgust at both of the losers in front of me, I pulled the gag free from Jack’s mouth.
“My father will find out about this. He won’t let you get away with this!”
I gave Jack a sardonic grin. “Well look whose balls decided to show up. Bravo! One last attempt to instill fear to get us … me to let you go.” I gave him a slow clap as I glanced around the room at Rick and the two men with him.
They all appeared unworried. Rick actually looked slightly bored.
“Sorry to inform you, but as we speak, your father is being handcuffed and carted off to a federal prison for corporate espionage. Meanwhile, his dear ol’ son is boarding a private plane to the South of France, along with his cousin, Cohen.” I turned to Rick. “That is where we booked the flights, correct?”
Rick gave a head nod. “That’s right.”
I held out my hands, turning back to Jack and Cohen. “See, so while you guys are living the life in Europe, partying it up, your dad and uncle will be rotting in a prison cell believing you sold him out and then bailed.” I inhaled deeply, and then let out a satisfied sigh. “Let’s quit wasting time and get this over with.”
The two men stood both Cohen and Jack up.
“W-wait! I d-didn’t do anything! We were never g-going to hurt anyone!” Jack insisted as we pushed them toward the back door.
I moved to stop in front of Jack, pulling him up by his hair so he could see my eyes. “Never going to hurt anyone? You tried to set up my wife, you fucking buffoon! To make it look like she was one of the main conspirators behind this shit! And don’t think I’m fucking naïve enough to believe you would’ve let her live to tell the truth! You think I don’t understand the depths of your deception, you fucking idiot?”
Jack began flailing, crouching down and eventually falling to the ground as I reigned punches along his face, chest, and body. I’d learned the levels to which he would’ve stooped to carry out this outlandish scheme of his. Rick had discovered Jack’s wire transfers to another PI who’d worked with him to follow Cohen and have him ‘accidentally’ bump into my wife on the street and at the Crown Jewel, taking pictures of them to make it appear as if they were in a relationship. Jack was to present me with this information, which he had weeks ago when he’d invited me to lunch. Once the divorce proceedings began, he was going to make it seem as if Deborah had been behind the espionage in partnership with some other employees at Townsend. Then he and Cohen had planned to do God knows what with Deborah before discarding her.
The very idea of these two fucking turds laying a finger on my wife sent me into a violent spiral. Once Jack had passed out, and my anger hadn’t let up, I started in on Cohen. I even went so far as to untie his hands so that he could put up a real fight. But like the pussy he was, he merely cowered to the floor.
“Jesus, I think they’re both dead!” one of Rick’s men said when I finally let up, breathing heavily, covered in their blood and other fluids.
“You fucking did our jobs,” the second one added, sounding slightly resentful.
“They’re not dead, just close to it. A bullet to the back of the skull will take care of them, and we still need to take them to the farm,” Rick reminded his guys.
I nodded, still breathing heavily and stepping out of the way as Rick’s men placed two bags over Cohen and Jack’s heads before carrying them outside.
“Pig farm isn't too far from here,” Rick mentioned.
“I’ll go.”
“No, yo—”
“I’m going,” I stated with finality. I wanted to see this finished with my own two eyes.
“Fine. You’ll need to change your clothes first.”
I took the sweatpants and shirt Rick handed me and headed to the first floor bathroom for a quick shower and to change. Once dressed, I met Rick and his men in the town car that Jack and I had driven to the cabin in. I was on automatic for the five minute drive from the cabin to the pig farm that was actually owned by my father, as was the cabin.
I didn’t watch Rick’s men as they stripped Cohen and Jack, and fed their corpses to the feeder that would provide the ‘meat’ to the hungry pigs. I wasn’t that fucking depraved. However, knowing the two were disposed of and would never be a threat to me or my family again did give me a sense of satisfaction. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders. But I wasn’t ready to go home to my wife yet. I wouldn’t defile her presence with the actions I’d just carried out.
Upon returning to the cabin, I called and informed Deborah that I had to take an emergency work trip to California for a few days. She was either too tired from the early stages of pregnancy, work, or both to ask too many questions. She did ask if I would be back in time for her doctor's visit, informing me that we might be able to get to listen to the baby’s heartbeat.
My own heartbeat quickened just knowing that. It was an appointment I wouldn’t miss for the world.
“There’s one more thing we need to take care of,” I told Rick.
“You want to be CEO.”
I nodded. I was coming for my father next.
