It’s fine.I cross my legs, pick at a loose thread on my pants, and try not to think about Sterling, lifeless in another room.
I can’t stop hearing his scream when I was slapped.
The sound of him hitting the floor.Seeing the guns pointed at his face.
Fuck.It’s probably ridiculous to worry about him.He’s the most capable person here.No doubt he’s already talking his way into an exclusive, and what am I doing?
The minutes pass slowly.
My stomach rumbles, loud enough to hear.I could really go for that burger now.
Tegan’s voice is small.A whisper.“All I want is a pint of cookies and cream.”
I lean closer, resting our shoulders together.She presses into it.
“When I was little,” I say softly, “I used to sneak into the kitchen when I thought my parents were asleep and eat the top layer straight out of the carton so they wouldn’t know it was gone.Then my brother would dig a ditch in it and ruin the secret.”
Her smile fights through the fear.“Rose used to do that too.”
The plan was for me to ease into the conversation.Tegan doesn’t know who I am or why I’m here, and if we weren’t in the middle of a robbery, I would have taken my time, but the longer we’re here, the more panicked and scared she’ll be.
No.It’s a risk I have to take.
“Your sister-in-law works for a bad man, Tegan.”
Her eyes widen.
I continue, as gently as I can, “We know he’s been funneling money into hidden accounts at this bank.We know an LLC was registered under the name Peachee at the same time that a sizable amount of money went missing from last year’s profit statement.We know that money was used to attempt voter fraud.We also know it’s not Cox’s name tied to that company.I think he used you and your sister to hide that money.”
Tegan’s gone white.
I put my hand on her knee.“If this goes public, he isn’t the one who’ll pay the price, Tegan.It’ll be Rose, and it’ll be you because he designed it that way.”
Her face crumples in an instant.“He told us if we said no, he’d bury us in court.I can’t … I’m still paying off my student loans.I couldn’t do that to my parents.”
“I know.”
“I’m scared,” she whispers, rubbing at one eye with her knuckle.“Rose keeps telling me not to worry, but she’s too close to him.She says he’s a genius and he’ll look after us because we’ve proven our loyalty, but ever since she started working for him, it’s like she’s a different person.I barely see her anymore.He’s got her wrapped around his finger.”
I want to be sick.First, it’s late nights, weekends; then it’s separating her from her family and friends.Until there’s no one else she trusts but him.
I want to ruin Cox so badly that even the sound of his name will make people gag.
“Can you protect us?”she asks, fresh tears in her eyes.
Can we?I want to.
“I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”
Sterling trustsThe Observer’s lawyers to protect him, but it might not be enough.Cox is massively wealthy.Guys like that built the very system that protects them.
“What will I need to do?”
“We need proof that Cox knew about this, that he knows what the money was used for and signed off on it.Ideally, you and your sister would make a statement.”
She shakes her head.“He’ll just deny everything.No one will believe us.”
“We have to try.”
