Blalock flushed, sweating profusely as he yelled, “Don’t you get it? Some of those fucking recordings were about the Luchesi family! You fucking knew it the whole time! Now they think I’m actually working for you! They think I’ve double crossed them!”
“That’s unfortunate, Mr. Blalock.”
“You fucking heartless son of a bitch!” Blalock was starting to cry. “Fix this! You have to tell them I didn’t know! They’re going to kill me!”
“Sounds like a personal problem.” Cold shrugged. “Perhaps you should have taken that into consideration before using my husband as bait and trying to kill me. Next time, tell Gary...” He smirked nastily. “Oh, silly me. That’s right. There won’t be a next time for Gary.”
Blalock paled.
“And there won’t be for you,” Cold drawled, glancing down at his nails. “Unless... oh, I don’t suppose you’d be very interested.”
“Interested in what?” Blalock asked desperately.
“Coming over to the winning side,” Cold said with a smirk.
“What...?”
“Should I use smaller words?”
“You want me to work for you,” Blalock scoffed weakly. He took out his handkerchief and dabbed at his face. “To betray the Luchesi family.”
“Fun fact,” Cold chirped, sounding almost gleeful. “They already think you have. Our friends at the FBI are going to come to the conclusion that you’re playing both sides if you don’t make a decision... but perhaps I could talk to them.”
“And if I do agree to help you?” Blalock was suspicious now. “How can you guarantee that? Who the hell do you have at the FBI?”
“Someone who can make the evidence against you go away,” Cold replied. “I can clear your slate of your pesky dealings with the Luchesi family.”
“And what the hell do I have to do in return?”
“Nothing any worse than what you did for the Luchesis,” Cold replied smoothly. “Very soon, Miss Beccali is going to file a motion to have my charges dismissed.”
“Ha,” Blalock said miserably. “Of course she is. You’ve destroyed our case.” He held out his hands miserably. “There’s nothing left to fucking prosecute you with.”
“Which is why you’re going to make sure there is no appeal to the judge’s ruling when the motion is passed,” Cold warned. “The city is going to let me walk.”
“Fine,” Blalock agreed glumly. He wiped off his forehead and put his handkerchief away. “I’ll do it.”
“Oh, and you’re going to file charges against Agent Champignon.”
“What?”
“You’re going to name him as the informant who’s been leaking information to the Luchesi family. After all, how else did they know where to find poor Mr. Potolsky?”
“And the receipts at the prison?”
“Obviously, those were from Champignon. They were tagged to you by mistake. A clerical error that’s easily resolved.”
“The recordings?”
“Champignon’s name is the last one on the chain of custody, not yours.”
Blalock collapsed into a nearby chair, holding his face in his hands.
Even under the spell of Cold’s unrelenting touch, Jimmy was in awe of his power. Cold’s plan was all coming together so perfectly, and Blalock was completely trapped.
Jerry offered Blalock a glass of liquor, and Blalock gulped it down so fast that he almost choked. He stared miserably at Cold, sighing, “I knew you were smart. That stunt you pulled last year was a real piece of work. But this...”
Cold smiled.
