Hopeful.
Loyal.
All she wanted in return was to be loved and cared for. Those desires ran deep. Too deep. Consuming her identity and turning her into a magnet for men like Derrick.
Narcissist.
Cheaters.
Hypocrites.
Misogynists.
An unpleasant human with enough money to help the helpless and hopeless forget just how unkind he was.
His financial firm was a huge asset to the triad. However, his business was no longer wanted. He was becoming a liability.Sloppy. Loud.And, again, very unpleasant.
The retrieval of his ledger was detrimental to the success of our departure. He held too many of our coins to end his life. Therapy required bloodshed. Even if it didn’t start that way, it would end that way. It always did.
The contacts, codes, and passwords Odessa had taken from his computers would allow us to operate at his capacity without his help while simultaneously funneling our money through the systems he created so that every dollar was washed clean and stored in more secure accounts that he didn’t have access to.
“You’re far too pretty to be so fucking stupid, babe. Tighten up. In that folder is the best divorce attorney in all of Huffington. They owe us a favor. Use the contact. Take everything.”
Tearfully, she shook her head.
“He’s worked so hard for everything he has.”
“And your stupidity has helped him build every brick he’s used to get to where he is now. Take it all, Odessa. You deserve it.”
“I–”
“I’ve read your medical records. I don’t want to hear what he’s trained you to believe. Whatever beliefs he pounded into your skull has to be dismantled. Right now. Right here. This is your opportunity to run. And, run far.”
Quietly, she stared at me, eyes tearful and heart heavy. Her nostrils widened as she tried not to release the tears in her eyes.
“He’s all I know.”
“You have to become all you know. For you– for the children–”
“He’ll just find me. He always finds me.”
“The month is drawing to a close. I can be certain he won’t find you. Eve–”
“No. Please.”
Sucking my teeth, I tilted my head.
“I don’t mean it that way,” she clarified. “I just want him alive. If I make it out of this marriage, I want him alive to see it. To feel it. To feel my absence.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
“I’ll call the attorney.”
“And, if they can’t get you what you need from him, I will handle it.”
“I don’t understand. I thought we–”
“Everything that was once his will become yours, down to the pennies.”
