Spade hit a couple of keys and the scrape of the chair echoed as he dragged his own closer to Roth’s.He sat, flipped open his notebook, and gave Roth a long, flat look.“Morning, sunshine.Ready for round two?”
Roth rolled his shoulders against the restraints.“You boys gonna kill me?Do me a favor and get on with it.All this waiting means I’ll end up leaving bodily fluids on your floor.”
“Not yet,” Spade said.“We need what you know.When your usefulness runs out, you won’t have time to worry about bathroom breaks.”
I caught a twitch at the corner of Atilla’s mouth -- a rare glimpse of amusement from our President.
Spade set his pen to paper.“Let’s talk Diaz,” he said.“Again.”
Roth snorted.“You think I’m going to hand you his head on a platter because you roughed me up a little?”
“I don’t need his head,” Spade said.“Not yet.I need his legs.The ones he stands on around here.Routes.Stashes.Names.We already have some from Jason.We want the rest.You help, I make sure your death is clean.You keep playing games…” He shrugged and looked at General.“We get creative.”
General’s expression didn’t change, but something in the air cooled.
Roth swallowed.“You think you can scare me worse than Diaz?”he said, but some of the bravado had drained out of the words.
“I don’t need to.”Spade leaned back.“He scares you plenty.That’s leverage.Here’s what we know so far.”He began ticking points off on his fingers.“One, Diaz uses the river warehouse for big shipments.Two, he liked Jason because our boy had a brain and Diaz didn’t.Three, once Jason was locked up, you went after Jade for repayment.I’m just unclear if Diaz is the one who sent you after her, or if that was your call.”
“What does it matter?”Roth asked.
“It doesn’t.Not really.Whatever your reason for targeting her, I think you can agree it was a colossal mistake.Look where it got you,” Spade said.
Roth’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped.
“Yeah, so I went after her.It wasn’t like I was going to kill her.But once Diaz found out about Jason running his mouth, you think he would have let her live?”
“Enough,” Atilla said mildly.“We’re not here to listen to you polish your halo, Roth.Answer Spade’s questions.”
Spade slid a printout across the table toward Roth.Addresses.Company names.Some I recognized from the maps.
“Jason tied these shell companies to Diaz’s operations,” he said.“He marked which ones belonged to Diaz directly, as well as any which appeared yours.I need you to tell me which remain active now, and the abandoned ones, as well as where he moved the rest.”
Roth glared at the page with enough heat I half-expected flames to erupt from the edges.
“Why the fuck would I help you?”he asked.
“Because Diaz isn’t coming for you,” Spade explained.“He doesn’t rescue liabilities.He cuts them loose.You’re down here because he decided you were more trouble than you’re worth.Your best shot at spiting him now is making sure when we come for him, we don’t miss.”
Roth laughed, short and bitter.“You think you can take him.You really think a back-roads motorcycle club is going to topple a man with the kind of money and muscle Diaz has.”
“We’re not going to stand on the highway and fire warning shots,” Spade countered.“We’re going to kick out the supports one at a time.You can either help us aim or sit down here and imagine his face when he realizes his right hand sold him out in the dark.”
Roth’s eyes went flat.“You’re a nasty piece of work.”
Spade leaned forward.“I grew up around men similar to Diaz.I know their games.So do the men in this room.We remain standing while you sit tied to a chair, and Jade walks free.”
Roth’s gaze locked onto mine.“What does she mean to you?Some trophy?Another mark on your bedpost?Will you get bored once the adrenaline wears off and find the next broken stray to fix?”
“No,” I said.
“You’ll get her killed.You believe yourself better than me.More noble.You’re not.The only difference?You stand on the opposite side of the same mess, pretending leather makes you righteous.”
“You talk too much,” I muttered, hearing the edge creep into my voice.I forced myself to back away.
Spade cleared his throat.“Fun as this seems, we’re burning daylight.Roth.The list.”
Roth stared at the printout.His shoulders slumped a little.When he spoke, his voice lost some of the slickness.More tired now.More real.
