A low, ominous chuckle slips from Evan’s lips. “Oh fuck.”
The cops arrive, and as requested, Dawn, Evan’s house manager, meets them at the gates and escorts them to the house.
“Chief Turner, thank you for coming,” I say, holding out my hand to the chief of police as he stands on the doorstep with two uniformed officers behind him.
“Sebastian, I would say that it’s great to see you again, but given the circumstances…” He trails off, sighing resignedly.
Nodding in acknowledgment, I step back and gesture for them to follow me. “James, the head of my security, has gone to collect Mr. Underhill. He should be back any moment. Come through to my office.”
Following me through the house, I lead them into my office. Taking a seat behind my desk, I gesture for the chief to sit in one of the chairs across from me, while the guys stand sentry behindme and the two uniformed officers position themselves behind their boss.
A knock at the door has us all turning our attention to it. “Come in,” I call, watching the door open and a bloody, battered-looking Tom being pushed inside by a furious James. Tom’s hands are bound behind him with what I think are zip ties, and James is carrying a clear plastic bag with a laptop, cell phone, and tablet in it, along with the body cams all of Starling’s guards wear when they’re on duty.
“What the fuck?” Chief Turner says, pushing out of his seat.
“He tried to resist,” James says, his voice low and rough.
“Do you need any medical assistance, James?” I ask, flashing a glance at the clearly beaten Tom, before dismissing him completely.
“I’m fine, thank you, sir,” James says, glaring at his nephew with disgust, before he shoves him toward the cops. Placing the bag he’s holding onto my desk, he takes a step back and crosses his arms across his chest, pushing his raw and bloody knuckles out of view. “He had those on him. I haven’t looked at them yet,” he says, hitching his chin toward the bag of computer equipment.
“Those are mine, you need a warrant,” Tom yells, his face barely recognizable, his one eye starting to swell shut.
“Actually, the NDA and contract of employment you signed state that we can access and review any company-owned or personal electrical devices that are on the grounds at any time,” Clay says, producing all of the paperwork Tom signed when he came to work for us. “But I’m fairly confident that all of that equipment is actually company property, and we’re more than happy to cooperate with the police to seek justice.”
“Do you have copies of those contracts, Clay?” Chief Turner asks.
“I’ll email them over to you,” Clay says with a flat smile. “Would you like us to access the cell and computer equipment now, or would you prefer to have your guys do it?”
“We’ll take those with us. You already sent me the security footage of Mr. Underhill downloading the photos and video files onto an external USB drive, so if there’s anything on any of these devices, we’ll find it.”
“Thank you for your help and your discretion with this. Starling is heartbroken that this has happened. Our lawyers have already started working to make sure that none of those videos or photos ever see the light of day again, but as I mentioned, we want to press charges for the theft of intellectual property, extortion, and the revenge porn. We’ll be pursuing a civil case for the breach of the NDA, the emotional damages, and defamation, along with anything else our lawyers recommend,” I say, looking directly at Tom and making sure he hears every way I’m going to ruin his life.
“This is bullshit,” Tom hisses as the officers take hold of one of his arms each and escort him from my office. “I’m being set up. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
James steps to the side, his shrewd gaze taking one last look at his nephew as he’s escorted away.
Following them out, I close the front door behind them, then return to my office, where James and the others are still waiting.
“What else are you planning?” James asks the moment I step back into the room.
“Excuse me?” I question.
“I know that police charges and some lawsuit won’t be enough for you. I’ve spent enough time around you in the last few years to know that you’d literally do anything to protect your wife. My fuckwit of a nephew stole pictures of her naked and tried to put them on the internet, and all you’re planning ondoing is calling the cops? Bullshit. So, what do you actually have planned? And how can I help?” James demands.
“What would you suggest?” Evan asks, unable to hide the interest in his tone.
“Given what I’ve seen, heard, and witnessed, Mr. Morris, I’d suggest you ruin his fucking life, because you know how to do that, and I’m pretty confident it won’t be the first time you’ve done it.”
“It’s Evan, and James, I like the way you think,” Evan says, a devious grin spreading across his lips. “Why don’t you take a seat, and we can brainstorm a few ideas?”
James might be fifteen years our senior. He might be a retired soldier without connections, money, or privilege. He might be our employee, but it turns out that Starling isn’t the only one who’s been watching and learning the last few years.
Of course he can’t prove any of it, but as we chat, he subtly hints at some of the things we’ve done to tie our women to us. He mentions Tom has a mortgage and some large debts. He mentions how he had aspirations to start his own business one day. He mentions he has a girl somewhere, although he says he doesn’t know who she is.
By the time he finishes talking, I’m grinning so wide my cheeks hurt. “You want us to destroy your nephew’s life?” I question.
“Birds fly free, but not yours. Yours lives in a beautiful gilded cage protected from anything that could hurt it. Predators need to be taught a lesson so that others out there learn not to fuck with the things that seem weak,” he says vaguely.
