Lassiter rubbed a scar on the lower half of his jaw as he stood and turned to face them. “This is quite inappropriate, Opal. You’ve pushed our game, but not me. He can’t be here right now. I’m not done.” The guy sounded like an impetuous child.
“I can’t very well set him free now,” Opal drawled.
In a split second Angus decided Opal didn’t exist. “Henry? How long have you and Opal been working together?”
Henry smiled, his face clearing. “For about seven years. I take care of problems for her and she does the same for me. She’s smart. You know I like them smart, my friend.”
Anger spiraled through Angus, and his laugh felt strained. “Yes, I do. So. That at least explains how your death was faked and you disappeared for rehab. If anybody could make that happen, it’d be the head of the HDD.”
“Yes.” Lassiter rubbed his thigh, where Angus remembered shooting him. “Unfortunately, rehab took longer than I would’ve hoped. The second I could, I returned here for our game. It was some time after you began looking for me, however. It’s nice that we’re on the same wavelength.”
Angus shook his head. “So you knew so much about our team because our boss was working with you. I thought it was Quan.”
Opal shoved Angus harder. “Quan’s a moron. It’s because of me that you’re alive, Henry,” she spat. “You owe me. But the second you were well enough, you wanted to play with him and put my entire career in jeopardy.”
Oh, this was so fucking weird. Angus continued to ignore her, focusing on Lassiter instead. “I was alerted by Miles Brown, an elderly clerk, that there was a problem with your file, but he had a stroke before I could talk to him.”
Lassiter inclined his head. “Well, I owe Opal for that. It always comes down to billing and medical records, right? Apparently there was one medical bill still left in that file that Opal hadn’t caught. Miles was no doubt closing out all his records before retiring, and he must’ve caught a hint. Opal took care of him, though.”
Angus almost shut his eyes, but he had to stay in the moment. He’d grieve for Miles and face his guilt later. The administrator had somehow gotten to the clerk. Strokes were easy to fake. “Henry? What about the female paramedic who pronounced you dead?”
“Opal again,” Lassiter admitted. “She’s good at making accidents look real. Well, the whole HDD is, actually.” He sighed, as if giving up a secret. “By the time I was well enough to come home, she’d compiled dossiers on everybody in your life. It was like the best birthday present ever.” His gaze finally rose so that he looked over Angus’s shoulder at Opal. “Well, that and the ultimate game, which I didn’t know we were playing for a while.”
The ultimate game? What? For him? Angus dropped his chin to regain Henry’s attention. “She was trying to kill me, and you were trying to get to Nari? Was it all some narcissistic game between you two? Whoever got there first won?” It made an odd and sick kind of sense. “She shot at me, bombed my house, and hired that blond moron who ended up shooting my lawyer.”
“I did, but not because of a game,” Opal said, kicking him in the back of the shin. “I worked hard to reach my position, and if you were just dead, Henry could concentrate his work elsewhere and return our relationship to status quo. You’re very difficult to kill, you know.” She leaned to the side. “And Henry, don’t think for a second that I forgive you for shooting me.”
Lassiter blanched. “I didn’t think you’d fight to save Nari at the club. Shooting you was an accident. You know it was,” he said. “I thought to impress you by taking the girl while you were there. But she can fight.”
Was he somehow dependent upon Opal’s approval? Did the woman understand that? Being nice wasn’t helping. “Yeah, Nari kicked your ass twice,” Angus said.
Lassiter’s nostrils flared and his face turned a motley red. “She did not. Either way, I guess you get to watch her die. You know how long I can make death take. Just think of the things you’ll get to watch me do.”
Angus tensed.
“No,” Opal said, punctuating the word with the barrel pressed to his spine. “Be a good boy, Angus.” She angled to the side again, and her rose perfume filled the air.
Nari coughed. “Why did you date my father?”
Opal sighed. “He’s second in command, and I needed some hold on him. Sex is an easy weapon, dear.” She chuckled. “So, Henry? You’ll finish your work here and then leave HDD agents alone? Find another game to play?”
Lassiter nodded. “Yes. I can live with that.”
Opal laughed, the sound rough. “Excellent.” She pushed Angus.
Nari stepped up to the bars again. “How long have you been batshit crazy?”
Angus subtly shook his head. There was no guarantee Opal wouldn’t just shoot Nari and declare herself the victor over Henry. They were both unstable and psychopathic. He had to diffuse the woman now. “Opal? I called in the entire HDD to your house when you sent that email. Yet nobody was there.”
“Yes, well, Iamthe boss. I called in and told everybody to stand down and that you had been taken in by the FBI. I’ll have to figure something out about that when they find your body. I guess the bad guy somehow fooled me.” She hummed. “I’ll work on that.”
Lassiter puffed up. “He doesn’t die until I’m done with the two women.”
“This is your domain,” Opal said. “Please wait until I’ve left the premises, however.”
At least Angus had taken her attention away from Nari. For now.
“All right,” Opal said. “Nari and Nari’s mom, both step to the back of the cell and sit down so Angus can join you. If either of you makes a move, I’ll shoot him.” The gun looked at home in her hand. “I’m tempted to do so anyway.”
