And Victoria Steers’s.
CHAPTER
60
THE NEXT DAY RHETT TEMPLEpulled up in his Porsche, and Nash let him through the front gate.
Temple got out of the car carrying a paper bag. “Hey, Dillonsan, how goes it with the evil queen?”
“I wouldn’t talk that way, Rhett. There are listening devices everywhere.”
“Oh, shit, I forgot.” But Nash could tell the man was not remotely concerned about that.
“Yeah, always good to be careful.”
Temple drew close to Nash and said in a whisper, “So I probably shouldn’t let her in on the fact that you’re actually Walter Nash then?”
Nash could not help but flinch. “What? Have you been drinking?”
In answer Temple pulled out a wineglass from the paper bag. “No, but you had. Your prints, all over this, Walt. Got them from your FINRA file. And prints don’t lie.” He ran his gaze over Nash. “But I have to tell you, it’s an amazing transformation. I never, ever suspected. This Shock guy is the real deal.”
Acid firing into his belly, Nash said, “I don’t know what—”
“Angie saw you coming out of the bedroom next to mine the night Ryder came to see me. You had tea with my sister. And then you told her to gonight-night, which Dillon Hope would have no clue about, but Walter Nash would. Remember, I told you that little trick when you and Judith came over for dinner and my father couldn’t get Angie to calm down. And then after you had your ‘tea’ you got in your car, rolled it out the gate, and went to save your wife. Am I right? Judith is alive and kicking, isn’t she?”
“You should try writing fiction, Rhett. You’re good.”
Temple studied him for an intense moment. “Okay, if that’s the way you want to play it. I can just take the print results in to Steers and see what she says.”
Temple started to walk past but Nash grabbed the man’s arm to stop him.
Temple smirked. “Glad you came to your senses.”
“Look, Rhett—”
“No, you look, Walt. You’re a hell of a negotiator, the best really. But you need to have at least one card to play and you don’t. So don’t embarrass yourself, man.”
Nash stared at the hand that had betrayed him. He had not continued to rub his finger and palmprints down with the pumice stone Shock had advised him to use to prevent this very thing from happening. But he was not ready to give up yet.
“You’re good at making threats, I’ll give you that. And I think you’re terrified you won’t actually find Walter Nash and so you’re trying to throw me under the bus to get yourself off scot-free.”
Temple grinned. “But the fingerprints—”
Nash placed a crushing grip on Temple’s shoulder. “Fuckthe fingerprints,” he said in a low, menacing voice.
He squeezed harder and Temple moaned and tried to pry Nash’s fingers off but couldn’t.
“I could kill you right now, Rhett. You know that, don’t you? You’ve seen what I can do. But you actually don’t know the half of it.” He increased the pressure on the man’s shoulder and Temple dropped to his knees.
“Please,” he moaned.
“What do you want?” said Nash.
Temple gasped, “What I want I already told you: I want to disappear. With all my money. To a place that crazy bitch can never and I meanneverfind me. You do that for me, your secret is safe. I swear to God. Please, please let go. Please stop.”
“How am I supposed to trust you? You’ve screwed me over before.”
Moaning, Temple said in a halting voice, “I screw you, you can put Steers onto me. And we both know what she’ll do when she finds me.”
