Finish him.
“I could leave right now. I don’t have to listen to a word you say.”
“You could. And I could destroy your life without breaking a sweat, and I wouldn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about doing it. See? We all have options. Now, are you going to listen to your options, or are you going to let me decide for you? Because I gotta tell you, Earl, I don’t think you’ll like what I pick.”
I rub the back of my neck, sure that I can feel the steam that must be emanating from Earl’s ears.
“What do you want from me?”
“It’s simple. You are going to sign over your business to me and allow me to dissolve it. Trust me, that’s the kindest offer you will receive because tax fraud is no joke. That’s how they got Capone, you know. You can figure out how to pay off your bookie on your own. You’re going to drop the custody suit with Delilah Hudson and you’re going to sign the original divorce papers she served you with. You will also sign over full custody of Sadie Hudson and the unborn child to Delilah, and you’ll do the same with Ms. Price and her child.”
“Fuck them. I’ll sign over legal rights.”
“No, you won’t. Because you will be paying child support for all three of your children at the maximum amount the court requires. The women will retain full custody of their children, and any contact or visitation will remain at their discretion until the children turn eighteen. You will also leave town, because neither Delilah, her kids, nor any of the other women you’ve fucked with around here need to see your face again. You’ve done enough damage for a lifetime. You do that and I'll keep all these delicious little secrets I’ve found out about you to myself, and no one is any the wiser. You can go find yourself a new small town to infiltrate, though I doubt you’ll have any luck making friends. Your personality is incredibly off-putting.”
Delilah has her fist pressed to her mouth, her teeth sinking into her knuckles as the seconds drag on. This is the part where we risk everything. If Earl calls the bluff or James can’t follow through, we’re putting our family on the line. The strings of knots in my stomach pull tighter, and I wait with bated breath to see what Earl will say next.
“And if I don’t agree to your terms? If I say fuck you, Richie Rich, and walk out of this bar right now?”
“Then I use every tool in my box to destroy you. I go to the IRS, the FBI, the damn Navy SEALs. I’ll dig up even more dirt on you—don’t deny it, we both know you’ve got some nasty skeletons in your closet. I won’t stop until you are behind bars serving the maximum sentence for tax fraud and whatever else I can pin on you. You’ll lose everything. Your bookie, he’s a real treat. He’ll probably pay someone on the inside to beat the shit out of you. Hell, there’s probably a hundred people willing to grease the palm of anyone willing to look the other way while you get what’s coming to you. And while you’re in prison, you’ll still have to pay all that child support and if you ever see the outside of a cell again, you’ll be saddled with so much debt that not even my kind of money could save you. So what do you say, Earl? Do you want totake what’s behind door number one or door number two?”
“You can’t do this to me. I’ll run. You’ll never find me,” Earl whispers, so quiet I can barely hear him.
James chuckles, a low, dark sound that sends shivers racing down my spine.
“Oh, Earl. You thought pink hair dye in your shampoo and rotting meat under the seat of your precious Mustang was bad? I’m the boogeyman, motherfucker. I’m everywhere. You can run all you want, but you’ll never outrun me. You’ll never escape me. So I’d think long and hard about what you say next because I might be a patient man, but I don’t enjoy repeating myself. I want an answer, Earl. Now.”
The tension in the air is thicker than the humidity outside. I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience, suspended in time while my future and the future of the woman I love hang in the balance. Finally, after an eternity, Earl speaks up again.
“I’ll do it. I’ll sign the divorce papers. I’ll sign over custody. I’ll pay whatever I have to pay.”
“And you’ll leave town and never come back.”
“And I’ll leave town and never come back. Just don’t…I can’t go to prison. I know I fucked up, but I can’t do time. I just can’t. I’ll give them whatever they want as long as you don’t turn me in.”
My head snaps towards Delilah, who is already staring back at me with her hand clasped over her mouth. Together, we silently scream.
We did it. We took the motherfucker down.
The sound of a heavy hand slapping a shoulder followed by Earl’s pathetic wince reverberates throughout the quiet bar.
“Well, would you look at that? Seems you do have two brain cells to rub together after all. We’ll head on over to the office of Mason & Mason right now and get those papers signed.”
“Right now?” Earl squeaks.
“Of course. You think I’m taking any chances with you skipping town? I’ll drop you off at the rent-a-truck place afterwards, and you can get to packing your things. I want you out of Fox Hole by dawn. Don’t forget, Earl. I’ve got eyes everywhere. I’ll be watching you for the rest of your life, so you do your best not to step out of line. I’m not someone you want to make angry.”
James stands, casting that enormous shadow over us once more. This time, I take a chance and turn my head to look at him. He winks, then pulls Earl out of the booth by the collar of his polo shirt.
“Just one more thing. You’re going to apologize to Delilah for the hell you’ve put her through right now.”
In all fairness to him, Earl doesn’t look at all shocked to see that Delilah and I have been sitting behind him for this entire encounter. I suppose he’s too busy trying not to piss his pants to start his usual mean bullshit with us today.
“I’m sorry,” he mutters, and James yanks him higher until he’s balancing on his toes.
“What was that?”
“I said I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Delilah! I’m sorry for everything. You deserve better. The kids deserve better. I promise I’m going to leave you alone. Don’t let him hurt me.”
