“Good. Pack what you need, take your time. I’ll go through it again when we get inside, make sure there aren’t any new ones.”
He goes through my apartment when we get there, and it’s clean. He shows me where he found the others.
“That’s so creepy.”
“Agreed.”
My phone buzzes, and it’s an email from the building management of my shop. I only turn notifications on when I’m out of town. My lease is being adjusted again. An almost fifty percent increase. Honestly, it took him longer than I thought it would.
I curse, and when Wade looks over, I hand him my phone.
He reads it and nods. “I flagged that email this morning. This was next on my list to tell you. But I think it’s a good thing. He’s scrambling. This is what we want. But I still don’t like it.”
He points to the chair in my kitchen. “Might want to take a seat. You look pale.”
I sit down. I feel pale.
“The scope of what Daniel has been doing is larger than we initially understood. We have documentation now of at least five clients, including two former NHL players and Tully, where contract earnings were skimmed. You’re not the only person he’s blackmailing either. He uses the property management arm of Crestline to control people the same way he’s controlled you. Rent increases, denied loans, and debt arrangements he holds over families. And not just his clients. I don’t know the connections fully yet, but we’ve identified at least eight people—I’m sure there are more. It goes back further than we thought.”
“This is so crazy,” I say. I lean my elbow on the table and prop my head on my hand. I feel exhausted all of a sudden. “Daniel tried calling Tully multiple times over the past few days, and Tully never answered. That probably added to his panic.”
Wade nods. “Makes sense.”
“We should tell Tully…after his game, though.”
“You sure?”
I’m nodding as a call comes through. I sigh. “It’s Tully. He’ll worry if I don’t answer. I hate this,” I groan.
“He’ll want to know what’s going on,” Wade says.
I answer the call. “Hey. You land okay?”
“Yes, I made it.”
“Are you at the arena yet? I don’t even know what time it is.”
“Yeah, I’m here. You look upset. What’s going on? Tell me. Hey, Wade.”
Wade dips his head.
I tell him about the calls and texts. The rent email. AndWade fills him in on the rest. I save the recording devices for last.
He stands up and starts pacing. “That fucking son of a bitch. I need to be there.”
“I’ll be fine. Wade’s here, and I’m going to stay somewhere else tonight.”
“Come here.”
“I-I can’t make it to Chicago while you’re still there.”
“Come to Dallas tomorrow. I’ll send you the ticket tonight, you can meet me there tomorrow, and we’ll figure this out.”
“I don’t know…the shop. What if we see Daniel?”
“If they’re upset about their appointments, we can rent out a tattoo shop and fly them to get their piece done.”
I laugh. “Spoken like a man who has too much money.”
