CHAPTER 49
MIKE
My assistant is bent over her desk, her perky ass offered to the room, sharpening a pencil. I walk through the reception area without saying anything and quietly shut the door to my office. I’m taking a seat behind the large walnut desk when she rings my line.
“Yes?”
“I was just making sure you were here. I didn’t see you go by.” Her voice has a chipmunk lilt that makes me want to dissect her throat with my pen, but the male clients seem to enjoy it, which is one of the reasons I haven’t let her go, despite a dozen reasons why that action is justified.
“I’m here.”
“Okay. You have two messages from Mr.Thompson.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You’re supposed to call my cell if he calls.”
“Oh, I did. I left you a voice mail.”
I pull out my cell to check her story, and dammit, she did. I don’t know how I missed her call, but the discovery of my dead wife is not the sort of excuse that Ned will accept. “Next time, power call me until I answer. Do you understand?”
“Uh, yeah,” she snaps, and all it would take is me to blame the missed message on her and Ned would have her killed before tomorrowmorning. I hang up the phone and return his call from the cell I keep in my desk.
“It’s been three hours,” Ned says by way of greeting.
“I’m sorry. It’s been an odd day.”
“We heard about your wife.”
I press my lips together but don’t say anything. His statement could mean a number of things, from a reference to her video to a confession of murder.
“I want to make sure this doesn’t negatively affect my business.”
“It won’t.”
“An investigation into your life isn’t something we’re interested in, so do what you need to do to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Because avoidance of a police investigation won’t raise suspicion, at all. “Of course.”
“To be safe, we’d like to move Colorado back to our care.”
I let out a hiss of air. “Sir, Colorado has been with me for—”
“A long time, I know. We just want to hold on to it for a little bit, just until this wrinkle gets smoothed out.”
There are a dozen reasons Colorado should stay with me, but a person doesn’t argue with Ned, not if they want to live another day. Moving Colorado, even for a short period of time, will mean a significant loss of value, at least a year’s worth of appreciation, if not more. Not to mention that any move always risks the chance of catching someone’s attention.
But again, you don’t argue with Ned. You say yes, and your lungs continue to flex with breath. A fair trade.
“Yes, sir. I’ll start tonight and move it over the next two days.”
“Wonderful. Call me when it’s done.”
The call ends and I start up my computer and check the balance in Colorado.
Just over $432 million. The main savings account for the Los Colima cartel.
I start prepping the transfer.
CHAPTER 50