Sam has the key—he knows he has the key—and he looked straight into my son’s face and stayed silent. It was then that Iknewhe had killed me. That drink, or maybe something after it—whatever it was, this man I welcomed into my heart, into my home ... What was it that Luis said?Romance doesn’t mix well with our business.
He’s a snake and a liar and a killer, and I am once again responsible for all this. I brought Sam into our lives. I trusted him. I loved him. Apparently, so did Mike, who should be strangling the truth out of him.
The businessman gives Mike one last chance to come up with an idea, and Sam is staring at the ground like a coward, waiting for my son to die. My fury erupts and I’m trembling, and why can’t this be like the movies? Why can’t I create a gust of wind, or knock Luis backward, or sneak into Sam’s head and force the words out of him?
There’s a loud bang from above, not like a gun but like the thud of collision, and we all look upstairs.
Another thud sounds, followed by shouting and heavy footsteps, and all the men in the room, save my three, start to move and shout,but there is nowhere for them to go. We are all trapped down here, and something is thrown down the stairs and suddenly everything explodes in a glare of light and sound. I try to duck out of instinct, and I’m suddenly outside the home, and there are uniforms everywhere, surrounding the house, guns drawn, and then I see something that makes my heart soar with happiness and relief.
It is Lenny, in his work uniform, a bulletproof vest over his chest, standing away from the house, his back stiff, eyes scanning the house, features tight.
Lenny. My alcoholic knight in shining cemetery garb.
CHAPTER 73
MIKE
Four days later
Maybe Lill’s an angel and she called in a favor. Whatever the reason, my ass was saved in the fourth quarter with three seconds left on the clock. The task force was a combination of DEA and local cops, and they arrested everyone, even the old lady upstairs, then sorted out the pieces back at the station.
My fourth or fifth contingency plan was always to turn state’s evidence, and in handcuffs, it was an easy decision to make. My house is a treasure trove of documentation, and I gave up the combination to the guest-room safe, plus the shed—both items they would have found on their own.
For the third day in a row, I’m sitting in a room with four feds and a local cop and giving the details of every single cartel member and transaction I’ve ever been a part of, including ones with Sam—though I insist that he never knew anything about the nature of the money being used in the transactions.
They’re skeptical about this. I can see the looks that shoot between them. They aren’t sure whether I’m stupid or lying, but I stick to the lie and they move on, because I have a lot of other things to share.
I want a deal. Full witness protection, for the rest of Jacob’s and my lives. I want it somewhere cold, in the mountains. Near a big city but not in one. They nod—oh yes, sure—and are agreeing to everything, even the full immunity, which I expected but am still pleased by.
I am fine with them seizing all my assets, but I want Lillian’s life-insurance policies to go to whatever new identity Jacob gets. They aren’t sure about this—$6 million is a steep amount—but someone calls someone and it is approved.Congratulations, son. You’re a future millionaire.I insisted it be put in a trust until he’s thirty, which will give me enough time to teach him proper money management.
Jacob is pissed and I don’t care. I almost saw his head blown off, so I’m just grateful that he’s breathing—later, once everything settles, he will understand, or start to understand, why we cannot ever go back home and cannot ever speak to anyone we ever knew, ever again.
For me, it’s a relief. I was sick of Sam. Tired of the constant pressure of the cartel. I’d spent the last two years dreaming of retirement—granted, I expected to be in a mansion with a view of the ocean—but I can adjust to small-town life. Work at a job where no one will kill me, no matter how badly I fuck something up. Meet another woman, maybe a man. Do a better job of raising my son.
Tomorrow we’re getting on a private plane and heading to our new home. Midair, we’ll get our new identities and location, which is around the time that Lillian’s burial will be held. I haven’t mentioned this to Jacob, and he hasn’t asked about a funeral. Maybe he’ll think of it in a week or so, but it’s not like we will be able to ever visit her grave.
“So?” The man in front of me taps his pen on the page. “You’re telling us that four hundred million dollars is just lost? Irretrievable?”
I’m always amused by how people just don’t understand cryptocurrencies. They are always certain that there is a customer service line you can call, or a form you can complete, to retrieve a lost key.
“Unless someone finds the key and knows what it is, and can locate the account address to use it.” I give the same answer I’ve given twice already.
“How would someone locate the account address?”
I shrug. “A good hacker who knows what he’s looking for could find it. It’s not like a key. The addresses are less secure because they don’t really matter. It’s like the account number, which is on the bottom of any check.”
“So the money is gone?” Another suit just can’t keep his mouth closed.
“Yeah.” A week ago, the knowledge would have devastated me. Now I’m just ready to move the fuck on.
CHAPTER 74
LILLIAN
I think that everything is about to end for me. I can barely hold on to Jacob. I follow him as he goes through white hallways and talks to counselors and has his photo and fingerprints taken and put on new identification, but I’m disappearing and then reappearing, blocks of time gone, and I find that I don’t really care what I missed.
My emotions are diluted, my care and concern stretched thin as I watch my husband sign contracts and deliver the secrets and details on what appears to be a criminal organization. How long did he work for them? I don’t care. Did he really have an affair with Sam? I don’t care.