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I sat in the seat Hazel had vacated and lifted my eyes to Jess. “Is that what you were hoping for?” I asked, sarcasm fully evident in my tone.
Jess waved her hand. “You can’t fool me.”
“Considering I’m not hiding anything, that seems like a stretch.”
“I can’t tell if you really don’t know you’re half in love with her or if you’re being your totally douchey self and pretending there’s nothing there.” She pursed her lips as she stared at me.
I fought not to shift uncomfortably in my seat.
“Douchey self. It’s fine. I can work with that, too,” Jess declared before sipping her coffee.
I ignored her comment. “You invited me here to discuss what we’re going to do about Harold.”
Jess’s smile fled. “That fucking bastard needs to go down. He doesn’t get to hurt our Hazel and get away with it.”
Her use of our was not lost on me. “He won’t.” Harold was lucky I’d stopped carrying a concealed firearm unless the situation called for it, otherwise, I’d have used him for target practice last night.
“Whatever you’re planning, I want in.” Retribution gleamed in Jess’s golden brown eyes.
“Just make sure he resigns, or you kick him off the board. I’ll handle the rest.” I hadn’t needed to meet with Jess to put the wheels in motion to destroy Harold, but she insisted. I should have known there was an ulterior motive.
“I want in,” she repeated, crossing her arms over her chest. “Gage is on board and will help too.”
“My own hacker will be sufficient. Besides, I thought he was playing bodyguard to some prince in a tiny European country.” Gage Christensen was best friends with Jess’s boyfriend, James Alden, and was one of the world’s top hackers. It still irked me that I’d never convinced him to work for me.
Jess frowned. “He can do both at the same time.”
“The Board,” I reminded her.
“I called an emergency meeting this afternoon. Due to a morality clause and the Board not wanting additional bad press, they will all agree to remove him even without his resignation.” I understood the satisfied look on her face.
“I’ve already found a way to transfer a portion of their money into an account solely in his wife’s name,” I revealed.
Jess patted my arm. “See, you do have a heart somewhere in there.”
I shook off her touch. “By the end of today, any other money left will be distributed elsewhere, and the businesses he has a hand in will all fail. His employees will be left with generous severance packages. My hacker is looking into any past indiscretions that have been covered up. Once we have the information on every person Harold Richards has tried to take advantage of, we’ll release it to the press.” Satisfaction roared through me. This was the hidden side of business I liked the best. I’d had practice taking people down over the years, and nothing was more satisfying than ripping the lives apart of those who deserved it.
“Good. Richards deserves no mercy.” She frowned.
“Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts?” I asked, picking up on her change in mood.
She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. I just wished I’d listened to you when I first took over and booted him then.”
The part of me that was protective of Hazel wanted to rail at her for her poor decision-making, but I held back. Oddly enough, Jess had become the closest thing to a friend over the past few months, and I knew how much she cared about Hazel. She was already beating herself up far better than I could. “It’s happening now.”
Jess gave me a grateful smile. “It is, but… ”
“But what?” I asked when she didn’t continue.
“We need to keep Hazel safe.” Her worried gaze met mine.
“Hazel is safe. I’ve seen to that.” And I’d continue to protect her for as long as I needed to.
“Harold will be desperate and looking to discredit her accusation.”
“He won’t if he knows what’s good for him,” I assured her. I’d taken care of that today in a way that Harold could not ignore. My friends on the police force and in the prison I hoped he’d be sent to knew what to do. And if he didn’t listen, he wouldn’t be there long. He’d be in the fucking ground.
Jess’s mouth opened and closed. Then she waved her hand. “You know what? I don’t even want to know.”
