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“Because she’smine, that’s why,” he snarls. “But I have a counter-proposal for you."
"Alright," Hellfire says. "Let's hear it."
"Whatever Cooper's paying you, I'll double it if you'll work for me." The fucker sounds so smug it makes me wanna rearrange his face.
What the fuck?
Hellfire raises his eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Why the fuck should we work for you?"
"Same reason you took this job. Money. Forget Cooper. He's an old idiot with a grudge. You can’t seriously care what happens to him. You bring Anne and Jessica to me, and we’ll draw up a contract. You’ve shown that in spite of everything, you have promise. I’ll let you keep your little club, but you work for me. Think about it. How much time do you waste doing odd jobs for whoever’s paying? I have access to some of the best gear in the business.” There’s a creak in the background. Chair maybe? I picture him leaning back and rubbing his hands like the villain he thinks we are. “Even if we manage to avoid killing each other long enough to do the hostage exchange, neither of us could afford to stop looking over our shoulders. You know it as well as I do. But if you worked for me, well… then we would know where we all stand.”
Hellfire is quiet. Too quiet if you ask me. "Interesting suggestion."
I look at Tex, who’s looking right back at me, neither of us happy.
Hellfire gives us a glance, then continues, "That's not the kind of thing I can say yes to right away. Give me a day or two, and your word that Cooper is safe while we negotiate."
"Done, as long as the same goes for Anne and Jessica. Hurt either of them, and the deal's off. I want regular updates. Thinkhard, Hellfire. You could stand to make a lot of money here. I make a dangerous enemy, but a generous employer."
Bull-fucking-shit.
"I'll call you back in two days," Hellfire says.
"Forty-eight hours. Not a minute more. I'm not going to let Jessica and Anne just sit and rot in that dump. And I swear, if they're not returned to me in the same condition they were in when you took them, I'm not going to be merciful. You know I have the means."
Hellfire cuts the call.
“You can’t be fucking serious about listening to him. He?—”
“Give me a little fucking credit.” He cuts me off sharply. “Cooper’s an idiot and a liability, but we took the job. That fucker is treating us like we’re the same as him, no loyalty. He doesn’t understand shit, but this gives us a little time.”
I blow out a sigh of relief.
“But you asked a good question.” Hellfire’s fingers drum on his desk as he thinks. “Why does he give a shit about the nanny? You said she hates the fucker, right?”
Tex nods. “That’s what she says, and I don’t get the feeling she’s lying. But…”
“But what?
“He’s got a hold on her, and it’s not just because he’s her boss.”
Hellfire takes the phone off the table and slips it into his pocket. “I don’t like unknowns. I know she looks all cute and innocent, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. Find out what her deal is.”
17
TEX
"Did Victor say something?What's going on?" Jessica asks. Her eyes dart between us, looking for reassurance.
As much as I want to tell her that everything will be alright, I can't. If she's been holding back something that could get our men hurt or fuck up the plan, her stay is about to get less comfortable. "We just have a few questions, and we know you can't speak freely in front of Anne. We're using one of our meeting rooms."
I really fucking hope my gut is right. We all do.
Ghost leads the way into the dorms. The whole building is a mishmash of whatever we need at the time. Most of the old classrooms have been converted to private rooms for the brothers, but the old cafeteria is still used for eating and hanging out, and the old gym has been stocked with workout equipment on one side, leaving the other free for shooting hoops.
You can hardly even see the blood stains from the executions anymore.
Other rooms, like the old teachers’ offices are mostly used for storage, or meetings or interrogations. Which is exactly where we’re taking Jessica.
