Chapter 20
MAX
In the morning, our guests are downstairs, getting ready to check out, and an email lands in our encrypted mailbox with a ransom demand.
The words ring heavily in our private office, almost bouncing off the walls like sickening echoes. Alex takes a sip of his coffee, and Vincent breathes in so deeply, I feel like his ribcage might burst.
“Where’s Raina?” Alex asks after a long and heavy silence.
“In the kitchen with Matty doing the final check before they close it down for the rest of the year,” I say.
“And Bancroft?”
“Outside in the lobby with the others,” Vincent replies. “They’re waiting for us.”
“Then let’s not keep them waiting any longer,” Alex says, tapping on his phone.
I’m curious. He’s too calm, too reserved, too cerebral for what the note I just read said. Vincent is inches away from blowing up. I have a mind to find Jeremy and bash his head in, even if I’m not sure he’s the one behind this blackmail.
“What are you doing?” I ask Alex.
“Paying.”
Vincent gives him a troubled look. “Excuse me?”
“I’m paying the ransom, and forwarding everything to Luke Parrish.”
My heart skips an actual beat as I put two and two together. “Luke Parrish, the former intelligence officer from our Ranger unit,” I say. “I remember him.”
“But what you may have forgotten is that he joined the NSA after he retired from the Rangers,” Vincent says. “I check in with him once in a while, just to make sure he’s okay, and he’s doing great.”
“Why him, though?”
Alex shrugs, a slow movement that reveals his exhaustion.
“We can’t rely on our cop buddies for this.
There’s too much red tape involved, too many constitutional rights to bypass through court orders, wiretaps, and all that.
Luke has the internet’s dark underbelly at his fingertips, and he owes us plenty for Kandahar.
He said he’d help. A payment link and a seemingly untraceable email to our encrypted server are both right up his alley. ”
“Fair enough. Portland PD might not have the resources to deal with this in a timely manner,” I concede, shaking my head. “But paying the blackmailer doesn’t mean it ends there. They’ll keep asking for money.”
“I don’t care about the money. I care about keeping the line open with the fucker until we can confirm his identity and stop him,” Alex replies. “Raina doesn’t deserve to get dragged into this, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let Jeremy or anyone else hurt her again.”
“Right there with you, brother,” Vincent chimes in.
That makes three of us, despite how unpleasant this ride may be.
We agree to keep this between ourselves for a little while longer, then head out into the lobby to say our goodbyes. Each of the guests is thankful and thrilled to be considered again for next winter. We cannot guarantee an invite, of course. It always depends on them.
“You know the drill, Mr. Quincy,” I say with a dry laugh. “Stay on our nice list. Stay off our naughty list. And you might just get another silver envelope in your mailbox before next Christmas.”
“I’ll be a saint,” he replies.
In the meantime, the butler and the valets escort the rest of our guests and their luggage out while Alex and Vincent pull Mr. Bancroft aside for a private chat. I bid Mr. Quincy farewell and join my partners.
“I’m not going to fire him yet,” Mr. Bancroft concludes. “If Jeremy is behind this, I’d like the enemy closer.”
“It’s a wise approach,” Alex agrees. “At least we’ll know where to find him, if he is confirmed as the mastermind of this scheme.”
Mr. Bancroft frowns deeply. “I’ll wire you the money.”
“What money?” I ask, somewhat confused.
“The money for the ransom you just paid. Those were candid photos of me they used, right?”
“And of us,” Alex reminds him. “Besides, the email was sent to us directly. You didn’t receive any communication, did you?”
Mr. Bancroft shakes his head. “No, but I’ll wire you half at least. Come on, it doesn’t feel right otherwise. We’re in this together. Besides, when we do catch the bastard, I’ll drag him through court until I get my money back. I’m undefeated before any judge in this damn county.”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it,” Alex advises. “I’m more interested in how you’ll handle Jeremy going forward. You mentioned the other days that he’s caused enough prejudice to the firm to warrant his termination. If you keep him there, won’t that put your other cases at risk?”
Mr. Bancroft takes a deep breath, his eyes narrowed as he considers the possibilities.
“I won’t assign him the lead on any of our cases going forward.
He’ll assist the other partners and associates.
And given his personal history with Vivian’s friend, your darling Raina, I think it’ll be fitting if I have him assisting Vivian in the upcoming Ziegler vs.
Hammers case. It’s high profile with a large figure at stake, but they’re getting closer to a resolution, and the judge seemed to weigh in our client’s favor.
All Jeremy has to do is sit there and look pretty during Vivian’s closing argument. ”
“Sounds easy enough,” I mutter. “Do you think Jeremy will take the bait, though? I’m pretty sure he’s used to leading the charge.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass,” Bancroft shoots back. “He knows he’s in the doghouse with the firm. He’ll take the penalty like a good boy.”
“He might try to blackmail you,” Vincent replies.
Bancroft’s grin is as cold as ice. “Which means I’ll have that little shit by the balls, and it’ll be game over. Jeremy is a proud, vain bastard. He wants to climb the ladder in my firm more than anything. He’ll play along and milk you for all the cash he can get out of you.”
“Which will buy us enough time to trace the email and payment link to something more concrete,” Alex agrees with a slight nod.
“You gentlemen have my personal number,” Bancroft says. “Call me at any time, no matter the issue and no matter how late. If you need anything from me, do not hesitate to ask.”
Alex checks his phone. “Our friend in the NSA will need access to your firm’s email server and Jeremy’s company phone, among other things. We plan to track him in every single aspect of his life.”
“Have your NSA friend contact me directly, and I’ll put him in touch with the right people,” Bancroft says. “Assuming his nosing around will only involve Jeremy and assuming my clients’ privacy and the security of our cases will not be compromised in any way.”
“You have our word,” I say. “We’re only after Jeremy, Mr. Bancroft, no one else.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you lads again to celebrate the demise of our blackmailer in whichever form that takes and, hopefully, soon.”
We shake hands and escort Mr. Bancroft outside.
We watch him get in the back of his car while his driver takes the wheel and follows the clear alley leading to the main road, past the pines with melting snow and the patches of green and white that will flourish into a pretty garden—like it does every spring.
The sky is clear with the promise of sunny days ahead.
I try to stay hopeful, but hope never lasts in my heart, not with the ghosts of my past haunting me and reminding me of what I did and of what grand nothingness I deserve.
But whatever we’re building with Raina… I’m dead set on keeping it. She is the best thing that ever happened to me. I may not be worthy of her sweetness, but as long as I have her, I will do whatever it takes to make her happy.