Chapter 7 #2
If I hadn’t been watching all of the men so carefully, I might have missed the subtle cue from the third guy when Jeff’s tone became belligerent.
“Looks like we’re each on our own,” Shadow muttered in my ear.
Sully glared at Jeff as he continued talking. “This mark is practically on death’s door. That’s why Gene is cutting your break short. The woman’s been talking about completing her bucket list. That’s where the rugged, down-to-earth construction worker comes in.”
I scoffed, wondering how the fuck they expected Jeff to pull that off, then my jaw dropped as I watched him morph into someone else entirely.
Gone was the spoiled, perverted, sniveling little bitch. In his place was a confident man with a hard edge but kind eyes. Even wearing the preppy shit he had on, he looked tougher and rough around the edges.
“Damn.”
“Holy shit,” Ink hissed.
“And the Oscar goes to…” Shadow murmured in an amused tone.
A growl rumbled in Jeff’s chest as he scowled at Sully and picked up the folder. When he held out his hand, Sully dropped a set of keys onto his palm.
“For the apartment, the ‘construction office’”—he used air quotes to indicate that it was fake—“and a fob for a new Ford F-150 Lightning. You're scheduled to fix a leaky window on Monday at ten in the morning.”
Jeff nodded and stood from the table, and like it had a few minutes before, a transformation took over his body.
The irritating, juvenile motherfucker was back.
He glanced over at the other guy for just a second, then mumbled to Sully, “Tell Gene I’m tired of the middlemen.
I do one-on-one with the boss, or I walk. ”
Sully’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t otherwise react. After a beat, Jeff pivoted on his heel and marched out of the café.
“Think that’s Gene?” Ink asked, referring to the other man in the coffee house.
“Doesn’t look like a shot caller to me,” Shadow mused.
I grunted an agreement as I watched Jeff approach his vehicle. When he opened the door, I ordered, “Go.”
I knew my boys would be all over their assignments, so I focused solely on my target. Sully didn’t give the other patron even a single side glance as he got up from the table and lumbered outside. He watched Jeff drive away with his face twisted into a sneer.
He was in his car and turning onto the main road when my cell beeped in my ear. Easing out of the parking lot, I kept a safe distance from Sully and pressed the button on my earbud to answer the call.
Ace didn’t wait for me to give him a greeting. “Know you’re tailing the suspect, but I have some info I thought you should know.”
“I need to know it now?” I grumped.
“Could change what you’re looking for.”
“Fine. Go ahead.”
Sully drove like an old woman anyway, making it easier for me to listen to Ace.
“After untangling some of the mess of shell companies for a few of Jeff’s accounts, I noticed that some of the deposits made into them originated from businesses unlikely to be owned by men.”
“You know this because…?”
“Would you name your company ‘Twilight Technologies’? Or ‘Charming Capital Co’? Or my personal favorite, ‘The Glam Group’.”
“I see your point,” I conceded. “Not solid proof, though. The boss’s name is Gene.”
“True, but those companies were also the original source of deposits made into two accounts besides Jeff’s. The owners fit the description I gave you earlier today. Young, beautiful, and dating much older men.”
“Sounds like you’re right about the targets, but I still don’t understand why it matters that some of the shell companies might be registered to women. Gene must have other people on the payroll. Could be he used one of them to set up the companies.”
“Maybe, but from everything we’ve learned, it doesn’t sound like this guy is much for delegating or giving up even the slightest bit of control.”
Sully slowed in front of a spectacular mansion and turned into the circle drive.
“Hold up,” I told Ace before he could reply.
I sped up a little and stopped at the next intersection so I could flip a U-turn, then pulled to a stop on the shoulder of the road across from the mansion.
“Just wait a second. He’s going inside a house, and I need to set up my parabolic mic so I can hear what’s going on in there.”
Ace remained silent while I went to work. It only took a minute to have it ready to go, and when I turned it on, Sully seemed to be just arriving.
“Gene,” he greeted from somewhere on the second floor. “It’s done.”
There was movement at one of the floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs, and I grabbed my binoculars, directing them to that spot.
The curtain slid away from the window, and shock blew through my system when the boss replied, “Good.”
“Motherfucker,” I sputtered—something I’d only ever done once before…the moment I first saw Violet.
“Everything okay?” Ace queried, his tone alert.
“Yeah. I’m just…fucking hell. I’m looking at the boss, and I think we got the name wrong.”
“Gene isn’t in charge?” Ace asked, his voice filled with frustration.
“Uh, no. That’s the boss. Only, I’m guessing her name is spelled J-E-A-N instead of G-E-N-E.”
“Her? No fucking way.”
“Yup. The ringleader is a fucking woman.”