Chapter 64
He didn’t like it when things didn’t go to fucking plan.
It was the wee hours of the morning, Bo was snarling and blaming friends of his for screwing up with their plans tonight, and Joe was being a total fucking idiot.
Almost yelling that Major Crimes was going to ruin them all and they were being stupid for not cutting and running.
What was he supposed to do, gather up Riely and just move to Portugal? Build a life there or something? That wouldn’t work, he could not leave his son behind in a hospital for the rest of his life—and what about his younger two granddaughters? He was not ready to just walk away.
Not yet.
A smart man always had a contingency plan in place. Especially when he played on the side of illegal.
Melvin was across the desk from him. No doubt sitting there thanking the man in the sky for not making him a murderer again or something.
Ever since the man’s wife had died, he’d become rather insufferable.
Preaching about redemption and absolution and salvation and all of that ridiculous nonsense that was just intended to make evil men feel good about themselves when they were old.
He looked at the last man in the room with them.
He was young and fit and very angry. Since what had happened weeks ago with the head of the forensics lab at Finley Creek and that younger Coleson woman, this young man had been the one he had turned to whenever he needed a certain task done. He was calm, efficient and effective.
He just didn’t like the man because he was incredibly arrogant.
Arrogance had led to a myriad of problems for them, ever since his own son had come of age.
This man and his son had been close friends, almost like brothers, since they were in preschool.
That was another reason he found him so useful.
Loyalty was worth more than gold. That was why Melvin was still a part of their group, after all. He was very good at keeping their secrets, and making sure others looked the other way.
Melvin was tolerable, he was just getting soft since his conversion. But this man—he was a cold-blooded killer. He was also with the TSP and had enough connections to get things done. High connections—almost as high as one could get. Much higher than Bo’s.
This man got things done.
Except, apparently tonight. “You told me that girl and Acardi would be taken care of by now.”
“I fucking tried. They got lucky. And they left his truck. I had a damned tracker on it. No clue where they ended up yet. But I will find them. If nothing else, Acardi will call in for his buddies to come rescue his ass. There was blood in his truck when my good old patrol buddies found it. One of them, at least, was hit. I’m sure we’ll find out by morning. ”
He seemed rather unconcerned. Arrogance of youth.
But he didn’t have as much to hide as certain older gentlemen involved.
“See that girl is gone as soon as possible. She and those Coleson sisters are the last ones who can tie us to what happened with Steve and that damned Grundenman. Get things done.”
“And if I don’t? Maybe I want Acardi’s bitch for myself? Maybe a little fun? I’ve been planning it for a long, long time.”
Women were the root of all evil. The cause of all men’s problems. This young fool needed to learn that. So did Bo, for that matter. He had a redheaded obsession of his own he was currently dealing with. “I don’t care what you do to her. I just want her out of the equation. Make it happen. Quickly.”
“I have someone digging in her computers now. But she’s good. It’s going to take a while. And cost a fortune. She’s good friends with the governor’s sister-in-law and those Barratts. She has access to technology I don’t have yet.”
“I don’t care. Just take her and Acardi out. The rest of Major Crimes with them. I want every last one of them dead.”
“It’ll be a blood bath. Bring national attention.”
“At this point, getting them dead is more important. Just do it.”
There were things he had to do now. It was time for this all to end.