51. Rook
Dark brown eyesmet mine from across the row of line cooks in Santo Sabor, a local Dominican restaurant.
Two weeks after Saul’s death, I received a note to meet an anonymous person here at eleven p.m., sharp.
It was written in the same handwriting as the one I”d received before Douglass died, telling me to ask him about Greybone Estate.
The temptation to meet the person who started my journey through hell and back was too great. And, not one to run into clandestine meetings unprepared, I carried my favorite Glock, at the ready on my hip.
Even though the kitchen was busy, no one gave me a second glance. The smell of boiled yuca, mashed plantains, and deep-fried catfish filled my nose as I made my way through the kitchen. It was a maze of flame and cutting stations. White uniforms splattered with food and blood, sweat and tears.
”Emerson.” I had to admit, I was surprised to see him here, almost to the point that, if I believed in coincidences, I would have thought this to be one.
”Rook… Undergrove, is it?” he asked, his tone dark.
I pressed my lips into a firm line. “How long have you known my real name?”
He studied me, taking a moment to answer, his posture rigid and stiff.
After a moment, he reached into his suit pocket and I stiffened, my hand edging towards my own gun.
”Touch that and every single person in this kitchen will kill you.”
I glanced around to see that everyone was now staring at me.
I raised both my hands in a sign of surrender, though I had no intention of going down without a fight. If he”d brought me here to kill me, I wouldn”t hesitate to take out as many people as possible with me.
My eyes went to his hand, waiting in tight anticipation as he pulled out...a dark grey envelope.
”I”ve known for some time,” he finally answered me, placing the envelope between us. ”I learned from Garrett enough about you to put two and two together.”
“Then why the charade?” I asked, lowering my hands at the sound of the kitchen slowly coming alive again.
”I needed to take care of some things first before I approached you.”
I didn’t move, nor paid any attention to the envelope, waiting to see what he would do next.
“The land you signed over gave Saul enough power to rise to second in command under me,” he revealed. “It has also provided the Veritas a healthy revenue stream.” He nodded towards the envelope. “Please look.”
Warily, I pulled out a stack of papers—it was a transfer of deed ownership, in exchange for an exorbitant amount of money.
It was for the Greybone Estates; he was offering to sell me back my own land.
“This is an outrageous price,” I snarled.
He pulled up a shoulder. “And yet, it is my asking price.” His gaze went to my finger, where I was wearing Saul’s ring. Discovered it in the cordgrass, finger still attached, when we’d gotten rid of all evidence of Saul and his men.
I waited for his reaction, ready to pull my gun again.
Officially—in the news, Saul and his men had disappeared in the flash flooding that had happened that night. However, the Veritas probably suspected the truth.
I’d been waiting for their retaliation ever since.
But, coming here tonight, I’d decided I wasn’t going to hide the truth; if Emerson or the Veritas wanted vengeance or payment for Saul, I would give it to them now. Fight my way out nail and tooth.
After staring at it for a moment, Emerson met my gaze once more. When he spoke, he surprised me, “The property will pay itself back, in time. Plus, you”ll be receiving more land than what you sold us. There were many others we coerced into selling.”
”This belongs to me,” I growled.
”Not according to the deed I have in my safe.”
I pressed my lips in a firm line, still waiting for the axe to fall. For him to bring up Saul.
”What”s the catch?” I asked when he didn’t say anything more, knowing I would pay his asking price.
”The catch is, you swear an oath that you will never betray me. That I can trust you not to stab a knife in my back. You want to take me on, you do it to my face.”
“And how do I know you aren”t planning on killing me as soon as I pay you?”
“Ask any man in this kitchen,” he nodded towards it, ”I”ve grown up with them. They will tell you I”m a man of my word.”
There was something different about him today. For the first time, I wondered about Emerson”s background. Where had he come from? How did he manage to become the head of the Magnolia at such a young age if he”d grown up with Dominican line cooks and waitresses not from within the Magnolia, like most leaders in the Veritas?
“And why would I trust them?” I drawled.
”I guess if you won”t take their word, you have no other choice then but to trust me.”
”And Saul’s death?” I hedged carefully, deciding to address it outright.
”The amount I”ve requested for this property will suffice to satisfy my superiors. I”ll take care of everything else.”
I frowned, studying him. Just like that? It was going to be that easy?
A thought struck me.
“You wanted him dead.”
Emerson gave me a blank stare, not answering.
”You were worried about him killing you. You knew he was ambitious, that he wanted to replace you. As soon as you discovered my true identity, you sent me that note, knowing I would want revenge against Saul. You used me to get rid of him.”
“Do we have a deal, Mr. Undergrove?” Emerson extended his hand.
Suddenly, I knew what was different about Emerson. Instead of the religious fanatic often seen at meetings, he was cool, calm, collected.
This was the true Emerson—the other one, an act for the Veritas.
Now I understood how he’d come to rise in the ranks so quickly.
He was ruthless, and played whatever role was necessary to get what he wanted.
“You do,” I said, shaking his hand. ”I”ll have my lawyer look at it, and then, I”ll sign it.”
”No,” Emerson said. “This is a one-time offer, with no stipulations. The offer expires the minute I walk from this kitchen.” When I didn”t answer right away, he continued, nodding at the stack of papers, ”It’s a fair offer. I don”t think you”ve looked at it closely enough.”
I read through it again, skimming it more carefully. At the end was a paragraph I hadn”t noticed before, giving complete reassurance that the Veritas wouldn”t seek retribution for the death of Saul, and that both I and Summer would be cleared of all responsibility.
I inhaled a sharp breath, and the weight that had been on my shoulders since Saul”s death was lifted.
Even though Maxon had chosen our side, there hadn”t been a single moment I wasn’t looking behind my back, waiting for them to come.
I immediately pulled my pen from my pocket, initialed, then signed each page. This assurance was worth much, much more, than what I was paying.
It gave us back our lives, all for a little cash.
I’d never felt more relieved, or such happiness in my life.
I could breathe and live and fuck and create a family with the woman that I loved.
”Very wise,” Emerson said, adding his signature to mine on both copies, then handing me mine.
”I”ll transfer the funds immediately.”
He nodded, then paused, reaching towards a shelf. He pulled down a bottle of expensive whiskey, and two glasses.
“What’s this for?” I asked, not expecting some kind of celebration over this deal.
“For Lux,” he answered, surprising me. Saul’s men weren’t the only casualties of that night. He poured two glasses, passing one over to me. I took it, and he raised his, pausing for a moment.
Then, “She was beautiful, wasn’t she?” He looked…almost sentimental.
He didn’t wait for me to answer, “Ambitious too, though few knew it. Had big dreams that one,” he gestured his glass to me, “too bad she had to die.” Then he swallowed it down.
“To Lux,” I agreed, drinking mine.
We were silent for a long moment, and I realized that, once more, the world was a surprising place. I didn’t know as much as I thought I did.
Then, he turned to leave. “By the way,” he finally said, almost to the back door, glancing back at me. ”I would”ve gladly returned your land back to you for free—just to get that bastard out of my hair.”
He grinned and, without another word, he walked out the door, closing it behind him with a finality that our business was done, for today.
I smiled at his back, shaking my head.
The ruthless bastard.
Him and his fucking twisted games.