Chapter 42 #3
“You did, and I knew that, but I paid him more—a lot more—to play along with your schemes and report back to me. He liked Bridget and didn’t want to see her get hurt but was more than happy to double cross your ass, while also making even more money.
I just had to see how this would all play out, ultimately blowing up in your face.
So, those Swiss accounts you think Josh set up for you… ” Rick tilts his head with a grin.
“What did you do?” Debbie Jo yells at her brother as spittle flies from her mouth.
“I didn’t do anything, but neither did you, because there are no Swiss accounts for you to access, dear sister. Josh never set up what he said he did, and so there’s no place for you to put your money offshore, but it’s okay. It’s my fucking money and you’re never getting your hands on it.”
“No, no, no. You’re lying. Josh wouldn’t … he didn’t … Dammit!” Debbie Jo stomps her feet again and raises the gun back to aim at her brother.
“Now, why would you want Kane to have a syringe of insulin ready for you, Debbie Jo? Is there something you want to confess to your big brother?” His voice is firm, but dangerously low.
I can only remember hearing him talk like that one time, and it ended with him breaking multiple bones in one of my hands.
“Once we get our money, we are out of here!” Kane yells, but his voice isn’t as strong as it was a few minutes ago. Debbie Jo doesn’t back up Kane’s plans, but her face has gone ghostly pale as Kane proclaims his love and her brother prowls toward her.
Rick has slowly taken steps toward Debbie Jo, but she keeps looking between Rick and Kane so often that she hasn’t noticed how close Rick has gotten to her.
“I’m afraid both of you have been woefully misinformed.
Neither of you are going anywhere, and Kane doesn’t have this on his person anymore, but I am curious, why on earth does Kane think you’d be leaving, dear sister?
” Rick’s voice is too calm, and even though he’s facing away from me, I know that vein is bulging.
“You sneaky little bitch. You what? You were going to have lover boy over there take me out like I took out Michael and then take my fucking money?” Debbie Jo starts furiously shaking her head, finally realizing that her brother now has her in his crosshairs.
“That’s why you had me change the beneficiary on everything last year, didn’t you?
You said you were worried if I left Bridget as my beneficiary that somehow my money would end up back in Tinsley’s or even her brother’s hands, but you had this all planned out, huh, little sister?
Looks like I taught you some life skills after all, but you forgot two very important lessons, Deborah Jo. ”
Debbie Jo rolls her eyes at the full name, but her bravado is false. The gun that was once held level at her brother has not only lowered, but the hand holding it is shaking slightly more than it was a moment ago. “Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”
“One: never underestimate your opponent, and two—” Rick rushes Debbie Jo before pistol-whipping her across the face, and she crumbles into a heap with a thud as a yelp escapes me.
Rick wipes another trail of blood from his nose before turning back to me.
“And two, no one will ever stand between me and my fucking money.”
Kane tries calling out to Debbie Jo, but she’s out for the count on the floor. I guess when it comes to Rick, there’s absolutely nothing in this world that matters more to him than his money—not even his own flesh and blood.
“Such a disappointment. I really had hoped she was smarter than to cross me, but at least she was dumb enough to go to someone that liked Bridget.”
He turns his attention back to me as I press up against the kitchen island.
“You know, Tinsley, your mama really was kind of useless. At least back in the day she was fun in the sack, but that was a long ass time ago. There wasn’t any life insurance on her.
But you.” He points the barrel of the small handgun at me as he tilts his head while making a tutting sound.
“I’ve had multiple multi-million-dollar policies on you, as your loving stepfather and faithful manager with an insurable interest, of course, since you were ten years old. ”
The blood from his nose has dripped down into his teeth, and when he smiles, a shudder of panic moves throughout my body. “But apparently, you’re a fucking cat with nine lives.”
My eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. Nine lives? Wait…
“Oh, you haven’t figured it out?” He tilts his head slowly to the opposite side, almost too slowly as he studies me.
“You never were that bright.” He huffs in frustration.
“Not that I give a shit, but Roman Cash and Fiona Skye were never supposed to die. Well, Roman was a risk, but we didn't know he’d also be hopped up on cocaine that night, but it should’ve only helped our efforts. ”
“Your … your efforts?” I barely manage to whisper.
“Hmm. But you can’t even do that right, can you? Forever the disappointment and always falling short.”
I don’t know if curiosity will kill a cat with an alleged nine lives, but I am who I am, so I ask anyway, “Do what right?”
He barks a harsh laugh. “You can’t even die like you should.”
I try to stop them, but my hands start to tremble as fear courses through my body and the reality of the situation sets in—I might not make it out of this room alive.