Chapter 19 #2
Scarlett turns the volume down, rubbing her chin. Emma Jean is the one who told us when this news would air. Following this announcement, Wolfman is going to mention that the police chief, Ernest Bolin, has officially retired and that his family is now moving out of state.
That would be the family’s work.
Brilliant.
“This is Chet, working as a tool for Jonas.” Ash has his arms folded tightly, staring down at the freshly scrubbed table.
He disinfected it after dinner and didn’t miss a spot.
If he had, the food I’d eaten might’ve come back up.
“It’ll be a series of quick, hard pummels now.
Jonas will want Chet to deal with us, so that his hands are clean. ”
“We need Chet dead and Jonas hamstrung, cut off from all his most powerful contacts,” Scarlett says firmly and Ash nearly convulses.
“That won’t be good enough.” He lifts his eyes, wary but hopeful. He’s trusting that we’ll get to the end of this. Scarlett has finally convinced him. “He needs to be dead.”
“If you say you should’ve let me do it, I’ll beat your pale ass red with a spatula.
” Scarlett wets her lips and leans back, draped in an oversized sweatshirt and baggy joggers.
My sweatshirt. My joggers. My gloved hands clench on my thighs and the black latex squeaks.
Scarlett looks right at me, zoning in. “Someone has to take the fall for all these murders and all these missing people. Burt told us to pin it on Jonas for a reason. We want our noses clean anyway, so my career doesn’t get interrupted by an inconvenient homicide investigation. ”
“We need a good reason for Jonas to be arrested or Uncle will choose not to intervene,” I say, utilizing every bit of knowledge and warning I ever obtained from Pavel.
No wonder my parents chose to give me the last name Grove instead.
For nothing, since we’re all Borisovs now.
“There are plenty, but we must make sure it’s one that’ll turn the public against him without drawing attention to the family. ”
I switch my focus to Bohnes. He has a genuinely brilliant mind. Even without Scarlett, I would’ve invited him to be my second. My enforcer. He’s easily worth half my fortune.
This is the sort of man that wins wars and defines country lines, a kingmaker.
“I bet Ash over here knows more than he thinks he does.” Bohnes leans back, relaxing with a late-night cup of coffee (he swears the caffeine doesn’t keep him up), hood thrown over his white hair.
“Why don’t we go over everything again? I’m sure I’m missing something.
Jonas has a healthy secondary income source, but neither Hype nor I can figure out where that money’s coming from. ”
“Chet and Jonas both need to die,” Ash repeats, giving a pleading look to Widow when Scarlett only offers up an apologetic expression in response. Refusing Uncle Burt’s conditions is not an option. “If we have to frame someone, then why not Chet?”
“I already told you: I’m going to kill Jonas for you.” Widow is as adamant and cocky as Scarlett, shirtless and wearing another pair of my joggers. “If we need to pin a bunch of crimes on him first, so what? Fuck that guy. We’re too strong together for him to hurt us.”
“Jonas has to be the one to take the fall because Burt said so. Sadly, that’s the truth of it.
” I sigh, peeling my glove off absently and forgetting to put on another.
I barely notice that I’m doing it. A new, unconscious habit?
“Jonas is a dangerous man, I’ll give you that; the family is more dangerous. ”
My hand is bare again, a single fingertip skating over the back of Scarlett’s hand. She curls her fingers into a fist, shivering. I keep doing it, touching her like it’s a compulsion. Before I put my glove back on, I’m going to slip this finger into her filthy mouth and have her suck on it.
“What do you think Jonas is up to with the missing tenants, the ones that Valeria Navarro took in?” Scarlett wonders, like she’s trying to solve a crossword puzzle and needs help with a clue. As I’m stroking her hand, she’s letting her mind work.
Ash answers her, voice strained and black eyes fixed on his inked wedding ring.
“Aspen had a bad habit of giving away secrets when he was drunk or high or fucking. And he was always doing those things. My father kept a lot from him. It’s difficult to say what else Jonas is hiding.
Don’t even bother trying to imagine. Whatever it is, it’ll be worse.
” Ash shudders, like his skin is crawling with spiders.
“Seems like Trish has no idea either, huh?” Widow says, eyes narrowing as he mentions his aunt. Trish is singing like a canary, so nothing has happened to her as of yet. It’s only a matter of time.
“We could start torturing her to find out?” Bohnes suggests eagerly, shrugging his big shoulders as Scarlett remains silent, listening to us problem-solve aloud.
She’s trying to figure it out before the rest of us.
“Or we could ask Valeria? That’s an interesting development.
Too bad Adrian murdered Pierce Cranston already.
I would’ve liked to have spoken with him. ”
Widow shakes his head, tongue at the edge of his mouth. Sharp. Annoyed. Raking his fingers through his hair.
“Does it matter where he’s getting his money from?
” Widow scowls, looking like he wants to spit.
Our eyes meet, and he chooses instead to pick up his own late-night coffee and drink it, forcing himself to calm down.
“We know he watches snuff films. Have Hype send that info straight to Burt’s inbox and let him handle it.
At the same time, splash that shit all over social media. Ruin Jonas’ life. Shatter his career.”
Bastian comes into the room, cleaning oil off his hands and making me freeze. My skin prickles at the sight of that dirty rag.
“All the cars are tuned up, you’re so very welcome.” He rolls his eyes, surprisingly cheerful considering last night’s agenda. “And I’ve got Stacey Langford’s new girls passing out ballots. The Snow Day vote is officially green-lit.”
“Thank you, my love,” Scarlett chirps lovingly, clasping her hands next to her cheek and giving Basti an over-the-top wink. My cock responds to all of that snark, swelling and shoving adrenaline into my blood. I squeeze my left hand again, another squeak of my glove.
“Dinner is on the counter,” Ash tells him and Bastian grins wildly, nodding his thanks.
“I’ll shower before I touch anything else, Boss Man.
Don’t worry. I know how to respect someone else’s home.
My abuela raised me right. Scarlett’s abuela, too.
I’m not about to get my ass swatted with another newspaper.
” He slaps his denim-clad ass with his gloved hand and then points down at the floor.
He’s wearing clean socks instead of dirty boots. I see the effort that’s being made. It’s quite unexpected. I haven’t had to stab a single one of these guests with a needle or warn them about a rule more than once.
“My people are respectful,” Scarlett says aloud, dead serious.
She’s looking right at me. Her mouth is so plush that I can’t stop looking at it.
I’m convinced that it’s disrespectful to look at her lips with my cock leaking inside my pants.
It’s also impossible to make it stop. My body is reacting on its own.
Bastian excuses himself, leaving the five of us in the company of a ticking clock and nothing else.
“They are respectful, yes. I was thinking that.” I respond honestly and she gives me an odd look, like she’s surprised I’m agreeing so readily with her. “Although I will be immensely grateful when everyone else eventually leaves.”
“We’re going to buy another house and move after all this is done.
We can keep this one, if you want, Alexei.
But I don’t want to live anywhere near Prescott when this shit is over.
” Scarlett sighs and leans back in her chair, crossing her legs in front of her.
“So. All my favorite haunts are getting bulldozed. The track and the radio station are next. My neighborhood has been flattened. Jonas has an alternate source of funds, but he took Pavel’s money, why? ”
“Pavel could’ve looked at Jonas wrong and earned his ire.
” Ash is huddled up in his sweatshirt, rising to his feet suddenly.
He starts collecting the dishes as Scarlett studies him.
“Maybe because Pavel wasn’t afraid of him, because Jonas had no control over him, that’s why he did it.
To see if he could. It doesn’t make sense to a normal mind, but my father and my brother never had normal minds.
Or maybe it was that secret about Aspen that Pavel wasn’t supposed to know? ”
“It’s irrelevant at this point.” My heart contracts around my grief, but the fresh memory of Chet’s face when I stole the money back soothes me.
If Papa is watching over me, he’ll be able to relax a little when Chet is dead.
When Jonas’ life is in ruins and he’s rotting in a forgotten cell, that’ll be when I can face Papa’s spirit confidently and say that I’m okay again.
“The why is unimportant. Jonas is the piece we need to make a slew of deaths and disappearances fall on someone else’s shoulders. ”
“Getting access to my father’s phone will be a difficult task, even for Hype.
But go ahead. See if you can do it. You’re right: his porn history is a federal crime in and of itself.
I’m sure there are plenty of worse things, crimes that have nothing to do with Archer Realty or Borisov Group, something entirely removed from the family.
” Ash leans his shoulder against the doorjamb as he talks, having already deposited the dirty cups in the dishwasher and started it.
Yes, he’s very good at what he does.