Page 139 of Shadow

Asher kept digging. “So, you were the one who orchestrated the mineral rights and the harassment of farmers?”

“That was a long game. And mostly Ralph’s idea.”

“You killed your own husband.”

“The cartel killed Ralph.” She gave him a smile.

Yeah, sure.

He looked at her. “He was planning a takeover. You killed him and then made Roger look like the leader while you eliminated anyone who was loyal to Ralph.”

“Dig,” Draven said.

“You know she’d do the same to you, right? You’re not even her son.”

Destiny shook her head. “Draven is loyal to me. I was the one who took him in, made him a part of our family.”

Roger threw away his cigarette. Glanced at Draven, his mouth pinched.

Could be an opportunity there.

Asher kept digging. “You created and ran the foundation as your trafficking pipeline. Blaine Turner was a puppet, while you hosted charity galas.”

“No one looks too closely while they’re eating duck pâté.”

“The meat processing facilities—those were yours too, weren’t they? Continental Meat Processing. Perfect cover for moving product.”

Destiny’s smile widened. “Legitimate interstate commerce. High employee turnover. Remote industrial locations.”

“You used them as holding locations for the trafficked kids. Before moving them to the youth camps.”

“Temporary storage,” she said as casually, as if discussing warehouse inventory. “The facilities were already there. Why not maximize efficiency?”

He stared at her. “You sat at galas promoting sustainable farming while using those same facilities to hide bodies and store drugs.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Did you order the hit on Judge Mullinax?”

“Draven took care of that.”

“He tried to grow a conscience,” Draven said.

“And Martina Martinelli? She figured it out, didn’t she? Her investigation traced the finances back to you.”

“I think that’s deep enough,” Roger said.

Asher pressed on. “Judge Mullinax was going to reveal that you were the head. Martha was going to testify to everything—Continental Transport, the shipping network, the meat processing facilities, all of it.”

Draven stepped up to the edge. “Gimme the shovel, Asher.”

He held on, glanced again at Roger. “You even arranged the attack on your own son. Was it discipline because he was growing a backbone?”

Roger flinched.

“Just kill him, Draven,” Destiny said.

Asher adjusted his grip on the shovel, his mind racing through everything he knew. “You built the Shadow Syndicate from the ground up. Used Ralph as your legitimate business front until he tried to claim your empire. Then you eliminated him, weaponized both Roger and Draven, and orchestrated every major crime while the world saw only an elegant, grieving widow hosting charity events.” He gave a harsh laugh. “And no one saw it. No one saw that you were the monster at the center of it all.”