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“And the Odyssey hotels.” I tense when he says that.Fuck.
Why do I get the impression that this fucker is going to tell me more that’s going to make me want to kill him right the hell now? The Odyssey hotels are a venture I entered with Salvatore and Gabe. We own a chain of hotels on five islands in the Caribbean that cater to adult fantasies. They’re like the sex club set in paradise.
“What about the hotels?”
The fear that fills his eyes makes my blood boil. What more is he going to tell me?
“I was siphoning money to an offshore account. There’s a guy who wanted to set up some business in Antigua.”
I bite down hard on my back teeth. “You fucker.” I glare at him, and then it occurs to me he did all this without me knowing. He has access to the systems, but no one knew what was going on until he slipped up.
Then we couldn’t find him for three days. That’s virtually impossible, and not with a man like this.
Or maybe it’s me who’s wrong again. There I was thinking of him as the simpleton. Maybe it’s me who’s underestimating him. What simpleton can do all that he’s done to a guy like me?
He looks a pathetic mess now, but I can’t help but wonder if there’s either more to Mark than I know or if someone was helping him to steal and fuck me over.
I have to factor in every possibility and leave no stone unturned.
“I wasn’t thinking straight. He offered me a discount on some drugs if I could set something up for him in Antigua. Vincent, I… don’t remember anything else. I can’t.” He lowers his head and shakes it. “I need to go to the clinic, Vincent,” he states, and his cheeks flush with shame. “I’m not refusing cooperation, but I can’t see for shit. I’m addicted to all manner of fucking shit, and no matter what I take, I can’t forget.” He lifts his hands against the clink of the chains, and they tremble, shaking.
The fucker strikes a nerve inside me. “Forget?”
“The loss… the loss. Lost her, and them to death.” He’s not looking at me. He saidher.
I know he’s not married. I’m assuming though there must have been a woman in the picture.
He laughs and lifts his head. “I’m just a dead man walking without a soul, waiting for the fucking devil to take me. Drag me down to hell and put me out of my misery.” He’s tripping. I can see it.
“What did you take before we got to you?” I ask, trying to calm down.
“A mixture of coke and ecstasy. I had some beer. It balances the effect. Not by much though. I need to go back to the clinic, and then I can help. Ava wanted me to go to the clinic. Please let me go, Vincent. It’s the least I can do.”
“I’ll make the arrangements.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not doing it for you.” I give him a hard stare and he flinches.
Shaking my head I leave. There’s nothing more I can do here.
* * *
Today is just as long as I knew it would be.
I get back home at eight after taking care of a few things back at Giordanos Inc.
It’s dinner time. Ava is supposed to be joining me. I make my way into the dining room, where I find Marguerite at the table with Timothy. When Marguerite sees me, she sighs. I’m interested to hear how the rest of the day went after I left.
My arrival has signaled the chefs to bring the food out from the kitchen. They’ve made roast beef and honey roasted vegetables at my request. As always, it looks amazing and smells even better. They set a plate for me and another for Ava.
“How is she?” I ask Marguerite when the chefs leave.
“She’s not eating, Vinny. Other than the cookies and hot chocolate I gave her this morning, she hasn’t eaten anything. I gave her a robe and a T-shirt to change into so she could shower. Lydia will be here later with some clothes. It’s… been weird, Vinny.” She presses her lips together. Timothy reaches for me, and I take him. It’s his bedtime, so I don’t want to take up too much time with him.
“I told her you wanted to see her here at eight,” Marguerite adds.
“I’ll deal with her when she comes down.”
