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I want to give her back the naivete she had the first time she slept in my bed. She’d never come before she met me. She’d never imagined the torture the Herzogs could do.
I wonder what she was like when she was truly innocent. Before her brother’s addiction spun her life out of control. Before her mother died, leaving her in the care of a distracted father and a cruel, uncaring stepmother.
And that’s when it comes to me. The thing I can do. One gift I can give her, to make her forget everything that’s happened.
And it’ll be the perfect alibi for both of us, if anything goes wrong with Best’s operation.
I tap my phone before I realize it’s only five in the morning. Sunday morning.
Susan Richards answers on the second ring. “Hello?” She clears her throat and tries again: “Good morning.”
“Sorry to wake you.”
She doesn’t lie. Doesn’t tell me she was already up. That she couldn’t sleep. Was feeding her cat. Instead, she gives me a brisk, “Not a problem.”
I tell her what I want to do.
“They’ll charge a fortune,” she says. “Especially with such short notice.”
“I’ll pay.”
“You’ll need the plane,” she says, and I hear tapping in the background. She’s taking a steady stream of notes.
“We’ll head down at three that afternoon.”
“You’ll need a car once you get there.”
“With a driver.”
“Of course,” she says. More tapping. “You want him in costume?”
I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “I want to keep it a surprise as long as possible.” As I answer, I pull up a web page on my computer, filling in some gaps in my knowledge. I give Susan a few more instructions.
“I’ll get right on it,” she says. “But if they say they can’t do it?”
“Offer more money.”
“It’s not always about money,” she tries to remind me.
“This is. You’ve got a blank check.”
“I’ll email the details, as soon as they’re set.”
“Just to me. Alix can’t know anything about it.”
“Of course she can’t,” Susan says. And for the first time since I hired her, I think she might be laughing at me.
That’s okay. I deserve it, just a little, for thinking I can pull this off.
I let Susan go so she can work her magic, and I head into the kitchen. There isn’t enough coffee in the world to make up for my night of booze, poker, and the detailed vision I’ve gained of my enemies.
But I’ve got to pretend otherwise. I’m the CEO of Diamond fucking Freeport. And I’m finally doingsomethingto protect my business from blackmailing cocksuckers. To protect my fortune. To protect Alix.
One week, and this will all be over.
18
ALIX
