AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Dan.”
“Jaaaack. So you got the message.”
“I did. What’s so urgent that you needed to call Kade and Fiona?”
“Well, seeing as your house burned down last night – ”
“My house burned down?” I interrupted.
“Ha. That’s cute, Jack. I suppose you want me to believe you’re actually calling from Chicago, too.”
“Decided to leave town for a while. Take a little vacation.”
“I’ll bet. Well, you should come on in.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say it would be in your best interest to do that.”
“Funny, I would have said it would be in my best interest NOT to.”
“Jack – the insurance company’s not going to look too fondly on you committing arson to collect a payout on your home. And business, too. Don’t know if you’d heard about that one, either.”
I clenched my jaw in barely contained fury. So that’s how the bastards were going to play it.
“Actually, I did. But I didn’t burn them down.”
“Well, the fire chief says it was most definitely arson.”
“Oh, it was – but we both know I had nothing to do with it.”
“I don’t know any such thing, Jack.”
“Funny how you’re going on and on about the arson, but not about the three dead bodies around my house.”
There was a pause on the other end. “I don’t know anything about any dead bodies, Jack.”
“Are you sure? Unless you guys pulled him off the front porch in time, I’m sure the guy I nailed coming through the front door is pretty damn crispy by now.”
Dan sighed. “Jack… you need to come in. This could get ugly if you don’t.”
“I’d say it already IS ugly.”
“It’ll get uglier.”
“You mean, like when your guys are ‘forced’ to shoot me when I ‘resist’ arrest?”
“It’s not gonna be like that, Jack.”
“Or maybe it’ll get uglier for you when Lou doesn’t get the full bang for all the cash he pays you.”
Dan was too much of a chickenshit to actually confront me – even over the phone – but he took on a slightly colder tone. “If you don’t come in, I can’t protect you. In fact, if you don’t come in, you’re basically declaring yourself an outlaw.”
“Well, that’s what Lou always wanted the club to be. I guess I’m late to the party, but better late than never.”
“This is your last warning, Jack.”
“Stick your warning up your ass, Dan, and fuck yourself good and hard with it,” I said before I hung up the phone.
