Before I could get the words out, Simeon reached over and muted the call, knowing it was too late to hang up. One, his wife would be suspicious, and two, he wouldn't be walking out of here if he did.
"I remembered something. It's on Wabash, an old supermarket. It's going to have a bit of everything, and," he stopped, swallowing, glancing up at the woman on the phone, "it's called the Masked Kingpin."
Hitting the unmute, he sat back, pleading to not say anything. The woman's voice rang out once again, filling the room. "Hello? Hello? Anyone there?"
"I'm so sorry, ma'am, I must've hit the mute button with my face. I'm going to leave this at the lost and found at Nutty Brew. Will that do?"
"Oh, yes, thank you so much. My husband must've dropped it. He works around the corner from there."
"You don't say? Well, that's wonderful. I'm so glad I could help."
"You're too kind. I'll be sure to tell him when he gets home."
"You have a nice day, ma'am."
"Thank you, you too, sir."
Hanging it up, I slid it across to him, giving him a pointed look. He nodded, pocketing it, and hurriedly left. The guard at the door followed, giving me a nod before he left, understanding he needed to follow. Once I had only one guard left, I exhaled, relief settling in my bones at having finally gotten some leverage.
It wasn't the news I wanted to hear, but it was a place to start. Picking up my phone, I called the pissant who was supposed to be giving me updates but who'd lately failed to do so.
"Mr. Mascro, I was just going to call you."
"Is that so, Marcus? I’d be very interested to hear what you have to say."
"Oh, well, nothing new to report, unfortunately. They've been very tight-lipped and seem to be hiding out for the moment."
He spoke fast, a tactic to cover his lies. He'd already sealed his fate, though. This was why I hated liars. Everyone always thought they were the one in charge, getting away with something, making them feel powerful and like the most intelligent person in the room.
They were all wrong.
Lies made you weak.
"Very well, Marcus. Can you make sure to keep Darren away from Evolve and don't let him sniff around it?"
"Uh, yeah, sure thing, boss. Can I ask why?"
"No, you can't, but I'll tell you anyway. The remodels are finished, and we're opening the speakeasy below. I don't want Darren getting his hands on our ideas."
"Of course, Mas. You can count on me."
"Hmm. Have something for me next time, Marcus."
"Yes, sir."
I hung up before he could hang himself more. Now, I just had to wait and let him set a trap for me. Marcus had been a gamble, and while he didn't pan out by giving me insider info, he'd at least be valuable in setting the trap I needed to lay by ratting himself out.
Lies made you believe the wrong thing, the version of the truth you needed to feel safe.
I didn't need to lie to myself to know I wasn’t the smartest person or even remotely safe. The only way I'd be safe was if all my enemies were kneeling at my feet, being crushed under my heels.