“We both that’s a lie. You like power too much.”
“What was so special about your whore?”
Sergio didn’t like Victor calling Jessie that one bit. Aldo had called her that, too. Sergio guessed the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. He didn’t know why he’d insisted on cornering Victor like this. To scare him? To strike a deal despite knowing Victor would never agree to it?
Perhaps Sergio just wanted to look Victor one last time in the eyes. He needed to understand why Victor had put so much trust in him one moment, only to hunt him down like an animal the next.
“You’ll never know the answer to that question.”
Victor would never understand if Sergio explained his special bond to Jessie anyway.
“Right now, my men will be crawling all over the city looking for me.”
Victor had changed tactics. He was trying to intimidate Sergio. To scare him into letting him go. That would never happen. Sergio finally saw Victor for who he really was—a user. Everyone in the organization, including Aldo and Sergio, were pawns on a chessboard. All of them were disposable. Replaceable.
“Answer me this one question. If I agree to let you go on the condition that you’ll leave me and Jessie alone, what’s your answer?”
“That can be arranged. I don’t want any further quarrel with you, Sergio. If you agree to never step foot inOakheartCity again and if you keep my secrets, then we have a deal.”
It sounded too good to be true. Victor had outright lied to him. Sergio knew too much, and Victor eliminated liabilities.
“You seem to have the impression that you possess bargaining power. You don’t.” Victor opened his mouth again, but Sergio ended him with a bullet to the head. Just like his brother. He sighed and exited the vehicle. Sergio left the alleyway. He flagged a cab and bid him to drive him out of the city.
“You want me to drop you on the side of the road?” the cabbie asked, confused.
“That’s right.” Sergio handed him a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks, buddy. Good luck.”
Sergio exited the cab. He’d already texted Jessie during the drive. More vehicles drove past him. Sweat coated his front and back. He took off his suit. Sergio had worn disposable gloves the entire time.
He’d burn those, along with his clothes once Jessie and he got home. Sergio kept thinking it would only be a matter of time before Victor’s men tracked him down. A ridiculous thought. They still had no clue who kidnapped Victor. He wasn’t even sure if they’d found Victor’s body yet.
Fifteen minutes later, Jessie arrived. He slid inside the silver Toyota rental. Jessie pulled him into a hug. He twisted his fingers into her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, of her.
“Everything went according to plan?” she asked.
He released her. “Without a hitch,” he answered.
“What now?”
“We head home.” Relief washed through her features at his answer.
“Is it truly finally over?” she asked him.
“It is.”