“Fantastic.” I shift my jaw. In the brief pause, the air is tense, and I glare out at the blinding sun bouncing off the buildings downtown.
“I’ve got a lot to worry about now, Barnes. Can you dig into this? Ask the boys some questions and try to figure it out until I can take over? I have some loose ends to wrap up before I dig my hands into another shit-show.”
“Yes, Sir.” He stands up and leaves the office in a sweaty rush. I can’t trust anybody in this fucking business, I swear to God.
Could it be possible that Ms. Lee is the one tipping off the cops? Surely, I’m not wrong to assume she could be capable of concealing such things, especially after the shit Lee told me earlier.
The thought brings up anger within me because it reminds me that Jessica is a fucking narc. I grit my teeth and call her into my office. She shows up moments later, closing the door behind her and sitting in her usual spot across from me.
“Ms. Lee, I don’t ask for too much from you, do I?” she cocks her head at my words before shaking hers.
“...No…I-”
I raise my hand for her to shut up. “A simple no will do.” she nods. “Do I give you any reason to doubt my leadership?” her brows furrow even deeper.
“No.”
“Make you feel inferior?” She looks up at the ceiling like she’s thinking.
“Well-” I give her a warning look, and her face falls flat as she pushes out another “No” through pursed lips.
“THEN WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU BETRAY ME?” I scream so loud I’m sure the whole office hears me, but my blinds are closed, so they wouldn’t know what’s actually going on even if they could hear me. Jess cringes at every word I spew from popped veins and fists pounding on the desk.
“I-It-” She lets out a breath, continuing to stutter. “I never, Vince, I- you mean a lot to me- I….”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You’re fucking working with the FBI! DON’T FUCKING LIE TO MY FACE JESSICA!” Tears are in her eyes now, and I don't feel the slightest bit of remorse. I should fire her now.
“I can explain. I never told them anything, they were threatening me, I-”
“So it’s even worse than I thought. You’re betraying me to save your own skin. What kind of fucking person does that? Did you give them intel on how well I fucked you too? Or was that just another twisted part of getting closer to me?”
“What the fuck, Vince? I’m telling you-”
“And I’m telling you that this is your two weeks. Find a new fucking job and get the fuck out of my face.” I hiss, turning back to my computer. She sits there for a minute, and I shoo her away with my hand, clicking aimlessly through my emails to look busy.
She eventually stands to her feet, opens the door, and slams it so hard my walls shake. I hate the feeling in the pit of my stomach, so I ignore it the rest of the day, engulfing myself in my work, so I don’t think about this fucking disaster. The cops are on my heels, my deals are going south, and Jessica Lee will be out of my life in two weeks. That last one somehow hurts more than all the others.
Fuck emotions. They will lie to you and tell you that a betrayer is trustworthy. I should have known better. At the end of the day, I get an email from Ms. Lee.
“Vince,
I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you. Ever since I was coerced into aiding them, I never once told them your secrets or any details regarding your family. The way you spoke to me is inexcusable because I cared about you. I wanted to help, even though you barely let me in. All I ever did was do my job, even at the cost of going to jail for taking your side.
In lieu of recent events, I would like you to accept my formal letter of resignation attached below. I wish you the best and am sorry for the way things turned out.
Always the best,
Jessica Lee”
Why am I not satisfied that I’ll never see her again? If what she’s saying is true, which I can’t be sure of, then I’m the one who really fucked up. I should have confronted it differently, but I was in a rage, not thinking straight. I let out a sigh and sign off early, grabbing my coat and heading straight to the lift. Lee isn’t here to pick me up yet, so I grab my spare key from one of the lockers in the garage and start the car myself.
I’m a little rusty on this driving thing because I rarely do it, so I'm a little heavy-footed, zooming out of the garage and peeling onto the street. I head straight to Jessica’s apartment. I type in the entry code when I arrive, head straight to the lift, and ascend to her level. The doors ding open and I sprint down the hall, knocking on her door with vigor.
The door cracks open, and it’s Blondie. His eyes peep through the opening.
“Yes?” He asks like it’s his home, and I roll my eyes.
“I need to speak to Jessica immediately.”