Page 75 of Carnival Master

“You wanted to see us, boss?” Lars asks.

“Yeah, come in.” I wave them closer, moving away from Phoenix’s screens. “Got a special job for you two. Time to play the disgruntled employees card.”

Nash’s eyebrows lift. “You want us to flip on you?”

“Exactly.” I pull out a manila envelope from my desk drawer. Inside are shipping manifests, bank statements,and route information—all carefully crafted to match what Phoenix planted for their hackers to find. Take these to Jimmy, tell him you’re tired of my leadership, that I’ve lost my mind over his daughter.”

Lars takes the envelope, thumbing through its contents. “How much of this matches their digital finds?”

“Every detail.” I lean against my desk. “The numbers, dates, locations – it all lines up perfectly. When Jimmy’s people cross-reference what you bring them with what their hackers ‘discovered,’ everything will check out.”

“And our story?” Nash asks.

“Keep it simple. Say, I’ve been cutting your percentages, taking bigger risks, and making you nervous. Hell, throw in that I’ve been unstable since taking Sofia—that’ll appeal to Jimmy’s ego.”

Lars nods. “He’ll eat that shit up. Anything that paints you as the villain in his daughter’s story.”

“Make it convincing,” I stress. “Jimmy’s paranoid, but he’s not stupid. He needs to believe you’re genuinely turning on me.”

“Don’t worry,” Nash says, a cold smile on his lips. “We know how to play our parts.”

I clap Nash on the shoulder. “Thanks. Get it done.”

Leaving him to work, I stride out of the trailer into the early morning air. The carnival is just starting to wake up, workers setting up for another day of cover operations. The scent of cotton candy and popcorn already drifts through the grounds.

I find Colt and Remy by the Ferris wheel, clipboard in hand, as they inspect the machinery.

I approach them.” How’s it looking?”

Colt looks up from his checklist. “Every ride’s got fresh inspection certificates. Maintenance logs are detailed down to the smallest bolt change.”

“Safety permits are all current,” Remy adds. “Even got the food vendor licenses renewed early. Health department won’t find a single violation to nail us on.”

“Good.” I examine the documentation they’ve gathered. “We need everything above board. One slip in the legitimate business could give the cops the excuse to shut us down.”

“Already handled the employee paperwork, too,” Colt says. “Work visas, tax forms, social security—it’s all clean and organized.”

“Insurance policies are paid up,” Remy chimes in. “Got extra coverage on everything, just in case Jimmy tries to arrange any more serious’ accidents.’”

I nod, satisfied with their thoroughness. “Keep at it. If anyone official shows up, we give them nothing to work with.”

They return to their tasks as I head in search of Gage. Near the haunted house attraction, I spot the tall figure of Gage, his skull mask in place as always as I approach.

“Need a word, Gage.” I gesture for him to meet me to one side, leading him to a quieter corner where we won’t be overheard.

His gaze pierces right through me. He waits, silent and expectant.

I study Gage’s masked face, knowing the perfect watchdog stands before me. “I need your eyes on everything. Every stranger lingering too long, every worker acting suspicious, every shadow that seems out of place.”

Gage tilts his head.

“You see anything—and I mean anything—that feels wrong, you sound the alarm. I know you notice things others miss.” I lower my voice. “Jimmy’s going to try something. The question is when and where.”

A single nod from Gage.

“Good. Keep to the shadows; do what you do best.” I turn away, knowing he’ll disappear into the darkness like always. And then, I head toward my trailer, where I find Sofia curled up on the leather couch, her phone clutched in her hands.

“Baby girl, it’s time.” I sit beside her. “We need to make that call to the feds.”

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