Page 26 of Loving Vincent

Eighteen

“Heard you have a date with Sharon,” Vince said, lighting up a cigar.

He wasn’t a smoker. Not really, but today was a good day for a smoke. It’d been a month since the accident. Jenna and Lola were fully recovered and happily running Vince and his home. He wouldn’t want it any other way. His two girls were the world to him, they belonged to him and he planned on taking very good care of them.

“What are you, some kind of gossip now?” Jared grunted his annoyance.

“Hardly,” Vince said drily. “Jenna told me this morning before Sharon came over for the day. Apparently they’ve been planning a spa trip or some shit before the big date.”

“Jesus,” Jared mumbled. “Was just going to take her out for a drink, maybe dinner at Applebee’s or something.”

“You need to up your game man. Spa day means you might get some, but not if Applebee’s is your date plan.”

“I need a smoke,” Jared complained, reaching for Vince’s cigar.

Vince allowed it, glancing down from where they were standing. They were on the second level of scaffolding at one of the job sites. Below them was a sea of concrete, slowly filling the pit that would become the parking garage to a brand-new luxury apartment building. It would also become Zach Morris’ grave.

Vince watched dispassionately as the broken bleeding man slowly sank into the wet concrete. More concrete was pouring from a truck into the pit. The truck was manned by a guy who knew to look the other way. Vince was satisfied that Zach would no longer present any problems. His disappearance would coincide with a suicide note, outlining his regret over his treatment of his ex-wife. He would also be kind enough to leave his entire estate to his daughter, as was outlined in his new and improved will, signed shortly before his disappearance. Of course, there wouldn’t be a body to prove a suicide actually happened, so his estate would likely be tied up for years, but it would be waiting for Lola when she turned eighteen and was old enough to claim her inheritance.

Vince stepped back, slapped Jared on the back and said, “Keep an eye on him, made sure the fuck doesn’t manage to crawl out.”

Jared snorted. “Would be a little hard with all those broken bones.”

Before tossing Zack off the scaffolding into the concrete, they rebroke his freshly healing leg and then went after his other three limbs. Just to make sure he understood he shouldn’t try to run away while they administered his punishment. A sound beating followed by suffocating in a bed of freshly poured concrete. Or maybe it was drowning? Vince wasn’t sure. He could Google it though, if he really wanted to know.

“Going home?” Jared asked as Vince reached for the ladder.

“Yep, got a date with a hot redheaded.”

“Taking her to Applebee’s?” Jared teased.

Vince snorted. “Not if I want to get laid tonight. A guy only needs to learn that lesson once.”

Jared roared with laughter as Vince climbed down to the ground and strode away. He’d be back in the morning, business as normal. His enemy dead and his family tucked away safely at home. Life didn’t get much better than this.

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