Page 59 of Sizzling Nights

Dear Theresa,

I write this letter to you knowing that I'm likely dead at this point. I told you from the beginning my life was always at risk. If Shooter found out what I was doing, he'd kill me. And there was always a chance that he'd kill me anyway, in one of his outbursts. They've become worse and it really is only a matter of time.

I know you've asked me why I don't leave. You see, I can't. He'll find me. No matter where I go, no matter what I do, he'd find me. I'd live my life on the run with no money and the inability to ever keep myself safe. One of the documents I have attached here is also a copy of my bank accounts. Shooter has been using my bank accounts recently to implicate me so I couldn't run. He always threatens to expose me, so I remain compliant. What he should realize is if he brings me down, it will also throw shade on him. But I believe he has the officials in his pocket and they have been paid off, so he likely would never be implicated. In a sense, this is my last act of defiance, and my death will not be in vain if you manage to bring the Celtics down. At a minimum, shed a bright light on what they're doing to the point their operations will cease or slow down and their influence will no longer be valuable. Besides the money, they love the power their influence brings. That alone is worth watching. The rats will all leave the sinking ship.

The documents in this thumb drive are bank statements from both Shooter's and his dad's accounts. Some of them are offshore accounts and many of those show money exchanges with foreign governments for arms and secrets. Shooter loved dealing in secrets and access to his father. That is always a big-ticket item for him.

Bring to light all these bastards have done and are doing, Theresa. Then I hope you find peace and happiness in life and know you did a remarkable thing in bringing down one of the biggest and most corrupt crime families of this century. It's been my pleasure to know and work with you.

Your friend,

Keely.

Theresa wiped her eyes as she read Keely's words. Marco lay his hand on the nape of her neck to show support. She turned and cried on his shoulder. The distance between them was large, so he pulled her onto his lap and he held her as she cried for her brave friend and the loss she felt all over again.

When her crying subsided, he tightened his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear. "You and Keely are the bravest women I've ever known or heard of. You should write her story."

Theresa sniffed a few times and finally lifted her head from his shoulder. "What would that look like?"

"It would be a retelling of how she contacted you and the things she's told you over the time you worked together. You can interview people who knew her. Her family, siblings, parents and others. You would tell the world who Keely Benson was. That would be a phenomenal tribute to your friend."

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Theresa added links to some of the documents Keely had shared with her, kept some of them back, and encrypted them with her dead man's switch. She finished her story by explaining what the dead man's switch was and that if she were killed, even if it looked like an accident, the final incriminating documents would be released for the world to see. She only listed some of the foreign governments involved in the duplicity. Keeping the bigger countries, Russia, China, Ukraine, and others encrypted behind her dead man's switch. She also mentioned there were countries still to be named.

She scheduled her final exposé to release in the next hour and she stood and stretched. Marco had moved to the kitchen and was baking up something that smelled phenomenal. She sauntered toward the aroma of sweets and the lure of Marco. She moved around the counter and hugged him from behind as he stirred something delicious smelling on the stove.

She sighed. "It's finished."

He turned in her arms and kissed her lips. His was still split, so he couldn't kiss her like she preferred. Like he wanted to. Soon.

"Nice work babe. How do you feel about it?"

"I'm happy. It feels good."

"Wonderful."

He turned to stir his sauce on the stove. "Jace, Margo, and Mitch will be here in about an hour. I wanted you to have the time you needed to write. Tonight, we'll celebrate."

She stood back and watched her man cook for a moment. "What are you making?"

He chuckled. "Steak and asparagus. I'm also baking a triple chocolate lava cake for dessert. This is the chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top of the cake."

Her hand flew to her stomach. "I'm going to have to start working out again. The way you feed me is certainly going to show soon and I'll get a huge belly." She held her hands out in front of her.

His eyes stared at her hands. She saw his jaw tighten and his Adam's apple move as he swallowed. He set his spoon down, turned the flame off under the pan of simmering chocolate, and pulled her into his body. "I love the way you look. I also love feeding you. And, I love you."

She chuckled as she stared into his gorgeous brown eyes. "I don't bring much to the table here. I don't cook for you. I do love looking at you. I also love who you are as a human."

"That's a ton right there." He bent his knees and kissed her lips.

She wrapped her arms around his waist gently, splaying her fingers open on his back. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Nothing felt better than a Marco hug.

He stepped back once more. "Sorry, gotta take care of dinner."

She nodded. "I'll set the table."

She proceeded to set the table in the dining room. She found beautiful woodland placemats with tiny pinecones at the corners. The plates were brown with red rims. The silverware was of high quality. The cloth napkins in the buffet were laid on the plates and she found candles in tall candle sticks that she set in the middle of the table. It was the most elegant table she'd ever set in her life, and she was proud of it.

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