Page 26 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

“Fine. Are you still in the office?” she asks.

“Yeah, why?” I shift my body weight to reach my laptop. “What’s going on?”

“The Senator is making my life easy.” She chuckles.

“How so?” I ask.

“One of his latest ventures just went under. I’m telling you this guy is the worst businessman ever. How did he ever amass any kind of wealth?” She scoffs, then goes silent. “Oh Archer. I’m sorry. That was a dumb thing to say.”

“No worries.” I shake my head, even though she can’t see me.

Yeah, any wealth the Senator has left came from my father. Since they were young, the Senator would always chase the get-rich-quick investments. Of course, they never panned out. Years of shady investments combined with his poor judgment when it came to business have put the Senator at the brink of ruin. Gardenia is right. He’s making our jobs way too easy. Even Rex and Santino’s.

Days after I met with Rex and Santino, Santino reached out to let me know they had the Senator on the hook for embezzlement of campaign funds and, a classic, gambling. Inside an hour, Santino had bought the debt and informed the Senator he had to pay or suffer the consequences. At this point, Rex doesn’t care if the Senator goes under. He’s got him by the proverbial balls. All without my assistance.

Luckily, Santino still wants to help me. And has agreed to receive Paloma when she decides she really needs his help. Time to force her hand.

“How long before he forecloses on his Bedford mansion. I want it. Don’t let it go to market. Understand?” I tap on a key on my laptop to bring up the screen. Out of habit, I click on one of Paloma’s surveillance pictures that Jacob uploaded to the secured drive. “I want his home.”

“Yeah, I’m on it. I spoke to Santino.” She pauses and waits for me to admonish her for reaching out to the Italian mob directly. But at this point, we’re in too deep to fuss over small details. She releases a breath. “Anyway, he’s fast tracking the foreclosure. He bought the mortgage with your money, of course. The house is as good as yours.”

“That’s excellent news.” I don’t even care how much he spent on the mansion.

“I mean, at this point we have enough to send the guy to jail for a long time.” She types on her keyboard.

I stare at Paloma’s beautiful features, her pouty lips, her eyes. She deserves a better father. But that’s not my concern. Jail is not enough. I want the Senator begging me for scraps. Once he loses his most precious possession, his mansion, his wealth and power, he will do exactly that. I want him to beg my mother for forgiveness and then return what he stole.

“Not yet, Gardenia. We stick to the plan.” I click on the next photo of Paloma where she’s wearing her ballerina dress.

She has lost weight and looks exhausted. After seeing her at rehearsals on her first day, I can see why her body would slim down. Ten hours a day of the torture her director puts her through would do that to anyone. She’s determined to a fault.

“Hello?” Gardenia singsongs in my ear.

“Yeah. What?” I ask.

“I said…. why are you still in the city? Come home already. Or did you change your mind about going to Chuck’s birthday party?” she asks.

“No, I haven’t. I’ll be home shortly.”

“Hurry up, man.” Jacob pops in. “Gardenia is driving us all nuts trying on dresses.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I tap my earpiece to turn it off.

The blue dot on the map, covering the left side of my screen, starts to move. My heart drums in my chest in anticipation.

Come on, Little Dove, be a good daughter. Time to sell your soul to the devil. If you really love him, take your father’s place.

I sit there and wait as her driver weaves through midtown traffic. And then, makes the wrong turn, away from the Crucible, the sex club where Rex and Santino handle their less legitimate businesses. Fuck. She’s not taking the bait.

Maybe I’m going about this the wrong way. What if she can’t get away from the Senator? I got the sense he was the controlling-loving-dad type. I swallow the lump in my throat. After all, isn’t he the one who decides who she sleeps with? He’s not desperate enough. Is it possible he doesn’t know he doesn’t have the diamond? That tomorrow he won’t have five million dollars or more in his bank account.

I snap my laptop shut and rise to my feet. That must be it. Paloma hasn’t told her father what happened to the pink diamond. Is she hoping for a miracle? Fine. She won’t come to me? Then, I’ll go to her. She will have to agree to my terms tonight.

* * *

“I can get used to this.”Gardenia loops her hand through my elbow and leans over the console to rest her head on my shoulder. “We should go to parties every weekend.”

“You’re working, remember?” Jacob says over the earpiece. “I’m glad I’m on comms tonight. Being a driver is boring. Although I did see a couple having sex last time. Trust me, it wasn’t as sexy as you would think. They were messy. I mean the guy was clueless.”

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