Page 22 of Joel
I can’t say for certain that the male chatter in the background is Todd, but my gut says it is. And I’ve always trusted my gut.
“We both know that isn’t true, Ms.— ”
“If you can’t at least share your name, Mr. New Client, there’s nothing I can do for you.”
I hold back a frustrated sigh. I didn’t want to resort to this with anyone other than the asshole himself, but I also don’t have the time to fly to Florida to hunt him down in person. And it’s best for both of us if I never get that opportunity.
“Tell him it’s about The Esmerelda.”
“Hang up, Mindy. I got this.” A male voice joins the conversation, and I now suspect he was there the whole time. Kylie mentioned her stepfather was paranoid, but this seemsoverboard. Or perhaps the Alaska area code threw Mindy in a way it didn’t throw Todd. Did he even tell anyone he was sending Kylie here?
“What do you know about The Esmerelda?” Todd demands.
“I could ask you the same question.”
“Did Kylie put you up to this?” I can practically hear him spit through the phone.
“How much?”
“How much what?”
“How much to settle Kylie’s debt?”
“Who the fuck is this?”
“I’m your worst nightmare if you don’t answer the question.” Though I didn’t have much time to dig yesterday, I found enough to ruin this man’s business—and probably his life—if I wanted to take it that far.
“Buddy, I’m about to hang up on you.”
“Do that and see how long Mercer Enterprises survives. Idareyou.”
“I am not the man you want to mess with, son. I have friends in powerful places.”
“So do I.”
“Seems as though we’re at an impasse then. Tell Kylie that if she comes up empty, she’ll owe me.”
My fist curls at my side, and I have the overwhelming urge to punch something. But it’s not in frustration, which is how I suspect Todd usually winds up people he wants to keep his thumb on. It’s the way he talks about Kylie as though she’s only as valuable as what she can do for him.
“I’m going to ask you one more time. How. Much?”
Todd lets out a sigh. “Twenty-two thousand.”
The bastard is doubling the amount he told Kylie. The amount she shared with me in her hotel room last night.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, Todd. I’m going to wire you eleven thousand dollars to settle Kylie’s debt.Afteryou send her a contractual release.”
“I think you misheard me,” Todd says.
“You’re not going to shake me down. Take the offer, or I’ll make sure Mercer Enterprises is shut down by the end of the week.” Do I have the ability to set that in motion so fast? Not sure. Maybe by the end of the summer. I have enough in savings to hire some pretty incredible lawyers. But I’m fucking done with this douche canoe, and I want Kylie free of him now. “The Esmerelda is nationally protected. Anyone who disturbs the site—orauthorizesthe disturbance of the site—faces more than just a hefty fine.”
“You think I’m afraid of a little jail time?”
“Maybe not if it wasjustThe Esmerelda.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I start listing illegal treasure hunt sites being investigated by the Coast Guard. Ones I’ve been able to loosely tie Mercer Enterprises to with the help of my buddy in tech. If we had more time, I’m sure we could connect the dots in a much more concrete way.
