Page 60 of Vengeance

“I work for Pray, but legally speaking I am a fed,” Jake says. “I’ve swept a lot of things under the rug for my employer over the years and found “no evidence” to a lot of accusations, but whoever pulled this off was thorough. I’m assuming this story was your doing?”

Dele nods, and I can’t say I’m surprised. Of course, she was scheming the entire time behind my back. She always is. She could have mentioned it, though. I wouldn’t have stopped her. It was a good idea. To have an “insurance plan” in case things didn’t go as planned.

“I noticed in your investigation and evidence, you very specifically left out anything to do with the Pray’s… other businesses. And made sure there was nothing that could tie back your husband or you,” Jake adds. “So I’m assuming your play here is that you want to take down Pray, keep all the businesses but not the human trafficking one. Right?”

“And if that was what we wanted,” I say carefully, even though we thoroughly searched Jake for bugs and listening devices. He was cooperative about it, but I can’t be too careful. Not until we have something incriminating on him on record.

“What do you get out of this?” Dele asks bluntly.

“The same deal me and my team of feds got out of this deal before. A shit ton of money from the profits of all your illegal activities that I will continue to sweep under the rug, so long as you’re discreet about it, and the heads-up if any of your men have talked or are planning to talk to the feds,” he says.

So that was how Pray knew who was getting ready snitch all the time? I knew he had some in with the feds. I just didn’t know who.

“And, working with me can do wonders for your reputation. If anything does come out, you schedule a press conference, you say how you have no idea how this happened and say you plan to fully cooperate with the federal investigation with the feds right at your side. People will think we’re doing the job their taxes pay for, I help you and your crooked lawyers hide whatever you need to hide, I bring the public the results of our thorough investigation, we all keep making a shit ton of money for years, hopefully decades, to come.”

“If that’s your job for Pray, why turn on him now? Why not do your job, investigate, and put him right back where he’s been all this time?” Dele asks.

Jakes takes out a cigarette, lights it, and takes a smoke in an immature show of being the one in control. But he’s not. Because if he was, he would be doing just what Dele suggests he should actually be doing. Like everyone else who has ever tried to exert a show of control over us, it’s very clear he needs us.

“Because this human trafficking thing is so fucking big, the big boys from Washington are going to get involved. I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to. No matter what I try to do, Stephen Pray is finished. His other businesses… They don’t have to be. I thought we could all benefit.”

“And if we don’t want to take your offer?” I ask.

Jake sighs and rolls his eyes.

“Look, you and I both know that I need you more than you need me. You’re the ones in control here. You’ve got me literally backed into a corner with a recording of this entire conversation where I essentially offered to let you bribe me, you’ve created an airtight scenario with a bunch of failsafes so you don’t end up in prison, and you somehow got the fucking backing of the infamous Fantoni family in Italy, and now all the money and capital to do whatever the fuck you want. I don’t think even the feds can stand up against their network and connections. You’ve won and you know it. I know it. I’m just ensuring my cut of the fucking prize and making things a little easier on you so you don’t have to make the extra leap to find someone else who will do the same shit I do.”

I smirk. Pray’s not even dead. Just arrested, and already people who work for him are coming to beg and grovel at the foot of the power I now hold. Well… that they think I hold.

“That’s going to be my wife’s call,” I reply. “She’s your new boss. I’m just one of her many enforcers.”

Dele glances at me, hiding her surprise at that revelation well enough. But that’s something to talk about with her later. I simply nod my head toward Jake. She then looks directly at him and says, “Some conditions before we begin our partnership.”

“Go for it.”

“Some people are going to need to die.”

“Always.”

“Including Stephen Pray himself,” she adds.

Jake waves a hand and says, “As long as you make it look like a suicide, I don’t care.”

“And before you report to your superiors, I need to send Eileen to Pray’s vineyard to get some things.”

That is to destroy the smoking gun that is a paper trail to all the man’s crimes that he kept in his fucking hubris.

“She better get to it now then. They’ll be wanting to freeze and seize most of his assets soon.”

I nod to Eileen that we’ll be fine, and she nods before leaving the room.

Jake then advises, “I’d also involve calling the lawyers right now. This is going to be a shit show with all your father’s money tied into it. I know you both have your own fortune. But it would be a shame to let that entire fortune go to waste. It would help if you could get a hold of your financial statements so you piece apart what are ill gains and what are legitimate.”

“That’s already done. Like you said, an airtight scenario,” I say.

“Like I said, indeed,” Jake says lighting another cigarette. “Looks like this is going to be a very long and fruitful partnership. Now, let’s run through what we’re going to tell the public about why you were here tonight so we can all have our story straight.”

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