Page 28 of The Kingpin

“Excellent. I’d ordinarily want to take time with this, but I have lunch with Pops and Francois. We’re finalizing some details for the project in Texas.” As we neared the slip where the boat was docked, I found all my muscles were tensing. Lamenting the past wasn’t going to do me any good. There was no way to change it, revenge the only option for peace, but too much time had gone by. Too many eyes full of scrutiny. Maybe I should take both Edmee’s and Maddox’s advice and move the fuck on with my life.

There I went again, lamenting over the past and a future I couldn’t allow myself to have.

“Beautiful morning for a boat ride,” he told me as the glimmer of sun sparkled against the water. I was almost grateful the nice weather would be short lived. I wasn’t in the mood for sunshine and rainbows.

As if I ever was.

We headed onto the boat, and I decided to suck up whatever angry emotions I had left. With Landry on board, I hadn’t needed to worry about whether Grayson would attempt to get away. Among other things, like being a qualified boat captain, Landry had skills in explosives and Shibari, a form of rope play that had come in handy more than once.

Finding him lounging with a cup of coffee and making stock trades wasn’t a surprise either. The man had parlayed his earnings into a small fortune given his second most loved hobby.

Slicing and dicing his first.

“How much have you made since breakfast?” I asked by way of entrance.

He grinned but gave me a nod of respect, Maddox as well. The former Marine had turned out to be an excellent soldier, hand-picked by Maddox. Nothing fazed the guy.

“A cool twenty G’s today, but we’ll see how the market closes,” Landry said and closed the laptop lid. “I’ll head to the bridge.”

“You got the coordinates I sent?” Maddox asked.

“Of course. This is a full-service resort operation,” Landry teased as he rose to his feet.

“Any trouble?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nah. The guy was good as gold. I think he’s worn out.”

That was one of my reasons for leaving him in sick anticipation of what might happen to him. That usually helped in the interrogations. Even the most trained operators, those who’d been provided with months of harsh conditions to prepare them for a long-term undercover operation broke after a few days had passed.

Nodding, I headed into the likely location where Landry had kept him, the single window in the small stateroom allowing for limited access and no peeking eyes. It was also soundproof, something that had come with the boat when I’d purchased it. At the time, it hadn’t dawned on me to ask the salesman why.

I rubbed my jaw as I walked in. Grayson immediately lifted his head. His lips were thin from lack of water, provided with only enough to keep him from completely dehydrating.

“Arman,” he managed, although his voice cracked. Then he coughed, the thick sound rattling.

With Maddox trailing behind me, I was aware he’d headed toward the locked cabinet, sliding one of only two keys in existence into the lock and retrieving the special toolbox. While it was mostly used for small repairs in the various cabins, certain tools came in handy like vise grips and screwdrivers. They were usually the only tools needed.

I was a master of interrogation after all, techniques learned from my father and grandfather.

“Grayson,” I said as I pulled one of the chairs closer to the one he remained tied in. “Is that even your name?”

“Middle name.”

“Ah.” That much at least I believed.

After placing the box on the table and opening it for me, Maddox proceeded to untie Grayson’s hands. The routine was one we’d grown accustomed to, something that felt familiar, like a pair of tennis shoes broken in over time.

Grayson studied me with little or no interest. He’d witnessed his share of interrogations, although fortunately, he’d never been a part of finishing and dumping the bodies. That had been left to one of my other foot soldiers, the kind of person who could easily disappear with no questions asked. I had methods to how I handled my business, which had kept me from seeing the inside of a jail cell.

It was a record I planned on keeping.

I selected a hammer, which would provide assistance should I need it. He watched my actions, taking a scattered breath, but not out of fear. I certainly didn’t need to tell him what was about to happen.

The one thing I knew about undercover work better than anyone was that the long timers grew used to the lifestyle, finding it difficult to re-enter mainstream society where they played by the rules of common sense and logic. Some returned to the criminal life of their own volition, destroying relationships in the process.

If they still had one after their return. Grayson was a player, enjoying the perks of his position as Maddox and Landry had. He enjoyed tasting women, partying as hard as he’d worked.

“I’m curious. Do you have a significant other wherever home is?”

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