“What do you want?” I asked him.
“Come upstairs,” he said. “Floor twenty-eight. It’s empty right now. We’ll talk.”
“Why—“
But he hung up the phone.
I stared at the line then dropped it on my desk, sighing. I didn’t know what was waiting for me upstairs, but I knew that I couldn’t put it off. I opened a drawer in my desk and took out a small handgun, slipping it into the waistband of my suit. I smiled to myself ruefully. I always wanted to carry my gun for good reason, but now that I had to, I wished I didn’t need it. Life was funny that way.
I wasn’t a fucking gangster. I wasn’t a fucking killer. I was just a man that built a company and knew what he wanted. I wanted to control what I made with my own hands and I wanted to fuck my stepdaughter. I wanted her to no longer be my stepdaughter one day, hopefully soon.
I didn’t want unreasonable things.
I stood, adjusting myself, then left the office. “Hold my calls,” I told Evelyn as I walked past. Briefly, I wondered if I should let her know what I was doing, but I figured it was best to leave her out of it. At the end of the day, Evelyn and Emily were innocent of everything. I was the one that they wanted, and so I was the one that should shoulder all of the burden. I wouldn’t put her in any more danger than was necessary.
I got into the elevator and rode it up, trying to control my nerves.
This was the moment I had been waiting for. I was finally going to speak face to face with Bruce, the bastard that had been harassing me. We were going to hash it out, and I was going to figure out what my final move had to be. After this, I could plan.
But part of me thought he was just going to try and throw me out of a window. Killing me would make all of his problems disappear, though murder investigations could be a real pain in the ass. Still, I knew Cox, and if anyone could get away with murdering me in this building, it was him.
I shook my head, marveling at how easily I could imagine someone trying to kill me. I never thought things could get this low, but they had, and I suspected they could get lower still.
The elevator doors dinged, pulling me from my thoughts. I stepped off and looked around at the empty, half-built office. Plastic sheeting hung from the bare rafters and partially deconstructed cubicles filled the space. There was trash on the ground, mostly papers and files.
“Bruce,” I called out.
“This way,” he answered. I headed toward his voice. It was coming from the north side of the building near the windows.
I saw him standing there, silhouetted by the outside sunlight, Cox by his side. I felt anger flare up inside of me. I couldn’t believe Cox would be here, willing to show his face, that traitorous piece of shit. He had to have some measure of shame left inside of him, but apparently not. Apparently he was okay just standing there, his face flat and normal as always, not showing a single emotion.
I stopped in front of the two men and crossed my arms, waiting for them to speak.
The arrogant bastards watched me for a minute or two, staring me down. Cox had no expression on his face, neither happiness nor embarrassment, just his normal cold blankness. The man had worked for me for years and he should feel like a snake, but he wasn’t showing it. I hoped he was stewing on the inside, that piece of shit rat bastard.
“So, you’re here,” Bruce said finally. “I wasn’t sure you’d show.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“You know what we have on you.”
I shrugged, “One more scandal won’t matter.”
Bruce laughed, shaking his head. “You’re insane, Carter. This isn’t just some small scandal. This is you fucking your stepdaughter. You’ll be destroyed. Nobody will touch you after this.”
“Maybe,” I said.
“We have more than what we showed you, much more. Clearly, Cox here has been working for me, and you know how efficient he can be.”
My eyes flashed to him, anger boiling up to the surface despite my trying to remain calm. “You’re a piece of shit snake, Cox,” I said. “I thought you were a good man. I paid you well and treated you right. I guess I was wrong.”
“A better offer came along,” he said simply.
“Scumbag. I never pegged you as a rat traitor. How can anyone trust you or work with you now?”
“Enough,” Bruce said, cutting in. “Enough. I don’t need to hear you two squabbling like an old married couple.”
I spit on the ground, staring at Cox. I hoped he understood that he was less than dirt to me now, and he had been diminished in the world. Maybe he was getting a lot of money from this, but that would never replace his lost honor.