witnesses.
Dade continued. “Forget about the will. It’s ironclad, and my advice to you is to accept it and go on with your life.”
“And just how the hell would you suggest I do that? If that thing gets probated, I’m broke.”
Dade leaned forward in the chair. “You’re not broke, William. You get a hefty retirement. Cut out the gambling and the whores, and you should be able to maintain a reasonable lifestyle.” His gaze drifted around the room, and he smiled. “Of course, not to this level, but there are worse things than being broke.”
Elkins gritted his teeth as heat flooded his neck and face and the palms of his hands started to sweat. “Are you threatening me, Dade? You seem to forget who I am.”
Dade laughed softly and crossed his legs. “No, William, you’ve forgotten who I am. Without me, you would have been killed a long time ago. I pull my protection, and there are people just waiting to collect on debts you owe.”
Elkins swallowed hard. His head was spinning and his heart beating too fast.
“You have bigger problems than your debts at the moment,” Dade continued. “Your son has created a mess, and I want to know what you plan on doing about it.”
“I’ve got people on the street. We’ll find him soon enough. I’ve already taken care of that prosecutor. She won’t be a problem. Wouldn’t have been a problem anyway if Clifford Beaumont had kept his nose out of it.”
Dade uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I’m not talking about Jordan. I’m talking about Michael.”
“Michael? Michael hasn’t done anything.”
Dade stood up. “See, that’s your problem, William. You don’t watch what’s happening around you. You make mistakes. When Michael sent those two federal agents out to Atlanta, he called them from his own cell phone. And the prosecutor had two cops at her house last night. What do you think they talked about?”
Elkins felt the blood drain from his face. His hands trembled as he picked up the glass of scotch and took a drink. “I’ll take care of it.”
Dade smiled at him. “See that you do.” He walked toward the door and stopped, his right hand on the doorknob. “And, William, stay away from Clifford Beaumont. He’s above your pay grade.”
Elkins stared at the closed door a long time, his hand clenching and unclenching around his glass. He flung it at the closed door, reached for the phone, and dialed a number. “Above my pay grade? Who the hell does he think he is? Wasn’t for me, he’d still be a penny-ante lawyer trying to scratch out a living.”
“Hello.”
“Get over here. I’ve got a job for you.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The phone was shrilling again as Jenna entered the front door. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw David’s name and picked up the receiver.
“Hello.”
“Jenna, where have you been? I’ve been calling your cell and your home for two days now.”
Jenna glanced at her now-empty living room. “I’ve been doing some remodeling, and I lost my cell. Did you need something?”
“Did you see Carter’s press conference?”
Jenna gripped the phone more tightly. With everything that had happened, she’d totally forgotten about the Travello trial. “No, what did he say?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Jenna. The trial was strictly by the book. The PSIR was a glitch in the system. Travello had two different social security numbers. There’s no way you could have known that.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little too convenient, David?”
“Travello got lucky. It happens sometimes.”
“It shouldn’t happen. Not if we’re doing our job.”
David sighed. “Let it go, Jenna. I also wanted to let you know I tracked down that fake journalist. He’s the younger brother of the immigrant that killed your parents. Name is Carlos Markito.”
Jenna took in the information, storing it in the back of her mind with all the other things she had to deal with at the moment.
“You ready to come back to work,
Dade continued. “Forget about the will. It’s ironclad, and my advice to you is to accept it and go on with your life.”
“And just how the hell would you suggest I do that? If that thing gets probated, I’m broke.”
Dade leaned forward in the chair. “You’re not broke, William. You get a hefty retirement. Cut out the gambling and the whores, and you should be able to maintain a reasonable lifestyle.” His gaze drifted around the room, and he smiled. “Of course, not to this level, but there are worse things than being broke.”
Elkins gritted his teeth as heat flooded his neck and face and the palms of his hands started to sweat. “Are you threatening me, Dade? You seem to forget who I am.”
Dade laughed softly and crossed his legs. “No, William, you’ve forgotten who I am. Without me, you would have been killed a long time ago. I pull my protection, and there are people just waiting to collect on debts you owe.”
Elkins swallowed hard. His head was spinning and his heart beating too fast.
“You have bigger problems than your debts at the moment,” Dade continued. “Your son has created a mess, and I want to know what you plan on doing about it.”
“I’ve got people on the street. We’ll find him soon enough. I’ve already taken care of that prosecutor. She won’t be a problem. Wouldn’t have been a problem anyway if Clifford Beaumont had kept his nose out of it.”
Dade uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I’m not talking about Jordan. I’m talking about Michael.”
“Michael? Michael hasn’t done anything.”
Dade stood up. “See, that’s your problem, William. You don’t watch what’s happening around you. You make mistakes. When Michael sent those two federal agents out to Atlanta, he called them from his own cell phone. And the prosecutor had two cops at her house last night. What do you think they talked about?”
Elkins felt the blood drain from his face. His hands trembled as he picked up the glass of scotch and took a drink. “I’ll take care of it.”
Dade smiled at him. “See that you do.” He walked toward the door and stopped, his right hand on the doorknob. “And, William, stay away from Clifford Beaumont. He’s above your pay grade.”
Elkins stared at the closed door a long time, his hand clenching and unclenching around his glass. He flung it at the closed door, reached for the phone, and dialed a number. “Above my pay grade? Who the hell does he think he is? Wasn’t for me, he’d still be a penny-ante lawyer trying to scratch out a living.”
“Hello.”
“Get over here. I’ve got a job for you.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The phone was shrilling again as Jenna entered the front door. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw David’s name and picked up the receiver.
“Hello.”
“Jenna, where have you been? I’ve been calling your cell and your home for two days now.”
Jenna glanced at her now-empty living room. “I’ve been doing some remodeling, and I lost my cell. Did you need something?”
“Did you see Carter’s press conference?”
Jenna gripped the phone more tightly. With everything that had happened, she’d totally forgotten about the Travello trial. “No, what did he say?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Jenna. The trial was strictly by the book. The PSIR was a glitch in the system. Travello had two different social security numbers. There’s no way you could have known that.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little too convenient, David?”
“Travello got lucky. It happens sometimes.”
“It shouldn’t happen. Not if we’re doing our job.”
David sighed. “Let it go, Jenna. I also wanted to let you know I tracked down that fake journalist. He’s the younger brother of the immigrant that killed your parents. Name is Carlos Markito.”
Jenna took in the information, storing it in the back of her mind with all the other things she had to deal with at the moment.
“You ready to come back to work,
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