by Tara Oakes
“Fifty-thousand dollars is a lot more than chump change to most people in this country.” It’s very clear these two men come from very different backgrounds. “Which is exactly why you shouldn’t pay it.”
“Exactly!” I agree. “They’ll only ask for more, later.”
Cooper shoots me a quick look, clearly unhappy that I’m disagreeing with him so adamantly.
Chris is loosing patience with my dad’s right-hand man, and chooses to ignore him and address the man in charge, instead.
“Excuse my bluntness, Senator, but I’m pretty sure you’re worth somewhere in the neighborhood of … ten million? Maybe more?” Dad’s attention is now piqued. There’s a silent unspoken rule among people of my father’s stature. You don’t talk about money — not your own, anyway. “I’m guessing the person who sent this knows that. They also know that if something like this were to be leaked, at just the right time during the campaign, it could garner a nasty little reaction from some of your constituents.”
Dad nods. Most of the people who vote regularly for him are very conservative. Sure, most of them probably go to the type of strip clubs depicted in these pictures every Saturday night and stuff their stiff dollar bills down into the crotch of the women dancing on the poles, but they’re also the ones who go to church the very next day and pretend it never happened.
“So why wouldn’t they ask for more?” Chris’s question is obviously rhetorical, but Cooper decides to answer.
“They’re probably not asking for more money because they think we’ll just chock it up as a good investment and not bother to flush them out. Blackmail is a crime, Agent Gibson.” There is a sharpness to Cooper’s words.
Dad isn’t sure who to side with. He shifts his eyes back and forth between the two men.
Chris shakes his head. “Nah … there’s only one place they could’ve gotten these photos. One man controls this type of information, and believe me, he’s not worried about a silly little thing like getting jammed up for blackmail.”
He’s talking about Nick Faccione, a.k.a. Nicky The Fish, the man who owns the strip club where these pictures were taken, the man who Chris himself helped to throw in jail for close to ten years.
Cooper’s eyes narrow on Chris, with the two of them locking stares in a very uncomfortable way.
“You can be sure there’s a very real reason why you’re only being asked for chump change. I have an idea what it could be, but there’s one way to know for sure.”
Each pair of eyes around the table widens, including my own, curious as to what it could be.
“I’ll take a trip to Barnsworth Penitentiary and see what I can find.” Chris finally offers.
I find my breath catching. Unless something has changed, Barnsworth Federal Penitentiary is where Nicky The Fish is housed.
“I’m going, too.” I quickly gather the mess of papers, fully prepared for the barrage of objections.
It doesn’t matter, though. Each of these men knows, first-hand, just how stubborn I can be; and, deep down, they must know that their opposition won’t do anything but waste time.
IF YOU’VE ENJOYED WHAT YOU’VE JUST READ
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PRETTY BOY
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ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR:
THE KINGSMEN SERIES
Book #1: A LIL' LESS BROKEN
Book #2: A LIL' LESS LOST
Book #3: A LIL' LESS HOPELESS
Book #4: BITTER SWEET DECEPTION
Book #5: BITTER SWEET BEGINNINGS
Book #6: BITTER SWEET CRAVINGS
THE CHIANTI KISSES SERIES
Book #1: BABY V
Book #2: BOSS
Book #3: BETRAYED
MY SOUL TO WAKE
Book #1: STAIN
THE BADGE BOYS SERIES
Book #1: PRETTY BOY
Book #2: DARK WEB
THE “A” LIST SERIES
Book #1: ALL THE PRETTY LIGHTS