purple that clashed with his tie. He reached out to pul

d. "Arthur is gone. The family won't su

e grabbed the document, tearing it

e paper up

y capped at fifty thousand dollars.

y dry cleaning bill is

needed to be the greedy, high-mainten

torial whisper. "We know about the casinos. We know about the sharks.

as right. The sharks were

't save her legs. It woul

or in the corner of the room. A ti

g had surveillance in every room of his empire. Even fr

d an a

She made sure her voice carried to the mi

s. "The search was c

e in a snowstorm," Gloria s

torn contract

ii

She tore the thick paper

d never seen anyone destroy a le

. She walked around the table until sh

r, fear flickering

e confetti i

anding on his shoulders, his hair,

ut," s

office!" V

a corrected him. "And last I checked

from him and wal

. He pressed his back against the

t scent of fear on him, mixed with teenage deodorant. Hi

eache

eezed his

e undid the knot deftly and retied it,

es," she comm

They were grey, jus

enough that Vance couldn't hear. "We do

lie. He was looking for the angle, the

into the intercom now. "Send s

red polish was chipped on her t

that," she said to Vance

e tresp

for my husba

s not coming throug

i

d. It was a soft, melodious sound that

the marble floor outside.

inst her ribs. She knew tha

ers. He found his wife celebrating her payout and his son crying in th

hadn't

nes, crossing her legs at the ankle.

andle turn

igh of relief. "F

ipped the

te," she