Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“What is this?”
“Did your manager a solid. I know an IT guy who got past the virus. This is the warehouse tour footage. Lookie who we’ve got there.” I lean closer, trying to take in the blurry image. It takes me a minute to figure it out. “Fuck.”
“Vince Hallstead.”
“But who’s the kid he’s with?”
“Random. He didn’t have a parent, and Vince slipped in and claimed the kid as his little brother. No one batted an eye at it.”
“You also know him as Jethro Brock. The temp on file.” That motherfucker. “But how? Isn’t he at college—”
“Appears not. Money issues. Lost his funding. He never went.”
“But he said—”
“While we’ve kept our focus on his father, Vince was masterminding a way to destroy you, learning the system, conspiring how to get in and out without being recognized. Some would think the kid was yours—he’s become a wiz at coding. Perhaps he thought that if he obtained the ledger, he could figure out the next level.
“And Georgia?”
“He’s been watching you two. Appears he figured it out before he caught her. Has video footage of the two of you...”
I grab the back of my neck. “What does he plan to do with it?”
“Based on emails, exploit you, tag you as a predator. He fucked with timestamps, dating them back years ago.”
“When she would have been underage.”
“Exactly.”
“That motherfucker.”
“What’s his endgame?”
“Take everything from you that you took from his family. Make you suffer. You have an unhinged kid on your hands. But that’s not the worst part.”
“There’s fucking more?”
“There’s no love lost for Georgia. Vince seems to know you have a weakness for her. It’s in Telegram, the dark web system he uses to contact his partner. The shit they talk about is fucked up. Makes it sound like if and when they get that ledger, they plan on getting rid of all evidence in case anyone comes searching—including Georgia.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? As in hurting her?”
“Killing her—”
“The fuck they will!” I roar. “If Vince or Burt get anywhere near her—”
“I told you, it’s not Burt. He’s clean as a whistle in all this.”
“Then who the fuck is he working with?”
“His mother.”
“He’s been lying to you.”
“How? Specifics, Dad. Seems you’re the only liar—”
“He never went to college.”
“That’s bullshit—”
“Noah, fucking listen to me. I don’t have time to get into all this. Georgia’s in danger. Vince is unhinged and wants revenge. He wanted something from me and tried to go through Georgia to get it.”
“The ledger?”
My eyes widen. “He told you?”
“No, Georgia tried to, but I didn’t believe her. Not that I had a chance, 'cause Vince started going off about you and her—”
“That doesn’t matter right now. We need to find him. We need to find her.”
He finally nods, pulling out his phone. Thank fuck. I stand, my hands shaking, as he types out a message. “Call him,” I command, and he dials his number.
“Voicemail.”
“Fuck!”
“What’s going on? You’re starting to freak me out. Why would he hurt Georgia if he wants to hurt you?”
“It’s not just him. It’s also his mother.”
“Say that again?” I ask, my gaze fixed on Craig.
“Veronica Hallstead, or Veronica Sheldon. In hopes of staying off the grid, she was using her maiden name.”
“What the fuck does she have to do with this.”
“Like Vince, we’ve been tracking the wrong Hallstead. Veronica has been busy the past few years.”
“She’s a ruthless bitch, but she doesn’t have the brains to conjure up something like this—”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Burt was going broke no matter what. His wife was flying through money—”
“Because she’s a money-sucking cunt.”
Craig chuckles. “She was definitely living lavishly, but that’s not where her money went.”
“I assume you’re going to tell me?”
“She’s been having you followed.”
My mind races. “That’s impossible. You would’ve known.”
Craig smirks, shaking his head. “I was impressed. I’ll give her that. The deposits and withdrawals were all disguised as transactions for high-end art purchases—nothing that would raise suspicion. Her husband didn’t question a thing. Probably thought anything to keep his wife happy was worth it.” He pauses. “Here’s where it gets interesting—under the name Veronica Hallstead, everything checks out. Fancy art purchases, perfectly legit. But dig into her maiden name, and a whole different story emerges. A single account loaded with deposits for years. She’s been tracking you for years.”
I let the weight of his words sink in. “Why?” I ask, though I already know the answer. She’s a greedy snake. Once she realized she screwed up, she wanted me back.
Craig shrugs. “I haven’t been able to get to the bottom of it all yet. There’s too much, but one thing’s clear: your ex has quite the obsession with you.”
My skin crawls, and my stomach churns at the thought of ever touching someone so vile. “What does any of this have to do with Vince and the ledger?”