Chapter 6 - The Enemy of My Enemy
Gretchen tucked Maxine safely into bed at a secure downtown hotel booked under a false name.
She kissed her daughter's forehead and promised that everything would be completely fine by tomorrow afternoon.
At eleven-thirty, she left the hotel and walked through the freezing rain toward the designated meeting spot.
The location was a dimly lit, abandoned parking garage two blocks away.
Gretchen clutched a small can of pepper spray in her pocket, her heart hammering violently against her ribs.
A sleek, armored luxury sedan was idling quietly on the third floor.
The back window rolled down slowly, revealing a striking older man in an immaculate tailored suit.
He introduced himself simply as Victor.
He was the regional enforcer for the organization Joshua had foolishly thought he could successfully outsmart.
"Your husband is a very greedy and incredibly stupid man," Victor said smoothly.
"He was supposed to launder our funds through Cheyenne Enterprises, but he skimmed two million dollars for his own personal escape."
Gretchen shivered in the cold, damp air.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.
"Because Joshua plans to frame you for the missing two million dollars at the divorce signing tomorrow," Victor explained.
"He modified the settlement to make you the sole guarantor of the dummy corporation."
Victor handed a thick manila folder completely through the open car window.
"These are the authentic wire transfer records proving Joshua personally stole the money."
Gretchen took the heavy folder, completely bewildered by the criminal's sudden charity.
"I do not understand why a cartel enforcer is helping a suburban nurse," she stated honestly.
Victor smiled, a cold and terrifying expression that lacked any genuine warmth.
"I am not helping you, Mrs. Gretchen, I am merely using you to legally destroy him in public."
"If you present this evidence in court, the federal agents will arrest him, and we will handle him once he is inside."
Victor rolled the window up and the armored car glided silently into the deep shadows.
Gretchen opened the folder under a flickering streetlamp to inspect her new, highly dangerous weapon.
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Tucked beneath the financial records was a horrifying, high-resolution photograph.
It was a picture of her trusted lawyer, Marcus, lying completely unconscious in a pool of blood on his own office floor.
