Chapter 2 - The Second Phone
The silence in the bedroom felt heavy enough to crush them.
Vincent stared at the photograph in his trembling hand.
She paid them to let you live.
It made no sense.
If Lauren wanted him dead, she could have walked away with millions.
If she wanted him alive, why pay off the men who put him in this chair?
"Mr. Corvino," Tessa whispered.
Vincent snapped back to reality.
He looked at the small black listening device on the nightstand.
Someone was currently listening to the silence.
"Tessa, come here," Vincent said.
His voice was loud and clear.
"My leg is cramping again."
Tessa blinked, confused for a second.
Then her eyes darted to the bug.
She understood.
She walked over and began massaging his calf.
"Is that better, sir?"
"A little," Vincent lied loudly.
He grabbed a pen from the drawer beside him.
He flipped the fifty-thousand-dollar receipt over and wrote furiously.
He held the paper up for Tessa to read.
DO NOT MENTION THE BUG.
Tessa gave a subtle nod.
Vincent wrote another line.
HIDE THE ENVELOPE IN YOUR BAG.
Tessa’s eyes widened with fear.
She shook her head sharply.
Vincent grabbed her wrist.
His grip was terrifyingly strong.
He pulled her closer, his eyes pleading but commanding.
She swallowed hard.
Tessa slipped the envelope into the deep pocket of her scrubs.
"I think the cramp is gone," Vincent said to the empty room.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.
The door swung open without a knock.
Marco stood in the doorway.
Marco was Vincent’s head of security and oldest friend.
He was built like a freight train and had a face scarred by thirty years of street wars.
"Vince, you needed me?" Marco asked.
Vincent casually tossed a magazine over the listening device on the table.
"Yeah, Marco."
"I need you to double the guards at the front gate."
Marco frowned.
"Why?"
"Dominic is pushing for the harbor papers again," Vincent said smoothly.
"I don't want anyone from his crew getting ideas."
Marco nodded slowly.
"Done."
"Anything else?"
"No," Vincent said.
"Just keep your eyes open."
Marco lingered for a moment, his gaze shifting to Tessa.
He never liked outsiders in the inner sanctum.
"Watch how you handle him, nurse," Marco growled.
Tessa kept her head down.
"Yes, sir."
Marco finally left, closing the door behind him.
Vincent let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
He couldn't even trust his head of security right now.
He couldn't trust anyone except the woman he paid twenty-five dollars an hour.
The front door slammed downstairs.
High heels clicked rapidly on the hardwood floors.
Lauren was back early.
"Vince!" she called out from the stairs.
Vincent quickly grabbed his tablet, pretending to read the news.
Lauren pushed the bedroom door open.
She looked flustered.
Her perfect hair was slightly messy.
"The fitting was canceled," she said, tossing her expensive leather purse onto the sofa.
The purse hit the armrest and tipped over.
Contents spilled onto the Persian rug.
Lipstick, a compact mirror, keys, and an expensive smartphone scattered across the floor.
But that wasn't all.
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A cheap, black burner phone tumbled out and skidded to a stop near the bed.
It was exactly identical to the burner phone the police had found on the dead hitman six months ago.
