CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 87: DEAL

"Sorry, guys," Diesel said as he picked up his phone.

"Diesel!" the Boss bellowed. "Didn't I tell you to change that **** ringtone?!"

"One sec, Boss," he said as he answered the call. "Hey, Joey, I can't talk right now."

I gave Spiney a look as we waited for Diesel to get off his phone.

Diesel looked concerned as he listened to Joey talk on the other end. "Did everyone get out in time?" Diesel asked.

"What happened?" the Boss asked him.

"They found another hideout."

"Where?"

"Sebastian's. I'll be right there, Joey."

"You're not going in your condition," the Boss told him. "Gavin will handle it."

"Yes, sir," Gavin said. He teleported away.

"But he doesn't even have a gun!" Diesel protested.

"Violence isn't always the answer, Diesel," the Boss told him. "Besides, you wouldn't make it in time anyway." He took the phone from Diesel. "Joey, this is your boss speaking. I sent Gavin to take care of the situation. Don't get involved. He will handle it. Goodbye." He hung up and set the phone on the table. "Now, where were we?"

"Um," I said.

Diesel reached over me to grab his phone.

"You better be changing that ringtone," the Boss told him.

"Yes, sir," he replied.

"So do we have a deal?" Spiney asked me.

"Uh..." I wanted to think of a way to back out of this, but when I hesitated, I noticed one of the bodyguards slowly reach for his gun. "It's an offer I can't refuse," I quickly said.

Spiney smiled. "Good. We'll send you more details later." He stood up. "Come on, boys. Diesel, why don't you escort him out?"

"Sure thing, Boss," he said.

Spiney and his four bodyguards left and I headed for the door too.

"Hold on a sec, bucko," Diesel told me. "We gotta give them time to exit the building first."

"Why?" I asked.

"Why do you think?" he asked me. "The Boss doesn't trust you, and he's right not to. I wouldn't trust you either." He played with the ringtones on his phone as we waited.

"How is it so quiet in here?" I asked.

"It's soundproof, dingbat," he said.

"Are we giving each other nicknames now?" I asked. "I think I'll call you... Weasel."

"Very clever," he said. "You're not actually going to kill all those innocent animals, are you?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"You don't seem like the type. I don't think you have the guts to do it."

"You must not know me very well."

"I probably know you better than you know yourself."

"Oh, really? Amuse me," I challenged him.

Diesel put his phone away. "Okay. Since you grew up in a Christian home with loving parents, you have strong morals because that's just the way you were raised and you had no reason to change. You became a police officer because of this and feel like it's your duty to right all wrongs which is stressful for you because it's actually not possible to do so. You've never actually been in a real fight, only practiced ones. I can tell by your lack of scars. You abandoned some of your beliefs after your parents' death, probably because you were mad at God or something silly like that, which is why you joined the mafia, because you were and are an emotional kid who still hasn't learned how to cope with losing a loved one. You think you're undeserving of love and yet crave it because you were spoiled with love as a child, which is why you're with another guy's girlfriend. Maybe this is also your way of getting back at God for killing your parents. You know adultery is a well-known sin. Heard enough? I have more."

"You're not even close," I said.

He smiled. "Told you I know you better than you do. It's cute that you're in denial."

"You think I'm cute?" I asked.

"No!" he snarled. "Just forget it. It's time to go now."

I could tell I hit a nerve.