Page 34 of A Wife's Duty

“You have a wife you beat repeatedly, and she has tried to run from you at least six times. You drag her back, beat her some more, put her in the hospital, and pay the cops to look the other way.” He lifted his arm and glanced down at the time. “Right now, she is already starting a new life with the kids, away from you.”

“What?” Jimmy asked.

“It would seem your wife would take any lifeline granted to her, all she had to do was make sure you got to work on time.” Boone smiled at him. “The moment you walked into this office, your life was over. The choices you made have led you on this path. I didn’t need to give you those choices, you made them on your own.”

He fired his gun, killing Jimmy with a bullet to the head.

Jimmy’s wife would be free. Boone had taken the money Jimmy had stashed secretly—a couple of million dollars—which was now the means for her to start a new life. That was all she wanted.

Boone got to his feet and made his way out of the trailer. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed the one cop he knew wasn’t dirty, giving him the directions. He made his way toward the storage container. The few men he encountered didn’t stand a chance.

He broke into the container, and the girls were able to stumble out, gasping for air. It was nearly twelve and already starting to get hot.

This was no longer his concern. He heard the sounds of sirens in the background, and it was time for him to leave. Boone always had an escape plan, and he took it, making his way to his parked car, pocketing the details he would need.

“You know, if you’re going to bring me along, you might as well use me,” Ronald said.

“Too many men would have spooked them.”

“And you think your crazy ass makes them feel all welcoming?” Ronald asked.

“It was simple. None of them were making it out alive.” He pulled away from their spot, made his way onto the main road, passing the siren-blaring police cars, as they went in the opposite direction. Pulling back onto a small street, he parked the car and brought out the details he’d taken from Jimmy O’Cara.

“You know, this is going to come back to you, if you’re not careful.”

“I’m not trying to be careful,” he said.

“What about Lucia?”

“Lucia is safe.”

“Look, I remember you, Boone. You don’t like to go fast. You like to take your time, but between the mayor and now taking out Jimmy, not to mention the trap you’ve got set for Leandro, this is moving fast.”

He looked toward Ronald. “You got a problem with me setting this in motion?”

Ronald sighed. “I’ve got no problem at all. I know this is a piece of cake for the Boone I know.”

“But?”

“The old Boone didn’t have liability in a wife. This is an entirely different setup, and you know it. She is ... you’re different around her. You’re taking her places. You’re not sticking to your own plan of keeping her inside, locked up, where she would be safe. She’s currently at a fucking campus. She’s a Valdez, Boone. She doesn’t know what freedom is.”

“Are you telling me how to do my job?”

“No, I’m telling you with this one, it’s different. Lucia is not part of the job. You’re treating her as your wife.”

“She is my wife,” Boone said.

“And that is my point exactly. You have a wife now you must consider. Going around killing big-name players like Jimmy comes with repercussions.”

Boone looked at Ronald. “If you’re scared, leave, but I started something and I’m going to end it. I trust Lucia. She made her choice.”

“Women have the power to magically change their choices. Remember that.”

He pointed at the paper. “You read that, and tell me what I just did wasn’t worth it.”

Ronald rolled his eyes, took the document from him, and read it. “What the fuck?”

“They have a warehouse of kids they are using for slave labor, and then the pretty ones they’re selling to the highest bidder. Kids, Ronald. Tell me I’m moving too fast now.”

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