Page 25 of Insidious Threats
Amanda swallowed hard. This was it. This was her one chance to make this woman understand. “Leith will not stand for being humiliated. And Maisy Farley humiliated him, publicly. He’s not going to just let that go. He’s not capable of letting it go. Maisy has to experience a consequence. She has to pay for what she did. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Sasha stared at her. “Doyouunderstand what you’re saying? She was fired. Maisy lost her job because she said something about Leith Delone that, while unflattering, was true. He did interfere with the reporting on the prosecutorial misconduct trial. If Landon Lewis hadn’t died—What? Are you okay?”
Amanda had begun to shake. Sheknewshe’d heard Landon Lewis’ name before. Her messy situation just got infinitely more complicated.
“Amanda? ATJ? If you feel like you’re going to pass out, put your head between your knees. You want your head to be lower than your heart.”
She shook her head and tried to work up enough saliva to speak. “I’m not gonna pass out. Listen to me, you have to get Maisy to agree to some kind of compromise. Even if it’s just three-quarters of a million instead of the full amount. That’s still a lot of money to most regular people.”
“It’s a lot of money to all regular people, Amanda. But it’s not what she’s entitled to. It’s not what Delone owes her.”
“You’re not hearing me. If WACB pays Maisy the full amount—if Gabe transfers her a million dollars tomorrow—you, and I, and Maisy, we’re all going to incur Leith’s wrath. And I promise you, you will wish you’d listened to me.”
“You make him sound like some sort of vengeful god.”
“That’s an apt comparison.”
Sasha scoffed. “Are you telling me he thinks he’s God?”
She shook her head. “Not God. But, a god. Yeah, I’d say he considers himself a god-like figure. Thor, if I had to guess. Or, who’s the god in charge of all the gods, like Zeus?”
“In Norse mythology, that’s Odin,” Dustin volunteered as he pulled to the side of the street and parked in front of a red brick house. “This is you, right?”
“Yeah, thanks. Amanda’s going to pay you through the app. Since she can access my account through non-public means and all. Right, Amanda?”
“Sure, okay.”
Sasha removed a twenty from her wallet and handed it to Dustin. “But, here’s an off-the-books tip that your Norse god of a boss can’t steal.”
“Hey, thanks.”
“Sure. Have a good night.”
As Sasha reached for the door handle, Amanda dug a card out of her bag and thrust it into Sasha’s hand. “This is my personal mobile number. At least think about what I said. If you can find a way to meet me—not even halfway, just somewhere shy of a total defeat for Leith—before Gabe initiates that wire, please call me. It doesn’t matter what time it is.”
She took the card with visible reluctance and slid it into the pocket of her cardigan. When she spoke, her voice was gentle. “Okay, but I have to tell you, that’s not going to happen.”
She paused, as if considering whether to say something, then continued, “You and I, we’re both small women in a profession dominated by men. But also, we’re both small women who live in the world. So I feel like you need to know this. The first time—the very first time—someone bullies you, infantilizes you, or tries to push you around, you have to stand your ground. Amanda, more than most people, youhaveto.”
Amanda barked out a bitter laugh. “Leith isn’t just some schoolyard bully or a bloviating barfly.”
“Maybe not. But he’s also not a Norse god. Well, maybe he is. But if he is, he’s not Odin or Thor, that’s for sure. He’s that jerky one—Loki.” Sasha gave her a wan smile and exited the SUV.
Amanda’s gut twisted. Sasha was her last best hope. If she didn’t come through, Amanda was going to have to make a series of hard choices.
14
Leo glanced up from the game board when the front door opened and Sasha rushed inside, bringing a burst of cold air with her. He was about to mouth ‘help’because playing Monopoly with his children was closer to being tortured than anything he’d experienced during agent training.
The main method of torment was Finn’s insistence on helping his sister. He’d pay her rent, lend her cash, or give her his properties if she was losing. No matter how many times Leo explained that such charity was against the rules, Finn persisted. For her part, Fiona readily accepted the against-the-rules assistance; and when Leo objected, she’d give him a wide-eyed look and say,‘Mom says it’s more important to be kind than to be right. Remember, Dad?’
How was a person supposed to counter that?
Now, he seized on Sasha’s return as his personal get-out-of-jail-free card.
“Mom’s home!” he announced. “Let’s have some hot cocoa. She can tell us all about her day before baths and bed.”
They abandoned the game, flung themselves at their mom for a quick welcome-home hug, and, then, with a series of whoops, raced out to the kitchen with the dog and the cat running alongside them.
