Page 53 of Betrayal In Calusa Cove
“Oh, goodie. I’ve always wanted to be a clown.” Decker plopped into the chair next to Enzo. “Is there beer in that cooler?”
“Beer, soda, water. Pick your poison and help yourself,” Hayes said.
Decker leaned forward, snagged a cold brew, and cracked it open. “So, who’s this, and why am I being summoned? Not that I mind. I was starting to go cross-eyed.”
“I’m Enzo. I’m Baily’s lawyer.” Enzo gave him the short version. The bogus loan, the shell company, the lack of documentation. Everything.
“What do you think?” Fletcher asked at the end of Enzo’s tale.
Baily wanted to either hurl or go swim with the gators.
Decker reached into the cooler and grabbed another beer. He took a long, slow draw. “When I was a kid, they strong-armed my uncle into laundering money through his fish bait store.” Decker sighed. “I say they because I didn’t have a name. There are a couple of cartels that do business in Miami. A few loan sharks. A few stray drug runners. Arms dealers. You name it, we've got it. I just wanted to keep my nose clean, but my uncle said the name out loud.”
“What name did he use?”
“Valenia Barbaro,” Decker said softly. “He only said her name once and it was more like a whimper than words. He was terrified of her. I was maybe five, but I remember because in my stupidity as a small kid, I wondered why he’d be so afraid of a woman. But then, when I was eleven, something happened. I don’t know what. All I know is that my uncle came to the house and told my old man that he’d screwed up. Next thing we knew, he’d been arrested for dealing arms. It was a big raid. Strange thing though, I’d been in that back room where they found the guns the day before, and there hadn’t been any. I told my dad. He told me to never mention that again. He told me the people my uncle had been involved with were bad people and that I needed to learn to lie low.”
“You know a lot of people they apply that kind of pressure to?” Fletcher asked.
“I wouldn’t say a lot. A few family members. And I saw things while living there, but I tried to make myself blend in.”
“You don’t do that now,” Dawson said. “You stand out.”
“I know.” Decker nodded. “But once I started making my own money, which I had believed I’d done pretty much on my own, I thought standing out was a good way to keep people like that away. I didn’t need them, and I thought that showed. I’ve since learned my lesson.”
“Tell us how they operated in your neighborhood.” Dawson snagged a beer and took a healthy chug.
“It’s very different from how this will go down,” Decker said. “They apply pressure first—but it’s slow and subtle—a few broken windows, some veiled threats. Maybe a fire if that doesn’t work.” He looked at Baily. “But if you don’t flinch, they’ll try to buy you out again. Or ruin you legally.”
“What do you make of Ken and his relationship with all this?” Enzo asked.
“He sounds a little like my dad,” Decker said. “Caught between a rock and a hard place. I mean, Ken married Julie Barbaro, the girl who holds the keys to the kingdom. He might not have known that when he said, ‘I do,’ but I’m sure he was given a quick lesson right after the honeymoon. And then a few tests of loyalty.” Decker raised his hand. “If I’m being totally honest here, it sounds like the Barbaros went after Ken, knowing he had a tendency for the illegal.”
“I take offense to that,” Baily said. She shouldn’t defend her brother. Not anymore, but he was still her flesh and blood. Decker hadn’t even ever met the man. He had no right.
“I didn’t mean to.” Decker set his beer on the railing. “But take my uncle, for example. He cut corners all the time. And he dealt drugs in high school. The people running my neighborhood did their homework. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d stayed away from me, knowing I was a strait-laced kid, looking to get out.”
“And then they hit you where it counted,” Enzo said. “Got you where it hurt the most. The thing you worked so hard to build—business and reputation.”
“Jesus, these people are horrible.” Baily leaned closer into Fletcher. “But they’ve underestimated me because they should’ve counted on the fact that I don’t give up. That the marina means more to me than anything. I’m not going to bend over and hand it to them.”
“They know that because they’ve been patient,” Decker added. “More patient than with most things. They’ve played the long game, so it’s not just the marina. It’s Calusa Cove. For them, Ken was the key to that. But I suspect they didn’t anticipate Ken’s Navy SEAL buddies retiring here. I’m sure that’s why the pressure is much more subtle. I bet it’s why they're using me.” He crooked a finger. “All the more reason to let me walk into that town meeting with a dummy set of plans.”
“Oh, we’re gonna let you do that,” Fletcher said.
Baily folded her arms. “Do you think they’ll make another move soon? Another shot at destroying the marina, like when they stole gas? Or maybe, this time, blow up my car?”
“Don’t joke about shit like that.” Fletcher took her hand and squeezed it.
Decker took a long pull from his beer. “I doubt it. They sank your boat. They’re gonna watch and see if you use money to buy a new one or pay off the loan. After that, they’re gonna toss legal bullshit at you.”
“And that’s where I come in because I’ll throw it right back at them.” Enzo inched across the deck and gathered up all the paperwork.
“Sounds like we’ve got a plan,” Dawson said. “Let’s see who comes knocking.”
Baily stared at Fletcher, who didn’t say anything for a long moment, just kept his gaze fixated on the horizon, his jaw tight.
“What’s going on?” Baily reached for his hand.
