She sucked in a deep breath through a blocked nose, but said nothing in return.
‘Cass, talk to me for Christ’s sake. You’re starting to scare me now.’ Mr. J twisted his phone left then right as if checking on something. ‘What the fuck? Is the sound on this thing on? I don’t know if I’m doing this video-call-thing right, honey.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with the sound, John.’
The voice that came through Mr. J’s tiny cellphone speakers made his entire body tense. It had been digitally altered to sound deep and full of gravel, way too deep to sound human.
‘What? Who the fuck is this? And what’s with the demon-like voice? What the hell is going on?’
‘What’s going on,’ the voice replied, ‘is that I have placed a little wager with your wife.’
Mr. J’s confusion intensified. ‘What? Is this a joke?’
‘Oh! Definitely not. I can guarantee you that this is as real as it gets, John.’
‘Who is this?’
‘Who I am doesn’t matter. But this does. Look up.’
The instruction was meant for Mr. J’s wife. Shivering, she obeyed.
Cassandra lifted her chin, and as her gaze met her husband’s in the small screen, a new onslaught of tears began pouring down her cheeks. Mr. J’s heart sank. He focused his attention on her eyes and in them he saw something he had never seen before, hopelessness together with tremendous fear. He knew then that whatever it was that was happening, it was no joke.
‘Cassandra, what’s going on? Who’s in the house with you?’
Her lips quivered again, and all she could do was gently shake her head.
‘She’s not allowed to speak, John,’ the voice announced. ‘I have to give her permission to first.’
Despite what the voice said, through drowning tears, Cassandra called out, but all she could manage was a poor whisper.
‘John, please.’
SLAP.
Cassandra was hit across her face so fast, Mr. J missed the movement completely. The strength of the slap made her whole head twist left awkwardly. The skin on her right cheek immediately reddened, and an agonizing pain-filled scream exploded out of her, followed by desperate sobbing.
For a second, and out of pure surprise, Mr. J’s heart lost its rhythm. His eyes widened in total disbelief.
‘What the fuck? You sonofabitch.’
‘I told you not to speak until I give you permission, didn’t I?’ the voice said calmly. ‘Don’t do it again.’
Slowly Cassandra turned her head and once again looked at her cellphone screen. The powerful slap had also split the right corner of her bottom lip, causing a small blob of blood to trickle down her chin. In her eyes, fear had suddenly become terror.
Anger traveled through Mr. J’s veins like a dark avalanche, spilling off in all directions until his entire body was shaking with it.
‘Cassandra, honey,’ he said. ‘Please listen to me. Everything will be fine, OK. I promise you. For now, just do what he says. I’ll get this figured out. I promise you, my love. I will die before I let anything happen to you.’
Cassandra swallowed dry, as more tears made their way down her cheeks. She blinked once and her head bobbed down a tiny fraction to signal not only that she had understood, but that she was also putting all of her trust in him.
Mr. J closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he finally reopened them just a second later, it was like he had mutated into a complete different person. One Cassandra had never seen before.
Thirty
Mr. J’s face was expressionless, his eyes stone cold but full of focus, and despite all that was happening, his next words came out chillingly calm, steady, and overflowing with determination.
‘Now you listen to me, whoever you are. I know why you’re doing what you’re doing. I know you’re angry. I know you’re hurt, but your problem is with me and no one else. My wife isn’t part of this. So deal with me.’ Mr. J brought his face a fraction closer to his phone. ‘You and I. No one else. All you have to do is name a time and a place and I’ll be there to face you. You have my word on that. Then we can go about this in any way you like. Your terms. No questions asked. But right now you’re going to leave my wife alone, and you’re going to leave my house.’
‘You know why I’m doing what I’m doing?’ the demonic-sounding voice asked. Even through all its distortion, the sarcasm in its tone was unmistakable.
‘Don’t play dumb,’ Mr. J replied, his tone still arctic. ‘We both know why you want revenge on me. How you managed to find me is a different question altogether, but I have obviously been careless in one of my jobs and left some sort of trail behind, which has led you to me. Congratulations. Hell knows how long it must’ve taken you to track me down, but that’s not important anymore. You’ve got me. Here I am. That was what you wanted, wasn’t it? So have me. Let my wife go.’
On his screen, Mr. J saw Cassandra’s eyes narrow slightly. Confusion, brought on by his words, was starting to collide with her fear.
‘This has just become very interesting,’ the voice said with amusement. ‘And judging by the look on your wife’s face, she’s as intrigued as I am. So why don’t you tell us, John? Why exactly do you think that I’m seeking revenge on you?’
‘If you are after me, you know exactly what I’m capable of. Are you sure you want to play dumb?’
Mr. J’s face remained completely void of expression, but somehow his eyes looked a lot more menacing than just a moment ago.
‘So let me tell you again. Leave my wife alone. Get out of my house, and you and I can sort this out in whichever way you like.’
‘I’m very sorry to disappoint you, John,’ the demonic voice came back, ‘but despite what you may think, which, I must admit, has now made me very curious, there’s nothing for you and I to sort out. But whatever it is that you’ve done, it must’ve been something very bad if you think someone would come after your wife for revenge. But whatever that is, frankly, it’s none of my concern. Anyway, this charade game is getting old... and time is ticking away, especially for your wife. So, let me tell you how this is going to work, John. As I’ve said, I have placed a bet with your wife. Two questions. I’m going to ask you two questions. All you have to do to win this game is correctly answer both of them. If you do, she will be set free and neither of you will ever see or hear from me again. But if you don’t...’ The unfinished sentence hung in the air menacingly for a couple of seconds. ‘Now listen carefully, John, because I’m only going to go over the rules once...’
‘You’re not listening to me.’ Mr. J cut the demonic voice short. His tone remained steady but powerful and demanding. ‘We’re not playing a game. Not with my wife’s life. You and I meet face to face, and we can play whatever psycho crazy game you li—’
‘Shut the fuck up, John,’ the voice slashed back. ‘You are the one who’s refusing to listen. I’m giving you a chance to save your wife’s life, and the only way you’ll be able to do that is if you give me two correct answers. If you choose not to, you forfeit and she’ll die right here, right now, right in front of your eyes.’
On the screen, Cassandra burst into a new fit of tears. Her head dropped down once again and she began shaking hysterically.
Could this really have been just a coincidence? Mr. J thought. Could this idiot really have no idea of who he was dealing with? Possibly. Mr. J knew that he was the best at what he did. He didn’t make mistakes. He was extremely careful. So how did this guy find him?
‘Cassandra, honey, listen to me.’ Mr. J tried to calm her down. ‘He will not touch you. He will not harm you. I promise you that, my love.’ He paused for a second; when he spoke again, he was addressing the voice. ‘If it’s true that you have no idea of what I do or who I am, let me give you a chance to rethink your actions. I work for the most powerful syndicate in Los Angeles. The most powerful syndicate in the whole of California. A syndicate that doesn’t abide by any laws. It makes its own. Do you understand what I’m telling you?’ Mr. J didn’t care for a reply. ‘My role within this syndicate is very specific. I am what you might call “the last enforcer” of their rules — the last instance in their problem-solving chain. In fact, I’m “the end of the chain”. If I come to see you, I will be the last person you will ever see. Are you getting the picture?’