SWNOVELS Chapter 26
“We don’t have all the time in the world, move it, people!” I watch Donatello call out to the men moving stacks of product into the basement.
There is a knock on my study door before it opens.
For some reason, I expect to see Bunny, but it isn’t Bunny who is framed in the doorway.
It’s Dan, the IT guy.
“What do you have for me?”
He is holding an open laptop in his hands.
“Your suspicions were right, Viper.”
I nod sadly. “I hoped they weren’t, but let me see what you have.”
He walks over to me, and he clicks the trackpad on his computer.
A blurry video begins to play.
From the darkness, a person clad in a mask and a back raincoat walks over to the main gates, looks around, and leans in before dislodging the camera.
“This footage was also deleted, further proving your point.”
“So there is an inside man, after all?”
He nods. “And look, boss,” he points. “Whoever it was came from the main house, so they are not an outsider.”
I tap my foot. “This is all you could retrieve?”
“In a week I can get back all of the deleted footage.”
I shake my head. We don’t have a week. If Giovanni has an inside man here, we are truly running on fumes.
“That will be all for now, Dan.”
“Not quite,” comes a voice from behind him.
I turn to see Bunny standing at the open door. Relief sweeps over me. I hadn’t seen him since the day he walked off.
Dan swallows.
“Why are you lying to him?” Bunny asks Dan.
“Can I ask what exactly is going on?”
Bunny stares at Dan.
“He isn’t showing you everything,” Bunny tells me. “Am I right, Dan?”
Dan’s hands are shaking so badly that the laptop in his hands is wobbling.
“Show him everything, you dumbass,” Bunny thunders, grabbing him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Donatello snaps, barging in and pushing Bunny off Dan.
Expressionlessly, I take my gun from the table and fire a warning shot at the ceiling.
Dan looks like he peed his pants. If I didn’t feel so numb, I would be amused at his mouse-like expression.
Since he is the weakest link, I turn to him.
“Do you mind explaining?” I ask him.
He opens his mouth, shaking like a rat caught in a trap, and no cohesive words come out.
I turn to Donatello. “Do you care to explain?”
He sighs. “You’re not in the right frame of mind to see what he wanted to show you, and I told him to keep it from you for a bit.”
“For how long? Until the bitch—,” Bunny starts.
“Not a word from you,” Donatello shuts him up.
I turn to Dan.
“Show me.”
With shaky hands, he presses a few buttons, and a video plays. It’s Alyssa squeezed into a corner, speaking into a phone.
She looks around several times and talks to the phone. It goes in for a while, and when the call ends, she tucks the phone into her skirt.
“That’s enough,” I say.
Dan clicks the pause button, or at least tries to with shaking hands.
“How long did it take you to retrieve the video?”
“I—I didn’t have to si—r—sir—” Dan stutters.
“It was never deleted,” Donatello sighs.
“I see,” I respond.
I turn to Dan. “You’ve had a rough day. I’ll wire you two times your pay. Run along now.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. He all but sprints out of the room, and I am left with Bunny and Donatello.
“I told you that bitch—”
“Language,” I hush Bunny.
He looks at me in disbelief. “She was talking to heaven knows who on a secret phone, and you’re more concerned about language?”
“She was speaking to Giovanni.”
They both look at me in shock.
“Wait, you knew about this all along?” Donatello asks.
She did a crappy job of hiding her phone and a crappier job of speaking on it quietly. I chuckle fondly as I recall noticing the phone poking out from between the mattress and box spring when we made love the first time.
“I cannot believe you let her stay even after you knew,” Bunny spits at me.
I shrug. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was caught in the act. She seemed to enjoy her act of rebellion.”
“You see, just a second ago, I had Dan hide that video because I couldn’t stand breaking your heart if you found out the truth. Now I can’t figure out exactly who the bigger idiot is between us,” Donatello grimaces in irritation.
“Let’s just say I owe you one.”
“That’s if we live through Giovanni’s attack. Do you know how much information she has given him about us? You let her roam the house like a fucking pet,” Bunny snaps.
“She gave him nothing,” I reply.
They both look at me like I have lost my mind.
“And you know this how?”
“Had the phone bugged when she was asleep, listened in to all her calls. She gave him nothing.”
“This has to be a fucking joke,” Donatello mutters under his breath.
“I wish it was, too, but it isn’t. I think we are asking the wrong questions here. The footage from the main gate was tampered with.”
I pause, and I scan the faces of the two men in front of me.
“Alyssa has no access to the main cameras. I doubt she knows where they are.”
“We can’t be too certain, can we?” Bunny cuts in.
“If she did, don’t you think she would have deleted the footage incriminating her first?”
Donatello’s face creases. “What are you trying to get at?”
“Someone removed the cameras and erased the footage of them doing that. The person in question came from inside the house. The question is, which one of you is it?”
Donatello sighs. “For heaven’s sake, this isn’t the time to point fingers.”
I nod. “You’re right, and I am not pointing fingers. We have no idea how much Giovanni knows.”
“Finally. Can we get back to business?” Donatello asks.
“Certainly, Bunny, once you leave.”
There is dead silence.
“You’ve lost your mind.” Bunny clenches his fists, but Donatello’s hands silence him.
“What do you mean he can leave?” Donatello asks.
“He walked away, didn’t he?”
“Don’t be fucking petty, Antonio. We don’t have the time.”
“All right then. Bunny, kindly tell us the last orders Giovanni gave you.”
Donatello slaps his hands over his face.
“For the love of everything holy, Bunny!” he snaps.
Bunny’s eyes meet mine. “You—you think I am working for Giovanni?”
“Do you think I’m fucking stupid?” I snap, losing my patience.
Bunny chuckles bitterly. “I didn’t think you were. But now, I am not so sure. Fuck this and fuck all of you!”
He kicks the table before he walks out, letting out a string of curses.
“This cannot be real. Aren’t you going after him?” Donatello asks me.
“He is old enough to look out for himself. He made a deal with the devil, and I have a business to protect. Let’s get back to work. The clock is ticking.”
Donatello walks to the door and stops.
“If you knew she was in contact with Giovanni, why was your first inkling to send her to safety?”
I run my fingers through my hair.
“You called it, didn’t you? I’m an idiot.”
“Just shoot me already.”