195 Back Against The Wall

(Judy)

Something’s wrong. Winona is nervous. Jayden isn’t answering my calls, which isn’t unusual these days, but this time it feels different. He’s slipping away from me, and it’s driving me crazy.

Then there’s Steve, the bastard who just won’t stay hidden. He contacted me yesterday, demanding money—no, demanding a fortune. He’s threatening to spill everything if he doesn’t get what he wants.

The setup with Winona, the lies with Ashlyn, everything.

He’s got all the dirt, and he’s not afraid to use it.

I’ve been in this game long enough to know when someone needs to be dealt with permanently. I even told Steve as much, made it clear that if he kept pushing, he’d end up regretting it.

But the slimy bastard didn’t even flinch. Instead, he laughed and told me to go ahead, that everything was already set up to go to the authorities if anything happened to him.

And worse, he claimed Gus knows about the threat too.

That threw me. If Gus knows, it means he’s keeping secrets from me. But Gus