Page 52 of Mile High Baby

I shrugged. “Like finding ways to fuck with the news. Filing a lawsuit for harassment. Questioning your sanity. The truth is, these business types get rid of the thorns in their sides more by discrediting or ruining them than by killing them.”

“Then why the threats? Why have me assaulted?” Henry asked.

“Because he was facing prison and you were the person feeding the world with his misdeeds. He knows this current investigation started from a story your media ran. Now that the D.A. is backing off, he can use all this to make you look nuts.”

“That’s better than dead,” Victoria said.

My lips twitched but I quickly worked to hide it.

“Are you running the story about the homeless?” I asked.

“You bet we are. We’re not only exposing the evictions and the hypocrisy of his donation to the shelter, but also the connection between him and the judge that allowed him to evict everyone with bogus complaints. He even turned off the heat and air, which is against the law. There is so much wrong with this. This is only the tip of the iceberg.”

“Jesus, Henry.”

“What? It’s wrong.”

“It is, but a judge is going to want to squash this.”

“By squash, what does that mean? An order not to print the story?”

I shrugged. “Could be, or it could be something more permanent.”

“You mean dangerous?”

I nodded.

She looked from me to her father, but I knew her worried expression wouldn’t hold any weight with his duty to help those being fucked over by George Pitney. For a moment, I considered offering to take Victoria out of the country to keep her safe. It was selfish, I knew, but not necessarily wrong. If Henry was going to continue this mission, Victoria would continue to be a potential target or collateral damage.

She turned back to me. “Is George really that dangerous that he’d go after someone prominent like my father? He’s well-liked in the city. That could backfire.”

I thought back to years ago when I still worked out of New York and I and several other Saint Security operatives provided security to Pitney. He was more subtle back then than he was now, although he was still pretty subtle. But bodyguards were like furniture, there but not really seen. I’d overheard Pitney order his men to make lives hard for people Pitney didn’t like and to pay off officials. I’d reported it to Noel, who terminated our business with Pitney. In those years, Pitney’s success had only emboldened him. Too many people went missing in his orbit for it not to be on purpose.

“We have to assume it’s a risk he’s willing to take,” I said.

Victoria looked back at her father. “Can’t someone else take up this mantle?”

“Who?” Henry looked tired as he sat behind his desk. “If the D.A. isn’t going to do anything, who else will?”

She sighed, knowing as I did that it was fruitless to talk him out of it. “I have work to do.” She rose from the couch she’d been sitting on.

“You do understand, don’t you, sweetheart?” Henry asked her.

She nodded. “I know you feel the need to do this. I don’t agree, but I understand.” She left the room.

Anger bloomed deep. I wanted to throttle Henry for putting her through this. “Has work always been more important than her?”

Henry’s eyes were dark as they looked at me. “That’s a fucked up thing to say.”

“Maybe.”

“She understands. She said so.”

“She said she understood that you felt the need to do it.”

“Right.”

“Clearly, you don’t understand or care about the impact it has on her. And because you don't, the message you give her is that she’s not as important as your righteous mission to end Pitney.”