Page 42 of Goodbye Girl

He was about to tell her, but another call came up on his phone. Thisone didn’t ring but vibrated in his hand. The incoming number was international, which meant either that his car warranty was about to expire or that Theo was calling back on another number. He answered.

“This is Amongus,” the caller said.

“I just heard from Theo,” said Jack.

“That boy’s in deep shit,” said Amongus.

Jack’s golden retriever waddled into the room, half asleep, but carrying a slipper in his mouth. With Andie still in the doorway, it was officially a team meeting.

“This is business,” he whispered to Andie, and then he retreated into the bathroom and closed the door.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Jack said into the phone.

“Looks like Theo tried to kidnap the son of a Russian oligarch.”

The morning just kept getting wilder. “What are you talking about?”

“I’d say about twenty-five years in prison.”

“Theo is not a kidnapper.”

“I’m sure that’s what he’ll say. Probably try and blame me. But the fact is, he’s the one sitting in jail right now. Not me.”

Jack gripped the phone tighter. “What kind of shit are you trying to pull here, Amongus?”

“I’m offering a solution to a very serious problem that your friend Theo has gotten himself into.”

“Don’t play games with me.”

“No game. A simple business offer. Imani drops all this ‘go pirate’ bullshit. Theo gets his ‘get out of jail free’ card.”

“That’s not an offer. That’s extortion.”

“It’s an offer where I come from.”

“You couldn’t even keep yourself out of jail. How are you going to get Theo out?”

He chuckled over the line. “I’m not that kid anymore who went to prison, Swyteck. I’m a man of international power and influence. Don’t you know that?”

Jack’s anger rose. “Listen to me, you punk. I’m coming to London, and I’m going to find you. If you set up Theo to be arrested just so you could leverage a deal with Imani, I will make you pay for it. Do you hear me?”

There was a crackling on the line.

“Do you hear me?” Jack said.

The crackling got louder. Then it sounded like a scuffle, followed by indecipherable shouting in the background.

“Amongus?”

The unmistakable crack of gunshot pierced the conversation. Then silence.

“Amongus, what just happened?” Jack said with urgency.

Jack waited, but there was no response.

“Amongus, are you all right?”

“I’m... hit,” he said in a voice that faded.