Page 85 of Hidden Resolution

“Jesusfuckingchrist!”Mason breathed. “It had to do with this, didn’t it?”

Billy refused to answer.

Deciding to circle back around later, he asked instead, “Does Shonda know what you’re into?”

“No. Are you kidding? She’d kill me!” Her cousin seemed genuinely appalled and fearful.

“And I won’t?”

The threat wasn’t subtle, nor was it meant to be. Mason had no idea how much jail time Shonda would serve if she were caught and convicted of a crime she had no knowledge of. He replaced his thigh with a pillow and inched forward in his seat.

“Did you know she was mugged last week, and did you have anything to do with that?”

Though he hesitated, Billy answered. “Yes.”

“Yes, you knew? And yes, you were behind it?”

“Yes to both counts.”

“Why?” Mason barked.

“I was looking for a hard drive or a notebook with the new codes to her division,” Billy confessed.

“So this is the same company Shonda currently works for? She mentioned they were headquartered in Miami.”

“Yes, she got me my job,” he confirmed. “Early last week, after Phoebe was killed, the company revamped security measures again. She was VP of Marketing and Sales in Miami, and Shonda is the only other person who has access to the database I needed.”

Why the guy was so forthcoming, Mason couldn’t begin to guess, but he didn’t trust the fucker as far as he could throw a boulder.

“I thought her company only dealt in television and radio stations.”

“Dude, they’re owned by GenCon Industries. GenCon owns half the fucking world, and they’re heavy into the development of cyber technologies.”

Mason swore enough to make a hardened criminal blush. Yeah, he’d heard of GenCon Industries. They dominated all areas of the global tech market. If Billy, who Shonda had apparently secured a job for, was caught, it would reflect poorly on her. They might even think she was in league with him.

Wasting no time, he whipped out his cell and called John Moore, the corporate attorney for Workout World.

“John, I’m sorry to wake you”—Mason checked his watch—“so early in the morning. I need some legal advice, STAT.”

“Shoot.”

He laid out all the information he had on hand, peppering Billy with questions where he needed things filled in. John’s advice was for Shonda to hire a damned good attorney, turn her cousin in, and throw herself at the mercy of the company heads. Having no prior knowledge of the criminal activity going on around her helped. They had the police reports from the break-ins, the car explosion, and the mugging to back up her story.

“Consider yourself hired on her behalf, John.”

“That’s all well and good, Mason, but she needs a criminal attorney. I’d be happy to take a back seat to whoever she hiresand help where I can with corporate law. There’s someone I can recommend. I’ll give him a call to see what we can do to make sure she isn’t affected by this mess.”

“Thanks, John.”

After he hung up the phone, Mason stalked to where Billy sat, smug, leaning toward gloating. He hauled the smaller man from the chair.

“Now. Let’s talk about that car explosion, motherfucker,” he said, planting his fist squarely in the center of Billy’s face. The crunch of bone was satisfying as hell.

25

Stabbing pain shot through Shonda’s throbbing skull when she opened her eyes. She slammed her lids shut and sucked in a breath. Why the hell was it so bright in her bedroom? She never went to bed without closing the blinds. Squinting in the direction of her window, she groaned.

Theywereclosed.