Billionaire Misery by Lexy Timms Page B

he needed his jacket back. She ignored him. They got into the elevator and ascended, none of them speaking; not even laughing at the guard robot in the elevator.
    Jessie opened the room door and Katie followed her in, switching on lights. Morgan and Craig stood by the door, looking around at the giant, stunning room with real bewilderment. She didn’t blame them. She’d never seen such luxury in her life. Even Wilkes’ mansion, while exquisite, had not been so ostentatiously displayed.
    They all stood in a corner. Katie and Morgan together, Morgan’s arm draped protectively over her shoulders. It felt like a showdown.
    Katie took a deep breath and asked, “So how do we figure out who to trust?”
    “We can trust my boss,” Jessie said empathically. “He’s the only person who knew I was here and undercover. I hadn’t been made before I blew my cover because he didn’t go dirty on me.”
    “You’re a fucking cop.”
    The flat words came from Morgan this time.
    Jessie took a deep breath. “I’m a DEA agent, deep undercover. I was here to get information on Blake Wilkes. He’s running an international drug cartel fronted by his family’s very old and legitimate business, which I’m sure is not news to you, Craig.”
    Katie frowned. “It’s not. We figured out he was into a lot more than just legitimate business when we went over the files Morgan and I took.”
    “Yes, and I wish you’d gotten these files then.” Now that her cover was blown, she had some explaining to do. She decided to lay her cards on the table and hope for the best. She pulled the files out of Craig’s tux jacket she still wore. “Blake Wilkes isn’t just into money-laundering. His company was on the verge of bankruptcy about twenty-four years ago. He went into business with some bad men, and then he robbed them.” Her voice shook with anger as she relived a past she didn’t want to. “Then he went into business with some even worse people. He had them start killing off the first group of men he hired so they could take over their business dealings, which included not just drugs but high-profile thefts: art, jewels, you name it.”
    Katie, Morgan, and Craig just stared at her.
    So she continued, pacing as she talked. “Then he started washing money for other workers, all through his corporation. Bad stock deals vanished. He went into business with cartels and washed their money in exchange for a cut and for some product. That helped boost his earnings, and he just kept killing off the men he screwed over. Over and over.” She spun around and shook the files in her hands. “He’s slippery as hell. Those files—why he kept them is anyone’s guess. He shouldn’t have. I’m guessing that the only reason he did was so he could show them to you.” Her last words were directed at Craig.
    Craig glared at her. “You might be right... maybe. They were the first things he showed me. He said he needed me to start taking over the business, and if anything ever happened to him those files would be what kept his life’s work going.” There was derision in his voice. “All he cares about is power, and money. And keeping things going. He told me I needed to destroy them immediately if anything happened to him, but to read them first so I would know what to do. He said the only thing that matters is that the Wilkes name continues, and that I should always remember that. That the Wilkes name was a name that meant power and wealth, and those things didn’t come cheaply.”
    Katie stared at him in shock. “So he just expected you to come in and...and what? Be Charlie again?”
    Jessie wanted to know the same thing.
    Craig sighed. “I don’t know. The man’s crazy. No offense. He’s also an egomaniac. Yeah, I wanted...” he threw his hands up. “Jessie, please. I know what he did to your family. But I’m not him. Don’t turn on me now.”
    Her resolve wavered but she held her ground. “I’m not turning my back on you.”
    “No,