Chapter 4Beef And A Thirty-Year Grudge

Hailey peeked out from behind Tristan's broad shoulders, a sickeningly smug smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

The elevator doors chimed at the end of the hall. Gary slowly limped out, leaning heavily on a cane, supported by two people.

His cloudy eyes locked onto Jack's blood-soaked bandages. A flash of pure, venomous malice crossed his shriveled face.

"Oh my, how on earth did that happen?"

He let out a fake, dramatic sigh, hobbling closer to drop his voice into a sinister whisper.

"Brian, look at your brother. That is what we call karma."

"You can't be too ruthless in this life. You push people to the edge, and the heavens will strike you down."

I curled my hands into tight fists, my nails biting deeply into my palms.

A nurse walked over holding a clipboard.

"Family of Jack? The laceration is very deep. We need to suture it immediately."

"We also need an emergency CT scan to rule out internal bleeding."

"Please go down to the first-floor billing department right now. The total is eight thousand six hundred dollars."

I snatched the invoice from her and pulled out a joint debit card from my wallet.

It was a dedicated medical account Tristan and I had set up specifically to cover Jack's facility bills.

I ran downstairs to the billing window and handed the card to the clerk.

She swiped it once. Her brow furrowed.

"Ma'am, this card has been frozen."

I froze.

"That is impossible. There is over a hundred grand in that account."

The clerk slid the card back under the glass.

"The system shows the primary account holder reported it lost and froze the assets thirty minutes ago."

The primary account holder was Tristan. I grabbed the card and spun around to face the lobby.

Tristan was slowly walking down the grand staircase. He held a thin stack of papers in his right hand.

Gary and Hailey were following closely behind him like loyal shadows.

Tristan stopped right in front of me and held out the papers. It was the legal letter of forgiveness.

"Brian. All you have to do is sign your name right here."

Tristan's voice was eerily calm. He possessed the sickening confidence of a man who held all the winning cards.

"The second you sign, I will make the call to unfreeze the account."

"And your brother can get his life-saving surgery."

I stared dead into his eyes.

"You are using my brother's medical emergency to blackmail me?"

Tristan frowned, acting highly offended by my phrasing.

"Don't make it sound so ugly. I am looking out for the big picture here."

"Your brother's life matters, but Gary's life matters too."

"Sign the paper. Everyone wins."

Gary leaned heavily on his cane, shuffling forward until his rotting breath hit my ear.

"You stupid little bitch. Did you really think becoming a CEO meant you could step on me?"

"Thirty years ago, your mother smashed her forehead against the concrete outside my butcher shop, and I still didn't bat an eye."

"Let's see if you drop to your knees today."

He pulled his lips back, exposing a row of yellowed, decaying teeth.

"If you don't sign, your brother bleeds out. I have all the time in the world. Let's see if your brother does."

The memories of thirty years ago violently crashed into my brain.

The greasy cobblestones. My mother's agonizing wails.

The thick wad of spit Gary shot onto the dirt. The sheer terror in my brother's eyes as the police shoved him into the cruiser.

It all played out perfectly clear in my mind.

I looked at Gary's twisted face. I looked at Tristan's arrogant, triumphant smirk.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number.