“So what can I help you…” He finally looked up just as he got to his desk. He saw a familiar face sitting in the chair in front of his desk. It was Brett Jacobs. Berry then noticed another figure, out of the corner of his eye, standing by the door. It was Thrower. Berry froze, unsure of what he should do. Screaming or yelling for help didn’t seem like it would do much good considering they’d probably kill him before help ever got there.
Jacobs smiled at him. “You remember us?”
Berry briefly glanced at the both of them. “Uh, yes, vaguely.”
“We’re the guys who almost got killed at your house the other day.”
Berry pointed at both of them. “You’re the guys who broke into my house the other day. You might want to consider yourselves lucky that I didn’t have you arrested.”
“Well, you could do that. Of course, then we could say how your boss had a gun in his hands, and that would basically send him back to prison for life. But you already know that, which is why you didn’t say anything yet, anyway.”
“What do you want?”
“I’d like to make a deal,” Jacobs said, putting his hand out toward Berry’s chair. “Why don’t you sit down so we can talk about it?”
Berry sat reluctantly. “How did you guys get in here, anyway?”
“Oh, it was really easy. We just called and asked for the first available appointment. And here we are. Your secretary is very nice, by the way. Very friendly.”
“Consider giving her a raise,” Thrower said.
“Well, that would depend on him actually being in business for a few more weeks, which I think is very debatable right now,” Jacobs said.
“What do you mean?” Berry asked. “Why wouldn’t I still be in business?”
“Well, I think it’s very likely you’ll be dead.”
Berry looked stunned. “What? Are you threatening me?”
“Me? No. But do you really think you have a future when you’re aligning yourself with the likes of Rich Mallette?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you really think Mallette wouldn’t try using you to get to me? He’s already proven he’s willing to put you in harm’s way. That business at your home, he used you as bait.”
“What are you getting at?”
“You don’t need him anymore. You got him out. Now you’ve got a rising reputation. You don’t need to let him manipulate you now.”
“He is not manipulating me,” Berry said sternly. “We have a very good business relationship.”
“Take it from me. I know him better than anyone at this point. The only thing he cares about is getting his organization back on top and eliminating me. And he’ll do anything and sacrifice anyone, including you, in order to accomplish that.”
“That’s a very good story. But I think I know what I’m doing.”
“You think you know. But you have no idea, do you? You really don’t know this guy at all, do you? You really don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I’m quite aware of what he’s capable of.”
“The guy doesn’t care, Brett,” Thrower said. “He’s making his bed. Let him lie in it.”
Jacobs shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Some people just can’t be helped. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”
“Something like that.”
“I don’t need help,” Berry said. “And certainly not from the likes of you.”
Jacobs laughed. “The likes of me. Like I’m the bad guy here.”
“What is this all about, really? Why are you here?”
“Because I thought that maybe we could both help each other.”
“How?”
“You could help me get Mallette, and I could help you live past this, which right now, is less than a fifty-fifty bet, I think.”
Berry chuckled. “You’re serious? You’re really serious? You come here, sneak into my office, and have the audacity, the gall, to actually think that I might set up my own client for you?”
“I thought I might give you a chance at living, which you don’t have much of one at the moment.”
“Just out of curiosity, what makes you think my life is in danger?”
“Do you know what happened to Mallette’s former lawyers?” Jacobs asked. “They’re either dead or in jail.”
“That does not have anything to do with me.”
“You’re gonna go down the same path that they did. Believe me, I’ve been here since the beginning. I know how this works, I know how he works. You just got here yesterday.”
“Your concern for my well-being is heartwarming, it really is, but I think I’ll be just fine. I’m the one who got Mallette out of prison. None of those other guys did. I did.”
“And for that you think he’s going to show you his undying gratitude for the rest of his life?”
Berry shrugged, a smug look on his face like he believed it would. “Maybe.”
“You’re sadly mistaken if you do. Like I said, he’ll throw you to the wolves if he thinks it’ll benefit him.”
“Well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree, then, won’t we?”
Jacobs shook his head, then looked at Thrower. “They all make the same mistake, don’t they? They all think they’re special. They’re different. What happened to the others won’t happen to them.”
“I have another saying for you,” Thrower said. “You can’t fix stupid. If he wants to go down with the ship, let him sink.”
“Really, I’m deeply touched by your concern for me,” Berry said. “But I think we’re done here. I have other clients coming, and I can’t spend all day here with the likes of you.”
“Looks like we’re getting shooed out.”
“Seems like it,” Jacobs said. “Guess that’s all we got for you.”
He stood up, moved closer to the desk, and put his hands on the edge of it, though the tips of his fingers were underneath the desk. He kept talking, keeping Berry distracted, while he put a listening device underneath the desk. It was small, something that Hack designed, and it wasn’t any bigger than an SD card. It had an
