Roman received a call from Vinnie at noon. “Rolf’s on the line. Wanna talk to him?” “Give me a minute.” Everyone was at the kitchen table eating the lunch Amy had made. “Janie and I have a phone call,” Roman said with a glance for Amy and Chris. “It shouldn’t take long, okay?”
Amy looked at her husband. “We’ll watch Matt.”
“Sure will,” Chris said, giving Roman and Janie a thumbs-up. “Take your call.” The next phase of dealing with Leo had been discussed before everyone pulled up stakes for Deer Lake.
Roman escorted Janie outside and well away from the house before getting back to Vinnie. “We’re ready,” he said. “Put him on.” He handed the phone to Janie. She wanted the satisfaction of personally settling the score with Leo. Even more so since they’d been terrorized by Leo’s hired guns.
“Hello, Leo,” Janie said, cool and calm. “Do you have the custody papers and my money ready?”
“Are you some kind of nutcase?” Leo roared. “You’re gettin’ nuthin’!” His voice racheted up higher. “And I’ll have Matt back just as soon as I serve you papers! Nobody fucks with me, bitch! Understand?”
“Are you finished, Leo? Because I have something to say,” Janie said, her voice smooth as silk. “FYI, I still have several copies of that flash drive. So, send the papers giving me sole custody of Matt to Roman’s office no later than Tuesday. Then wire the fifty million to my personal account on Wednesday at two o’clock. Did you get all that? Would you like me to repeat it so you can write it down? Leo? Are you still there?”
“You mother-fucking cunt.”
Ignoring her husband’s murderous growl, Janie smiled. “You didn’t really think you could outsmart me, did you, Leo?” she murmured. “I mean, consider what it takes to get from a trailer, as you mentioned in our last conversation, to my current position. If any fool could do that, Leo, don’t you see-every trailer park in America would have to close. Now, then.” Her voice shifted from soap opera diva to ice queen. “The papers on Tuesday, my money on Wednesday, or I’ll start sending this flash drive to interested parties in the government. Are you still there, Leo?”
“You goddamn, son of a bitching, no-good-”
“Don’t waste your breath. Just send the papers and the money ASAP or plan on spending your retirement years in jail. It’s your choice. If I get what I want, you get all my copies of the flash drive.”
“I’ll see you go to hell for this!” Leo shrieked.
Janie held the phone away from her ear for a second, then said, “I’m hanging up now. If you have any questions, talk to Roman’s office.”
Flipping the phone shut, she handed it back to Roman.
“I’ll give Vinnie a heads-up,” Roman said, punching his speed dial. “You were awesome, baby.” He grinned. “Remind me never to get on your bad side. Hey, Vinnie, listen closely. Here’s the deal.”