CHAPTER18
Leon
As soon as the sun is up, I drive to the office. I’m the first one on site. It doesn’t take me long to override the cameras. Once that’s done, I break into Elliot’s desk, which is a simple task for a seasoned thief. I’ve been picking locks since the age of ten. I go through his drawers and check for false bottoms but come up empty-handed.
Gus has the building swept for bugs and spyware once a week. However, there are other ways of listening in on conversations and surveilling a room. I spend the next hour hacking into Elliot’s desktop and installing apps I developed in my spare time to record his conversations and film his movements. Then I download an app that runs undetected in the background, giving me access to his passwords and screen. I do the same with his phone, hacking in remotely and sweeping all the image files. Nothing that includes Gia is flagged, but I keep the access open and install a bot to patrol any new image files he adds.
When everything is set up, I wipe out my traces and reactivate the security cameras. By the time the rest of the staff arrive, I’ve already completed my first coding of the day.
At eight sharp, Elliot and Gus walk through the door. Gus has his arm around Elliot’s shoulders. They’re laughing, talking about how fast last night got out of hand, but I don’t miss the dark circles under Elliot’s eyes or the strain around his mouth. Being a partner isn’t easy, especially if you’re not fit for the role. It’s only a matter of time before everyone knows Elliot is incapable of delivering the second phase of the groundbreaking program. Carter has already inquired about the completion date several times.
With my desk being at the back, no one is privy to my computer screen. I log into the app and wait. A few seconds later, Elliot logs on. For the rest of the day, I follow his trail until I identify two independent accounts on the cloud. The one holds my program and his private work. The other is filled with images of him and a man. From their romantic poses, the bald guy with the beer belly must be Elliot’s lover. Secret lover, that is. As far as Gus and everyone else is concerned, Elliot is as straight as an arrow.
And then, bingo.
In a hidden folder, I discover the images of Gia and a naked man with a blond beard. There are twelve in total, taken in fast sequence. If you fan them like a deck of cards, they’ll form a motion picture film of my mother-in-law jerking upright on top of the man she straddles, her eyes round and her mouth pulled into an O. I would’ve preferred to delete the folder right away, but as I promised Gia I’d deliver the evidence in her hands, I make a copy before deleting the rest.
At five, I leave with the USB key containing the evidence in my pocket and drive to Kyalami Estate. Gia opens the door when I ring the bell, but she doesn’t invite me inside.
Glancing over her shoulder, she says, “Let’s sit in the garden. It’s such a beautiful day.”
As soon as we reach the table and chairs under the big oak, I hand her the USB key behind the shelter of the giant tree trunk. “I’d get rid of that sooner than later if I were you.”
“Thanks,” she says, accepting the key with a shaking hand. “Is everything on here?”
“Everything in the cloud. There are no hard copies in the office. If you’ve searched Elliot’s room and the house thoroughly, then that should do it as far as the paper copies go.”
“Does that mean there could be more digital copies somewhere?”
“Violet mentioned that Elliot keeps a laptop at home.”
She nods. “In his room.”
“I’ll have to check it.”
She peers around the tree in the direction of the house. “Flora is busy with the dinner in the kitchen. I can smuggle the laptop out of the house undetected. How much time do you need?”
“About fifteen minutes. Tops. You should get me a drink. It’ll look more authentic if anyone wonders what we’re doing out here.”
“Yes. Of course.” She wraps her fingers around the key in her palm, closing it in a fist. “I’ll be right back.”
While she’s gone, I stare at the water tumbling over the artificial rocks in the corner. It reminds me of the night Gus invited me for dinner, the night he announced that Violet was going to marry me.
There was no doubt in my mind both Gia and Violet feared Gus. Neither of them dared to defy him. Now I know why. Gus demonstrated what he’s capable of to a very young Violet. Too young. The thought alone still ignites the fury of hell in me.
If he’s anything like me, he’ll never let Gia go. If she took a lover, she must’ve thought about leaving him. Just like Violet, she probably wants to escape her fate. If Violet ever commits that crime, she’ll have a murder on her conscience. I wasn’t joking when I told her I’ll let no man who touches her live.
A month ago, I wouldn’t have meddled in Gus’s private affairs. Men like us draw the line when it comes to another man’s woman. It’s the one unspoken rule in our world we all understand. But that was before Elliot cheated and Gus stabbed me in the back. The rules of honor I adhere to don’t apply to my enemies. I don’t owe them any courtesies.
Gia returns with a tote bag slung over her shoulder and a tray in her hands. I take the tray and deposit it on the table while she takes the laptop out of the bag. Positioning myself so I’m hidden from view, I go to work. In ten minutes, I’m done.
“There’s nothing on here,” I assure her, wiping down the laptop.
“Thank you,” she says, laying a palm over her heart. “You have no idea what a relief this is.”
Oh, I have an inkling.
She clears her throat. “Did you mention this to Violet?”
“Of course. She’s my wife.”
She makes a face. “How did she take it?”
“Not well, at first.”