My Wife Paid 50 Grand To Have Me Eliminated Over A Horrible Lie
Part 1
I stared at the thick cut of rare sirloin resting on my ceramic plate.
Megan leaned across the polished mahogany dining table and poured a heavy measure of expensive red wine into my glass.
Her bright white smile stretched unnaturally across her face.
“Enjoy your dinner, honey.”
The steak knife felt heavy and foreign in my grip.
I dragged the serrated edge through the center of the meat.
Dark red juices pooled onto the pristine white porcelain.
My phone vibrated violently against my thigh with a message from Craig.
He was one of the many unsavory characters I dealt with at my bail bond agency downtown.
Craig owed me a massive favor from a few years back when he skipped a court date.
The text on my illuminated screen simply read: ‘She paid fifty grand in cash.’
I chewed the tough meat slowly while watching my wife across the table.
Megan casually wiped the corner of her mouth with a cloth napkin.
“Is everything okay?”
I swallowed the dry lump forming in my throat.
“Just thinking about work.”
Six months ago, her best friend Brenda made a horribly sloppy pass at me after downing four margaritas.
I politely declined her advances and immediately stepped out of the bar.
Brenda retaliated by telling Megan that I had aggressively cornered her in the parking lot.
No amount of explaining or pleading could convince my wife otherwise.
The fundamental trust in our marriage evaporated instantly.
She started working at my agency full-time just to keep tabs on my every move.
I took a slow, deliberate sip of the bitter wine.
“Do you still love me?”
She didn’t flinch or hesitate for even a fraction of a second.
“Of course, silly.”
Her dark eyes darted briefly toward the hallway mirror.
That was her tell.
She always avoided direct eye contact when selling a major lie.
My phone vibrated again with another urgent update from Craig.
‘It’s Hector. He took the job for tonight.’
The name hit me like a physical punch to the chest.
Hector was an absolute ghost in the underground crime scene.
I bailed him out once on a minor weapons charge just to keep him as a useful asset.
The hushed rumors about his preferred methods turned the stomachs of hardened detectives.
He didn’t just eliminate his targets quietly.
He made sure they suffered immensely beforehand.
He was swimming in gambling debt, making him dangerous and desperate.
I pushed my half-eaten dinner away from the edge of the table.
“I think the love between us died when you chose to believe Brenda.”
Megan’s warm smile vanished into a tight, thin line.
“I really don’t want to talk about that.”
She aggressively cut a piece of her own steak.
“Let’s just enjoy this quiet moment right now.”
Her phone chimed loudly from the center of the table.
She snatched the device up and gasped dramatically.
“Oh my god, my sister was just in a horrible car accident.”
She grabbed her leather purse from the kitchen counter.
“I have to go to the hospital right now.”
I stood up abruptly and blocked the heavy front door.
“I’ll drive you.”
Genuine panic flashed across her carefully powdered face.
“You should just stay here and finish your meal.”
Her knuckles turned pure white around her car keys.
She was a terrible liar under pressure.
I knew exactly what awaited me if I stayed in this house alone.
I had already tipped off the local precinct two hours ago about a potential home invasion.
Four unmarked police cruisers sat entirely dark across the street in the pouring rain.
I crossed my arms and planted my boots firmly on the hardwood floor.
“You’re not going anywhere because I know exactly what you did.”
She let out a frustrated, exaggerated breath.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
The heavy oak back door suddenly swung wide open with a deafening crash.
Hector stepped casually into our brightly lit kitchen.
He methodically wiped his muddy boots on the welcome mat and sat heavily on our velvet sofa.
A sleek, suppressed pistol rested loosely in his right hand.
He offered my frozen wife a polite, almost mocking nod.
“You aren’t supposed to be here.”
I backed slowly away from the wooden door frame.
“You shouldn’t be here either, because the cops are parked right outside.”
Hector chuckled darkly and scratched his stubbled chin with the dark barrel of his weapon.
“They’re taking a nap right now, by the way.”
