Conspiracy and racketeering

Chapter 132: Conspiracy and racketeering

GREG EVANS

The funeral was over, but the fight had just begun. I sat in my office, staring at the wall of documents pinned up like a detective solving a crime. Because that’s exactly what I was doing—solving the crime of my brother’s murder. My anger hadn’t lessened since the day we buried John. If anything, it had grown into something cold. It was no longer just grief, it was revenge.

If Smith Cole thought he could get away with this, that he could walk free after having my brother killed. Just because he had a few connections then he had another thing coming.

He had no idea what he had just unleashed.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples as I went through another set of documents. These weren’t just business papers—they were evidence. The ones my boys brought in for me.

Smith Cole’s entire operation was filth, built on money laundering, blackmail, and human trafficking. His corporation wasn’t just corrupt—it was a damn criminal empire hiding behind polished boardrooms and fake philanthropy.

These documents along with the ones Martha kept were enough to bring Smith's corporation crashing down.

I had already leaked small pieces of information to trusted sources in law enforcement coupled with the ones Ethan sent to them, I'm sure they were just enough to stir up whispers and investigations.

The goal wasn’t to attack all at once. No, I wanted Smith to feel the noose tighten little by little. I wanted him to be paranoid, to be desperate.

The police had started moving faster. After my relentless pressure, they had finally reopened some of Smith’s past business dealings along with the murder case of his ex wife. And I wasn’t stopping there.

I had connections. Powerful ones. The kind that could dig into places the police couldn’t. And those connections had led me to the Tiger Gang, the same criminals who were sent by Smith to ambush John and Ethan that night.

I had their names, their locations. Now, I just needed to make my next move. Which was to file a lawsuit against Smith.

I grabbed my phone and dialed my lawyer, Richard Hayes. The guy who helped me become a free man years ago. He picked up on the second ring.

“Greg,” he greeted. “What’s going on?”

“I want you to file the lawsuit against Smith Cole,” I said, my voice steady. “Conspiracy and racketeering. We have enough to push it forward.”

There was a pause. “You’re sure?”

“Dead sure.”

Richard exhaled. “Alright. I’ll draft everything and submit it first thing tomorrow. But you know what this means, right? He’s going to fight back. Hard. I mean, we're talking about ‘the Smith Cole’.”

“Let him,” I muttered. “He’s been winning for too damn long. It’s time he loses and we must ensure he does.”

Richard hesitated. “We’ll need more concrete evidence if we want this to stick.”

“I’m working on that,” I said. “Just file it. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Alright, consider it done.”

As I hung up, I leaned back in my chair. The next move had been made. All I had to do now was sit and watch.

A knock on my office door snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Come in," I called, already annoyed.

The door opened, and Cecilia stepped in. Her face was still pale from grief, but she held herself together. She always did.

"You’ve been holed up in here for days," she said, crossing her arms. "When was the last time you actually went home?"

I exhaled sharply, not in the mood for a lecture. "This isn’t the time for rest, Cecilia. I need to make sure the bastard who killed John pays."

She sighed and sat across from me. "I want him to pay too, Greg. But I don’t want to lose you in the process."

I met her gaze. "You won’t lose me."

A silence stretched between us before she spoke again. "Mia’s struggling."

I closed my eyes for a second. I knew that. I’d seen it. She barely ate, barely spoke. Marvin tried to help, but even he was drowning in his own pain.

"I know, I’m handling it," I muttered.

Cecilia shook her head. "Greg, she needs her family. Not just a man hell-bent on revenge."

"I’m doing what needs to be done," I said firmly. "And when Smith Cole is dead, maybe then we can all breathe again."

Cecilia looked at me for a long moment before standing up. "Just don’t forget you have people who still need you."

She left before I could respond, I ran a hand down my face. I didn’t have time for emotions right now.

I grabbed my phone and dialed a number.

A gruff voice answered, "You got something for me?"

"More than that," I said. "I found two of the men from the Tiger Gang. The ones who shot my brother. I want you to get them for me and handle them."

The man on the other end whistled. "You sure about this, Evans? The police should…"

I cut him off. "The police move too slow. I’ll take care of this myself. Just get them for me."

There was a pause, then he chuckled. "I thought you were reformed, missing your old ways now, aren't we?"

"You have no idea how I feel, the person I tried to be a better person for is gone." I said darkly.

He chuckled, "Just tell me where they are and I'll handle them for you."

I gave him the location, and hung up. The hunt was on and I'll get those bastards.

But before I could leave the office, my phone buzzed again. It was from an unknown number.

I frowned and answered. "Who the hell is this?"

A distorted voice replied, "I have information on Smith Cole. Information that could end him once and for all."

My pulse quickened. "Who are you?"

"You'll find out soon enough," the voice said. "Meet me at the docks tonight. Alone. No fowl play or everything you've worked for will go down the drain."

I clenched my jaw. This could be a trap. But if it wasn’t… if this person really had something that could bury Smith. I had no choice but to go.

"Fine," I said. "I’ll be there by midnight. And I hope you'll have something good for me. I'm not playing. I'll end you if this is a prank."

The call ended and I stood up, grabbing my coat. I was going to make damn sure that I get rid of the man who took my brother away from me, one way or another.