“If this agreement doesn’t include you leaving the tree, the Square, the park, and the church alone, then there is no agreement.”
“You’re being unreasonable!” he yelled.
Irene watched as Grover circled the man, staring at his face. He leaned forward and whispered in Hampton’s ear. Irene watched as Hampton waved a hand over his ear, shaking his head.
Grover stepped back, staring at the man, frowning. He stepped forward again and this time, yelled so loud that they all heard him.
“You are the son of the devil!”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hampton left so abruptly they weren’t sure what was happening. Irene actually stepped down out of the tree so she could face all of the men, including Grover.
“Grover, baby, what was that about?” asked Irene.
“Him. I’ve known there was something familiar about him for a while now, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’ve tried to communicate with him, but it wasn’t working. He is related to the man who killed me, I’m certain of it. He was wearing the same ring that the man who owned me was wearing. He is connected to the man who hanged me from this tree.”
“Your boss, the man you called boss, was a man named Hampton?” asked Irene.
“Yes,” he nodded. “I didn’t remember that before now. I’m not sure what happened, but I saw his face, the ring, and it all clicked for me. Something in his eyes told me he was related.”
“Did he hear you?” asked Angel.
“I’m not sure. As I said, I’ve tried to speak with him before, and he’s never given any indication that he could hear me.”
“Mama Irene, what do you think?” asked Trak.
“I’m not sure what to think,” she said. “If Hampton’s ancestor was the one that owned Grover, that could be why he wants the tree destroyed. Maybe it’s about destroying the memories or the evidence? I don’t know.”
“Well, it gives us a place to start,” said Angel. “I’ll let Code and the boys know that we figured out the connection. That should give them a place to start and hopefully find out what Hampton’s game is.”
Hampton couldn’t get to his apartment fast enough. He slammed the door, engaging the lock, although it rarely did any good. The voices came at him through doors, floors, walls, cars, planes, it never seemed to matter.
He rifled through the papers on his desk, trying to find the information he was looking for. There were at least six more locations that he needed to handle. Maybe he’d leave this one for a while and take care of business somewhere else.
“Mississippi,” he whispered. He still had a few more properties to attend to in Mississippi. It was close, and he could take care of that one quickly.
Packing a bag, he called his bodyguards and ordered that they meet him outside his building in thirty minutes. He arranged for them to stay in a luxury boutique hotel and e-mailed his contact that they could meet tomorrow about the property.
The massive folder of information on his desk was like an anvil around his neck. Every day, he’d review the materials that were already emblazoned in his brain. He wasn’t sure why he did it. Perhaps it was his penance, his just desserts as it were.
“How many more fucking jobs?” he growled. He heard shuffling behind him and realized that one of his men had come up to get him.
“Sir?”
“Nothing. Is everything ready downstairs?”
“Yes, sir. What do you want to do about the woman in the tree?” he asked.
“Nothing. Leave her there for now. When we get back in a few days, hopefully, she’ll be gone, and we can do this without approval. We’ll just send someone into the park to burn the whole damn thing down.”
“Yes, sir.”
Two-and-a-half hours later, they found themselves not far from Natchez, Mississippi. The boutique hotel turned out to be a once historic home. At first, Hampton was reluctant to go inside, but after sitting in the lobby chair for a few moments, there was nothing but silence, and he was grateful.
By nine a.m. the next morning, he was waiting at the bank door to obtain what he needed. A bank check for the exact amount agreed upon by the family. They thought he’d lost his mind for what he was offering for the land and crumbling antebellum home.
“Glad to see you, Mr. Hampton,” said the man.
