Chapter 152
Everywhere he turned, it seemed that William Stewart was ten steps ahead of him. It was maddening. After his father’s “mysterious” death, he took over everything, He brought up land everywhere and began funneling all of the drug money through several businesses. His favorite part was preying on overzealous businessmen and draining them dry. Exhilaration filled him as he watched them crumble at his feet. Every time he imagined Will’s face, and it brought him the closest to ecstasy.
However, the more he tried to expand, Will was always in his way. Whatever land he tried to buy, Will was there. Whatever business he tried to take over, Will was there. But he didn’t get angry. His plan was already in place to bring William Stewart down. Grace had gone back to him. His damaged weapon, breaking him down from within. She didn’t know it, but he had been watching their whole relationship and would use her to finally destroy him.
But an even better opportunity presented itself in the form of Will’s own money hungry family. He met Robert Stewart at one of his casinos. He’d been apprehended by security after trying to use counterfeit money at one of the tables.
***
“Wait,” he said, as security escorted him away. “Bring him to me.”
Robert Stewart had the air of an elite society man, but presented as a disheveled, desperate has been. This was a man that was waiting for an opportunity to rise in the ranks. And he didn’t care how he got it.
“You’re Robert Stewart,” he stated.
“Y-yes. I am. I’m a very powerful man, and your men are making a terrible mistake!” he tried to be assertive.
“Hmm,” he chuckled. “You misunderstand me. I’d like to offer you a job.”
“I don’t need a job! Do you know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?”
Robert clammed up, intimidated by the energy the stranger exuded.
“Are you the owner of this establishment?”
“Yes, I am. You might know me as Ghost,” he smirked.
“G-Ghost? The Ghost?” Robert stammered as about three shades color drained from his face. “It’s… It’s an honor, sir, to be in your presence.” Robert looked away.
“You’ve already seen me,” he smiled. “If you’ve heard of me, then you know what happens to people who see me.”
“Please, sir. I’m your servant,” Robert pleaded on his knees. “Please tell me what job you have for me. I would be honored to be part of your organization.”
“Good,” he leaned forward. “I’m going to put you in charge of distribution. You have a head for business, but not the kind you’ve been trying to do. I think you’ll thrive here.”
“I will do my best, sir.”
“No. There is no ‘doing your best’ in my business. You have to succeed. As an incentive, I will allow you unlimited access to my casinos. Gamble to your heart’s content.”
“Really?” Robert’s eyes lit up like a child at his birthday party.
“Yes,” he patronized him. “But you will need to pay back all the money you’ve won using the counterfeit money you brought in.”
“I do apologize for that. I wasn’t aware this establishment was yours.”
“Oh, Mr. Stewart,” he threw his back and laughed. “Not just this establishment. All the casinos you’ve been frequenting are mine. The sex workers, you’ve paid for are mine. The drugs you buy, are mine. You’ve been on my radar for a long time.”
“Sir,” Robert panicked.
“At first I thought I could just kill you. Now that you’ve seen me, I probably should. And your family, of course. But you’re more useful to me alive. You have that ruthlessness that I need.”
“Please sir, my family is innocent in all of this.”
“The truth is, I laid all those out as traps for you. And fell right in.”
“Traps?”
“Indeed. I heard rumors about you.”
“What rumors?” he said with indignation.
“That you were a coward, liked to cheat on your wife, and enjoyed casinos a bit too much. It’s nice to know I was right.”
“Sir…” he attempted to defend himself. “The pressures of business and society life can lead a man to seek external pleasures. That’s all I’m guilty of. I’m sure you yourself have indulged…”
“Do you presume to know me?” he shouted, slamming his hands on the table. “You think I’m just some stressed out businessman like you?”
“N-no, I…”
“You dare to assume that we’re on the same level? I am Ghost! I am mythical! I am legendary! When something stresses me out,” he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Robert. Robert screamed and held up his hands. “…I deal with it permanently. And right now, you’re stressing me out. Should I deal with you permanently?”
“No! I can be useful to you! You said it yourself!”
“Can you?” he asked, his finger tightening around the trigger.
“Oh, yes,” Robert nodded, swallowing a large lump of fear. “I can be whoever you need! I can do whatever you want!”
“Good. That’s what I like to hear.”
***
Robert was a great asset. He became the face of the organization. The face that authorities knew about, the one they were looking for. He remained in the shadows while Robert took care of everything. It was the perfect arrangement. And all the while, Robert continued to rack up gambling debts. He couldn’t have planned it better. Every step brought him closer and closer to Will.
His life had become a tunnel and the only light at the end of it was the demise of William Stewart. It was the driving force in his soul. It was the pulsing his blood. His first meeting with Robert Stewart set his plan back into motion. There was no improvising. Without even realizing, Will had been slipping through his fingers like fine sand. Always just beyond his reach. But this time he would get inside of Will’s world and destroy him from within.
He kept a close watch on Will’s personal life. It seemed Grace had run back to marry him as he had anticipated. What he didn’t anticipate was the wrath it fueled in him. It was interesting. It had so long since he felt any real emotion that it caught him off guard. Ever since he’d killed his father, it was as though he’d murdered his own feelings as well. Other than hate, nothing else lived within him. He often wondered why he even continued to do anything. He did have to admit that he was chasing the thrill of that first kill. Nothing ever seemed to satisfy him. But all roads led back to William Stewart. Everyone that had died at his hands was a surrogate for Will.
He would rest until he saw William dead by his hand. And he would make sure that he suffered as much as possible.
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