Dirty Rotten Liar by Noire Page B

as the money exchange was scheduled to go down, the local company had backed out of the deal and left him hanging.
    Digger didn’t know what was up at the time, but the Texas oil bizz was a real small industry and rich people talked. And to make shit worse, for the last week or so that shrewd bastard of a boss of his, Rodney Ruddman, had started playing him real close. Digger’s invoices and sales documents had recently been sent up to their financial team for a so-called routine audit, and no matter how many times his co-workers told him this was standard procedure for new partners, he had a feeling his days with the big-time oil conglomerate were about to be over damn near before they had begun.
    And that meant Digger was going to be financially fucked any which way he looked at it, and he was going to be super-fucked when Viceroy found out that his old running dog didn’t have a loyal bone in his body.
    He woke the hell up?
    Pilar’s words echoed in his head like alarm bells and Digger could actually feel his ass frying. Because after the stunt he’d pulled, there was no going back to Viceroy and Dominion Oil. And if Rodney Ruddman found out that he’d been playing a little side ball with his customers, there’d be no future with Ruddman Energy either.
    Digger stabbed his fork into the last of his pancakes and shoveled the syrup-soggy mess into his mouth.
    Yeah, he thought as he chewed the sweet wad of dough. He was fucked all right.
    Ass fucked.

CHAPTER 10
    T he first thing Selah had done when she left Viceroy’s hospital room was to place a call to Barron. He was at Dominion Oil headquarters finalizing some paperwork and Selah knew she had to stop him.
    His cell phone rang until it went straight to voice mail, and the only thing Selah could do at that point was call her husband’s secretary. She started getting nervous when nobody answered at the office either, and the best she could do was leave a frantic voice mail for her son and pray he would get it in time.
    Selah walked down to the waiting room and pushed open the door. Crazy excitement danced in Dy-Nasty’s eyes and Selah frowned as she beckoned to the girl.
    â€œWha’ happened? Is it over? He dead yet?”
    â€œExcuse me?” Selah said sharply as she paused in the doorway. Dy-Nasty was kicked back and lounging with her legs swung to the side and her crusty feet up in a chair. A faded corner-store toe ring complete with a fake plastic jewel was on her big toe.
    â€œI mean,” Dy-Nasty caught herself and sat up straight, “what’s up with Daddy Viceroy? Is the old fella doin’ a’ight?”
    â€œHe’s fine,” Selah said shortly, motioning for the girl to get up and follow her down the hall. “I’ve got some business to take care of,” she told Dy-Nasty as they headed out the exit where the limousine waited.
    Selah nodded as the driver jumped out and opened the back door.
    â€œGo ahead and get in.” She waved Dy-Nasty off. “The driver will take you to the heliport and put you on the jet. My pilot’s going to drop you off at home, and then he’ll pick up Barron and Dane and bring them down here to meet me.”
    Dy-Nasty bucked. “Drop me off at home? Whut? So I came all the way down here with you and now you gonna be a flat-leaver and make me ride back by myself?”
    Selah smirked, nodded, and shooed her toward the limo. “That’s right. You’ll be fine, Dy-Nasty. It’s a very short ride. Take a nap or something, and by the time you wake up you’ll be there.”
    Dy-Nasty was pissed off about getting the boot, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do except poke her lip out and shoot Selah some eye-daggers as she climbed her booty in the back of the sleek, shiny whip and headed for the house.
    Â 
    â€œUh-uh, I ain’t going,” I said and stared out the window. “I ain’t fuckin’