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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Love best-selling fiction?
  3. Also by McGarvey Black
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. Acknowledgements
  60. A note from the publisher
  61. Love best-selling fiction?
  62. You will also enjoy:

For obvious reasons, no one used real names on the dark web. All transactions were done using euphemisms—the drug seller might be called “Dr. Happy” and the counterfeiter might be called “The Printer.” Sr. Bello scrolled through all the listings until he found one that seemed like it might fit his needs. The person called him or herself “Pest Control.”

In order to communicate with Pest Control, Bello used Jabber, a chat program that worked on the dark web. He wrote and rewrote his message a hundred times before he finally sent it to Pest Control.

Hello. I’ve seen your ad on the Death Star Market and you look like you provide the kind of services I’m looking for. I have a terrible pest problem in New York City. — Sir Lancelot

Several hours later, Sr. Bello received a response.

SL — what did you have in mind? I get rid of things, make them disappear, can clean out your attic. After my exterminating service, you won’t have a problem again.

Sr. Bello and Pest Control went back and forth for weeks until both were satisfied the other one wasn’t a member of law enforcement. Sr. Bello sent him a picture of the intended victim. Then, he created a digital wallet using Bitcoin and deposited half the payment for the job. They agreed the other half would be sent when the job was completed. A date was selected for the extermination service: Thursday, June 4th, 2020.

33

A few weeks earlier while sitting at his desk in the CIG corporate offices in Lower Manhattan, Sr. Bello pulled together his final notes in preparation for that morning’s executive meeting. The gathering would be long and he’d likely be called on to speak about his department’s numbers. His quarterly goals had been achieved which he considered a minor miracle given that he had been completely preoccupied with her.

Forcing himself to focus on his work, he had to make a conscious effort to stay on task or his mind immediately drifted back to Gabriela. He had long ago accepted his obsession with her, believing that they were inexplicably tied together and he didn’t want it any other way.