“All I want is information.”

“I know what you want. The moment you called and demanded an audience with me, my men found out all about you. I know about your father. I know about the squatter camp massacre. I know about your connections to it and your obsession. I also know that both the official investigation and your personal crusade have stalled out. And now you’re down to chasing shadows.”

“Kruger is not a shadow. He’s a man. Flesh and blood. And I will find him or I’ll die trying. I will hunt him to the ends of this earth. Him and anyone else responsible for what happened out there.”

“I admire your passion. And I wasn’t referring to Kruger. I’ve seen him with my own eyes, and even if I hadn’t, he’s put enough of my associates into the ground for me to have no doubts of his existence.”

“Then what—”

“What are you hoping to accomplish with this little crusade? I know that you’re currently on suspension. You’re about to lose everything you have in the world. And for what? Vengeance? Justice?”

“You ever have a song stuck in your head?”

“Sure.”

“It’s like that. Except it’s always playing. Every second of every day. I have to know why. Why kill all those people?”

“You may not like the answers,” Felix said. “But more likely, you’ll never find them.”

“What do you know about the massacre?”

“Are you sure this is a hill you want to die on?”

“I have to know.”

“I respect that. And to a certain extent, I respect crusaders. As long as they don’t get in my way, ask me for help or money, or disrespect me.”

“I’m not rich, but I’m willing to pay whatever I have,” Isabel said.

“I don’t want your money.”

She tossed a thumb drive onto his desk.

“What’s this?” he said.

“Everything the SAPS has on you and your operations. I think you’ll find the information interesting. With those files, you’ll be able to seal up your ship and any leaks. No one on there who needs to be killed, but they have a few of your phones tapped and are watching several of your delivery routes. It’s only a matter of time before they use all that information to knock your doors down.”

“The SAPS doesn’t worry me in the least, but thank you. I appreciate you betraying everything you once stood for, but I’m not sure it’s enough.”

“You’re a bit more complicated than I expected, Felix.”

“These are complicated times. For the record, I abhor what happened out there. Enough so that I had some of my men look into the incident. Every child, no matter the color of their skin or the sins of their fathers, deserves a chance at life.”

“Plus, the poor and downtrodden are some of your best customers.”

Felix rolled his eyes and struck her again in the gut.

“I would give you my file on the massacre and wish you well in your investigation,” he said. “If it were up to me. But I’m afraid that your inquiries have drawn the attention of other parties. That’s why our blond friend is here.”