by AA Lee
“Stop! Let me go!” Ella cried and tried to force the arm off, but it further constricted her body “Don’t! Touch! Me!” she screamed.
“Ella!” the voice shouted. “Calm down! Look, I have you!”
She panted and heaved when she recognized that the voice belonged to Angelo. Her body immediately crumpled to the marble tile, having no strength left to stand. Angelo straightened the paper and read for himself. He looked at her and read it again.
“Final warning—your father is a poor negotiator, so we will take what we want straight from you. Your father will not be able to refuse. We have made the terms. Tomassi will not win this war.”
Angelo scooped Ella off the floor and set her on the recliner inside; then he pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. He breathed in deep breaths as he stroked her arm. “Are you all right?” Ella nodded but could not get past the shock.
“How did they know we were in this room?” she asked.
“I always stay in this room,” he replied in a frustrated tone and turned on his phone. “But just to make sure of something else.” He tapped on the screen and raised the phone to his ear. “Hey, drop what you’re doing and get up here now—new information.” Angelo never gave the other line a chance to speak and hung up the phone. Then he went to Ella’s suitcase and poured its contents on the bed. “Separate everything that came from Orlando,” he pointed.
“But…” She looked horrified at the strewn contents. “Everything came from Orlando.”
“Fine.” Angelo began feeling different items and looked at Ella. “I’m sorry, but you need to give me your jewelry.” At his tone, she instantly unfastened her necklace and pulled off a ruby ring that she wore. Then she grabbed a bracelet off the side table and hesitantly handed them over. “You must have a tracking device in one of these. Who gave them to you?”
“They belonged to my mother.” Ella stared at the jewelry and handed over the only items her mother ever gave her when she was alive. She was so proud to be old enough when she received them. Would she ever get them back?
Angelo sighed. “I have to have them checked. Don’t worry; I will give them back to you. Right now you can’t wear them, though.” He put them in a small bag and zipped the seal. As he took care of the jewelry, a loud knock banged at the door. “Who is it?” Angelo called out.
“You called me.” Ella could hear Rafa’s annoyed voice as he waited. When Angelo opened the door, Rafa stood with his arms crossed, looking more tousled than Ella had ever seen. “This…had better be important,” he stated pointedly, “because I was definitely in the middle of something.”
Oh! Ella thought. That would explain his appearance.
Angelo handed Rafa the note, which he quickly read. Then he looked confused. “How did they even know you were here?” he mumbled, and Angelo pointed to Ella on the bed.
“I think she’s bugged. Take these and have them checked.”
“Ah, jewelry, yes—a common item to hide a tracker. Wouldn’t you agree, Angelo?” Rafa’s brow rose.
“Watch your mouth, Rafa.” Angelo pointed in warning.
Rafa stared again at the note and eyed Angelo. “Tomassi will not win this war.” He rubbed his fingers against his chin and seemed to conclude a reason. “War…or what they consider necessary to merge with the Gregorio group?” Then he looked back at Ella and shook his head.
“What?” she questioned, wanting to know what he meant.
“A real estate agent, huh?” He shook his head again while handing the paper back; then he walked straight through the door without giving a single explanation for his statement.
“What is he talking about?” Ella looked at Angelo.
“Your father. He must have more influence than practicing real estate.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, but he definitely has something that they can’t get anywhere—”
“Wait,” she interrupted. “Can they track me with my phone number?”
Angelo stared at her. He started to open his mouth and then closed it back. He looked at the ceiling for a moment. “If they have the right connections, they could. Do they know your number?”
“I gave it to those two men who came to the restaurant that one time. I told them to give it to my father.”
Angelo huffed. “I will bet your father never got that message. Where is your phone?” he asked. Ella handed it to him and Angelo set it on the floor and stomped down hard with his boot three times. “If they were, they won’t anymore.” He gave a single nod and picked up the broken phone. Ella just looked with shock. “We will get you a new one,” he said.
“O-kay,” she replied as he picked up the broken pieces.
“Why don’t you get dressed and walk around with me today. It will give you a chance to know what I do better.”
“Where are we going?”
“Floor two to check on some prospects,” he answered.
Angelo must have used the conference room on floor two for everything. Once she followed him inside, he looked at her and pointed at the sofa. “You need to stay there until I finish checking on the men. I don’t want you to move. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She immediately sat.
“Good.” He walked into the room on the side, leaving the door open as he did. Ella observed several men with pieces of artwork on the tables. They must have been those specialty items that Angelo mentioned. She wondered what was involved in acquiring such expensive-looking items. It was probably for the best that she did not know.
Angelo walked around, nodding his approval. It was foreign to her. She guessed everything was in order, until he stopped. One man with messy brown hair was polishing the frame of a giant painting, but Angelo must not have liked something about the man. Angelo crossed his arms. The man had no clue that Angelo stood directly behind when he started speaking out.
“I can’t believe they have us doing such menial labor. What is this about anyway? Shouldn’t we do something useful for a change?” The man carelessly handled the painting while glancing at the person next to him. “Doesn’t this kind of work piss you off too?” he asked, but the person next to him said nothing. “Aren’t you going to answer me?” When the person still said nothing, the man gave him a small push. The person glared at him and went back to what he was doing.
Angelo cleared his throat; his arms tightened across his chest. “Tell me, since you are so smart: What does being a member of this group mean exactly?”
“Well…I…” The man could not talk. Ella was not the only one who Angelo intimidated. She thought she was going to witness a murder. She also knew better than to make any sound that would interrupt him, especially when it involved his men.
“You have nothing to say for yourself?” Angelo pointed his pistol at the man’s head and watched him buckle with fear. “This type of work shows me you are willing to do anything for the good of the group. You aren’t allowed to talk, because it teaches you how to think on your own. If you had kept your mouth shut and thought more, you would have sensed someone behind you. You also wouldn’t have my gun aimed at your head right now, would you? If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead. This isn’t a game, and I have no need for a prospect with an eager trigger finger. So leave, and don’t show your face around me again.”
The man started to object when Angelo calmly clicked the hammer. “Final warning,” he said and the man hurried out of the room and past Ella.
Angelo came back out of the room and shut the door again. Then he motioned for Ella to come to him as he approached the office in the back. Inside, Rafa merely glanced at him and continued shifting through papers, making Angelo speak with irritation.
“Isn’t Brett supposed to supervise those guys in there? Where the hell is he? I nearly had to shoot one of them.”
“Yes, but I sent him down to see Donnie with the new info.”
“And you left the prospects to handle the merchandise alone?”
Rafa lowered his glasses
to look. “Brett will be back in a minute. If you would like, next time I’ll send an email.”
Angelo shook his head at the testy statement. “Go ahead, leave a paper trail and see what happens to you.”
“I figured you would say that, but I have things under control, so you can go find something else to do now.”
“Excuse me? You may want to reconsider your attitude considering you that left those men alone. None of them are trustworthy.” Angelo’s frustration heightened.
“Yes, but when I saw you come in, I wanted to finish the last few arrangements for tonight’s exchange. You know, getting the names and items matched up in the system.”
“Don’t get smart with me, and get in there and keep watch until Brett comes back. Talking to you is wasting my damn time. Come on, Ella.” Rafa stood as Angelo pulled her hand out of the office.
After entering the elevator, Angelo stopped one floor up and exited on floor three. There were so many shops here that Ella looked at him with confusion. Did he enjoy shopping?
“I want you to wait here, and don’t go anywhere. I need to talk to the clerks for a moment.” Then he went inside the jewelry shop. Some time passed in that store, and Ella grew antsy. She considered entering but decided to stay put rather than putting up with a lecture. He did tell her to stay there.
As she waited, somebody whispered from around the corner. Even though the voice was so low that she could hardly hear it, it had a certain type of rhythm. The voice pronounced the first letter of her name in a way only one person ever did. She knew the voice well.
When she heard it a second time, Ella knew it was he. She looked for Angelo and then turned around as the whisper called her again. “Come here, I need to speak to you. It is important, Ella.”
Ella was convinced. She paid no attention to Angelo’s order to stay and circled the corner to the joining hallway. She definitely wanted to talk to that man.
CHAPTER 36
As soon as Ella turned the corner, a large hand grabbed hers and led her to a room down the hallway. When the door shut, she looked at the man with shock. She already knew who it was, but she still could hardly believe her eyes.
“Father,” she said in disbelief. His aftershave filled her lungs on contact with his tall body in a black suit coat standing a head above her. The scar underneath his chin showed clearly with his freshly shaven face. The graying black hairs on his head were trimmed and combed neatly to the sides. His mere presence made her footing falter.
“It’s good to see you, Ella.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders in an affectionate gesture, but Ella’s body tensed. She felt so emotionally drained that he could hardly expect her to be receptive.
“It has been a long time since I last talked to you,” she started. She could feel the corners of her eyes sting, but there was no way she would cry right now. She did not want him to see that she felt hurt by his neglect. “So much has happened lately that I don’t know where to begin.”
“What are you doing here, Ella? This place is too dangerous for you. Who brought you here?”
Ella looked at her father. She could not believe he was telling her about danger. “You can’t be serious. Is that all you have to say? You haven’t spoken to me in almost a year, and now you act concerned about my wellbeing. Now you want to know who brought me here. You hid stuff from me! Important matters that you should have told me about!”
“Ella,” he sighed. “I had no idea they would hurt you. It wasn’t until recently that I even suspected badly of some of the men around me. I had no safe way of getting in contact with you. It would have made matters worse.”
“I think my situation is already worse. I received a threat earlier saying they were coming for me, because you weren’t giving them what they wanted. I deserve to know what it is they want from you, and why I’m being thrown in the middle. I didn’t do anything.”
Her father did not respond. Something sidetracked his attention as soon as she asked. Ella looked directly at the door, expecting someone to walk in the room. It was Sullivan, the sandy-haired man who met her and Angelo in the restaurant. Her mentor. He immediately shut the door behind him and stood in front.
“No, you can’t keep me here, Mr. Sullivan,” she pleaded. “This is not the same as before.” Ella pointed at her father. “I am with someone now. I’m not staying here.”
“Who are you seeing?” asked her father. She could tell he had no real interest in learning about Angelo. His flat voice proved that he sought to separate the two without giving it a thought. Her father approved of no one, so she was not giving him a single detail.
“No, it isn’t your business,” she said. “You haven’t wanted me in your life since my mother died. I moved. You distanced yourself from me, remember?” Ella shook her head in adamant conclusion. “You don’t have the right to dictate my life anymore.”
“Believe as you want, but I am still your father. You will still do as I say. Sullivan,” he pointed.
“No, I won’t,” she protested and reached for the doorknob despite Sullivan’s body standing in the way. “If it wasn’t for Angelo, I would be dead.”
Her father really thought he was going to keep her here. She should have known better than to see him. Had she not learned anything with their past confrontations? It was a little late to involve Sullivan in her affairs.
“Mr. Sullivan, please move. I am going to be in enough trouble.” Sullivan acted as though he did not hear a word she had said and stared ahead. A hopeless feeling crept to her chest as he refused to acknowledge her there.
“Let her go,” her father said to Sullivan.
Ella’s mouth opened. She glanced up at Sullivan, who seemed just as shocked as she was. Her father was letting her leave without a fight. Why did he suddenly change his mind? It made her wonder if he would follow her to Angelo and hurt him in some way.
“Let me go with her,” Sullivan requested. “I don’t want to see her hurt anymore.”
“No,” her father answered. His eyes narrowed at Sullivan’s request. “Let Ella go.”
Sullivan let out a breath. His eyes fell to the floor with a disapproving frown as he stepped away from the door. He seemed rejected. Ella had never seen Sullivan sad before, and it almost made her cry. He was the only one who talked to her on many lonely nights. He had invested much of his time. Maybe he did not want to let that go.
“Be careful, Ella,” he said and then squeezed her hand, except when he pulled his hand away; he left a small piece of paper behind. Then he gazed in her eyes. An instant understanding passed between the two. She could not let her father see the note.
The door shut as she walked down the hallway. Ella wondered about Sullivan’s genuine concern as opposed to simply looking out for her. She immediately opened the folded paper and read, “I will find you at the banquet tonight. Don’t say anything to anyone.”
Ella stopped walking. Sullivan would only tell her to stay quiet about a meeting with him to protect her. She could not betray his trust. He was such a gentleman when it came to her. He was strict but never mean. She was fond of him. He always had acted with her better interest in mind. He was the one who taught Ella how to use a gun in the first place. Sullivan must have always known that her father’s affiliates were a danger to her. That was why he never let her stray too far.
Ella continued walking to the elevator. What excuse was she supposed to give to Angelo now? Ella did not deceive herself about his reaction once she saw him. She knew it would not go well, yet all she could wonder about was what Sullivan had to say.
The anticipation in her mind peaked as she turned the corner to the shops. Angelo was not waiting for her outside. She hoped he was still shopping and gazed through the large glass windows. Her heart sank when she did not see a trace of Angelo. She looked one more time before backing away. Angelo must already be looking for her.
Where should she go? She did not have the card or the code to his suite. The logical place to wait was on the lo
bby floor. When the elevator opened, more greeters welcomed guests. Today was the day of the banquet. Based on the large groups loitering in the lobby, Ella would not find Angelo even if he were there. With so many people, it was impossible for her to focus on what to do next. She could ask someone at the counter, but the lines were long. Chances were high that they would not give her any information anyway even if they did remember seeing her with Angelo. The attendants probably turned away crazed females after Angelo all the time.
She felt misplaced in the room full of people. It was not half as intimidating when it was empty. Now Ella could only think to sit in a vacant spot on one of the sofas. She was not used to this particular crowd. She was not fully familiar with the hotel at all.
“I told you to be careful with my bags,” one woman shouted pointedly at a boy who rolled her luggage through the room. Ella found nothing wrong with the way he handled her bags. She must have been trying to prove her importance. Ella felt sorry for her company who dragged their feet behind her. The woman only proved that she was unpleasant and unfriendly. If she were with the woman, she would have stayed far behind her too.
Ella saw much of the same attitudes with the guests who arrived. Eager people announced their titles and status as if that made them superior to the rest. Ella stood up. She had enough of those claiming importance. If they were very important, then they would not have to convince everyone else of such.
She was glad for the back exit of the hotel. With the guests worried about checking in, she could enjoy the solace of the soothing waves of the ocean. She would go back inside when the crowds lessened. Then maybe she would ask about Angelo.
Ella sat on a bench outside for five minutes when Angelo pushed open the door. The heavy thuds of his steps matched the scowl on his face. One look at him told her she was in trouble, and she immediately looked away. Ella forced her focus on the water but to no benefit. Angelo grabbed her cheek and turned it. Her instinct was to look away, but Angelo lifted her face. He would accept nothing but her eyes.