“It is.”
“Have you gone to the police?”
“I can’t. It’s too dangerous. I’ve been warned that if I do, anything could happen to me. It doesn’t take a genius to know what that means. And I’m not stupid enough to challenge them on that.”
“How can I help?”
“I need to know if you know of anyone who might handle the situation for me.”
“What do you mean by ‘handle’?”
“You and I both know what I mean.”
He sat on that for a moment. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them.
“You mean killing someone?”
Did she?
“I don’t know. But the threat is real. I guess I need someone to talk to and see how they would take care of the situation. A professional. Someone who could put an end to it. I’m frightened.”
“What’s this about?”
“I can’t tell you. I don’t want to involve you any more than I already have.”
“And you think I’d know such a person?”
“I don’t know who you know, Parker. But I’m desperate. I didn’t know who else to turn to.”
“I don’t hang around thugs, Pepper. I might be an escort and that probably comes with low expectations when it comes to my character, but my friends aren’t thugs.”
She felt herself flush. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Just forget I said any of this. I’ll find a way to take care of it on my own. I’m sorry—”
He held up his hand. “I said I don’t hang around thugs, Pepper. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know of a few of them. In my line of work, you meet all sorts of people—the best and the worst. When would you need to speak to someone?”
“As soon as possible. They’d need to be very discreet.”
“Is tomorrow too late?”
She shook her head and was surprised when he got up from his seat and came over to her. He held out his hand; she took it and stood. She tried to read his face, but it was difficult. What did he think of her now? She could have just lost him, and now, she realized that was something she didn’t want. Not because of Penelope, but because she knew there was something between them.
“I’m staying the night,” he said. “If you’ve been threatened, I don’t want you here alone. That’s not debatable. OK?”
She leaned forward, clasped his face in her hands and kissed him hard on the mouth before lowering her head to his chest. His arms embraced her. “Thank you,” she said.
“I understand you’re in the public eye. I assume this has something to do with the exposure you’re receiving?”
She didn’t answer.
“All right,” he said. “I won’t press. How about that glass of wine and we sit down and watch a movie? I’ll make a call in the morning and we’ll see if we get a response. I can’t make any promises because I don’t have any kind of relationship with this person. But I know what he does, and I can try. Does that work for you?”
Leana flashed before her eyes.
“It more than works for me,” she said.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
“So, you and I have some catching up to do.”
“Why would you want to do that?” Mario said. “Catching up will only ruin this pizza, which is delicious.”
They were sitting next to each other in their dining room. Neither wanted to cook, which was an indication that each had had a tough day because normally they enjoyed cooking together. So they ordered a pizza from Mario’s restaurant on Third. After Mario hung up the phone, he let a moment pass and said, “After today, one pizza is hardly enough pizza.” And so he ordered another, this one loaded with the works. They had arrived ten minutes ago and since then, each had been eating in silence, which also wasn’t like them.
Leana decided to get the ball rolling.
“Talking about our day isn’t going to ruin your pizza.”
“I disagree.”
“Your pizza can stand up to anything.”
He took a bite. “Don’t be too sure about that.”
“Tell me about your meeting with your brothers. How did it go? Since you haven’t brought it up, I can only assume it didn’t go well.”
Mario lifted his glass of wine. “You assume correctly.”
“Let me guess. Your father isn’t exactly thrilled that we got married while I was in the hospital.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“What did Miko and Tony have to say?”
“Just what you’d expect. My father is angry. He feels betrayed. He doesn’t understand why we did this without asking him to be part of the ceremony, if you even want to call it that, especially when he’s using his resources to figure out what’s happening to you now. In my family, what we did is an offense. But I knew that the day we got married, so I’m the one to blame here, not you. That said, he wants us to have a proper wedding at his estate in Todt Hill.”
That surprised her. “You’re joking.”
“Afraid not.”
“How do you feel about that?”
He shrugged. “Part of me would just like to move forward with my life without him and all the baggage that comes with being his son. But I know he could be helpful to you, so I don’t know what to say. He does have the sort of connections that could pinpoint what’s happening to you now. I think if we gave him and the Family some time, they would nail the son of a bitch who’s doing this to you. We have to consider that going forward, or we’ll lose it forever.”
“Mario, the last thing I want to do is cause trouble between you and your family. I’ll do what I need to do, especially if he’s willing to drop his stupid belief that a woman shouldn’t have a career—which I plan to have regardless of what he thinks—and if he’ll help figure out who’s responsible for the shooting, what was written on the tarp, the texts, and if any of it is connected to the deaths that took place on Anastassios’ ship. But you know what? That’s not even my main goal because others are working on that. What’s critical to me is that you have whatever relationship you want with your father. If you want to sever it, I’ll stand by you. If you want to get it moving in the right direction again, I’ll do whatever it takes to support you. I’ll even agree to a little ceremony if he wants.”
“Have you seen the size of my family, Leana? It won’t be little. Nothing my father does is little.”
“Then it is what it is. Of all people, I know how important it is to have a father’s love and respect. I would never do anything to rob you of that. Just know that if you want to have a ceremony, I’ll do it. But it would be helpful if we could do that after the hotel is open.” She took a bite of her pizza, a sip of her wine and stared at the wall ahead of her. “That and this other project I’m working on.”
“What other project?”
“I’m glad you’re sitting down.”
“Why are you glad about that?”
“Because you’re not going to be happy about what I agreed to do today.”
“What did you agree to do?”
“Work for my father. Help him make sure that his high-rise on Columbus Circle opens on time. I begin tomorrow morning at five. And the bonus? I’m now Pepper Redman’s boss.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
“So, that’s what this really is about,” Mario said. “You being Pepper’s boss.”
“Partly.”
“Mostly.”
“Partly.”
“Whatever. Why are you doing this? Your focus should be on The Park, not on one of your father’s projects. What’s to be gained by it?”
“His respect.”
“That still matters to you? After how he’s treated you? When are you going to get over that?”
“When I prove him wrong.”
“You already have with your own hotel. Don’t you see that?”
“My hotel hasn’t opened yet. There’s no guarantee that it will be a success. It could be a massive fail.”
“You k
now better.”
“With my brother’s help and with Zack’s help, we should have a good showing on opening night. I’ll agree to that.”
“So, it’s just your brother and Zack who’s driving this? Where are you in the equation? You’ve invested a year of your life in this hotel without them. The hotel was booked before you brought them in. You did that, not them.”
“I understand that. If it succeeds, good for me. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to suck it up and try something else. But right now, while I have my father’s attention, I want to show him what I’m capable of doing. I want to shove down his throat why he shouldn’t have overlooked me all these years.”
“I can’t believe you still care about this shit.”
“I’m sorry. I do.”
Mario took a bite of his pizza and looked at her in disappointment.
“Look, Mario—you know my history with him.”
“All the more reason to dump him.”
“Don’t tell me there isn’t a part of you that wants to please your father.”
“I’m not sure there is. Do you want to please yours?”
“I want to show him up.”
“That’s different, but what’s the point? I thought you were beyond this. I thought you were going to go off in your own direction. Harold gave you that money for that very reason. So, what’s changed? Oh, wait. Your father brought in Pepper and not you, and that pisses you off.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No, but I don’t think investing in him is worth your time. You should be focused on you and your own success, not his, because that’s what you’re going to hand him. Success. What about yours?”
“My focus will still be on the hotel.”
“Not all of it.”
“I can do two things at once, Mario.”
“Then do two things for yourself. You’ve got enough money. Your investors are happy. Find another project. Expand your reach, not his.”
“I guess you don’t understand how much he hurt me while I was growing up.”
“I do understand. But seriously, Leana, you have to get over it at some point. I thought you had. When we were in Europe, I know for a fact that you were happier without him in your life. I don’t think rewarding him with your work and talent is in your best interest.”
“This isn’t exactly a huge time investment, Mario. Pepper did the heavy lifting, but now she’s screwing up. People are quitting because of her attitude. Key people. People my father needs to get this job done. And her attention to detail isn’t what she thinks it is. In order to get the project finished on time, I need to manage it and her, which I’ll do. I hear you when you say that it shouldn’t matter what my father thinks of me, but it does matter. Yes, I admit it. I can’t shake the past. I want to prove him wrong, and then I’ll get out. So, I’ll do the job, I’ll prove him wrong, I’ll satisfy whatever part of me needs satisfying, and then I’ll move forward. Pepper can have the rest of it at that point. But at least he’ll see what he missed in me, which matters to me. I’m sorry, but it does.”
“All right,” he said. “I get it, especially if it means that much to you. But do me a favor? If you’re going to do this, knock it out of the park so you can walk away feeling validated. If you don’t, I think there always will be a part of you that’s going to want to go back and prove him wrong again.”
“I love you,” she said.
“And I love you. Enough to offer you another piece of pizza.”
“I’ve already had two pieces.”
“Have another. Apparently, you’re going to need the energy.”
Her cell phone rang.
“Oh, good,” she said, reaching across the table for it. “My figure spared by a phone call. And maybe it’s Pepper, which means I’ll burn through thousands of calories.” She checked the screen and didn’t recognize the number, which gave her a start because only those closest to her had the number for her new phone. She showed it to Mario as the phone rang again. “I don’t know who this is.”
“Let me answer it.”
She shook her head, put it on speaker and answered. “Hello?”
“Leana?”
A man’s voice.
“Leana Redman?”
“Who is this?” she asked.
“A friend.”
“Hang up,” Mario said.
“But don’t you want her brother to live, Mario?”
He looked at her.
“Because if you do, I’d stay on the line. I’d listen to me. Don’t interrupt. Just listen. Especially you, Leana. Right now, your brother is having dinner at db Bistro Moderne. He arrived an hour ago. I expect him to leave soon. What’s so great is that I can see him right here from the street. He’s with a woman, much older than he, but she’s put together—I’ll give her that. I’m thinking industry. I’m thinking one of his agents. Probably something to do with this new movie of his. These days, you can’t get away from him or it. They’re everywhere. Television, radio, print, and forget about Times Square. Your brother owns Times Square right now. But you already know that. It’s amazing that you’ve managed to stay close considering your questionable histories together. Sleeping with your brother? Marrying him? Who does that? Oh, right, those who are tricked into it, as you were. Leana, I’m calling because I just wanted you to know that I’m thinking about killing your brother tonight. Or tomorrow night. Or next week. Not really sure. But it’s going to happen. And then it will happen to you. Then to your father. There’s a whole host of activity coming up for all of you, though I refuse to say just when it will happen. I hope you can stomach it, Leana. Just like you’re trying to stomach one of those inedible pizzas shucked by your husband’s shit restaurant. Sorry, Mario, but they’re awful. What happened to your Italian roots? Have you forgotten your nonna’s recipes?”
Mario reached for the phone. Before he could turn it off, the man said, “Anyway, I’ll be seeing all of you soon. Probably with a Glock at Michael’s funeral. Good night.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Immediately, Leana called Michael on his cell. He answered on the third ring.
“Leana?”
“Where are you now?”
“At a restaurant. Why?”
She closed her eyes. “db Bistro?”
“How did you know?”
“Listen to me,” she said. “I just received a call. I’ll give you the details later, but someone is outside the restaurant watching you. Are you with an older woman?”
“I’m with my literary agent.”
“Would that be an older woman?”
“Yes.”
Her stomach sank.
“What did this person say?”
She couldn’t shield him from the truth. For his own safety, he needed full disclosure. “That he plans to kill you.”
A silence passed.
“Let me guess,” he said. “You have his number, but that won’t do us any good because he probably called from a TracFone.”
“Probably.”
“So, we’ll never know who it was.”
“Unlikely.”
“What do I do?”
“We can do one of two things. I can call Sean, my security guard, and have him pick you up. He’s excellent. You’ll be safe with him. Or I can call the police and they’ll handle it.”
“Don’t call the police. It’ll hit the papers and the studio will freak out.” He paused. “Scratch that. They’d actually love the extra exposure it would give the film. Send Sean. It’ll be more discreet that way.”
“You’re staying with us tonight. Sean will take your agent home, make certain she’s safe, and then he’ll bring you here. When you arrive, I’ll ask him which of his men we can hire to protect you going forward.”
“How long is ‘going forward’?”
“I don’t know.”
“So, essentially we’re prisoners?”
“For awhile. But we’ll find out who’s behind this. The police are working on it, Sea
n’s team is working on it, Anastassios is working on it, and at least to some degree, Mario’s family is working on it. I’m calling Sean now. Go to the back of the restaurant, and keep away from the windows facing the street. Sean will get you out safely. I’ll see you soon.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
It took Sean Scott thirty minutes to get through traffic and arrive at the bistro, which was on Forty-Fourth Street.
From the rear of the restaurant, Michael watched him enter. He’d met Scott before, when he was overseeing Leana during her stay at the hospital. And despite the fact that he appeared to be an intimidating-looking beast, Michael knew better. He was a former Marine, a professional; he took his job seriously, but he was polite and approachable.
Meredith White, his literary agent, also watched him come forward and move up the stairs to the second level, where they were standing at the back. “Why isn’t he in the movies?” she asked. “Good God. Write a novel about him. Erotica. Right now it’s all the rage.”
“You’re one cool cookie, Meredith,” Michael said.
She was a tall woman, attractive, in her late fifties, and she had lived in Manhattan her entire life. “You’ve had death threats before, Michael. I’ve lived through a few of them with you, though not this closely. When you’re at your level, it comes with the job. We’ll get out of here. I mean, come on. Look at him. Who wouldn’t throw their trust into his arms?”
As shaken as he was, Michael looked at her with a smile. He knew she was as concerned as he was. Her glib tone was meant to diffuse the situation. He’d seen her do it before with his publisher, generally when she went after more money.
One of the managers came to Michael’s side. Michael had spoken to him earlier and filled him in on the situation. “We still can call the police, Mr. Archer. We’d be happy to get additional assistance to make certain you’re safe.”
Sean stopped beside them and the manager craned his neck up. “I was just telling Mr. Archer that we’d be pleased to call the police.”
“No need for that,” Sean said. “But thank you.”
Park Avenue (Book Six in the Fifth Avenue Series) Page 24