All Roads Lead Home

by Wasowski, Mary

  “Okay, I’m on it. Are we still meeting in an hour?”

  “Yes, just let me take care of a few things here first, and then I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “Okay, see you then.”

  Before I could say another word, my door burst open, and Jagger nearly covered me with his body.

  “Hooker! I have effin missed you,” Zoey shouted.

  Oh, how I have missed my friend! Jagger’s heart was beating so fast, I placed my hand over his chest to calm him and then kissed him on his lips.

  “Jagger, this is my very best friend, Zoey Steele. Zoey, this is Jagger Parrish, my fiancé.”

  He smiled with how I introduced him to Zoey. He kissed me soundly, as Shane just stayed back and rolled his eyes.

  She was bouncing on her heels in excitement. “Fiancé? For real? I knew it, Tenley! Just like the Hallmark movie. I should have placed money on this one. Oh my God! Tell me everything.”

  “Zoey, why don’t you say hello first.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at my friend. Her energy and zest for life was amazing, and she was drop dead gorgeous. I couldn’t help but notice how Shane was looking back at her. He certainly didn’t look like a man in love, about to get married. His eyes were filled with lust as he extended his hand out for Zoey to shake. She returned the gesture, but Shane lifted her small delicate hand to his lips, making my girl swoon like never before. Her cheeks were blushing as she flirted with Shane. Jagger and I cleared our throats to bring her back to the present.

  I quickly filled Zoey in on what was happening this morning. She already was up to speed, but never expected the added company in my office. I owed her a long overdue conversation and promised we would catch up.

  I left the guys in her company while I went upstairs to speak with Raymond.

  “Absolutely not!” he bellowed at me about my plan.

  “Raymond, it’s the only way I can see this playing out. Why are you not agreeing with me on this? I thought we were on the same side?”

  “We are, Tenley, we are, but you cannot use what you have on the assembly members. It’s too dangerous, and I will not put you in that position.”

  “No worries Raymond, I’m putting myself on the line, and I have plenty of coverage watching my back. I may have been away for weeks now, but don’t think for a second that I’m out of the loop. The most powerful player in the state’s assembly has just been taken down, so a few cabinet members is easy. Besides, I don’t plan on exposing them. I just need to shake them up a bit and gain access to Bornarelli.”

  “I can’t give you my blessing on this, Tenley. I’m sorry, but my answer is no.”

  “Well, I’m sorry too, but I’m moving forward no matter what, and I have an entire task force behind me. I will not hesitate to use them if it deems to be necessary.”

  “Tenley, you are playing with fire. Stand back before you get burned.”

  “Raymond, are you threatening me? Because that’s what I’m hearing. Unless you’re on the take as well? And if I bring them down, then you go down as well.”

  He held his face in his hands and was silent. Running his fingers through his hair, he got up and fixed himself a drink. It was just past nine in the morning, and to see him knock back hard liquor concerned me.

  “What is it Raymond? Please talk to me?”

  He took a key out from his pocket and unlocked a drawer in his desk. He handed me an envelope, and I gloved up my hands before touching it. I already knew it could be evidence and didn’t want my prints on it. I pulled out and read a threatening letter addressed to him. It contained picture after picture of Zoey, his wife, and one picture of a badly beaten Tommy. I took in a few calming breaths after seeing my friend in that condition. A note was attached to the photo that simply stated

  Your daughter is next. It would be a shame to cut up something so beautiful.

  It was unsigned, but I knew instantly who it was from.

  I kept the envelope, while he drank another drink. This was my mentor, founder of this firm. I had never seen Raymond Steele succumb to anyone for anything, but this situation was different, and very personal. This was for his daughter, and she was in danger.

  “Raymond, I swear to you that no harm will come to Zoey. I have a twenty four/ seven team on all of you. This shit ends today!”

  He got up and hugged me as if I was his daughter too.

  “Please be careful, Tenley. If anything were to happen to you or my Zoey…”

  I quieted him down and assured him we would be fine. I already had my bag with me and what I needed from my safe, so there was no need to go back downstairs to my office. I didn’t have my coat, but one of the girls from Raymond’s office offered me hers. I appreciatively accepted it and left to meet with Jacob. Zoey was keeping the guys busy, and I quickly texted Jagger.

  T- Left to meet with Jacob. Please don’t worry. I will see you soon. Xo

  J- What?

  I powered down my phone and stepped into my waiting car. I handed Jacob the file from my safe, as well as Raymond’s threatening letter, and he was stunned with what it contained.

  “I can’t believe he kept this from me” Jacob cursed under his breath. “What the hell was going through his mind?”

  “Probably the same thing that was going through yours. He wants to protect his daughter, you want to protect me. This asshole has tried my last nerve. It’s time to go meet with Oliver. I want that meeting…today. Young Mr. Bornarelli needs to be shut down one way or another.”

  “I absolutely agree.”

  Jacob and I walked into the downtown offices where Oliver Michaelson worked. He was also the state attorney general. His assistant told us he was in meetings and would not be able to see us today. But Jacob flashed his badge, and we were quickly granted entrance. I led the way, making my presence known. Oliver was on the phone when I slapped down Raymond’s envelope on his desk.

  “What the hell! You just can’t barge into my office!” he shouted and slammed his phone down onto the cradle.

  “I can and will, Mr. Michaelson,” Jacob said.

  “And who the hell are you?”

  “I’m Federal Agent Jacob Paulson. I head up a specialized Mob Task Force, and this badge right here gives me access to anything I want in this office. So now that we’ve been introduced, you will sit back and be quiet. I believe my colleague over here would like a word with you.”

  Oh, he was good. Michaelson looked as if he was going to be sick. He was a man who held a powerful office in the State of New York, but was allegedly just another weasel whose hands were in too many pockets.

  “Thank you, Agent Paulson,” I said. “Oliver, I will get right to the point. Roberto Bornarelli. He needs to be shut-down, and I mean today.”

  “And what, pray tell, do you expect from me? You already got his father. What, you didn’t get enough press already? You want more?” he said, mocking me.

  “Feeling a bit insecure, Oliver?” I hit him back. “You’re just pissed and clearly not over the fact that my case was stronger than yours, and let’s face facts…you dropped the ball. It’s called research, Oliver, and you clearly didn’t do enough of it to prove your case against the Bornarelli Family. Here I come along, thinking I’m taking a simple case over a land dispute, I never imagined it would lead to bringing down a major head of a crime family—the same family you lost against…unless you planned it that way.”

  “How dare you fucking come into my office and imply that I’m on the take! Fuck you, Fairchild. I am the New York State Attorney General, for cripes sake! I am not dirty, and I resent it to hell for you even going there.”

  “Okay, maybe not, but you know the players and so do I. I have a file layered with evidence that will take down an entire cabinet. It’s my insurance policy if something were to happen to me. You’re not invincible, Oliver, and neither am I, but they ignited a war against me. And now I have to finish it.”

  “What do you want?” he asked in defeat.

  “
I want a meeting with Anthony Bornarelli, and it has to be today.”

  “And what will you do once you are in there?”

  “Negotiate, plain and simple.”

  “Well, good luck, because you’re going to need it.”

  Oliver made some calls, and soon Jacob and I made our way to the correctional facility where Anthony was being held. We took back entrances where we would go unseen.

  Jacob said to me, “You had to see yourself hammering away at Oliver. I was in awe of you. You sure you want to be a lawyer? I could use someone like you permanently on my team.”

  “Jacob, that’s a great offer, but the only team I care to be on is one with my name matching Jagger’s.”

  “I thought you would say that.”

  “Jacob, I don’t need to know about your past and why you seem so closed off, but you can let people in and still do this job.”

  “You’re wrong Tenley. A long time ago I believed that, but I was wrong.”

  Jacob shut down after making that revelation to me. He refocused himself, and we walked through the meeting room, where a shackled Bornarelli was waiting for us. He looked surprised, but welcomed us to join him.

  “I never thought I would see you again, Ms. Fairchild. So what do I owe the honor of your company today?” he questioned.

  “I think you know, Anthony. Your first born, Vincenzo, the prince of your organization was gunned down in cold blood. And now your less than worthy other son has been running amuck around New York City, causing quite the uprising in your organization… as if he were planning a coup or something.”

  “My son is an idiot, and will be taken care of.”

  “Well, that’s why I’m here. Your son will be taken care of one way or another. I would prefer he be in an adjoining cell next to yours, but we know that’s not how this will play out, now is it?” I said.

  “I’m not ordering a hit on my own kid! He’s not right in the head, he never was. He’s a loose cannon and needs to be taken care of in a different manner, not a bullet to his head.”

  “He’s been threatening members of my law firm and is responsible for the beating of Tommy Mills, and we know he likes to tinker with car bombs. Anthony, you must tell me where I can find him. If we find him without your help, then I may not be able to guarantee what happens next. He is a threat, and threats need to be neutralized. We are prepared to do so if you do not cooperate.”

  “I’m fucking locked up, lady. How the hell can I help you?”

  “This is how,” Jacob told him. Jacob pulled out a burner phone from his pocket and handed it to Anthony.

  Anthony dialed his son. Once Roberto answered his call, the FBI was able to triangulate the signal. From there, we had his location locked.

  “He’s there. Don’t hurt him, please? He’s all I have left.”

  “Anthony, I don’t want to hurt him, but if it comes down to it, I may not be able to stop it. You must agree here to not retaliate or seek anymore vengeance. This is what he signed up for, you must know this. You’re a smart man. I also know you are dying of stomach cancer, so maybe you have three months tops, maybe six. I can make your remaining days comfortable if you cooperate with us. If not, then you will die in this prison and not in the comforts of a hospital.”

  “Do what you have to do,” he said. “He’s dangerous, and I can’t stop him. My second in command is already in position to take over and will not partake in any further acts of violence against you or anyone close to you. This was always on Roberto. Had I not been incarcerated, I probably could have contained him, but seeing me in here drove him to snap and make careless decisions. I’m lucky he’s not dead yet.”

  “I will try to prevent that from happening at all costs. You have my word.”

  We left the facility and drove back in silence. Jacob was in deep thought. I turned my phone on, and my inbox was flooded with messages from Jagger. I didn’t bother to listen to them, already knowing he was furious with me. He had to know I was safe with Jacob.

  “Any new information on Cheryl?” I asked Jacob, as he was scrolling through his phone.

  “Nothing yet, but hopefully soon. No red flags were raised during our initial findings. She lives with her daughter in a Brooklyn brownstone. Her only income is what she brings in from the law firm. She has no offshore bank accounts. The brownstone she rents in was originally owned by her grandmother and was left to her, so that’s probably why she can afford it. It’s located in Park Slope.”

  “You said she was a single mother? Who’s the father? Do we know?”

  “The records came back listing a Thomas Daly as the father, but he died in a car accident before the kid was born.”

  My mind was spinning in a thousand directions. I had a strong feeling that something was not right here and was staring us right in the face. They say if you’re too close to an investigation, sometimes the most obvious clues were the hardest to see.

  “Dig deeper,” I said to Jacob.

  “I’m already on it,” Jacob said as he texted a message to one of his men.

  “Great! Let’s get back to the office, where I can face off with my angry cowboy.”

  “This I have to see.”

  I half laughed at Jacob’s remark. Fighting with Jagger was the last thing I wanted to do. I hoped he would understand and just kiss me madly. Calming the beast was one skill I could do and do very well when it came to my man.

  I WAS GOING out of mind with worry over Tenley. I swear she was going to get put over my knee, and get spanked when I could get her alone. I didn’t need another lesson on how strong she was, and how great she was at being bad ass lawyer, but ditching me without a word for hours was not sitting well with me.

  Why the hell was I here if she was going to keep me in the dark? Get a clue, genius! You know why you’re here, because she’s your woman and you vowed to protect her even if she doesn’t think she needs you to.

  Well at least Shane is having a good time. Zoey took him out sightseeing all around the city, and then brought back her friends Tommy and Roxy, who works for Tenley. He seemed like a cool guy, if not for the fact that he slept with my girl. I wanted to hate him for that, but I couldn’t hold that against Tenley. We weren’t together, and she owed me no explanation to how she lived her life when I wasn’t in it.

  Her assistant Roxy was quite the firecracker. She was very outgoing and seemed to be into Tommy. They never stopped touching each other the entire time they were here. I felt my girl’s office was turned into a frat party. Zoey was making up drinks, and Shane had food delivered. Her father peeked in on the commotion, but seemed okay with it. I introduced myself to him and took him by surprise with news of our engagement. I guess that would be the general reaction around here. Tenley was very private when it came to her personal life, so showing up suddenly with a fiancé on her arm would be shocking to all who knew her. I didn’t care who knew about it. I just wanted her safe and back here with me.

  A few minutes later, in walked Tenley with Paulson. She immediately scanned the room and locked eyes on me. I didn’t need to even blink, that’s how quickly she was in my arms. I held her closely to my chest and breathed her in. The thought of being away from her today hurt more than I realized. I needed to get her out of this city and back to our ranch where we belonged.

  “Can we go somewhere private?” I asked her.

  She had a connecting door off of her office that led to a back conference room. I followed her inside and locked the door behind us.

  Not wasting another second with my girl, I had her against the wall with her legs wrapped around me. I wanted nothing more than to make love with her, but I knew we didn’t have the time I wanted to show her how much I missed her. I kissed her repeatedly all over the sides of her face and down her neck. She was out of breath, but I continued on with my onslaught attack on her neck. I nearly gave her a hickey, I was so turned on.

  “Jagger, stop. We can’t do this in here,” she said as she caught her breath.

&n
bsp; “Baby, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I have never been so stressed out before and not knowing where you were all day freaked me out in more ways than you can imagine.”

  “I think I know, but I love hearing you say it,” she said, as she kissed me again. “Don’t be angry with me, please. My heart has no room for arguing with you, I love you too much.”

  “Okay, tell me more?”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you where I was going today. It was strictly confidential between Jacob and me. I trust you completely, baby, but this was work.”

  “I get it, and although I wasn’t happy about it, I do understand. Besides it’s not like I wasn’t entertained. Your friends are really great. Zoey is the spunkiest woman I have ever met in my life. She can go toe to toe with the best of them, and bring the strongest of men down to their knees.”

  “Oh yeah? Sounds like you paid attention today, maybe a bit more than I would have liked.”

  “Jealous?” I asked.

  “Absolutely. You’re my man, and the only eyes I want on your body are mine.”

  “Then we agree, because that’s exactly how I feel about you. Anyway, can we get out of here? I’m starving, and I don’t mean for food.”

  “We can, but can you give me a little while? I need to wrap up a few things on my desk before I head home. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. This case could be wrapped up by then if all goes the way I have planned it out. Jacob is pretty confident as well. He’s looking into a few tie-ins to the case for me. I should be hearing something soon.”

  “Music to my ears. I can’t wait to get you home.”

  “Home to my apartment?”

  “No baby, home to Our Home in Wyoming.”

  “I know…just checking,” she replied.

  My heart almost ached. I couldn’t wait to marry her.

  JAGGER AND I made our way back into my office where our little group was still laughing and getting to know one another better. I hugged Roxy, then Tommy next. I was so happy to see him better. The images of his bloodied body still gave me the chills.