He returns and drinks down half of what he poured. "Sixty years of life and I'm not smart enough to figure this one out. I have tried to make sure that the world was a good place for you and your mother, God rest her soul. And I sit here tonight, crippled by ignorance as the whole world has gone mad, and my girl is buried in a mire of shit that I can't fix for her."
Her father shoots down the balance of his scotch.
She can see his frustration. "I'm fine, daddy, but I have some things to do tomorrow, and I need your help. Could you call me every thirty minutes after nine-thirty or thereabouts?"
He looks at her, knowing she is brewing some scheme. "Sure. I'm just going to the club and picking up some dry cleaning. What's going on?"
She pulls her legs up in the chair. "You always taught me to leave emotion aside, and to gain the motivation necessary to succeed, that you had to be informed; you said that the key is to be strong with the wisdom you've gained so that one can make the right choices, to win and succeed in most everything. And you said that it is suicide not to do the math first, right?"
He looks at his beautiful daughter, realizing that she relied on his every word. "That's the formula I professed, probably too much."
Dana continues, "I am going to meet with this Reggie guy tomorrow at his shop downtown, and he might be able to help me gain the information we need to figure this whole thing out with David. Matt tries to protect me from things, and he thinks I'm just a blonde; I just want you to call me and check in on me while I'm there."
Her father says, "I don't like the thought of you going near a dope dealer downtown at some body shop. That place is probably a front for God only knows what. No way Dana, I don't like it. This is not a good idea. Are you afraid of this guy, because I can cancel my plans and tag along if you like?"
"It's not like that, I met him at Matt's office, and it's just that I want you to call me just so that I have a reason to excuse myself from the meeting if it is going nowhere, like you used to have us do."
He chuckles at her manipulation. "I'll call as you need, but I want the address and a description of this big black guy that deals heroin, who was possibly shot by your fiancé's assistant. I wonder sometimes if you have missed anything. I did in my life. I ought to have my head examined for even considering this."
Later that night Dana gives her father print outs of all the information and kisses him good night; she heads upstairs with Moose following.
Her father waits for her door to close; he picks up the file and makes a call to a private investigator friend of his. Richard Underwood's daughter will not be alone tomorrow. This thing has gotten too out of hand and too strange for his liking.
***
The next morning, Adriana scans the news online. She finds an article about the clubhouse shooting and discovers that the intended victim left the scene before police arrived. It also said that police, along with the masked shooter, are now seeking the victim.
She checks her watch and calls the Goodwill organization. "This is Miss Pucci at the Fallbrook Tower apartments in Glendale. I need everything out of here by tomorrow noon at the latest. Right, I am donating everything in my unit. I need it all removed from here by tomorrow noon at the latest. Your representative was just here this morning. He knows what is here. He made a list of what I am donating. He has my signature for the release of all of the furniture and other items. He said I had to call you to verify the donation. Okay, that is fine. The door will be open. Thank you."
She disconnects and then dials another number. "I need to make a reservation for Miss Rampino, tonight through this Sunday, checking out on Monday morning."
Adriana looks at her book for all of the addresses she has for Reggie; she figures that his body shop would be the best next location to find him off guard, but his employees are always there. She decides to hit him as he arrives at the shop. She checks her watch and rushes out the door with the balance of what she is taking, including a forty-five caliber pistol this time.
Dana slows her car on Blake Street in the industrial district near Forty-Second Street. She looks for the body shop sign; she finds the address and passes by slowly to check it out. There are two employees working just inside a large roller door detailing a car. She notices a man sitting in a truck just up the street. She turns the corner and pulls into the alley behind the shop where two more men are working inside a paint booth surrounded with cars.
She circles the block to check out the person who is sitting in the truck. He looks away as she passes him, validating her suspicions. She parks her car on the street and gets out.
She is dressed in jeans and a blue sweatshirt with white New Balance tennis shoes. Her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she has her Ray-Bans on.
One of the employees spots the sharp-looking blonde woman as she approaches the shop. He stops working to greet her. "Can I help you?"
Dana smiles at him. "I'm here to see Reggie, is he here?"
He responds while obviously checking her out. "He should be here any time. You can wait, or I can give him a message."
Dana feels uncomfortable as the other employee walks up to check her out as well. "I'll come back. How long you think he'll be?"
The other worker interrupts them as he points toward the street. "There he is, pulling up now."
Reggie sees her as he climbs out of the customer's car he has been driving and smiles when he recognizes who she is. "Well, Miss Dana, what brings you here?"
She walks toward him. "I came by to talk to you about something, if that's okay?"
He answers as he looks around the street, "Does Mr. C. know that you're here?"
She puts on her cute face as she raises her sunglasses. "No, and I don't want him to know yet until we talk."
He moves her inside as he glances down the street. He sees the guy in the truck watching. "I guess there's no harm in that." He has second thoughts about bringing her inside. The heroin is stashed there and the liability is too great. "Tell you what; let's take a walk and talk, it gets busy around here."
"All right, let's walk."
Reggie looks at her. "This is a surprise, so what's on your mind?"
Dana turns him around by his arm, "Let's walk this way so that the agent in the truck down the street is not part of the view." Her phone rings. She knows by the tone that it's her dad.
"Hi Daddy, no it's okay. No more calls will be necessary. Thanks. Bye."
Reggie picks up on her call with her father checking on her. "Oh man, the feds have been everywhere lately; it's coming to a head. What do you know about those guys?"
"I know that they arrested me and my fiancé the other night, and me at my dad's house and David at the Canadian border."
"So you and I got something in common?"
She says, "How about Adriana Pucci?"
"I don't know where you're going with this," Reggie says, "but I'm not supposed to talk about her to no one according to Mr. C."
"What if I told you that she was my fiancé's personal assistant for the past two and a half months, and since she came into his life, mine has been hell?"
He looks down the street as he thinks about this girl and her possible motivations.
"Now this makes sense. You're the one that was looking into her background with Mr. C.?"
Dana smiles and responds, "That would be me, little Miss Busybody."
Reggie starts to walk again. "So let me ask you something. You know my shit, what's yours? Why did the feds arrest you and your boyfriend?"
Dana looks back to check on the guy in the truck. "They arrested me to get information about him, and interrogated me for twelve hours all night long, asking me questions about things I never heard of about him, and a lot of the questions that they asked were mostly about his clients at the company he works for."
Reggie shakes his head. "So this is about your boyfriend not telling you about what games he's running out there in the world, and you think that Miss Fine-As-Wine has been running them with him,
and you ain't digging it. Is that right?"
Adriana drives by and sees Reggie walking with some woman. She then notices the guy in the truck watching them as she passes. She looks in the mirror as she passes; Reggie did not see her. She turns the corner and drives off abandoning the hit for now, knowing now that her target will be hard to hit while under federal surveillance.
Dana stops abruptly. "David has never been running any games or been involved in anything illegal for the past ten years, and then this bitch shows up in his life, and all of sudden the government is arresting us, and turning our lives into a living hell. David hasn't done anything."
Reggie looks at her dumb ass. "You think because you and your man got a thing that this girl couldn't turn his head and get him dirtier than a greasy kitchen by shaking that stuff of hers, and dropping down under his desk a few times? He is a man. He's human. Shit, most men would follow that bitch with a steel umbrella in a lightning storm in a second, the way she looks. You better get real on this, wake up; no man is immune to women like her."
Dana says. "Reggie, I'm not ignorant. I understand the power of a woman and our ways. What I am saying is, whether David accepted the bitch's play or not, it's irrelevant Reggie. I love him, and that she cannot change. And if she is responsible for this shit, then the bitch is all mine. This train's coming, and she can't get off the tracks and if she does, this train will leave them to nail her tight ass. Are you feeling me, Mr. Haynes?"
He says, "You got to understand that we have a conflict here. She got to go down my way. Miss Adriana tried to kill this man one-on-one, and she almost succeeded. I got the hole to prove it." He lifts his shirt and exposes the bandaged wounds.
Dana cannot help but to notice his perfect six-pack. She takes her thumb and raises her sweatshirt to expose the first pistol her father bought her. "I am going after her this evening, whether you help me or not. I know where she lives, and what she drives, I just figured that you and Matt would want what is left of her, after she and I have it out. And, I am talking cat scratch style. Otherwise, there will be nobody there to stop me from throwing her ass out of the tree when I'm done."
"Lord, have mercies," Reggie says. "This David dude has one down badass girl in his corner, which is rare today."
"You say you know where she lives." Dana answers as she walks.
"She lives off Colorado in Glendale near Cherry Creek." Reggie looks at her.
"Okay Miss Dana Underwood, I'll back you up tonight, but you remember, this chick has no fear, and she will not hesitate to take either of us out in a heartbeat. We need to be first and fast with this prowling Italian bitch."
Dana responds again, "She's not Italian, she's Iraqi and Afghani."
Reggie trips hard on her statement. "This thing just keeps getting clearer every day. What time are we meeting and where, Miss Dana?"
"I'll meet you at Dave and Busters on Colorado and I-25, in the parking lot at five-thirty." She kisses him on the cheek and leaves the shop.
The man in the truck dials on a cell phone. "Richard, this is Barry. Everything is cool, and your daughter just left after speaking with this Haynes guy on the street for about fifteen minutes. Should I follow her? All right then, I'll just wait for your call when you need me again."
Chapter Thirteen
The Vancouver skyline is covered with clouds. A gray glow from the city lights shows through the rain. The man sits in his car in the afternoon traffic complaining to his driver that the rain there causes people to be complacent like sheep and dulls their minds. His phone rings. "Hello?"
Adriana says, "How is the man of my desires?"
"I have been awaiting this call from the object of my greatest affection. How is everything with the children?"
"The children are fine. They have all received their books and education materials for the school year, and I met their educator, and verified his credentials. I also have paid their tuition directly to him, personally. They are all looking forward to pleasing you, and miss you almost as much as I do."
He knows she has succeeded again for him. "My heart swells with the anticipation of their success through higher education. Do you have confidence in their training curriculum?"
"I have verified the credentials, and the study material seems to surpass our expectations. I also met with the educator and he has met the expectations we had, everything has been taken care of; he was the right choice."
"That is wonderful news. I knew when we met that you were the one to guide our children to be exemplary examples in this world, thank you so much for being there to nurture them. I am eternally grateful."
She smiles, wondering what his definition of eternal is. "I will give you the opportunity to demonstrate that affection in a few days, although I may be delayed a day. I must assist the neighbor's children in their field trip preparations. I promised to make those arrangements as well."
He recognizes that she is right on track with the professor now gone and the operatives have the bacteria. The plan is moving forward like a clock. "I am sure you will provide them with exceptional accommodations and a memorable event. You always seem to find the best outcome. I look forward to hearing about the details."
His car arrives at its destination. "I must go now. I have arrived at my meeting, and my thoughts will be with you. Make sure that you say goodbye to the children for me."
Adriana looks at her phone; her fears have come true. She can tell by his tone and lack of interest and the false sincerity toward her in his voice. She will deal with that the next time he sees her. Then the epiphany hits her; he does not intend to see her again. She knows in his mind she has already been discarded, like so many things in his life. She has zero value now that she has served his needs, except he still needs her to attend to the children for him, and maybe he is thinking about her still translating in his final deals for him.
She decides at that moment that, since her life is now burned to the ground, that she was now going to bring him to his knees. She would be his Achilles heel.
Adriana decides that she will now crush and rob one of the most powerful men in the world. She will do it with his precious jewels in the desert and their targets of focus.
The man exits his car and enters a British brokerage house in downtown Vancouver.
He approaches building security. They clear him quickly. He enters a guarded elevator.
The doors open, and he is greeted by an older man who escorts him into a video conference room. The private room had secure phone and video lines, free from any outside scrutiny. The room is finished in solid walnut and has no windows. There is hot tea and coffee on the table and variety of top-shelf beverages and mixers surrounding a sterling silver tray with an ice bucket. He mixes himself a drink, as the escort takes his coat, hangs it for him in a closet, and exits the room.
A few moments later, the forty-six-inch monitor on the wall comes to life, and bagpipes are heard. A logo of the British bank with the Scottish highlands behind it fills the monitor. He always admired the green meadows and fields of Great Britain. It reminded him of his school years twenty-plus years ago.
A British-looking man appears on the screen. "This is Martin Shields at your service."
The man responds to the familiar face. "Marty, how are you today?"
"Quite well, sir. Actually I'm fabulous. The wire you were expecting from the Arab Emirates credited your accounts in Zurich as well as the adjacent accounts. How may I serve you further, sir?"
"Marty, I would like you to spread out, let's say fifty million, in the futures market betting short against pork commodities of all kinds. Can you get that done for me, and spread it out as much as you can so as not to tip the play? And let's see how that goes, shall we?"
"As you are aware, it is late today, sir, but we can get it done at opening Monday first thing, but I think that slowly through midday is best for your value and discretion, slowly over two days would be the best strategy to fit your request. I will funnel the buys through severa
l sources."
"That's perfect Marty. I'll leave it to your expertise, thank you."
"May I inquire as to the balance of funds sir? Do you wish to have those funds just sit idle, and not earn, sir?"
"What do you suggest?"
"I would place my confidence in gold and oil. They are strong in their direction due to the public transportation outlook and the weak dollar. Both are very low risk presently and are sure to increase in the current international environment at quite a steady pace."
The man studies the face on the monitor and confidence level of his associate. "Very well, Marty, split it up as you deem fit for the greatest return; however, I need to remain liquid on thirty-five million."
"I will forward the validations as soon as they are completed and include projections as usual sir."
"Good day Marty, thank you."
The man sips his drink as he sits back in the leather wingback. The screen returns to the logo and bagpipes. He feels like seafood would be appropriate tonight. He feels healthy and fresh. Just a few more weeks and he will be satisfied with his life's work. He wonders what he will do then.
Reggie leaves the body shop in the Lexus that his people just finished; he checks the mirror and sees a set of headlights appear. He cuts down Speer Boulevard. He enters I-25 toward Colorado Boulevard. He falls into the afternoon traffic, and seeing no sign of a tail, hits the radio and tunes it to a jazz station. The traffic is crawling so he exits at first chance; he takes surface streets to meet Dana as he had promised.
He pulls into the parking lot at Dave and Buster's on Colorado and I-25. He scans the parking lot for the hot little blonde-haired woman's white Mercedes and does not see it. He spots her in an older charcoal Cadillac parked in the corner.
He parks a few aisles over and checks his weapons: one in his belt, the other in his coat. He strolls toward her as her headlights come on and she pulls to him as he walks. He jumps in as he hears the old door locks engage.
"Go, girl, get out of here. Were you followed by anyone Dana?"
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