All The Pieces (Pieces of Lies 3)

by Angela Richardson

  We all stared at the screen, trying to see the danger in the man’s face. You would never see the monster she was describing based on his looks alone. It was the deceptive quality of all things Lappell.

  “You need to be extremely careful in how you approach this. Don’t let that friendly face fool you. He will have an agenda. He will have a plan. And he has the resources and the manpower to make anything happen.”

  I wasn’t sure if Delia was trying to scare me or talk me out of seeing him, but her warning sounded personal, like she had seen first-hand his power and cruelty. “Okay then. How do we set up an appointment to see him? Do you have his number?”

  Everyone fell dead silent at my questions. Was I supposed to be shaking in my boots right now? Was I supposed to ask Samuel and Clint to fly me home? Did everyone forget who my Dad was and the type of men I had already dealt with in my life?

  Delia laughed, almost mocking me with the cackle in her throat. “Oh dear. No one makes an appointment to see Hamilton Brooks. And no one, especially someone like me, has his phone number.”

  “But Clint said you work for him?” I pointed out, remembering what Clint had said back in Prague.

  “I work for a man who is one of his advisors, but I don’t work for Hamilton directly.” She snapped her laptop closed. “Hamilton Brooks doesn’t do casual meetings or general public events. There is a reason this man stays so hidden from the public and only comes out when it suits him.”

  “Oh...” I said softly, clearly disappointed. That did present a huge problem. How would I find Josh if I couldn’t find or speak to this Hamilton guy?

  Delia watched my face take a dive into despair. She walked from the desk to where I was seated on a couch, and lifted my chin. “Norah, I wouldn’t have told Clint I could help you if I couldn’t in fact, be of assistance. It’s just that what I can offer you, may not be something you can put yourself through. So this part of the problem will be entirely up to you to decide.”

  A glimmer of hope flashed in my head.“What do you have that can help me?”

  Delia walked back to her desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a large black envelope. I could see silver script writing all over it, but couldn’t make out what it said.

  “I have an invitation to a very special event. A date party, hosted for the elite of the Lappell by the one and only Hamilton Brooks tomorrow night. I have no doubt, that Hamilton has anticipated you seeking me out and learning about this party where he will be in attendance. He will be watching your every move Norah. He will be expecting you to go. He will know you are here right now, talking to me.”

  All I got out of her talking were two very specific words. “Date party?” I asked, now feeling Tess’s worried eyes looking at me. I knew Clint and Samuel’s eyes probably held the same expression, but I couldn’t look at them for signs of fear. I needed to stay focused on what Delia was trying to say.

  “Yes, and that is where the problem begins.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Have you ever seen that movie Eyes Wide Shut by Stanley Kubrick?”

  “Yes...so?”

  “So do you remember the mansion scene? Tom Cruise. The masks? What this party means is that because you are not an official member, you’ll be regarded as a member date. And member dates have certain expectations when they attend these events. They are required to perform with their members. And by perform I mean...”

  I cut her off, nausea gripping my insides at the thought. “Please don’t say it.” It was all coming back to me now. The very first Lappell party I attended with Josh. The burlesque bar in New York. It was crystal clear to me exactly what kind of party this was and what was expected of the women who attended these events. I had already seen the exploitative nature of the Lappell when it came to the opposite sex. Now, I had to walk in to one of these parties, as a guest, being someone willing and able to do what it takes to get the job done.

  Could I really do something like this? For Josh?

  I went quiet as my mind ticked over. My morals were in full warfare battling with my need to save Josh.

  “Well you see the dilemma we have then don’t you?” Delia then walked and stood next to her brother. “And the only person you could possibly go with to this party would be Clint. He isn’t elite Lappell, but I am, and since he is family and a Lappell member, he can attend on behalf of me. It’s one of our elite rules.”

  All eyes then fell on Clint.

  “Which means you’ll need to,” she paused and held up both hands making quotation marks in the air, “‘perform’ with Clint. In front of everyone. Is that something you are prepared to do Norah? Just so you can speak with Hamilton Brooks about the whereabouts of your so-called fiancé?”

  There were not enough expletives for the verbal bombs going off in my head. I looked at Clint, who looked equally freaked out.

  “Oh hell no!” Samuel blurted out, looking frantically from me to Clint. “No, no, no, no. Just, no. You cannot do this Len. Fucking no. I won’t let you.”

  I looked to Tess for help now. She saw I needed backup. “Hey...Samuel. Why don’t we take a walk and leave Norah to discuss this some more? I think you need to cool down. It’s her decision alright.” I felt Samuel staring at me, shaking his head as Tess led him out of the room.

  My attention then switched to Clint, who was pacing near the desk, his head down and his fist resting on his forward. I went over to where he was standing in the corner and leaned in to speak. “Are you going to be able to do this with me Clint?”

  His eyes widened and then looked at me, almost shocked that I was asking him such a question. “Are you? I mean, with me?” he shot back.

  “Yes,” I said sucking in some more air as I tried to sound confident. “I have to.”

  I felt Clint’s fingers brush up against mine as he moved closer to my shaky body. A sudden rush of electricity moved along the tips, and I had to pull my hand away rather quickly. Clint noticed the pull of our hands too, staring down at where the spark had ignited between us.

  He tried to muster some courage into his voice. “Then I will be right by your side the whole time Norah.”

  So much for letting nature take its course.

  I now wanted to be the obstacle, the roadblock, the unnatural element that was going to prevent Lenorah getting to the point she needed to be. I was absolutely against this idea and what Len was going to do tonight. She had managed to talk me down from calling her Dad and going completely ape-shit and hunting down this Hamilton fucker for putting her through this, but she did remind me it was ‘her’ choice and ‘her’ decision and that I had made it clear that I was here to help and support her and wouldn’t get in her way. It only compounded my hatred towards Josh further. He was the reason she was doing all this. He was the reason she was mixed up in the Lappell in the first place.

  She assured me Clint would watch out for her at the party tonight, and that she wouldn’t do anything that she was fundamentally against. That there was no other way to get to Josh except to entertain this Hamilton Brooks douche-bag to try and find out what he wanted. I knew she was right, but it should have been me going with her tonight. It should be me keeping her safe. Me. Not Weston.

  Since Delia had said it was like a scene out of Eyes Wide Shut, I couldn’t get that scene with Tom Cruise at that mansion, out of my head. It’s all I could imagine, and thinking that Len was walking into something like that, was hurting me to the very depths of my bones. At least in the world I came from, we worshipped and valued the women we really loved. We didn’t treat them as if they were game pieces to be toyed with and used solely for pleasure. The idea of Len being in that position this evening was making my stomach churn and my trigger finger feel all sorts of twitchy. I couldn’t brush away the very bad feeling I had about tonight.

  “You really need a map of this place to get around,” Tess said as we rounded another corner down a hallway in the mansion. I was walking behind Tess and Clint to go meet up with Len before heading
out. I also wanted to make sure she was level-headed enough to deal with anything that might be thrown at her this evening. She had to have a clear mind when dealing with these kind of people. She needed to be able to run from anything that could potentially hurt or be of danger. Hopefully she wouldn’t let her emotions get in the way and Clint could make sure things didn’t get out of hand. I hated feeling helpless in this situation. I was not used to having so little control.

  “It’s not too much further,” Clint said as he reached for his bow tie again. It had been the third time he had reached for his neck and readjusted his bow tie on his tuxedo as we started walking from one end of the house to the other. I could tell he was really fucking nervous. That didn’t help put my mind at ease; it only made me sweat more for Len.

  “Where is Norah exactly?” Tess asked Clint. Clint appeared to be walking even faster now as I consciously had to pick up my feet to keep pace behind them.

  “She’s getting ready in Delia’s room. She should be all set to go. But we have to leave soon. It’s already getting late.” Clint tugged again at his neck.

  This time Tess noticed it too. “Are you alright Clint? That’s the millionth time you have adjusted your bow tie.”

  His hand made another jerking action at his collar. “It’s just hot. Very, very hot. Are you guys hot too?”

  Yep, he was already freaking out. We both shook our heads no in response.

  “You’re going to do fine Clint. I’m sure you will protect Norah the best you can,” Tess assured Clint. I loved how this Tess chick was just as clued in as I was. Our thoughts appeared to be on the same wavelength, although she seemed much more optimistic about Clint’s abilities than I was.

  “Yeah well, your best better be fucking good enough,” I said speaking to Clint’s back. He straightened his stature at my words but didn’t respond. I shouldn’t have sounded so threatening but I wanted to be the one to escort her. I should be the one watching out for her. I shouldn’t have to rely on her ex-boyfriend to be doing what I had specifically come to Europe to do.

  Tess swung her head around and eyed me. “Clint is going to do great Samuel. He doesn’t need you to remind him what’s at stake here. Why don’t you try being supportive for a change? He really doesn’t need your high and mighty crap. He’s a good guy. He’s strong and he cares for Norah. I have full belief that he will protect her with his life. Now stop being so...you. It’s just making things worse.”

  Wow. I do admire a girl who isn’t scared to bite back. I could understand now why Len and Tess were such good friends. Not only did she have spunk and swear like a sailor, she was calling me out for being a shit. If this was a different situation, I think I could actually like good ol’ Red. I decided instead of scowling at her, to give her a sexy wink. I knew it would get under her skin, and I kind of enjoyed being able to do that. She rolled her eyes and glared back.

  “Alright, alright Red.” I grinned at Tess. “Weston, just don’t let Len out of your sight, okay? And...if you do that, I’m sure that you’ll do...fine.” It was the best supportive speech I could manage.

  “That’s better,” Tess said. She tried to keep her face looking hard, but I saw the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly. She thought she had won. Oh Red. I let you have that one.

  Clint sucked in a breath, seemingly more confident as he stood tall, stopping at a door . “Thanks Sam, I will protect her with everything I’ve got, don’t worry. You can trust me to do this.”

  I patted his back once in a show of ‘support’. I needed him to be at his best this evening and I should be more encouraging and not so negative as Tess had pointed out. Better to keep him confident than scared.

  He twisted the doorknob and we all pushed into the room simultaneously. Thinking back now, we probably should have knocked first.

  There was Lenorah, standing on a small stool, in front of three full-length mirrors, wearing nothing but a black lace bra and panties. The lingerie was so sheer that you could clearly see the intricate black embroidery running along the edges and through the lace. They were complemented with black garters hooked to thigh-high black stockings. She also had dark red lips, dead straight hair, and she had on six-inch black heels. The sight was enough to make me get instantly hard in my pants. And her breasts. Whoa! They were pushed up to the maximum because they looked much bigger than normal. The sight was jaw-dropping.

  “FUCK ME!” I yelled out, almost unable to think clearly after I said it. The vision of Len had knocked the air right out of my chest. I know I must have sounded like a pervert, but I couldn’t help saying it when I saw her. It was such a natural reaction and I couldn’t keep it at bay. It had been a long time since I had seen her in next to nothing and it was such a sensationally erotic sight that it forced the words to explode from my tongue.

  Len hadn’t expected us to come barging into the room the way we did, because she bent down and tried to cover herself up with her hands, which looked kind of silly considering her hands couldn’t cover anything at all. She blushed and turned back around, looking for help in the opposite direction.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” I said, shrugging towards Clint and Tess. Again, Tess was glaring at me, like she wanted to wrestle me to the ground. I tried not to keep looking at Len, but I couldn’t peel my eyes away. Clint shot me another disgusted look. “Yeah right, Weston. Like you aren’t thinking it too,” I shot back at him. I didn’t want him to think he could make me look bad. He may have been all manners and chivalry around her, but he still desired her. Hell, from what I saw on the plane, the guy was still very much in love with her, so I was certain he was thinking the same as me. I just couldn’t internalize my emotions the way he could.

  Delia emerged from an adjoining room holding a long caramel-colored fur coat. “Sorry guys, show’s over.” Len smiled at her as she quickly put the fur coat on, buttoning it up at the front so we no longer had our peepshow.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” I said as something registered in my head. “So...where are the rest of her clothes? Her dress?” Len turned away from me and my questioning face. “Don’t you dare tell me she’ll be walking around that party only wearing what is underneath that coat.”

  Delia stared at me blankly, not responding.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “You just said don’t tell you if she will be walking around in just her lingerie,” Delia said flatly. “It’s the dress code for the ladies of the evening, and it’s the only way she’ll get Hamilton’s attention and get a meeting with him in private.”

  “What? You’re kidding right? No, no...NO!” Was I the only one who thought this was all kinds of wrong. “NO, nup. We are calling this off right now. I’m calling your Dad. We are going back to New York. We are leaving Joshua Hollows behind. NO!”

  Len stepped off the stool and walked over to me. Her arms were crossed and she had a hard look in her eyes. I hadn’t seen her this angry since the last time I saw her face to face in New York.

  “Do we have a problem here Samuel? Because I thought you were here to help me and not get in my way.”

  “But Len...”

  “But nothing. I’m not happy about this either, but if this is how I get to see Hamilton Brooks, then this is what I need to do. He has Josh. He is the only way to him. Or have you forgotten why I’m here and why I’m doing this in the first place?”

  “Yes, I know...but you shouldn’t have to do this. You shouldn’t be mixed up with the Lappell or Josh or anything with these ridiculous fucking people. And you shouldn’t have to get naked to get to speak to this guy. This is just disrespectful. It’s wrong. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! You shouldn’t have to play their games. And what’s more...”

  I felt a hand on my shoulder, trying to stop my ranting. It was Clint. I was beginning to get really emotional and I didn’t even know it. I hadn’t realized how quickly I had gone from forgetting why I was here, to tossing it all out the window and letting my own fears and emotions surface all at on
ce. Clint gave me a look like I should be remembering everything I had already said to him. He didn’t have to remind me. The look said it all.

  “Sam calm down. I’ll be there. I will protect her. I will watch over her. Don’t worry. But you need to think of Norah and what she needs to do. Relax. I’ve got this. She will be safe with me. I will make sure of that.” Clint’s voice was cool, calm and collected. He stood tall, no longer tugging at his bow tie or looking frightened. No fear in his eyes. Now that he was in the room, Clint had changed from the scared person in the hallway, to looking like he was in complete control. It was as if something had flipped his switch from weak to powerful. Was this Len’s influence? Did she bring out the man in Clint instead of the boy? Fuck! I didn’t want to believe Clint, but I did. I had to. I had to believe he would keep her safe and protected. He looked like...well...another version of me in that moment. Fierce and strong. Ready to throw himself in front of a gun for her if he had to. Len then looked at Clint and smiled at his confidence and understanding. Suddenly it became clear what Len saw in this guy. She made him a better person. She brought out something strong and endearing that spoke to her as a woman. Clint then looked to Len and smiled back. Their connection was still there, burning brightly. I suddenly felt very small and insignificant. It was clear to me now why she had fallen for this guy. I think...no, I knew...I had grossly underestimated Clint Weston.

  Our limo pulled up outside a set of large steel gates at an estate about an hour’s drive from Richmond. A formally dressed man holding a hand-held fingerprint device was at the entrance. The windows rolled down and he looked in at Norah and then to me. He lowered the device and I pressed my thumb over the scanner. It turned green and the security guard motioned to the limo driver to enter the grounds.

  The trip here had been very quiet with Norah barely looking my way. There was no conversation. It was just awkward air between us at the opposite ends of the limo. Now as we got closer to the mansion, her gaze was directed at me, like whatever she had been thinking about on the drive had finally won its way out to being brought up. I stared back, hoping she would talk and say whatever it was she was thinking. I wanted nothing more than to immerse myself in deep and meaningful conversation with Norah for hours on end, but I didn’t want start a conversation I knew couldn’t finish before going to an event like this. Right now, was not the right time for me to become an emotional waterfall. I had to allow Norah to prepare mentally for what we may have to do at this party. I couldn’t be selfish. I just hoped she was comfortable enough to say whatever it was she was thinking. Her lips parted, then closed, then parted again. Here we go.