Laced In Lies

by Colleen Helme

  Uncle Joey smiled and nodded with approval. “Then it looks like I need you there, for the sake of my organization and business dealings.”

  “I think that’s a good idea, only I don’t know the specific time it’s taking place.”

  “But it’s at my club, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll find out and let you know.”

  I swallowed and nodded. “Okay, sure.”

  “Good. It will probably be late, but I’ll have Ricky take you and bring you home. You’ll be fine.” He was thinking Ramos wouldn’t like it, but this wasn’t his call to make. He felt better sending me because Ramos didn’t normally get upset by anything. In fact, he’d never seen Ramos this way, so there must be a woman involved.

  Since he just thought that instead of saying it, I decided I didn’t need to answer. But it was kind of getting on my nerves that everyone blamed “a woman” for their problems. Although, in this case, it was mostly true. I mean, Ramos wouldn’t have been so upset if Jodie hadn’t been involved.

  He had strong feelings of nostalgia when he thought about her. It kind of made me want to buy her first album, since it was all about him. I also had a sudden desire to go to her concert, or at least find out about her life now. Was she married? A mother? Still pining for Ramos? Did I really want to know? Maybe not. Did he have tickets to the performance? I should have asked him about that. Maybe he did and that was part of his whole “bad mood” thing. Walking down memory lane could sometimes do that to a person.

  “Is that right?” Uncle Joey asked.

  “Uh… what did you say?”

  “Is there a woman involved?”

  “Oh… um… yeah.” Uncle Joey wanted to know the whole story, but I wasn’t sure Ramos would like that. Then he narrowed his eyes, thinking that I’d better start talking, so I forgot all about my qualms and spilled the story.

  “He met her in Nashville after what happened in Orlando. In fact, it’s Jodie McAllister, the singer. Dusty is her brother, and Ramos had to leave in a hurry because one of Dusty’s friends got killed after a fight. Ramos hasn’t seen her or Dusty since, but she’s coming to town for a concert, and now Dusty wants to talk.”

  “Hmm… he wants something from Ramos. It’s a good thing you’ll be there tonight.”

  I nodded, even though I was sure Ramos would hate it. “Yeah.”

  “Good. I’m glad that’s settled. And the timing is perfect because I just got off the phone with your husband. The agent scheduled Miguel’s audition for tomorrow afternoon. So you’ll be leaving for New York in the morning. It’s sooner than we thought, but it will all work out. The audition is set for four o’clock.”

  “Okay. That should work.” Wow, it seemed like things were moving awfully fast around here.

  “There’s one more thing.” Uncle Joey leaned forward in his chair. “You could probably come straight back, but the agent offered to give you and Miguel tickets for the show tomorrow night. Do you want to stay?”

  “You mean tickets to Aladdin? On Broadway?”

  Uncle Joey smiled, thinking he’d just made me an offer too good to refuse. It always made his day when that happened.

  “Ha-ha.” I smiled. “But you know what? You’re totally right. I’d love to stay.”

  “Good, I’ll let Chris know and have Jackie make the arrangements.”

  “How about I tell him? It’s almost time for lunch, and I could run over there right now.”

  “Sure. But if he gives you any trouble, tell him he has to answer to me.”

  I laughed good-naturedly, even if it was only a little bit funny.

  “Now that you’re going, there’s something you should be aware of. But don’t worry, it won’t be a problem.” He was thinking that since I was staying the night at his hotel, it was probably important that I know.

  “Know what?” My stomach clenched, and I almost asked if the hotel was haunted. That could be bad. But since he didn’t know that I could sometimes hear ghosts, I kept my mouth shut.

  “Let’s see. Where to start? I guess at the beginning. You see, my grandfather began the business in New York after he arrived from Italy. He had two sons and several daughters who all worked together to make the business what it is today.”

  Uncle Joey took a breath and shrugged. “Needless to say, the two sons, one of which was my father, had a falling out. With my grandfather’s blessing, and his half of the inheritance, my father left New York and ended up here. He continued the family business and thrived with several of his friends who came with him. You know the Barardinis, and the Falzones, and a few others that I won’t name, but you get the picture.

  “With only two living children, me and my sister, my father passed the business over to me. My sister… well, let’s just say she wasn’t suited for it. In fact, she became a nun, and I haven’t seen her for years. Anyway, my cousins in New York got into some trouble.

  “Over the years, several ended up in prison and others ended up dead. A few years ago, my cousin, Frank, contacted me. Our two families hadn’t spoken for years, so it was a surprise to hear from him. He told me the family was basically destitute. The last thing they owned was up for auction, and he asked me if I’d consider buying it. So we worked out a deal.”

  Uncle Joey sat back in his chair. “Before my father passed, he warned me about getting involved with them, but what could I say? They’re family. So I bought the hotel. My cousin, and what’s left of the New York Manettos, is running it for me.”

  “Wow.” I had no idea what else to say. With all the revelations coming at me, first from Ramos, and now Uncle Joey, it was turning into a crazy day.

  “So I thought you should know, since you’re going as my niece and all.”

  “What about Miguel? Does he know about this?”

  “Yes.” Uncle Joey leaned forward and met my gaze. “I filled him in last night, but I’d rather not tell them he’s my son. If you know what I mean.”

  “Oh… yeah.” I swallowed. “I take it you don’t trust them?”

  “One can never be too careful around mob families.”

  I nodded and just barely managed not to burst into hysterical laughter.

  He caught my mirth and smiled. “You mistake my meaning. I only say that about mob families who are related by blood, not like what we have here. Blood relations tend to have a sense of entitlement, which ruins everything. See the difference?”

  “Yeah, that makes perfect sense.” I didn’t want to point out that it hadn’t stopped Kate from trying to take over the business a year ago. Although, since she thought she was Uncle Joey’s niece, maybe he had it right. “So… what’s the story about me? Am I still going as your niece?”

  “Yes. Since Miguel thinks you’re his cousin, we have to keep that up. So this is the story. I told Miguel that before my sister became a nun, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She gave you up for adoption, and we found out about you a year ago. That explains how we just recently brought you and the kids into the family.”

  “What?” I felt the blood drain from my head and thought I might just pass out. “That’s nuts!”

  “No it isn’t,” he said, scrunching his brows together. “It works out great.”

  “But I told my kids that you were my aunt’s first husband, and I knew you when I was a child before you were divorced, so I keep calling you my uncle, even though you’re not anymore.” Holy hell! Could this get any worse?

  Uncle Joey’s eyes narrowed. Then he nodded his head. “That’s okay. I doubt the kids will ever talk to each other about it. But I guess we should have gotten our stories straight.” He shrugged. “Oh well, nothing we can do about it now.”

  He caught my gaze, so I nodded my agreement, even though I was still in a state of shock.

  “Anyway… an old friend of the family, Syd, is working there as the hotel manager. My cousin, Frank, doesn’t know that Syd’s been reporting to me, but if you need anything at all, he’s the one you can trust. I don’
t expect any trouble from Frank, especially when it’s just one night, but it pays to be prepared.”

  “Wait a minute. If they think I’m your niece, how does Miguel fit in?” If he thought I looked old enough to say I was his mother, I might just scream.

  “It would never work to say you’re his mother, you look too young for that, so I’m open to suggestions.”

  I let out my breath, relieved at least one thing was going my way. “Well, can’t we still be cousins? I mean… if I’m adopted, I could still have cousins from my adoptive family, right?”

  “Yes… I like that. And it’s always a good idea to stick as close to the truth as possible, so you don’t get mixed up.”

  “Right.” Did he realize what he’d just said? The truth? No part of this was even close to the truth. Then I picked up that it was the truth as far as Miguel was concerned, so I guess that’s what he meant, but still…

  “I think that just about covers everything. I’ll have Jackie call Frank and get it all arranged for your stay.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t stay the night…”

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he said. “But it’s up to you.” He was thinking Miguel would certainly be disappointed and, with my superpower, there really wasn’t anything that could go wrong. Then he hoped he hadn’t just told me his life story for nothing.

  “Uh… you’re right. We’ll be fine if we stay. I’ll go tell Chris right now.”

  “Good. When I find out what time Ramos is meeting this Dusty person, I’ll let you know. But it will probably be late.”

  “Okay.”

  I left the office in a bit of a daze, wondering how my life got so complicated so fast. Tonight, I’d agreed to spy on Ramos, even though he would hate it, and tomorrow I was on my way to New York and meeting the rest of the Manetto family.

  It seemed a bit overwhelming, so I took a deep breath and decided to take it one step at a time so I wouldn’t freak out. First, I concentrated on my mission at the club tonight and how that might work out.

  All at once, my stomach got a little queasy. Would Ramos forgive me if I showed up? Would it ruin our friendship? Would he ever trust me with his secrets again?

  By the time I got to the car, guilt had punched a painful hole in my chest. Even though I could always blame Uncle Joey, there had to be something else I could do. Then it hit me. I still had my black wig. I could just wear that, and hang out in a corner somewhere. Ramos would never know I was there.

  Relieved, I massaged my chest, and let out my breath.

  Chapter 4

  I stepped off the elevator and waved at the receptionist, then walked around the corner toward Chris’ office. Since I hadn’t called or texted to let him know I was coming, I hoped I wouldn’t be interrupting anything.

  At least I knew he was there, since he’d just talked to Uncle Joey. And with any luck I hoped we could go out to lunch together, since I’d mostly missed breakfast. Plus, with everything else that had happened so far, I needed some time to unwind.

  Chris’ executive assistant, Elisa, sat at her desk outside his office, looking gorgeous as usual. She glanced up and smiled with surprise to see me.

  “Hey Shelby. I didn’t know you were coming in today.” She glanced over my clothes, thinking I’d dressed up like I was in a motorcycle gang or something. All I needed was a helmet in my hand and she might believe it. But on second thought, that was just silly. I was a housewife, I didn’t ride motorcycles.

  I clenched my jaw to keep from blurting that she was wrong, and somehow managed to smile without showing my teeth. “Hi Elisa. Is Chris in his office?”

  “Yes. Go on in.”

  “Thanks.”

  I pushed the door open and stepped inside. After this morning’s revelations, it did my heart good to set my eyes on the man I loved. Chris glanced up from his paperwork, surprised to see me. “Hey gorgeous,” he said, leaning back in his chair and smiling broadly. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  I smiled back, drinking in the warmth in his eyes, and shrugged. “I was over at Uncle Joey’s office when you finished talking to him. He was going to call you back about tomorrow, so I told him I’d just come over and tell you instead.”

  “Yeah, about that…” Chris began, pursing his lips in frustration. “You didn’t tell me you’d agreed to go to New York with Miguel.”

  “I didn’t?” I paused in front of his desk, knowing Chris wasn’t up to giving me a hug and a kiss right now. “Oh crap! I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, Manetto just told me over the phone a few minutes ago. I had to pretend like I knew all about it.”

  “Uh… that’s too bad. I guess I forgot.” With a sigh, I sat down in the chair in front of his desk, hoping he wouldn’t be mad at me for too long.

  He was thinking that I conveniently forgot, since that meant I got to go gallivanting off to the Big Apple. Of course, it was hard to refuse those kinds of offers from Uncle Joey, so he couldn’t really blame me. “So… did you tell him you wanted to stay and see the play?”

  “Uh… yeah. He kind of made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

  “You might as well,” he said, surprising me with his candor. As much as he didn’t like it, he knew I didn’t have much of a choice when it came to Manetto. “I mean, if you’re going all that way, you might as well see the play while you’re at it.” He knew going to New York and seeing a Broadway play was something I’d always wanted to do. He just wished he was the one taking me.

  I brightened. “Maybe you could come too.”

  Chris shook his head. “No, I can’t. I’ve got a deposition in the morning that I can’t miss. But why exactly does Manetto want you to go? Miguel’s old enough to go on his own, isn’t he? Or at least with Jackie… or his own mother.”

  “Yeah, but Uncle Joey wants me to listen to their thoughts so he’ll know if Miguel really has a chance at making a career out of his singing.”

  “Oh… yeah… of course. I didn’t think about that.” He sighed. “Well, I guess I’d better call the agent back and let him know you’re coming and you want the tickets.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “And we’ll be staying the night at Uncle Joey’s hotel. Did you know he owned a hotel in New York?”

  “No, I didn’t, but it doesn’t surprise me. He seems to have connections everywhere.”

  “That’s true. Anyway, he told me this crazy story about the hotel. Apparently he has cousins there, and they run the hotel for him.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “He calls them the New York Manettos. So it should be interesting.”

  “Wait… what does this mean about you? Is he keeping to the story that you’re related?”

  “Yes, but with a few twists.” I explained the whole story, that I was now adopted, and my real mother was Uncle Joey’s sister. Chris got a kick out of that, especially the part about his sister being a nun.

  “Hey, that part’s not made up.”

  Chris snorted with laughter and shook his head. “What about Miguel? Do they know about him?”

  “Uh… he didn’t want them to know about Miguel yet, so he’s going to be my cousin, like he is now only…. you know… from my adopted side of the family.”

  Chris sat up straight, and his brows drew together with concern. “Why doesn’t he just tell them?”

  “I don’t think he trusts them with that information, and I don’t blame him.” I shrugged. “So… it should be interesting.”

  Chris was thinking that if Uncle Joey was concerned about Miguel, then what about me? If they thought I was his niece, couldn’t that be bad as well? Why hadn’t Manetto thought about that?

  “He’s got an inside man there who will be watching out for us. I think his name’s Syd. We’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry. Plus, it’s only overnight. As long as the hotel’s not haunted, we’ll be fine.”

  “Oh… yeah. I guess you have to worry about that too. An old hotel… that could be bad, especially if
it’s been in a mob family for a lot of years. Who knows how many people could have died there?” He shook his head. “How do you get into these things?”

  My lips twisted into a frown, and I scowled at him. If he wanted me to feel bad, he was doing a great job of it.

  “Shelby,” Chris said, holding out his hand. “Come here.”

  I let out my breath, then stood and took his hand. He promptly pulled me onto his lap. Grateful his chair was extra roomy, I snuggled against him and laid my head on his shoulder. His warmth and love seeped into my skin, and I finally relaxed in his arms.

  He was thinking that he hated sending me off, but this wasn’t anything like the last time. I’d be fine, especially with Manetto looking out for me. Manetto would never let anything happen, so he shouldn’t worry… and it was just overnight.

  “I hate to admit it,” I said. “But now I’m a little nervous about going.”

  “Hey, it’ll be fun to go to New York,” he said, wanting to reassure me. “This is nothing like Paris. You’re not meeting with spies or anything crazy. You’ll be fine. Just… try not to get into trouble, okay?”

  I pulled back to meet his gaze. “Hey… I never try to get into trouble.”

  “I know, I know. But if you hear something you’re not supposed to know, just keep it to yourself and tell Manetto when you get back. Don’t try to fix it.”

  I huffed out a breath. “Geeze honey, you make me sound like a moron.” I struggled to get off his lap, but he wouldn’t let me up.

  “I didn’t mean it that way Shelby… I love you. I just want you to come back in one piece.”

  I stopped struggling and caught his gaze. “I will, I promise.”

  His brows rose, and he thought you’d better. So I kissed him to seal the deal. After a thoroughly hot kissing session, I pulled away. We were both a bit breathless, and neither of us was thinking about my departure in the morning.

  A loud knock sounded at the door. With a groan, Chris helped me stand before clearing his throat, and called for the interloper to enter. Ethan opened the door, knowing he had interrupted us, but since people could see into the office, he thought it was a good idea, especially since it was giving Elisa fits.