A Dangerous Widow (Dangerous #1)

by Christina Ross

  * * *

  When she returned home, Jade dropped her handbag in the entryway, took off her jacket and flung it over a chair, and then stepped into her office. She woke her computer by jiggling the mouse and then called up an image of Kate Stone.

  “You’re next,” she said as she looked straight into Kate’s eyes. “I’ll toy with you once, Kate—but that’s where it ends. You’ve got two days left to live. So, do your best to enjoy them—especially tomorrow night.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  When I awoke the next morning with Ben at my side, it was only a bit past five, but already he was wide-awake—and looking troubled.

  “Good morning,” I said.

  He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead and then on the lips. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

  “I’ve slept better.”

  “Same here.”

  “Are you OK?”

  “I’m just hoping to hear from Nick soon.”

  Tonight’s Red Cross event was being held at the Four Seasons. Yesterday afternoon and evening, Ben, Nick, and I had poured through the guest list, but because so many people were bringing a plus-one, there were dozens of names I didn’t recognize—most of them female.

  “I see that the Witherhouses are coming,” Ben said.

  “They’re rich. I invited them months ago.”

  “When we see them, we’ll need to make certain that Bill is with Maxine, and not with somebody else.”

  “I agree.”

  “If Bill is with Maxine, then ‘W’ could be someone else’s plus-one,” Nick said. “If that’s even how she plans on getting inside, which we don’t know because there are other ways to get inside.”

  “What other ways?”

  “Take your pick. Through catering? Through the bar staff? Through a breach in security? Or maybe through somebody who works at the Four Seasons who would consider taking a substantial bribe. With so many people invited and so many others involved in tending to the event, anything is possible.” He looked at me. “How many people on this list did Michael have business dealings with?”

  “Plenty.”

  “Then take this pen and put a check by the names of each person who you know for certain Michael worked with—in any capacity.”

  “But there are going to be people on this list who worked with him that I know nothing about.”

  “We’ll do our best. When you’re finished, I’ll take the list back to my office, and my team and I will start doing background checks on each person. If we can link any one of them to Michael in such a way that looks questionable, then we’ll dig deeper.”

  When Nick left, Ben urged me to cancel the party.

  “I can’t,” I said. “This is the single largest event the Red Cross will hold in Manhattan this year. There’s no cancelling it.”

  “Please don’t go.”

  “I have to go—I’m the one giving the speech.”

  “Can’t somebody else give it?”

  “I suppose that somebody could, but what you don’t understand is that I’m the one who’s key to earning as much as we can tomorrow night. I invited these people. They’re expecting me to be there. And when I approach them, they’ll know that I’ll be expecting a healthy donation from them. Without me there, tomorrow night is a fail, and I can’t let that to happen. We need that money. And besides,” I said, “you’ll be at my side throughout all of it. And Nick said he’s going to have thirteen of his own men and women there, including an armed female agent who apparently will follow me into the restroom should I need to use it. There won’t be a moment when I’m not protected.”

  “I still worry about you, Kate.”

  “I know you do.”

  “Aren’t you worried for yourself?”

  “Yes. A part of me is scared.”

  “Just a part?”

  “The other part knows that I’ve got you, and because I do, I know that you’ll do your best to let nothing happen to me. When it comes to tomorrow night, the odds are stacked in our favor. If this ‘W’ woman does show and if she sees you at my side—which she will—what’s she going to do? Act in a space filled with hundreds of people, some of whom are armed? She knows that because she threatened me with that bird that I’m going to be surrounded by security, so what’s she going to do? And how will she even do it? People are going to be screened before they’re allowed inside. If someone is carrying a knife or a gun, the metal detectors will call them out.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “There are all kinds of knives on the market made of materials specifically designed to not set off detectors, Kate. And then there’s the Glock 7, which is made entirely of porcelain so it also won’t set off a detector. If ‘W’ is an assassin, she likely has both—and she’ll be carrying them on her.”

  “If she has either and if she does try something, how is she going to push her way through that crowd without somebody taking her down? Rhoda said she’s smart. She’ll know that her chances for escaping are next to impossible.”

  “If chaos is allowed to erupt, nothing is impossible, Kate.”

  * * *

  After Ben and I had our coffee, the morning and afternoon went by so quickly, I thought for sure that I’d never get anything done before we needed to leave at six.

  Since I needed a dress for the night and because nothing in my closet came even remotely close to the Valentino I’d worn at the Witherhouses’ party, I knew that I needed to step it up, particularly because this event was being held at the Four Seasons and a good deal of society had been invited. So, I called Chloe at Bergdorf and asked if she’d mind sending over several gowns and a few pairs of shoes that she thought might fit and look flattering on me.

  “I’ll bring them over myself, Kate,” she said. “Give me a couple of hours.”

  “Do you have anything in mind?”

  “Just you wait. See you soon.”

  While I would have loved to have had Bernie work his magic on me again, this event wasn’t the place to wear mink eyelashes or a bold red lip. It was subtler than that, so I knew that I could handle my hair and makeup on my own. As for Ben, he called and asked for Nick to stop by his apartment to pick up his tux and a pair of shoes before coming here.

  “Has he learned anything?” I asked Ben when I went into my office, where he was using my computer.

  “He has a few questions for you, but he didn’t elaborate on what they were—he said they were still working to get through the list. But they’re close to finishing it. He should be here by three with his entire team. He’ll introduce you to them, and then he’ll lay out specific instructions for everyone to follow.”

  Later, when Chloe arrived, I admired the gown both of us agreed I should go with. Since Valentino seemed to work best for me when it came to fitting my height and shape, I chose the lavender silk cape gown that Chloe said was her favorite. When I put it on with the matching lavender Dior pumps, I was sold.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said as I turned in front of her. “And I think it fits.”

  “That’s two in a row,” she said. “You must be his muse.”

  “Thanks for doing this, Chloe.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” she said. “You look like spring, Kate, and since this gown is meant for a spring event, I’d say that you’re about to win the night.”

  “Let’s hope that I do,” I said to her.

  On more levels than one…

  * * *

  Nick and his team arrived at three. There were thirteen of them, so I could only imagine how they were met by the door staff, and what gossip would come from that encounter.

  “Thank you all for coming,” I said to Nick after everyone stepped inside. “Let’s go into the living room, but first let me take Ben’s tux and shoes from you. You were good to do that for him, Nick. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Can I get anyone something to drink?”

  “We’re good,
” Nick said as we moved into the living room. There, he introduced each member of his team to me by name—not that I’d ever remember their names because there were so many of them. Most were male, all of whom rivaled Ben and Nick in size, and looked handsome in their tuxedos. The three women he’d brought with him were just as formidable-looking, regardless of the fact that they’d dressed beautifully for the evening so that they’d blend in—black dresses on all of them, along with full hair and makeup.

  “Kate, this is Catherine,” Nick said when he introduced me to one of the women. She was a bit taller than me, with dark hair that was cut short, and eyes that were so blue, they popped. I thought that she was lovely, but when we shook hands, her grip was so firm, I could tell that she was no one to be fooled with.

  “Catherine will be at your side all night,” Nick said. “Though you likely can’t tell by the way she’s dressed, she’s armed, as is everyone else. Catherine will be the one who will escort you to the restroom should you need to use it. Because you need to be protected there as well.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Catherine,” I said.

  “The pleasure is mine, Kate.”

  “Thank you for doing this.”

  “There’s no need to thank me.”

  “But there is. In fact, I want to thank all of you for having my back tonight.”

  “And we will,” Nick said. “Do you mind if we go over the guest list? I have a few questions.”

  “Of course. But I’m afraid that I don’t have seating for all of you.”

  “My team is happy to stand and listen in while you, Ben, and I go over the list.”

  “All right. Let’s go into the living room. Ben?” I said.

  “Right with you.”

  When we sat down and Nick’s team filed around us, Nick pulled out the guest list from his inside jacket pocket. He unfolded it, placed it between us on the coffee table, and pointed to a name I knew all too well.

  “Bill Witherhouse,” he said. “While there are many others on this list who have undesirable ties to Michael, he’s perhaps the stand-out. Beyond the fact that Lydia died at his home while he was there, did you know that Bill was one of the investors involved in trying to buy StoneTech from Michael before his death?”

  That surprised me. “He was?”

  “He was.”

  “Michael never told me that. He just mentioned that Mark and Tom had a team of investors behind them.”

  “Bill was one of those investors, as were a few others on this list. What I want you to consider is this—Michael prevented them from taking StoneTech, and also all of the money that would have flowed into their pockets when they took StoneTech public. Because, that’s where they thought the real money in acquiring StoneTech was. Didn’t they, Kate? Those investors knew that once they took it public, there would be a fortune to be made. Going public would have turned their three-billion-dollar investment into ten, fifteen, or even twenty billion dollars. Likely more. But just before they would have achieved that dream, and without warning, Michael pulled the rug out from beneath them—and in the process, he crushed their dreams. He made his enemies. He also created a motive for each of them.”

  I absorbed all of that with a hard swallow.

  “Who were the other investors?” I asked.

  He ticked off the names, some of whom I knew—and some of whom I didn’t.

  “Could all of these people be responsible for Michael’s death?” I asked. “Could they be working together now to shut me down? What if we’re not just dealing with one person here, but with many? We haven’t even considered that. And I have to wonder—could the reason Rhoda can’t get a read on whoever’s behind this be because multiple people are involved?”

  “It’s feasible,” Nick said.

  “Agreed,” Ben said.

  “And it’s also getting late.” I looked across at Nick. “While I mean no disrespect, I have to wonder where any of this is getting us?” I said. “Rhoda told all of us to focus on ‘W’. She said that ‘W’ would be the person who would tell us who is behind this. Just look at all of the names we have at our disposal at this point—a good dozen. While it’s good to have these sorts of insights and leads, where is that going to get us tonight when all we have are questions, theories, and suppositions? Rhoda has already warned us that things are going to unfold faster than any of us imagine—and by that, she meant tonight. I have no reason to doubt her. So I agree with her—the fastest way to end this is to draw ‘W’ to me, grab her, contain her, and shake her down.”

  “Rhoda never suggested that we draw ‘W’ to you, Kate,” Ben said.

  “But isn’t that what we’re doing, Ben?”

  “Yes, because you’ve given us no choice.”

  And that pissed me off.

  “Because what happened to Michael has given me no choice,” I shot back at him. “If things had turned out differently between you and me, and it had been you in Michael’s place, I’d be right here doing the same thing for you.”

  “Hey,” he said, surprised by my tone.

  But I wasn’t having it—we’d been down this road too many times. It was time to shut this down for good.

  “From the start, I’ve told you that I would go forward with this on my own if I needed to,” I said. “I told you that you could just walk away if you were uncomfortable with any of this, but you didn’t. That was your choice. I have misled no one when it comes to my intentions, but I can tell you this—I am sick of being questioned about them. For me, all of this comes down to honoring Michael and giving him the justice he deserves. It’s been that way from the start, and it will be that way until the end.”

  “Regardless of how this ends?”

  “For me personally? Yes, Ben. As for everyone else in this room, I suggest you decide for yourselves before we go forward.”

  “Listen,” Nick interrupted. “Kate, you need to know that my team and I are committed to your safety tonight. We’re going nowhere.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Neither am I,” Ben said. “Jesus, Kate, you’ve got to know that.”

  I didn’t know what to say to him after his comment about me offering nobody a choice when that was patently untrue, so I said nothing.

  “Anyway,” Nick said. “Since everyone appears to be on board, let me tell you what the team and I are looking for tonight. It’s actually very simple.”

  “Shoot,” I said.

  “Keep close to Ben. Don’t ever once use a restroom without Catherine accompanying you. As for the rest of the team, if you sense for one moment that something isn’t right, reach out to one of them and tell them because they will be that close to you. Hell, we’ll be circling you—not that anyone will notice. But we will be. So, if you talk to someone—anyone—and if you feel that something is off, let one of us know, and we’ll take it from there.”

  “I can’t have you threatening my guests, Nick.”

  “Without good reason, I don’t plan to, Kate.”

  * * *

  As I was dressing to leave, I felt riddled with stress, fear—and guilt. The stress and fear were all for ‘W’ to enjoy, but the guilt was reserved solely for Ben.

  I never should have snapped at him that way in public—if I felt that I had to do it at all, it should had been done in private, and with far less of an edge. What had I been thinking? Behaving like that wasn’t who I was. Obviously, his comment had gotten under my skin, but I didn’t handle it well.

  I owed him an apology, but since he’d chosen to shower and change in one of the other bedrooms because he intuitively knew that we needed some space after that exchange, I finished dressing before I went to him.

  He was in the far bedroom at the other end of the hall. After I knocked on the door, I stepped inside and found him putting on his shoes at the foot of the bed. He looked up at me, our eyes met, and at the same time, we each said, “I’m sorry.”

  He stood up and reached out his arms to me. “Come here.”

/>   I started to tear up as I walked toward him. “I never should have done that,” I said. “I’m so sorry, Ben. I’m starting to feel the pressure about what might happen tonight and going forward, and I took it out on you—the very last person I should take anything out on.”

  He took me into his arms when I said that and I placed my cheek against his chest. “Actually, I did deserve it—what I said was a cheap shot.”

  “I disagree.”

  He kissed me on the forehead. “How about if we just chalk this up to the stress of the situation, and leave it at that? Because what I can’t bear is for you to be angry with me, Kate. That’s the last thing in the world that I want.”

  “I feel the same. I came here in hopes that you’ll accept my apology.”

  “I will if you accept mine.”

  “Done.”

  “Now, kiss me,” he said. “Because I will do everything in my power to protect you. When you walked in here a moment ago and I saw you in that dress, I knew that I was the luckiest man in the world to have you back in my life again. And I promise you this—I will never do anything like that again, not when I know that it might jeopardize what we have between us right now. I can’t risk us, Kate, especially not now. Not after all these years of being apart.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  We arrived at the Four Seasons two hours before the event.

  Nick’s first mission was to meet with the manager and to confirm that every server, bartender, and staff member onsite was indeed a well-known member of his team, and that no one had been substituted at the last minute from an outside agency.

  When he’d cleared that, he asked about the orchestra that been hired, and was assured by the manager that the Four Seasons used them often, and that he personally knew each of the musicians. A tour of the restaurant followed, which included the Grill Room and the Pool Room, so that Nick and his team could have a good feel for their surroundings before the evening began.