The Arrangement [Box Set]

by Abby Weeks

  —I’m really not supposed to.

  —I need to know so I can get them to change it back. It’s really important. Was it Walter Masterson?

  —Look. Don’t tell anyone you found out from me, but the file amendment was made by a Kit Kingsley.

  —Kit! At five this morning?

  —Yes.

  —I see, April said. Her hand was shaking but she kept her voice level. And are my girls alright?

  —Of course they are, Mrs. Masterson. I’m sure you’ll get this file thing sorted out soon but in the meantime you shouldn’t worry about the girls. They’re safe and sound here.

  —Can anyone take them from the school?

  —Just the account signatories.

  —Who are?

  —Herb and Kit Kingsley.

  April’s heart was racing. She couldn’t stand the idea that it was the Kingsleys and not her who had control over the girls’ school file. She knew that there was no point arguing with the receptionist. She didn’t have the power to do anything about it.

  She hung up and sat by the window, watching the people on the street below go about their business. It was a busy street and there was a lot of activity. There were stores and restaurants all full of life. She felt like she had been separated from the normal world since being sucked into the firm’s sordid arrangement.

  She got up and went to the bathroom at the back of the apartment. The walls in there were covered with old black and white photographs of stage actresses from the twenties and thirties. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her face. The clear, healthy glow she’d had yesterday after the spa was gone. She looked gaunt and tired now. Her makeup was smudged around her eyes, making them dark and smoky. She looked at her face and tears rolled down her cheeks. So much had happened in the past few weeks and she had never had a chance to process it all. She was completely overwhelmed. She’d only slept with a few men in her life before her marriage, all of them long-term relationships. Since Walter had become partner she couldn’t even count the number of people she’d been with. She’d been forced to do all sorts of things for Walter and his partners. Many of them she’d even done willingly, absorbed in the excitement of the moment and the pressure of the situation.

  She wept as she got out of the expensive lace and fur dress that Kit had selected for her. She’d become a plaything of the rich and powerful and she knew it. She unhooked the clasps at the back of her corset and let it fall to the floor. If she never wore anything like that again it would be too soon. She turned on the water in Jack’s shower and let it heat up. She’d been used every way a woman could be and she wanted the water hot.

  III

  WHEN APRIL GOT OUT OF the shower, Jack and Jimmy had returned. They’d bought milk, bread, eggs and fresh coffee. Jack was making the eggs on an iron pan on the stove and Jimmy was slicing the bread.

  —I can make the coffee, April said from the doorway of the bathroom.

  She was surprised to find that she felt shy. She’d let the water wash over her for over twenty minutes and was quite refreshed. The nap and shower had given her the strength to face another day. She was wrapped in a man’s bathrobe that was much too large for her.

  The guys looked at her. Jack stopped what he was doing and stared, his mouth partly open. Then he dropped the pan.

  —Shit, he yelled out. Sorry. God, I’m such a klutz.

  —You get burned there, buddy? Jimmy said.

  Jack went to the sink and ran cold water over his hand.

  —In more ways than one, he said to Jimmy.

  April smiled. She hadn’t known what Jack would think of her now that the excitement of the scene at the hotel was over. Last night she’d been dressed in expensive clothes, her makeup had been perfect, she knew she’d looked amazing. But it seemed that Jack was even more taken with her now that she was in his house, fresh out of the shower without any makeup on and nothing but his goofy robe on her body.

  She decided that it was safe to relax and let out a small sigh. A nutritious breakfast would do her good. She’d been so tense for so long that having an ordinary meal with a couple of nice people would do her a lot of good. She pulled the robe tightly around her and walked over to the kitchen.

  —Let me see that, she said to Jack and took his hand from the cold water.

  —It’s not bad, he said.

  She patted it dry with the sleeve of her robe.

  —You’ll live, she said, and she was sure his eyes remained on hers for longer than was normal.

  She took the kettle off the stove and made the coffee while Jack finished the eggs. When everything was ready the three of them sat at the table and ate. April hadn’t enjoyed food that much in a long time. It was so simple and hearty, she could almost feel it nourishing her body.

  —Jack? she said as he bit into a thick piece of bread.

  —Yes?

  —What time was it when you found me?

  —About five. Why?

  —I’m just trying to figure out what I’m up against.

  —What do you mean?

  —I called my kids’ boarding school when you two were out.

  —You didn’t say where you were, did you?

  —No, but I couldn’t talk to my kids. Their security file had been amended at five twenty-one this morning.

  —By who?

  —Kit Kingsley. The wife of the senior partner at the firm.

  —Jesus, Jimmy said. So you’re saying that within twenty minutes, your husband had his partner and his partner’s wife working against you?

  —They also had two security details at the hotel before we could even get out, Jack said.

  They both looked at April. She put down her coffee and looked back at them, worry in all three faces.

  —Just who exactly is your husband? Jack said.

  —I don’t know. I honestly don’t.

  —Well, it looks like you’ve gotten yourself into a whole lot of trouble, Jimmy said.

  —He works for a law firm, she said. Kingsley, Wellington, Prentiss. Last night they were trying to impress some pretty important political clients.

  —Kingsley, Wellington, Prentiss? Jimmy said.

  —Have you heard of them?

  —I might have. Let me make a call.

  Jimmy got up, leaving April alone at the table with Jack. Jack was drinking his coffee black and he took a packet of cigarettes from his blazer pocket. He was still in his concierge uniform but April was already beginning to see him very differently now that she’d seen where he lived. It was strange how people never turned out to be what they seemed. When Jack had stepped in to help her in the hotel lobby she’d thought he was nothing more than a good-looking hotel concierge who was brave to stand up to a rich patron. Now she saw that he had an entire life of his own with nothing to do with hotels and being a concierge.

  —So, you’re a musician, she said, indicating the instruments and recording equipment that filled most of the apartment.

  It wasn’t a question, just an observation, and Jack simply nodded.

  —You’ll probably lose your job at the hotel, won’t you? she said.

  He nodded again and from the way he did it she gathered that his job wasn’t of too much concern to him.

  —Jimmy will too, she said.

  —Don’t worry about that. We only work at that place because the pay’s good and the work’s easy. It gave us time to concentrate on other things. There’ll be other jobs.

  —I suppose your music is your real job.

  —It’s my passion, but it doesn’t pay the bills.

  —It doesn’t yet, April said.

  —Right.

  She sipped her coffee and Jack asked if she’d mind if he smoked.

  —Of course not, she said.

  He shook a cigarette from the pack and lit it with a metal lighter he took from the window sill. She looked at him.

  —Thank you. For last night. You didn’t have to do that.

  —Of course I did. It wasn�
�t right the way that guy was treating you. Any man worth his salt would have stepped in.

  —A lot of people wouldn’t have done anything.

  Jack said nothing. He offered her a cigarette and she declined. They looked over at Jimmy who was talking animatedly on the phone.

  —What’s his story? April said.

  —He’s a friend.

  —You trust him?

  —With my life.

  —He’s quite a driver.

  —He does it professionally.

  —What do you mean?

  Jack looked from Jimmy back to April. She felt as if he was appraising her.

  —He’s a getaway driver.

  —Well that makes sense.

  —Don’t say anything about it, though. He likes to think he’s discrete.

  April smiled. She knew the feeling. She’d thought her life was pretty private but she had a feeling it was about to be blown open. If she was going to accept help from Jack and Jimmy she’d owe them an explanation.

  Jimmy hung up the phone and came back over to them. They looked at him expectantly.

  —Well, he said. You were right. Kingsley, Wellington, Prentiss is a law firm.

  —Is that all you found out? Jack said.

  —You know me better than that, he said with a wink.

  He sat down and poured himself some coffee before continuing.

  —They’re not exactly a big firm, he said. But they’re important. Extremely discrete. They take care of problems for people.

  —What sort of problems? April said.

  —They’re basically damage control. Like if some fancy politician is caught having an affair, or some scandal is about to break in the media, they take care of it.

  —What do you mean, they take care of it?

  —They make the problem go away.

  —How?

  —However they can. My source said they’re fond of paying people to keep their mouths shut.

  —And if that doesn’t work?

  —They go farther. They shut people’s mouths for them. They’re dangerous. One of the drivers I know has worked for them in the past. He said it was a nasty piece of work. He hasn’t worked for them since.

  —What was it?

  —They had him following a journalist around, openly, to intimidate him. My friend said the journalist had a family and they wanted him to drive around right behind the wife while the kids were in the car. They wanted to scare the journalist out of writing whatever story he was working on.

  —Shit, Jack said. If they’re doing that kind of work they’re going to have all sorts of connections.

  They all sat quietly. Jack drank his coffee in long gulps. April didn’t know how he could drink it so hot. She looked at Jimmy.

  —Thank you for finding that out.

  —No problem, he said.

  She stood up.

  —Listen. You two have helped me more than enough. I can’t drag you into this mess any farther. It’s too dangerous. I’ve got a battle ahead of me, they’ve still got my children, and I don’t know how far they’ll go to keep them.

  April looked down at the two of them at the table. She felt she was going to burst into tears. She really didn’t know how she’d manage without their help but she didn’t think she could ask them to get into this any deeper. The firm was nasty. That much was clear. They might not kill April. They wanted to control her and she was valuable to them alive. She doubted they’d even think twice about killing Jack and Jimmy, though.

  She held herself together and refused to cry.

  —Sit down, April. You’re not going anywhere without us, Jack said at last. We’ll figure this out together.

  She really did cry then. There was such kindness in his voice that the relief overcame her.

  —Are you sure? she said. What if they try to kill you?

  —It wouldn’t be the first time we’d gotten ourselves into trouble, Jack said and smiled.

  —Agreed, Jimmy said. You won’t get rid of us that easily.

  They finished their coffee and Jack had a quick shower and changed his clothes. April couldn’t bear to get into the dress she’d worn the night before and borrowed some sweats and a T-shirt from Jack. She was amazed at how different Jack looked in his normal clothes. He was wearing a worn out, faded pair of blue jeans with a white shirt and tennis shoes. He’d shaved too and looked so rugged and strong. He was definitely the type that April would have fallen for before she’d gotten married to Walter. Jimmy was still in his uniform from the hotel.

  April felt a little awkward dressed in the sweats but at least she wasn’t wearing a corset.

  IV

  SITTING AT THE TABLE, APRIL was about to formulate some sort of a plan with Jack and Jimmy when they heard a banging outside.

  —What is that? she said.

  Jack ran across the apartment to look out the front window.

  —There are some guys down there?

  —How many? Jimmy said.

  —Four.

  —They must be from the firm.

  —I don’t know how they found this place? Jack said. It’s not even rented in my name.

  —Hotel records?

  —I didn’t give the hotel this address.

  Jimmy looked worried. —They’re really hooked up.

  The banging continued and April and Jimmy went over to the window and carefully peeked out. The four men were examining the door and looking for a way through it.

  —How long will it take them to get through that door? April said.

  —It’s solid steel, Jack said.

  They went to the back and looked down into the alley where they’d left their car. No one was there. At least not yet. April froze when she heard two loud bangs from the front of the building. Her heart began pounding. It was gunfire. They’d shot the locks on the door.

  —Come on, Jack said as he pulled up the window leading out onto the fire escape at the back.

  He climbed out and April followed him. Jimmy grabbed the car keys from the kitchen table before following them out.

  —Do you have a gun? Jack said to Jimmy.

  —Shit, Jack. I wasn’t expecting my morning to go like this.

  Jack looked at April.

  —No, she said. She’d never fired a gun in her life.

  —We better hurry, Jack said.

  They were on a steel platform above the alley. There was a ladder and Jack kicked the two metal clasps holding it in place. The ladder slid down to the ground and made a loud clash when it hit the bottom. He cringed at the amount of noise it made.

  Jack was the first on the ladder, followed by April. She wondered how long it would be before some of the men came around the back. They probably hadn’t realized the apartment was long enough to reach the alley behind the store but the crash of the ladder would have alerted them.

  They scrambled down the ladder and when Jack got to the bottom, Jimmy threw him the keys. Jack helped April in through the driver’s door and got in after her. He turned the ignition and gunned the engine. By the time Jimmy was at the bottom of the ladder April had the passenger door open, waiting for him. They backed out of the parking spot, knocking over trash cans. Jack then rammed the car into first and burned rubber as the car accelerated out of the narrow alley.

  There was a loud crash from behind them. April screamed as the back windshield of the car shattered. The men were shooting at them. She looked back and saw a man on the fire escape. The car raced through the alley and turned left onto an unpaved lane between some of the buildings that shared the block with the furniture store. At the end of the block they made a right and were out among traffic.

  —That was close, April said.

  —We’re not clear yet, Jimmy said. This car will have been reported stolen by now.

  Jack smiled. —You stole this car?

  —You didn’t think I’d use my own car for a deal like this, did you?

  —Well we better get rid of it.

  They made their
way north out of the city along Georgia Avenue. They didn’t really have anywhere to go. If the firm had tracked down Jack’s place so quickly, they’d just as easily find Jimmy’s. Jimmy directed them to a garage in Petworth where they could switch cars. He got out and opened the steel door to the garage and Jack drove the car inside.

  There was a shower in the washroom and Jimmy used it quickly. He changed into some jeans and a sweater that he took out of a steel locker. There were a couple of cars there they could use and they chose an old Ford pickup because it was the strongest, if not the fastest, vehicle available.

  Jack and April were alone in the garage while Jimmy changed.

  —They really mean business, these guys, Jack said.

  April nodded. She knew she looked scared but she couldn’t help it.

  —Listen. We’re going to help you, Jack said. These guys think they hold all the cards but they really don’t. Jimmy and I have dealt with our share of trouble and I can tell you, there’s a limit to their power.

  —What do you mean?

  —Well, Jack said. At the end of the day, they’re just a bunch of lawyers. Everything they want done, they’ve got to convince someone to do it for them. They can’t actually do much themselves. The only thing they’ve got on their side is money and they’re about to realize that there are limits to what money can get done when you really get down to it.

  —They have my children.

  —Don’t worry, April. I promise you we’re going to do something about it. Your kids are in a school right?

  —Last I heard.

  Jack nodded. —We’ll get them back for you.

  April tried to hold it together but a lone tear fell across one of her cheeks.

  —And what then?

  —We’ll figure something out, Jack said. We can fix this.

  —I hope so, April said.

  She didn’t know how it would all work out. Even if they could get her children out of the school, where could they take them? The firm had sent armed men to Jack’s house in a matter of hours. How would she ever be able to live any kind of life with her daughters when Walter and Herb and the firm had that sort of power?