by M T Stone
“Awww, that was the most excitement I’ve had in months,” Nana says with a genuine look of disappointment, holding Misty in her left arm.
“Yeah, it was just getting good,” Vanessa, adds, waving her hand at Anthony.
“You’re such a fun killer, Anthony,” I tease him as he looks around in bewilderment.
“Whatever!” Anthony rolls his eyes and holsters his weapon. “Where is Crusher?”
“Silvia wanted to run an errand, so he went with her,” Bolt answers. “I think she has a crush on him or something.”
Trey clears his throat, looking up at the ceiling. “You are talking about my mother for God’s sake.”
Everyone breaks out laughing, including me. “She is a single woman,” I remind him. “Although, Dad is probably going to be pretty jealous if he hears about this.”
“Yeah, he’ll be hopping the next flight.” Trey laughs, along with the rest of us.
Trey
Hearing the laughter, Aileen and Nolan come out into common area. Nolan looks like he hasn’t had much sleep and Aileen looks even worse. She still has the same smudged eyeliner that she was wearing yesterday and her hair is starting to look matted.
“On top of everything else, Mom is driving us insane,” Aileen says as she shuffles toward us. “Please tell me it’s safe for us to go home.”
“When Crusher gets back, I’ll have Gator escort you home,” Anthony tells her, reaching out to put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure she wants to make arrangements, so that’s understandable.”
“Unless you’re Irish, you don’t know the half of it,” she says with a small sigh. “She’s very traditional and the fact that she isn’t by Dad’s side and preparing for the wake is driving her nuts.”
“Tell her to get her things ready,” Anthony reaffirms, leading to a look of relief from both Aileen and Nolan.
“Do you think we’re safe at this point?” Nolan asks as soon as Aileen disappears from view.
“No, I don’t,” Anthony, replies bluntly. “We need another day or two for everything to resolve. That’s why Gator will be staying with you.” Gator comes over to join the two men.
“Good,” Nolan says, wringing his hands. “I don’t want to end up in another dumpster. I had to throw away those clothes.” He literally cringes at the thought.
“Yeah, you were definitely ripe,” Anthony acknowledges with shake of his head. “They should’ve used you in a Febreze commercial. Of all the places I’ve been, few things can compete with a dumpster at an Asian Market after a warm day.”
“On that note, how is Tyler doing?” I ask Vanessa after noticing his absence.
“I honestly don’t know,” she says with a crack in her voice. “He stopped taking the antidepressants because they were making him feel weird.”
“So he is acting more like his old self?” I ask, hoping to find some glimmer of hope.
“The anger is back, but he’s acting like he is in high school.” She gives me an unsettled look. “He stayed up until three o’clock playing video games last night and hasn’t gotten out of bed yet.”
That’s exactly what he did when he was in high school,” I comment, thinking back to how annoyed Mom used to get with him. “As soon as his football career was over, he blew everything off and would just play video games for hours and hours.”
“I don’t think that’s uncommon for someone who has had a brain trauma,” Bolt says after overhearing our conversation. “Immature behavior and personality changes are pretty normal. If someone had hostility prior to the injury, it can be magnified dramatically. I’ve seen guys get really nasty after brain trauma.”
“Can you imagine if something like that happened to Crusher?” Gator asks, just as the elevator dings and the doors open. Crusher and Mom step out of the elevator, shopping bags hanging from both of his hands.
“What?” he asks, coming to a stop in front of Anthony.
“Nothing,” Anthony replies. “We were just talking about brain injuries and you showed up. At least I see you are making yourself useful.”
“Oh, he’s great to go shopping with,” Silvia gushes, placing her hand on his arm. “Much more accommodating than my boys ever were.” She scowls in in my direction.
“Yeah, you go with her to Paris and Milan, then we’ll talk,” I reply giving Crusher a sideways glance. “Besides, he’s about four times the size we were and we would end up carrying a dozen bags each.”
“You are so full of crap!” Mom bursts out laughing. “Come on Crusher, let’s go order you some lunch.”
We all look at one another, as Crusher strides into Dad’s condo with Mom in tow, giggling like a schoolgirl with a crush. “Is there actually something going on with those two?” Mandy whispers, asking what each of us is thinking.
“Well, if I were a few decades younger,” Nana giggles, reaching out to give Gator a pinch. Her dog, Misty, gives Nana a look of disapproval.
“On that note, Gator, you get the keys from Crusher and take Nolan, Aileen and her mother to the Gleason home,” Anthony instructs. “We are headed to the SEC office to see what they’ve put together regarding Tommy,” he says, nodding to Mandy and me.
“Why? What’s going on?” Nolan asks. His statement grabs the attention of both Becky and Vanessa as well, who draw closer to us.
“Tommy diluted you and the other shareholders just prior to selling you his stake and it was never properly disclosed,” Mandy explains to them in a nutshell. “One of my colleagues is pulling all the relevant documents and building a case file for me. We want to see if there is enough to pursue a criminal case or if it’s just a matter of an ethical violation. Either way, you guys should be entitled to a nice refund to compensate for the dilution,” she explains to Nolan.
“Oh my God, that would be great,” he says letting out a huge sigh. “Maybe we would all be able to sleep again.”
“Would he be able to stay on as CEO of Addison Media?” Vanessa asks. Becky leans in wanting to hear Mandy’s answer.
“If there is criminal wrong doing, he will definitely lose his job,” she tells them. “If it’s simply an ethical issue, it will be up to the board of directors to decide.”
“I don’t think he will be with us much longer,” I assure everyone. “Even if he hasn’t committed an actual crime, this whole Firefly Media thing stinks to high heaven.” I turn to Nolan. “Regardless of what happens, I’m going to help you guys get that mess all straightened out. Dad and Bill were good friends for years, so it’s something that he would have done for him.”
Nolan stands there speechless for a moment, chocking back his emotions. “Aileen and her mother will be very relieved. Thank you, Trey.” He reaches out to shake my hand, so I shake his and pull him in for a hug. If anyone ever looked like they needed a hug, it was he. “Now go home and get some rest.”
“Will the rest of you just hang tight for the time being?” Anthony asks the group. “Bolt and Crusher will be hanging out here, so if we can keep everyone together for another twenty-four or forty-eight hours, that will be great.”
Everyone begrudgingly agrees to stay put for now. Obviously everyone would like to get back to a sense of normalcy, but their safety is much more important. “We’ll stop back tomorrow morning and give everyone an update. Hopefully by then we will have located Carly and have a handle on things,” I tell them before going into Dad’s condo to rouse Tyler before leaving. I make my way back to his old bedroom and have an eerie flashback as I crack the door and enter the dimly lit room.
“Are you getting up today?” I ask, cracking the blind to let in some daylight. “It’s after noon, Tyler. It’s a gorgeous day.”
“Why can’t everyone just leave me the fuck alone?” he groans, sounding just like the dickhead who had blamed me for Dad’s death.
“I just came in to say hello and see how you are doing,” I reply, trying to go easy on him. Dr. Novacek had warned us that we would have to very understanding, because he his brain had bee
n through a very traumatic experience.
“Oh, I’m doing fucking great,” he sneers, giving me a look of death. “My knee hurts like a mother fucker, I can’t have any pain pills and I don’t even remember the bitch who keeps telling me she’s my fiancée.”
“You are going to have surgery as soon as possible,” I tell him, grabbing an ice pack from the cooler and placing it on his knee. “You and Vanessa have been together since you were a senior in high school. She helped you get through the pain the first time.”
“Since high school?” he asks with a horrified look on his face. “Well then, I think it’s about time for someone new.” He shakes his head and looks as if he can’t believe he had spent nearly a decade with her. “Being around her makes me so fucking angry and I don’t even know why!”
“I’ll let you rest,” I tell him, leaving before his temper escalates any further. “I’ll stop by and check on you tomorrow.” I turn toward the door and see Vanessa standing outside of the room. Judging by the look on her face, it’s apparent that she is mustering all of her strength to keep from bursting into tears.
“He’ll come around,” I whisper, putting my arm around her and giving her a one-armed hug. “They’ll have to adjust his meds. He’ll be fine.”
“Nothing is going to be fine,” she whispers, pulling me away from Tyler’s doorway. “I can’t go through this again. I thought it would get better, but it’s actually getting worse. He is so angry with me… I can’t take it anymore.”
“We’ll talk to Dr. Novacek and see if he will adjust his meds,” I reason with her. “You’re pregnant and I think it’s just a matter of getting his mind and memory straightened out.”
“I still love him, but I can’t do this anymore,” she replies, seeming to want to drop the topic. “But, I’ll give Dr. Novacek a call.”
“Okay, I’ll touch base with you tomorrow to see what he suggests. We’re going to stop by in the morning and give everyone an update,” I tell her, moving toward the doorway. “Stay strong and we’ll all get through this. Mandy and I have a date with an SEC investigator,” I tell her, glancing at my watch. Walking away, I am hoping that today isn’t an example of what Tyler is going to be like going forward. It will be miserable for both Mom and Vanessa.
CHAPTER 16
M andy
Trey seems a little bummed out after we retrieve the SUV from the valet and head south toward the SEC regional headquarters. I’m excited to see what they have dug up on Tommy and whether or not it can be extended to a criminal case. He has rubbed me the wrong way since the first night we met, as well as in every encounter ever since.
“Tyler was a total asshole today,” Trey finally says after riding in silence for several blocks. “He actually said that its time for a new girlfriend and Vanessa heard him say it.”
“He probably didn’t realize what he was saying,” I speculate, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. He has been through a lot.
“It would be one thing if he used to be a nice guy and had become an asshole after being poisoned,” he responds, turning back toward the window. “But he’s been an asshole ever since he hit puberty.”
“We’ll soon be done here and then you won’t have to deal with him much,” I reply, knowing full well that it’s not true. If they are the two majority owners of Addison Media, they are pretty much tied together.
Trey rolls his eyes and glares at me. “Do you really believe that?”
“No. I was just trying to make you feel better,” I tell him, giving him an innocent smile and scooting closer to him. “I’m just excited to get some dirt on Tommy.”
“Yeah, I knew that’s why you’re in such a good mood,” he replies, placing his hand on my thigh and looking into my eyes. “I know he’s dirty and I know he’s very smart, but I think you’re smarter… so hopefully we can nail him to the wall.”
“You might want to focus a little more on Carly,” Anthony declares after checking a message on his phone. “Apparently, Agent Mitchell was able to track down two large transfers from her account, one of which went to an Eastern European bank.” He pauses for a moment before continuing his thought. “Son of a bitch, maybe it is The Ghost.” He checks both side mirrors, before peering back at us through the rear view mirror.
“You just got paranoid, didn’t you?” Trey asks him with a hint of sarcasm.
“If you had ever seen any of the man’s work, you would be more than just paranoid,” Anthony replies with a stoic expression. “The guy would string up his own mother and not think twice about it.” He stares back at us for another couple of seconds before focusing his attention back on the road.
A chill runs through me as his words soak in. I’m suddenly glad that Trey bought a bulletproof SUV and we have a decorated Navy Seal Sniper as our chauffer. I think back to the harrowing ride we had the night we met him. We survived that night on sheer luck and the grace of God.
I click to the messages on my phone and send Dad a quick text letting him know that everything is good and that we are going to meet with an SEC investigator. After sending it, I can’t help thinking about the way that Silvia was flirting with Crusher. I don’t think Dad would appreciate it if he saw how she was acting. I have kind of been hoping that those two would end up together. I think they would be good for each other.
Trey
My stomach turns over a bit as we approach a sign that says: SEC Regional Office. It’s weird to think that not long ago Mandy could’ve been coming here to dig up dirt on me. I’m glad things have turned out this way. She has a lot of tenacity; I wouldn’t want her on the opposing side of the table.
“I’m going to park here,” Anthony tells us, pulling into a one-hour parking spot close to the door. “You aren’t going to need more than an hour are you?”
“No,” Mandy tells him. “We will be in and out… twenty minutes tops.”
“Okay, I’ll wait here for you.” He opens the center console and pulls out a black plastic case. “I need to take care of a couple things.”
“Alright,” I respond. “We’ll be back in a bit.” I open the door and step down from the vehicle, reaching back for Mandy’s hand.
“You really are becoming a gentleman,” Mandy says, apparently impressed by my gesture.
“You suck up,” Anthony gives me shit as I close the door. I return an unapologetic look that says, I don’t want to be single for life, like you guys.
Mandy picks up the pace as she struts to the entrance and maintains her stride moving through the revolving door. She turns and heads straight to the elevator that will take us to her colleague.
“Have you been here before?” I ask, as the elevator doors close and the elevator hesitates for a couple seconds before slowly beginning its labored climb.
“Yes, I spent a couple days working here before going with you to Geneva,” she confirms, glancing down at her phone and reading a text message. “It’s Dad, I sent him a quick text earlier.”
“Did you warn him that he now has competition?” I ask her kiddingly.
“No. I don’t want to rile him up or he’ll show up at the door. He’s already chomping at the bit.” She laughs, shaking her head from side to side. “Silvia and Crusher still kill me. It’s about as likely as the Incredible Hulk dating Meryl Streep.”
“I’m not sure if Mom would be flattered or angry by you comparing her to Meryl Streep. I think she’s about fifteen years older,” I tease as the elevator stops and the doors open.
“I’m not saying she looks like her, oh forget it.” She hits me in the arm before exiting the elevator and heading straight to a woman sitting behind a large counter staring at a computer monitor. “I’m here to pick up a package that Vicky Sterling put together for me.”
“May I see your ID?” the woman asks curtly, staring at us over the top of her glasses.
“Sure, I’m Amanda Greyson,” she says, pulling her ID card from her wallet and handing it to the woman. “I’ve been here before. I normally work o
ut of the San Francisco office.”
“Yeah, I thought you looked familiar,” the woman groans, struggling to rise from her chair. “Vicky is in a meeting, but she left this for you.” She plops a large manila envelope onto the desk with a thud. “There is a whole lotta stuff in there.”
“Thank you,” Mandy tells her. “And thank Vicky, too. Tell her I’ll be in touch.” She picks up the envelope and we proceed back out to the hallway. After pressing the elevator button, she unlatches the metal clasp and opens the flap of the envelope, peering inside. “Vicky feels there is a strong case against Tommy,” Mandy mutters after reading the first few lines of the enclosed cover letter.
“That’s actually what I was hoping you would find,” I reply, feeling a bit elated by the idea of taking Tommy to the woodshed. “It will make things much easier for the board of directors.”
“Vicky has all of the proposal documents which contain the falsified accounting. Apparently Bill dropped off a copy of them the day he died.” She looks up and gives me a pensive look. “So much for Tommy thinking that he shredded all of the evidence.”
“Alright, I’m going to give Detective Kelly a call and see if we can get together with he and Agent Mitchell,” I tell her as we begin our decent back to the lobby. “If Tommy found out that Bill was providing documentation to the SEC, that would’ve given him a direct motive to take him out.”
I click Detective Kelly’s number, but it goes right to voicemail. I hang up and wait for a few seconds before trying it again. Once again it clicks right to voicemail, so I decide to try Agent Mitchell instead of leaving a message.
“No answer?” Mandy asks as the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open into the lobby.
“No, I’m going to try Agent Mitchell,” I reply, punching his number.
“Agent Mitchell,” he says, answering on the first ring.
“This is Trey Addison,” I tell him, pushing the lobby door open and allowing Mandy to exit the building ahead of me. “We are just leaving the SEC office and I would like to get together with you and Detective Kelly. Mandy has a huge case file that’s very damaging to Tommy and…” Suddenly, a sharp searing pain shoots through the back of my neck as someone grabs me from behind. I hear Mandy scream, but when I try to turn my head I’m hit by another blast of searing pain.