She sipped her coffee. “Actually, it wasn’t. In fact, it was embarrassing. I can’t tell you how many people overheard the conversation, but even if one person overheard it on that ship and at that party, all of Manhattan knows by now and I’m probably a laughingstock—something I never deserved.”
“Diana—”
“Shut up, Eric. Just shut up. Are you as tired of your voice as I am? After all I’ve done for you, you at least owe me the courtesy of sitting there and listening.”
He decided to stay quiet.
“You said you bought that jewelry for me because you loved me. How do you think it makes me feel knowing that your love is a farce?” She didn’t wait for an answer because she didn’t want another lie. She moved to the next subject. “You told me that you quit Redman International. You told me that because you were no longer seeing Celina, it was too difficult for you to continue working there and so you quit. Quit. I believed you because I always considered you an honest man. But you’re not. An hour ago, Sam Mitchell said that George terminated you. I want to know why.”
“That’s none of your business.”
She willed herself to remain calm. “If you lied to me, then it is my business. I’ve invested a lot of time and concern and love in you. I was beaten in your apartment by two men who wanted to hurt you for a reason you somehow can’t explain. If it wasn’t for me, you’d probably still be lying in your own blood. If I hadn’t called in a number of favors, your name still would be at the top of the tabloids. You owe me the truth and you’re going to spill it. If you don’t, you can get out of here and out of my life. It’s really that simple.”
Eric reached for his crutches, struggled to his feet and moved to the windows that were at the opposite end of the room. He looked out at the city while she looked at him.
She deserved the truth. But how could he tell her that what began as a terrible mistake during the night of Redman International’s opening had snowballed into a nightmare he couldn’t let go of until Leana Redman paid for what she did to him?
The doctors still were not sure if he would regain full use of his leg. The damage done to his muscles and nerves was more severe than they originally thought. It was only right that Leana pay and he planned on going forward with that. Still, he had to tell Diana something. She now was the only person he could count on. Without an apartment or an income, how would he survive? Lawsuits were coming. At the very least, he needed her guidance.
He moved in her direction. “It’s true,” he said. “I was fired from Redman International.”
“Why?”
“Because I was stupid.”
“What a surprise. How stupid?”
“I almost slept with Leana the night of Redman International’s opening. We would have gone through with it, but I was so drunk, I couldn’t get it up.” He reclaimed his seat. “Is that frank enough for you? She was putting me to bed and telling me to forget about my limp cock when Celina stepped into the room. We were in George and Elizabeth’s penthouse. How she found us there is obvious. Someone tipped her off.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Diana said. The tone of her voice dropped the temperature in the room a good ten degrees.
“It meant nothing, Diana. We were both drunk and angry at life and Celina. It was a mistake.”
“A rather large one, I’d say.” And the room dropped another ten degrees.
“Celina must have told George,” Eric said. “And then he fired me. That’s all.”
“Who attacked us that night?”
“That I don’t know. It could have been anyone. It could have been a burglary.”
“Oh, please,” she said—and the room started to heat up. “It wasn’t a burglary and you know it. Nothing was missing from your apartment. I checked on that the day after you were admitted to the hospital. Those men somehow slipped past security and entered your apartment, which was locked. The police reports show that the door was not opened with force and that the lock wasn’t picked. Whoever did it had a key.”
A silence passed.
“Tell me the truth,” she said. “Who did it?”
Friends of Leana’s. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Do you honestly believe I’d let whoever did this to me—to us—get away with it if I knew who they were? Give me a break, for Christ’s sake. If I knew who was responsible for shattering my fucking leg, Diana, I’d bypass the police and take care of them myself.”
At least that rang true. “You’ve got to have some idea,” she said.
“Take your pick,” he said. “I’ve pissed off a lot of people during my years at Redman International. I’ve made a lot of enemies, especially while working on the deal with WestTex. You know that as well as I do. It could be anyone.”
She leaned back in her chair. So, maybe he didn’t know. Did she care? She didn’t know that either and a part of her hated herself for not knowing. She finished the last of her coffee and poured another cup. “So, what are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?” Eric said. “I was hoping I could stay here.”
“I’ll bet you were.”
“Only until my apartment is repaired.”
“Really?” she said. “That’s presumptuous. And fixing your apartment will take months. I don’t see it happening. I don’t see you here.” She nodded at the jewelry. “Sell those. That should put a roof over your head.”
“I need your help.”
“I know you do.”
“I’d like to stay here.”
“Tell me,” she said. “How do you plan on paying for the repairs on your apartment? You have hospital bills to pay, lawyer fees to pay and, if you lose the case, a ruined van Gogh, two botched Monets and destroyed Henry VIII furniture to buy. I don’t see how you’re going to pay for the apartment, Eric, let alone the rest of it.”
“Looks like I’m going to have to get a job.”
She wanted to laugh. “Well, God knows you’re a catch, Eric. Naturally, any reasonable person will overlook the fact that George sent you packing, they’ll overlook the headlines you’ve been making, and they’ll just hire you just because you’re the great Eric Parker.”
“One man will.”
“And who is that?”
“You’ve seen the roses Louis Ryan has been sending me. He obviously wants me at Manhattan Enterprises. He’s also got as much money as George—and we all know how those two feel about each other. If I play my cards right, I might get myself out of this mess completely.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“Do exactly as I say and you won’t get hurt.”
His voice was unnerving. Celina stood at the edge of the footbridge, a bungee cord no larger than the size of her wrist strapped to her ankles, a blindfold covering her eyes. Although she couldn’t see the river twisting below her, she could sense the coolness of the water just as she could sense the sheerness of this height.
She clenched her teeth and waited for her instructions.
“I’m not comfortable with you wearing that blindfold,” the man standing behind her said. His name was Steve Simpson and his company, Vertigo Fever, owned the footbridge they were standing on. “No one’s worn one before—not Jack, not even myself. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Celina removed the blindfold and looked at the man. Although she was nervous about jumping, a part of her even frightened, she tried to appear calm. “That may be so,” she said. “But you’ve told me time and again that this sport is safe.”
“It is safe,” Simpson said.
“Then what difference does wearing a blindfold make?”
“Probably none. But you’re a beginner and it’s a 320-foot drop. I’m not comfortable with it.”
“So, I can’t wear it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I would feel a hell of a lot more comfortable if someone with experience put the blindfold o
n and jumped first—like Jack. That way I can see how it goes and hopefully feel more comfortable with it.”
Celina was about to speak when Jack held up a hand. He looked at Simpson and said with a grin, “I wish I could go first, Steve. But she won’t let me.”
“Won’t let you?”
“That’s right.”
“Why not?”
“Because we tossed a coin before we left the city and it came up heads. She jumps first.”
“I don’t believe this.”
Celina crossed her arms. For a moment, her fear of jumping was replaced by impatience. She wanted this over with. “Believe it,” she said. “Now, can we get on with this? I’m sure these other people would like a chance to jump.”
Simpson looked at the group of twelve other jumpers who were waiting behind them, saw the impatience on their faces and made his decision. “Forget it,” he said to Celina. “Either you jump without the blindfold, or you don’t jump at all.”
Celina felt her face flush. This was ridiculous! What harm was there in wearing a stupid blindfold? Before she could protest, a tall man with dark hair and sharp features stepped away from the group of other jumpers and said, “I have a suggestion.”
Celina looked at the man. He was wearing a black T-shirt, white shorts and dark sunglasses. He looked familiar to her, though she hadn’t noticed him on the walk up. “What’s that?” she asked.
“Why don’t I jump first? I’m experienced, you’ll still be able to jump before your friend and I’ll wear the blindfold so Steve here can judge for himself if it’s safe.”
Celina turned to Steve. “Well?” she said. “What do you think?”
“Depends on how long he’s been jumping.”
“Two years,” Vincent Spocatti said. “At a park in Texas.”
* * *
“My partner is in a raft anchored beneath the bridge,” Simpson said to Spocatti. “If you lean forward, you can see him.”
Spocatti gripped the footbridge’s wooden handrail, leaned forward and saw bobbing in the river an orange raft that seated eight. The man sitting in it waved up to them. Although it was difficult to tell from this height, the man looked half Spocatti’s size.
“You about ready?” Simpson asked.
Spocatti nodded.
“Take a deep breath if you’re nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.”
Simpson had noticed this. Even experienced jumpers started to sweat a little when it came time to jump. This one would be wearing a blindfold for the first time—and yet he seemed absolutely cool.
“You sure you want to wear that blindfold?”
Spocatti glanced over at Celina, who was standing behind him with her arm around Jack. She smiled at him. He smiled back, relieved she hadn’t recognized him from the opening of The Redman International Building. He supposed the sunglasses, strapped to his head, helped.
“I’m sure,” he said.
“Then let’s do it.”
Simpson knelt, wrapped a nylon strap around Spocatti’s ankles, pulled it tight and snapped a series of buckles. While the bungee was being hooked to the strap, Spocatti glanced downriver. Parked in a discreet clearing next to one of the park’s many dirt roads, two of his men were waiting for him in a Range Rover.
Simpson stood and slapped him on the back, indicating it was time to jump. Holding onto the railing with one hand, Spocatti lowered the blindfold with the other. With the sudden darkness, his senses became acute. He could hear the river roiling beneath him, the cry of a crow flying overhead. Against his thigh, he could feel the small pocketknife he had zipped into one of his pockets.
If Celina gave him too much trouble, he would carve her a new necklace.
“I’m going to count down from five,” Simpson said. “When I’m finished, I want you to dive out as far as you can. Understand?”
Spocatti nodded.
The countdown began.
When Simpson reached zero, Spocatti pushed off the bridge without hesitation and plummeted to the river in a graceful arc. Celina moved forward with the crowd and watched. His arms outstretched, his head lifted high, Spocatti seemed to be flying—then the bungee went taut and cracked him like a whip.
He didn’t scream or yell or shout. There was no whoop of joy or exhilaration. He simply shot back toward the bridge and began to bounce. It was over in less than a minute. He was lowered to the raft.
When the bungee and blindfold were pulled back, Simpson looked at Celina. Her face was pale. She was squeezing Jack’s arm with one hand, swatting a mosquito with the other.
“I’m satisfied,” he said. “You next?”
“Is that even a question?” Celina asked. “Piece of cake.”
“Try to concentrate,” Simpson said to her. “Push everything from your mind and think only of the jump. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise you that. Soon you’ll be safe in the raft and wearing what we jumpers call the post-bungee grin.”
Although she heard little of what he said, Celina took a deep breath and nodded. Once again, she was standing at the edge of the footbridge, holding onto the rail behind her with tightly clenched hands. In the raft below, Spocatti and Simpson’s assistant were looking up. They seemed a thousand miles away.
Celina put the blindfold in place and wondered why she was doing this. Why did she always have to prove to herself and to others that she was every bit as strong, every bit as brave, every bit as smart as a man? So, I need therapy. Great.
She felt a hand on her arm. “Are you all right?” Jack asked.
“I’m fine,” she lied.
“You sure you want to go through with this?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Want to have lunch with me later?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“I love you,” he said.
Celina gave a start. She couldn’t have heard him right. But when he squeezed her arm and gently kissed her cheek, she knew she had. He loves me, she thought. If there’d been time, she would have told him that she loved him too. But before she could, Jack stepped aside so Simpson could strap the bungee to her ankles.
“Okay, Celina,” he said. “I’m going to count down from five. Just jump out as far as you can and the cord will do the rest. You ready?”
She nodded.
“All right, then. Here we go.”
And he began to count.
Celina’s mind whirled. With each number spoken, she felt her heart beat a little faster, her breathing become a little shallower, her hands grip the rail a little tighter. She wondered what would happen if the cord broke. She thought of the raft and the security it represented. She thought of her father, her mother and even Leana. She thought of last night with Jack, of the words he just spoke to her. And then, at the same moment Simpson shouted “Jump!” and she leapt into the air, she realized she had to pee.
It was a nightmare.
The wind whipped through her hair and snatched the blindfold from her face. She saw trees, rocks and water racing toward her. Her stomach lurched. Her bladder went. The world blurred. And the bungee went taut.
She stopped just short of hitting the river, there was an instant when her eyes met Spocatti’s, and then she was being catapulted away from him and the attendant and the raft, toes first, toward the bridge—where she began to plummet again.
When the bouncing finally stopped and the attendant helped her into the raft, Spocatti took her by the hand and led her to one of the wooden seats, where she sat, exhausted.
“Fun, isn’t it?” he asked.
Celina was about to say it hadn’t been fun at all—it had been horrifying—when Spocatti suddenly slipped, fell hard against the side of the raft and capsized it, sending them all into the water.
* * *
“Something’s wrong,” Jack said. “They’re in the water. The raft’s upside down.”
Simpson joined him at the rail and leaned forward as far as he could. In the river below, he could see only the swiftly moving water and the
anchored, upturned raft.
No bodies.
“I don’t see Celina,” Jack said. “Where is she?”
Simpson could only stare as those waiting to jump joined them at the rail.
“Where the hell is your attendant, Steve? Where’s the man who jumped first?”
“I don’t see them.”
Jack climbed quickly over the rail. “Strap the other bungee to my ankles.”
“Jack—”
“Move!”
Simpson did as he was told, moving like an automaton while his mind tried to make sense of the situation. “I don’t like this,” he said to Jack as he pulled the nylon strap tight. “It’s dangerous. There’s no one down there to release you.”
“I’ll release myself. Just get me down there.”
He looked at the strap, then at the fraying bungee cord that was attached to it and coiled beside him. “Ready?” he said to Steve.
At the same instant Simpson nodded, Jack jumped.
* * *
She was trapped beneath the raft, her legs tangled in the rope that was attached to the anchor.
Her mouth was barely above the rushing water. Her breathing was sharp with fright.
She held onto the wooden seat above her so she wouldn’t be pulled under by the current or by the weight of the anchor.
Below her, Spocatti and Simpson’s assistant, Alex Stevens, were trying to free her. With each tug on the rope that bound her legs, her hands slipped a little on the slick seat. She held on as tightly as she could, knowing that if she let go, she would have little strength to fight the anchor as it pulled her down.
There was another tug on the rope. And another. Celina closed her eyes and prayed as her hands slipped and she sank a little deeper into the river.
The water level flowed over her mouth, cutting off her breath for an instant until she remembered she could breathe through her nose. She let out a small cry of despair and her mouth filled with water. She choked on it and began to cough. She struggled against what she feared was the inevitable.
The Fifth Avenue Series Boxed Set Page 26