He grabbed the bed remote with his free hand and motored the mattress a few degrees more upright. The bandage around his head was smaller than the initial wrap; the blackness around his eyes more purple and yellow than black, an indication that the contusions were healing.
“Doc says that if all is well, in another two days, I’m outta here.” He announced.
“But you still have to rest.”
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, before his mood suddenly turned dark.
“What?” Nikki asked as she saw the change.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
“Yes there is. That whole night. It was all my idea. And Scott…” He trailed off, looking off towards the window. She was about to say something when he turned back.
“If you would have gotten in that car.”
“But I didn’t.”
“I know.”
The question hung in the air, and Ben finally voiced it.
“That guy. The one who told you specifically not to get in Scott’s car. Who was he? How did he know?”
“I don’t know.” She replied, “but I’m going to find out.” She added in her thoughts.
“His face has been stuck in my head. The whole time I was out. Like this weird dream.” Ben continued.
“That’s because it was one of the last things that happened to you before-”
“He saved your life.” He cut her off. “I’d really like to find him. And thank him.”
His last words stopped her. She hadn’t thought of it that way. She realized that her anger and guilt had framed his act as suspicious, making him an easy target to blame for what happened.
“All I know is that you’re going to get better bro, I’ll take care of you, and in no time, things will be back to normal.” She finally responded.
“No.” He replied. “Things will not go back to normal. Everything’s changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’ve changed. I’ve got to get my shit together. I’ve been given a second chance here, and I’m not going to waste it.” He looked her in the eye.
“I’ve got to be more like you.”
“I don’t think that’s such a great idea. Being me is not all that it’s cracked up to be.” She replied, smiling weakly, moved by his words and trying very hard not to cry.
“I didn’t say, “be” you. I don’t think I’m capable of that. I said be more “like” you.”
He squeezed her hand.
“I think we both can grow from this experience. What do you say?”
“Do I have to take a Yoga class?” She joked.
“Not if you don’t want to.”
“Then it’s a deal.”
She leaned over to give her brother a hug, when a knock at the door interrupted. They both turned to look at the source and saw Michael Kittner standing in the doorframe.
Nikki immediately got to her feet.
“Michael.”
“Hi Nikki. I came straight from the airport.”
He entered the room and looked at Ben.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re okay.”
“Thanks.” Ben replied, the tone in his voice less than enthusiastic, making no attempt to hide his disdain for Kittner.
Nikki looked at her brother, unsure what to say, when he let her off the hook.
“I think I’m going to rest a bit. Why don’t you two grab lunch or something.”
“Okay.” She replied. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“I’ll come back in about an hour, check on you.”
“Sounds good,” He answered, before watching his sister and her ex-boss and ex-boyfriend leave his room.
• • •
Michael Kittner smiled at Nikki as they sat on a park bench just outside of the hospital entrance.
“Say what you have to say.” She told him, her arms crossed in front of her, her anger at Michael palpable in her voice.
“Nikki, don’t be like this.”
She didn’t reply.
Kittner gathered his thoughts before he spoke.
“Look, like I said on the phone, I’m sorry, I was wrong. You were right, I was mad at you for rejecting me, and I had just lost everything. But that’s no excuse. I still love you Nikki, and I want the best for you. And that’s what I think this opportunity is.”
She looked at him.
“Your brother is going to get better, and thank God, because that’s what matters most. But when he does, you have to go on living. I know you’re emotional right now, but eventually you’re going to have to look at this objectively. You’re going to have to get back to work.”
Nikki bit her tongue. She wanted to respond to his assumptions about her mental state, and what “she should do”, but knew she had to have patience. She would wait until after he made his offer.
“You have a gift, Nikki. Trading is in your blood. No one is better.”
“Is this about Phoebe?” She blurted out.
“No. This is about living your dreams. This is about taking care of your family. You could become a very wealthy woman. And as much as you may think I’m a mercenary for being open about it, we both know that without money, life is very hard. Just think of the good you could do, if you had the resources.”
He paused for a moment, to let that sink in.
“Now, the individual who put me in charge of this fund, has authorized me to offer you ten million dollars, up front, to sign on for just one year. It won’t count against your commissions and it’s win or lose. No one gets that kind of offer these days, Nikki.”
“Who is this individual?”
“I can only say if you take the offer.”
“Is that it? Are you finished?” She asked.
“It’s a second chance, Nikki. To have everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Nikki mulled over her response.
“Ten million dollars is a lot of money.” She started. “And it’s a generous offer. But I realize now that one thing the events of the last two weeks have changed in me is that I’m no longer afraid of the world. Or lack of resources. Because after watching bodies burn, my boyfriend turn on me over lost profit, and how fragile life is, I can no longer pursue money for money’s sake. Yes, money is important. But like you say, I have gifts. And I have faith in those gifts, and I may not know the exact direction yet, but I’m going to use them to build something important. So I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to pass.”
Kittner sat back, stunned, baffled, and unsure what to say.
“Are you serious?” He finally asked.
“Very.”
He steepled his hands in front of his face, wrapping his fingers together, trying to think of another angle. This wasn’t like her. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why she was turning down the offer and babbling such nonsense. It was such an obvious choice to him. He took a deep breath, trying not to get frustrated.
“I understand. It’s too soon. I apologize.” He said, slow and measured. “Just promise me…” He hesitated because the words he was saying echoed all too familiar.
“Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
“Go back to New York, Michael.”
The sound of her phone ringing interrupted them.
“Excuse me, I have to check this.” She said as she pulled the phone from her purse and glanced at the caller ID. She didn’t recognize the number, and would normally let it go to voice mail. But right now, she was looking for anything to distract her from this conversation, so she decided to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Ms. Ellis?”
“Speaking.”
“It’s detective Miller, from the LAPD. I may have some good news for you regarding your brother’s case.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“I know it’s short notice, but maybe you could meet me for lunch to discuss?”
And there it is,
she thought. If she needed any leverage to get close to Alex Luthecker, this would be the opportunity.
“Sure.” She answered.
“Really? Wow. Okay. Café Venice? One O’Clock?” He replied, notable surprise in his voice.
“Okay. I’ll meet you there.” She answered, before hanging up.
“Who was that?” Kittner asked, with more than a bit of curiosity.
“The police. They have information regarding my brother’s accident, and want to discuss it with me. I have to go.”
She stood up and he did with her. She kissed him on the cheek, and gave him a long hug.
“It was good to see you. And thank you, for everything you’ve done for me. I still love you, and I wish you nothing but the best.” She said, with the melancholy of finality in her voice.
“Just…think about it.” Was all Kittner could think of to say.
She didn’t answer, and instead grabbed his hand one last time before turning away, walking back towards the hospital entrance. She didn’t look back, and let out a sigh of relief as she entered the hospital. It seemed so odd to her now, the complete turn about in her feelings, the abrupt absence of closeness to Michael. Three years ago, she would have found his direct logic and persistent manner attractive, and would have said yes on the spot. It didn’t mean she had no doubts about turning him down. She wanted to sound strong, and was prepared to reject him no matter what he said, but in the back of her mind, she wondered if she was being objective, or she was simply being angry and emotional. Ten million dollars really was a lot of money. Maybe Michael was right- maybe it was too soon. She decided that she should be open to the possibility in the future, but wouldn’t think about it until her brother was back on his feet.
Kittner watched her as she walked through the doors and back into the hospital. He had to admit, he was taken aback by her response. How on Earth could she refuse such a lucrative position? The Nikki he knew would have jumped at the chance. He knew it was her emotions talking, and remained confident that she would come around before too long. Where else would she go? He asked himself. He pulled out his cell phone as he walked towards the line of yellow cabs just past the entrance of the hospital, and flagged one down. His new boss Richard Brown wanted regular updates. He would tell him that he needed a few more days.
• • •
Nikki arrived at Café Venice to find Miller waiting. He sat in a corner table, scanning the menu. He looked up as she approached, saw her, and smiled. He got to his feet.
“Miss Ellis. It’s good to see you.” He greeted, as he warmly shook her hand.
“Likewise. And it’s Nikki.”
“Well then please, call me Philip.”
They sat down across from one another. Nikki immediately picked up the menu and began looking over the options.
“I’ve never been here before. What’s good?” She asked, trying to keep the conversation light.
“Pretty much everything.” He answered.
Nikki nodded, smiled, and hid back behind the menu. She hated doing this, working her sex appeal to her advantage, in order to get something she wanted. She despised it when other women did it, and now she found herself in the same predicament. But this was the only angle she had. For some reason Luthecker was in her head, even more so after the last conversations with her brother and Michael. As her brother’s condition had improved, she had begun to think about that night more and more, and the bizarre encounter with this stranger. She was a bit surprised to find herself becoming obsessed with meeting him. And if Miller could put her in the room with him, safely, she thought, she would suck it up and play the age-old game.
“I hear your brother is doing much better.”
From behind the menu, Nikki took a deep breath, painted on a smile, and lowered the menu like a veil.
“He is. It looks like he’ll make a full recovery.”
“That’s fantastic, Nikki. I’m happy for you.”
She tried not to wince at the inflection of familiarity he put on her name.
“Thank you.”
“So what’s next for you?”
Let the games begin, she thought.
“I’m not sure yet. I’m still deciding.”
“Well, if you choose to stay in Los Angeles, I’d be honored to show you the latest and greatest of our fine City.”
Nikki closed her eyes for a full second before carefully putting down her menu. Never in her life could she play this game, and she wasn’t about to start today, she decided.
“Detective Miller, I have to be honest -- “
“Please; call me Philip.”
“Philip, I’m going through a lot right now. I just got out of a relationship, and between my brother’s accident and deciding what’s next for myself, I’m not looking for anything romantic. And I just wanted to be honest about that up front.”
“Um. Okay.” Miller replied, unsure what else to say.
“But I really could use a friend.”
Miller looked at Nikki, and saw the sincerity in her eyes. It was instinctive in Miller to help people, and in dealing with women, that usually meant becoming a friend. As much as he wished differently, Miller really wasn’t that much of a player, and he knew it.
“Well, Ms. Ellis, that I can be. You have my word as a gentlemen.”
“Thank you.” She replied, relief palpable in her voice. “I really appreciate that. And please; it’s Nikki.” She added. “So. You said you had some information? About my brother’s accident? About Alex Luthecker?”
“Yes. I do.”
He did an instinctive glance at the other tables before continuing.
“This is confidential.”
“I’ll keep it that way. You have my word.”
“Good. Now, again I can’t tell you why, but this guy is really important to the higher-ups. I have a good friend who works for the Arizona Highway Patrol, and he said that they know where he is. He was right on the guy’s tail, but he was told rather strongly to back off. That means they have him in their sights, and they’re bringing in someone serious. And they want to keep it quiet. But they’re going to have to process him through Los Angeles, through my department, because the nightclub owner filed an incident report, and Luthecker was mentioned. It’s a pain in the ass formality, but these guys really want to get at Luthecker without any problems, so they’re smart enough to not get the paperwork wrong. But I assure you, they’re not going to keep him at the precinct for very long.”
“How will you know when he arrives?”
“I’m tracking him. I got my buddy in Arizona watching what they do there. And I got my people in the P.D. that will let me know when he arrives in Los Angeles.”
“And you can get me in to see him?”
“No. No direct contact. But I might be able to get you a look at him. I can say that you need to confirm his ID from that evening in the night club, so I can close out the DUI case.”
“But I need to actually see him.”
“That can’t happen. This guy is allegedly dangerous, and the Homeland Security guys, or whatever they’re calling themselves these days, want very limited access to him.”
“But you could do it, right? Get me in the room with him? All I need is a couple minutes.”
Miller studied Nikki for a moment.
“Why is this so important to you?”
“I don’t know. I just can’t get his face out of my head. I mean, why did he single me out that night, and tell me not to get into the car? How in the hell did he know it was going to crash?”
“I’ve been a police officer for fifteen years, and I’ve seen a lot of things that just can’t be explained.”
“This is different.”
“I don’t think so, Nikki.”
“Do you know what it is I do for a living?”
“You’re a Wall Street executive.”
“No. I’m not that at all. I create algorithms. Computer modeling programs that look for patterns of predictability, in nearly a
ny system. I’ve been very successful at it, although it’s dawned on me as of late that I’ve been applying it to the wrong things.”
“So?”
“So there’s something about Alex Luthecker. He’s this random data point in my life that stepped in and saved it. Now he’s either in on the car crash, and a criminal and deserves to be in jail, or there’s something very special about him.”
“And you think you can find out by spending a couple minutes in a room with him?”
“I don’t know why, but yes. I do.”
“Then that’s exactly why you can’t be in the room with him. You’re just being seduced by the unexplainable. It happens. I’ve seen it before. Don’t worry, we have officers that are trained to deal with these questions.”
“But they won’t get the chance to ask him, will they? You said it yourself, that these “Homeland Security guys, or whatever the hell they are”, are just going to take him a way, and chances are he’ll never be heard from him again. Doesn’t it that bother you, that they can step all over your department, and scoop up this guy, no questions asked?”
Miller didn’t answer right away.
“It doesn’t matter.” He finally said. Miller hadn’t thought of it this way, but now that he did, he realized that he was bothered by it.
“Look; I don’t know this guy, but he sounds an awful lot like the Charles Manson type. Men like that do have something unique about them, this charm that somehow enables them to get people to change their behavior, and do things that they normally wouldn’t; and more often than not, it’s very bad things.”
“Maybe. But Manson didn’t predict car accidents just before they happened.”
“Like I said, I’ve seen stranger things.”
“Then why is “Homeland Security, or whatever the hell they are,” after him?”
“He’s a terrorist.”
“What did he do?”
“I don’t know exactly. Something about a bomb in Los Angeles, three years ago. They won’t give us any details.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’m sorry Nikki. I can get you a look. And that’s only because I like you. But there’s no way I’m going to put you in a room with him.”
Nikki saw that she had pressed him as far as she could. For now.
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