Five Star Attraction

by Jacquelin Thomas

  “Which it did anyway,” Malcolm said.

  Harold no longer looked as confident as he did when he first arrived.

  “Fred Bancroft had a lot to tell us about you and your secret deals,” Malcolm told him. “He didn’t just phone those four offices—he also made sure that your uncle knew what you had done. He told Franklin everything.”

  Ari gave Harold a hard stare as he said, “We have a firm paper trail all leading back to you. And this is just one avenue of deceit. We have other trails leading to greed, cheap materials, misappropriated funds…”

  “So what is it that you want from me?” Harold interjected.

  “I want you to stay away from me and my family,” Malcolm stated. “You set all of this in motion with your deceit. Your uncle knew all about the personal expenses you billed to the hotel. He knew everything, but what he hated most was the way you treated the employees.”

  “You’re not a very popular man around here,” Ari said.

  “I don’t care what a bunch of wage earners think of me,” he huffed.

  “You may want to change that attitude because pretty soon, everyone, including your new employer, will hear about the things you’ve done,” Blaze advised.

  “This can’t be happening to me,” Harold muttered.

  Malcolm rose to his feet and walked from around the desk. “Oh, but it is, cousin. How do you think your new employer will feel about you if news of what you did to your own uncle comes to light?”

  Harold’s head popped up. “This doesn’t have to become public knowledge.”

  “No, it doesn’t, as long as you stay away from my family,” Malcolm responded.

  “And Natasha,” Ari interjected.

  “The information will stay buried as long as you honor our wishes,” Malcolm said. “I’ve settled with the Nevada State Contractors Board. All fines have been paid, and we have legitimate permits in place. However, you are going to reimburse this company for every penny we spent to fix this mess.”

  Harold pulled out his checkbook, but Malcolm stated, “Certified check only.”

  “How do I know that you’ll keep your word?” Harold demanded.

  “We haven’t said anything thus far,” Ari responded. “We’ve had this information for weeks. Oh, there is one more thing. I want you to give Natasha the money you promised her. She did exactly what you asked of her.”

  “Apparently, not well enough,” Harold grumbled. “I’ll have the certified checks delivered via messenger later today.”

  Malcolm handed him a piece of paper. “This is what you owe the company. It’s really only a fraction, but we will accept this payment as a settlement. Have a good day, cousin.”

  Defeated, Harold sighed in resignation, then uttered, “You, too, cousin.”

  Chapter 23

  Natasha was surprised to find Sage Alexander standing at her door. This was about the last person she expected to see. “I didn’t think you were ever going to talk to me again.” She stepped aside to let the woman enter her condo.

  “You did it for your son,” Sage said, removing her purse off her shoulder. “I’m not a mother, but I understand it. It was wrong, though, but I know that you’re not a bad person. Besides, you’re my only real friend out here, so I forgive you.”

  “Thank you for saying that, Sage.”

  The two women embraced.

  “I was just about to have a salad for lunch,” Natasha announced. “Would you care to join me? There’s more than enough.”

  “Sure,” Sage responded. “Do you mind if I freshen up? I spent the morning going through a mountain of paperwork.”

  Natasha pointed in the direction of the guest bathroom.

  “He’s as miserable as you are,” Sage stated when she returned.

  Natasha fought back tears. “I really love him.”

  “Ari loves you, too,” Sage assured her. “He’s just feeling a little betrayed right now.”

  She nodded in understanding. “I guess I’d feel the same way if I were in his shoes.”

  “He’s going to come around—just give him some time.”

  Natasha shook her head. “Ari may have feelings for me, but I really don’t think he’s going to ever trust me again.”

  They sat down to the table.

  “Did you see the article in the newspaper about Harold DePaul?” Sage asked. “William gave my father and Ari copies of the actual press release that went out.”

  Natasha nodded. “I hope this means he won’t be bothering your family anymore.”

  Sage wiped her mouth on the end of the napkin. “I don’t think he will. He had a meeting with my father and Ari earlier today.”

  “Really? About what?”

  “I overheard my dad saying that Harold had done some stuff behind Robert’s back and it’s come back to bite him in the butt.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Natasha stated. “But I hope your father won’t fall for Harold’s lies. He will act like he’s going along with everything, but he’s not going to give up this easily.”

  “Well, whatever he’s planning, he’s messing with the wrong family.” Sage stuck a forkful of salad into her mouth.

  “Ari, she did it for her son,” Blaze was saying. “Can you say you wouldn’t have done the same thing?”

  “Natasha had plenty of chances to tell me what was going on. I would’ve done anything for Joshua. She should’ve trusted me.”

  “Well, she trusted you with her heart, Ari,” Blaze pointed out.

  “I trusted her with mine, too.”

  “Are you telling me that you two can’t get past this?” Blaze finished off his drink. “Man, you love the woman. Are you just going to walk away like this?”

  “I can’t believe you’re being so forgiving,” Ari said. “This is so out of character for you.”

  “She’s a good person.”

  Ari didn’t respond.

  “I’ve met enough women with tricks up their sleeves that I can see them a mile away,” Blaze stated. “Natasha’s not like those women. Harold DePaul took advantage of her, plain and simple.”

  “That may be the case, but Natasha should have come to me with the truth.”

  “I agree with you, Ari, but have you truly considered the position she was in? Why wouldn’t she align herself with Harold DePaul? They were friends in college. She didn’t know you or much about our family. She was loyal to Robert and the DePaul family.”

  “I understand all that,” Ari said. “But once she decided to work for our father, she should’ve told Harold what he could do with his money.”

  “Yet you forced Harold to give her the money he promised her.”

  Ari shrugged in nonchalance. “She certainly earned it.”

  “You did it because you still love her,” Blaze countered.

  “Yeah, I still love Natasha,” Ari admitted, “but how can I ever trust her again?”

  “Natasha needs you, Ari,” Sage told him when he answered his cell phone. “Something is wrong with Joshua. They are at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center. He’s been sick for the past few days, but now it’s gotten worse.”

  Ari immediately went into action mode. He picked up his keys and was heading to the door. “Thanks for letting me know, Sage. I’ll call you later. I need to get to Natasha.”

  Ari prayed the entire drive over, pleading with God to spare the little boy’s life. He had come to love Joshua as much as he would his own child and couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

  He had planned on visiting Joshua on Saturday, but now he regretted not having gone sooner. He never should have let his anger at Natasha keep him from the little boy.

  Natasha was clearly surprised to see him walking toward her in the sterile corridor on the third floor. “Ari, what are you doing here?”

  “I came to be here for you and Joshua. Sage called and told me what happened. She wanted me to tell you that she will come to the hospital as soon as she can.”

  A tear slid down Natasha’s cheek. “I’
m really scared.”

  Ari wrapped his arms around her. “Honey, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered, holding her close. “Joshua is going to pull through. He’s a tough little boy.”

  She shook her head. “We don’t know that. He’s so weak, and his fever wouldn’t go down.”

  “We have to believe that Joshua is going to be fine. We have to hold on to our faith.”

  Natasha wiped away her tears. “I’m trying to be strong, but this is my baby. He’s all I have, Ari, and I can’t lose him.” In that moment, Ari fully understood why she had agreed to help Harold.

  “You won’t,” Ari responded. “How long has he been sick?”

  “About three or four days, but his temperature was at 101 today,” Natasha replied.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want you coming over just because Joshua was sick. I wanted you to come because you wanted to see him.”

  The doctor arrived to talk to Natasha. She insisted that Ari stay by her side.

  “We are going to keep Joshua in the pediatric ICU until we can get the fever down and the infection under control.”

  “Please, do whatever you have to do to save my son,” she pleaded. “Don’t let Joshua die.”

  Ari led her over to a nearby chair. He sat down beside her.

  Natasha wiped her face with the damp tissue she had been holding. “Thank you for coming, Ari.”

  “I wouldn’t be any other place, Natasha. I hope you know that.”

  “Things are so tense between us,” she began. “I—”

  Ari cut her off by saying, “We need to focus on your son right now—making sure Joshua has everything he needs is what’s most important right now.”

  “He’s why I agreed to help Harold in the first place,” Natasha blurted. “I wanted the medical treatments for Joshua, and working with him was the only way I could afford them.”

  Ari nodded in understanding. He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket. “Harold had this delivered to us yesterday.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a check for the money he owes you.”

  Natasha shook her head no. “I don’t want his money. I’ve put the building Robert gave me up for sale and I’m closing my business.”

  “There are no other strings attached.”

  “I don’t care,” Natasha uttered. “Harold DePaul can keep his money.” She snatched the envelope and tore it up. “I never should have gotten involved with him in the first place. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Natasha glanced up at him. “How did you get him to do this?”

  “Shortly before Robert died, he was informed by a former employee that the renovations for the Nevada hotels were done without a valid permit. He also called several agencies. The Nevada State Contractors Board launched an investigation.”

  “I never heard about any of this,” she responded.

  “My father urged them to keep news of the investigation quiet.”

  “Is that why you wanted to see the permits and licenses the first day you started?”

  Ari nodded.

  “Why didn’t you say anything to me?” Natasha asked.

  “Because I wasn’t sure I could trust you,” he responded quietly.

  “I see.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I guess you should’ve trusted your instincts about me.”

  “Natasha, I want you to know that you will never have to worry about Joshua’s medical care. I am going to make sure he has every advantage. You don’t have to close your business or sell your building.”

  “You are such a wonderful man, Ari. I love that you care so much about Joshua, but what I did to your family wasn’t right. I wish I could say that I regret my actions, but the truth is that I don’t. It was for my child. As much as I appreciate your wanting to help, Ari, I have to say no. I won’t take advantage of your kindness. I can’t do this to you. Not anymore.”

  “Natasha, this isn’t about you, sweetheart. I’m doing this for Joshua.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but Ari held up his hand to stop her. “This is not negotiable.”

  Natasha dropped her shoulders in resignation.

  “When was the last time you had something to eat?” Ari inquired.

  “I don’t remember,” she responded. “Maybe at dinner last night. I had some tea this morning.”

  “Sweetheart, you need to eat something.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Natasha, I’m going to the cafeteria to get you some soup. You really need to put something in your stomach. Joshua doesn’t need his mother passing out.”

  “Ari, thank you.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “We will get through this together.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here with me.” She started to cry.

  He held her in his arms until she stopped crying.

  Natasha stood up and walked into a nearby ladies’ room to wash her face. She returned a few minutes later.

  Ari stroked her face, silently noting the dark circles under her eyes. “You look exhausted.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Sage stepped off the elevator and rushed over to where they were sitting. “How is Joshua?” She sounded breathless, as if she had been running. “I tried to get here as fast as I could.”

  “He’s in the pediatric ICU,” Ari announced. “They are giving him antibiotics to kill the infection.”

  “Let’s pray,” his sister suggested. “Let’s do it right now.”

  Sage took Natasha’s hand in her right hand and Ari’s in her left. She closed her eyes and began to pray.

  When she was done, she gave Natasha a hug. “He’s going to be fine—I can feel it.”

  Ari left them alone to talk. He walked over to a nearby window and stared out.

  Being in a hospital evoked so many memories of April and her suffering.

  “You’re thinking about April, aren’t you?”

  He turned around to face his sister. “Yeah, I was. I hate hospitals because they remind me of death.”

  “There’s also life around us. Just think…there are beautiful little babies being born as we speak. There are lives being saved right here in this hospital, like little Joshua’s. This is where he will get the help he needs, Ari.”

  Tears formed in his eyes. “I can’t lose him, too.”

  “You won’t,” Sage promised. She wrapped her arms around him. “I can’t tell you how I know this, but I do. Joshua will be fine.”

  Ari and Sage walked back over to where Natasha was sitting.

  “Honey, why don’t you go home and get some sleep,” Ari suggested. “I will stay here with Joshua.”

  “I can’t leave him.”

  “I will be right here,” he promised. “You look like you’re about to pass out from exhaustion.”

  “C’mon,” Sage said. “I’ll drive you home and stay there while you get some sleep. Ari will call if you’re needed at the hospital.”

  “I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours,” Natasha told him.

  “I’ll be right here.”

  Natasha didn’t look as if she wanted to leave.

  Blaze arrived and asked, “What can I do to help?”

  “Maybe you can convince Natasha to go home and get some rest,” Ari responded.

  “I have a better suggestion,” Blaze said. “Check her into the hotel across the street. Sage, you go to her place and pack a bag for Natasha. Ari and I will stay here with Joshua. If the hospital needs you for anything, you will only be across the street.”

  Ari nodded in agreement.

  “I like this idea much better,” Natasha said. “I’m only going to be gone for two hours, though.”

  Sage took her by the hand. “Let’s get you checked into the hotel.”

  “Don’t worry, Ari. Sage will take care of Natasha,” Blaze said.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Blaze smiled. “I came to make sure you’re okay. It’s
hard being in a place like this and not think about April.”

  “I do think of April, but right now, I fear losing Joshua most. I feel like I’m on the verge of losing a child.”

  “You love the kid,” Blaze murmured. “I don’t know if you’ve realized it, but Joshua is a permanent part of your life—our lives. You and Natasha need to work through your issues, because you love each other deeply. I’m not diminishing the love you have for April, but what you feel for Natasha is just as strong.”

  “I do love Natasha. She is my friend and I can’t see the rest of my life without her. I will always cherish my memories of my life with April, but I’m ready to start living again. Natasha gave me my life back.”

  “Big brother, I think you know what you have to do,” Blaze stated.

  Ari walked over to the nurse’s station. “I’d like to see Joshua LeBlanc. I won’t stay long. I just need to see him.”

  “You can go in for five minutes,” she told him.

  Ari’s eyes filled with tears when he saw Joshua’s tiny body attached to a monitor. There was another machine connected to his finger like a small bandage which emitted a soft red light.

  It broke his heart to see Joshua’s small frame with so many lines attached. He was being given several different medications intravenously.

  Blaze was right. Ari knew what he had to do. He eased out of the room and returned to the waiting area.

  “You okay?” Blaze inquired.

  “I need you to do me a favor,” Ari told him.

  They walked over near the window so that he could tell Blaze his plan.

  His brother grinned. “I’ll take care of everything.”

  Chapter 24

  Natasha felt a little better after her shower. She was still tired from her nap, but she hadn’t slept well because she couldn’t stop thinking about Joshua. She sat on the bed with a towel wrapped around her.

  There was a soft knock on the door, and then she heard the lock turn.