She needed to work through it. He often did the same. “I’ll start the coffee.”
*
Mia worked the bubble wrap up and out of the wooden bowl, assigned the object a barcode, typed it into the system, then added the description of the piece and the artist’s ID number. And as soon as she printed out the tags, she peeled them off and stuck them to the bottom of each object. The work was tedious and exacting, and absolutely perfect for keeping her mind occupied.
Gage carried another box into the office and set it on the floor next to her chair then arranged the pieces she finished labeling in an empty box and carried it out.
Jessica came in and started unwrapping the rest of shipment. “I can do the barcodes for you if you’d like me to.”
Mia shook her head. “It’s okay. I need the distraction.”
Jessica nodded. “Gage’s display is taking shape. He’s mixed some of the pieces in with other displays.”
Mia keyed in another number. “He’s very detail-oriented.” She supposed he needed to be in his line of work. He’d remained on high alert while they drove from her apartment to Mamie’s yesterday, and had scanned the area before he allowed her out of the car. Was that how she was going to have to live her life from now on?
She typed the description of the piece.
Jess wadded the bubble wrap up in the bottom of the box and lined the small carvings up so it would be easier to keep them organized. “I’ll go downstairs and do a sweep of the gift shop to see if we’re running short on any inventory. We’re having a great turnout.”
“Good. I’m so glad we decided to spend the extra money for that half page ad and the coupon. That discount was an excellent idea, by the way.”
Jessica smiled. “Thanks, boss.” She shut door behind her.
When the door opened again five minutes later, she was focusing on the numbers and didn’t look up.
A piece of paper spun at her face and she threw up a hand to block it and batted it away. She looked up annoyed. “Mason. What are you doing?”
“What did you do, Mia?”
“What’s wrong with you? I’m working.”
“You’re working. Working?” He picked up a wooden sculpture of a bird so lifelike it looked like it might take flight. He slammed it down hard against the top of the table and snapped off a wing.
Her heart fell at the destruction and the uncontrolled violence of his actions, and she shoved her desk chair back and got to her feet. “Stop it!” She rushed to gather up the other sculptures before he could damage them and put them back in the box next to her chair.
“When did you talk him into leaving everything to you, Mia?”
So he’d gotten a copy of the will. She hadn’t expected it to happen today. “I didn’t. He asked me to be executor of his estate, and I told him I would.”
“He left you everything!” His voice went up in pitch. “You bitch.” He started around the table, the sculpture still in his hand. She backed away and nearly tripped over the box Gage set in the floor.
“Stop it, Mason. I haven’t seen the will. What does it say?”
“Liar. You had a hand in this. It has your style all over it. You have sole control over his estate. All two hundred and fifty million dollars. It’s all to be used to build charitable works to help the poor, sick, homeless. To put them to work.”
She gripped the back of the office chair and moved it to block him. “Marc talked about wanting to leave his mark in a way that would help as many people as he could. He talked about a hospital wing, and a recreation center for underprivileged children. He said he already had the will written and had just waited until he could ask me to be executor to sign it.”
“And you encouraged him?” His face was bright red and his eyes were narrowed, his expression ugly with rage.
She took another step back. “It was his money, Mason. He’s the one who worked for it, used it to structure more businesses, and grew it. Only he had the right to give it to the people he wanted to have it. I’m just the executor, and by law I have to follow his wishes.”
“He’s left you his stock in B and B. You’ve never wanted anything to do with our company. You don’t even know what we do.”
“You buy up property all over the city, remodel or restructure it, then rent it out or sell it. Or you build to a client’s specifications and maintain interest in their enterprise. I do understand what you do, Mason.”
Gage opened the door and, seeing Mason looming over her, rushed across the room to stand between them. Mason ignored him.
“You get to rake in the profits while you sit in your office here without putting in any of the work.”
“Actually, I don’t accept any profits from your business.”
‘That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s not. Ask Ming to show you the monthly dispersal. Didn’t Camille share that little windfall with you? How long are you going to allow her to screw you over?”
He lunged forward and would have grabbed her, but Gage shoved him back, and Mason staggered and caught the edge of table.
“Stay away from her, Mason, or I’ll take you down.” Bloodlust flared in both men’s eyes, and for a moment she thought they might crash together like two raging bulls, and now the jagged piece of wood in Mason’s hand looked more like a weapon than a sculpture. The bird’s beak and head would make a perfect knife.
“Please put down that piece of wood, Mason,” Mia said, her voice shaking.
He looked down at it as though he’d forgotten he held it. “You’re not going to get rid of me, Mia. I’ll never stop until I get what belongs to me.” He threw the chunk of walnut across the room and it struck one of the cabinets, leaving a gouge in the door.
Mason’s attention swung back to her. He’d gone from crazed to cold in a second. And she found that more frightening than the furious man who barged into her office.
“You fuck with our business and I’ll fucking end you, Mia. I’ll end you.”
He strode toward the door and nearly knocked Jessica over as she opened it. The two security guards waited for him to cross the threshold.
“You touch me, and I’ll sue you into the next millennium.” He stalked past the guards.
They turned, and, hands on their weapons, followed him across the gallery, and all three disappeared around the corner where the stairs descended.
“You said he wasn’t violent,” Jessica said.
“He’s never been in the past, but he received a copy of my father’s will today. It wasn’t exactly what he expected.”
Gage bent to pick up an envelope on the floor and opened it, pulling out the document and scanned it. “It might not be exactly what you expected either, Mia.” He handed it to her.
She brushed back that stray strand of hair that had escaped her braid and accepted the papers from him with trembling hands. She skipped the introduction and moved directly to the endowments.
The amount bequeathed to Mason was one dollar.
CHAPTER 22
‡
Gage scanned the bookstore aisles. Now the place was empty of people, it was easier for security to clear the building. But ever since Mason’s visit he’d felt itchy. He’d walked every inch of the place, but so far nothing.
The way Mason spoke to Mia… People could do some fucking crazy shit over money. And being locked out of two hundred and fifty mil would give Mason plenty of excuses.
He wandered out into the commons area and walked around to the stairs. No movement. Everything quiet. The lights transitioned from open business to security. The shops had been closed for nearly half an hour, and the only reason he’d come down was to make sure everything was clear and secure. But still that itch persisted.
He paused before he got in the elevator to call Jules. And leaned back against the wall.
“Hey, where ya at?” Jules asked.
“We’re good. Mia’s father died this morning. He’s made her administrator of the will, and her brother Mason was here t
hrowing a tantrum and making threats.”
“About?”
“His father pretty much left him out of the will. Mia got some money, but what the shitstorm was about is the man left a fortune with instructions for it to be used to do good works, like build and fund homeless shelters. The money he left Mia was a kind of salary to pay her for setting them up. Mason isn’t happy about any of it.
“He also left Mia all his stock, which gives her an ownership of fifty-one percent of B & B. You can imagine how that went down.”
“Shit. She just can’t catch a break with her family.”
“No, she can’t. I’m trying to talk her into moving to California with me.”
“I don’t know about the you part, but it might be the best thing she can do for herself.”
Gage laughed. “You’re an asshole, Jules.”
“So I’ve been called, many times.”
“What about the other investigation?”
“One of the patrol officers who is no longer with the department has backed up your story. He identified all of them, too.”
“How did you manage to convince him to come forward?”
“It seems he moved on from the department because of all the crap that used to go down. He says his heart just wasn’t in it. His spilled about other things as well.
“IAD is coming down on them all soon. And the DA is having someone go back over every case Cline, the assistant DA handled. The guy knows, so he’s sweating bullets.”
“Good.”
“What about Abney?”
“We’ve reopened the investigation concerning his dead partner, and we’ve managed to obtain a DNA sample from Abney. He doesn’t know. We’re waiting for the results.”
“What can you do to him now the girl is gone?”
“I’m going to tell the mother. And encourage her to bring a civil suit against him and sue him into oblivion. The DA may be able to come up with some charges of manslaughter because his actions caused the suicide. I don’t know. I leave all that stuff to the lawyers, but I’m looking for something…anything we can get him for. Maybe evidence will shake loose in the murder investigation so we can do our thing.
“And Gage? This thing isn’t over yet. Stay on your toes.”
“I am.”
“I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks.”
He got on the elevator and pushed the button for Mia’s apartment. As soon as the door opened, he locked access to her apartment and sent it back down.
“Everything okay?” Mia asked from her seat on the couch.
She looked a little washed out. But then it had been an emotional few days for her. He decided to wait until tomorrow to tell her about the update from Jules.
“Yeah. Everything’s clear. Would you like me to pour you a glass of wine before we hit the hay?”
“No, I’m good.”
He joined her on the couch.
“You’re restless tonight,” she said while she curled against him.
“He slipped right past me today and got into your office without me seeing him.” He put his arm around her and rested his hand on her hip.
“You were in the elevator going down while he was climbing the stairs on the way up. No one on staff saw him either.”
“I think you need to hire some personal security until things calm down.” He’d be flying back to San Diego in two weeks, and he’d be out of his mind with worry. Mason’s threats weren’t just threats.
She was silent for a moment. “I was never afraid of Mason before today. I honestly thought he might stab you with that sculpture.”
It wasn’t lost on Gage that she was afraid for him. But what about herself? “I was hoping he’d try. He could have been arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and spent some time in jail cooling off.”
“He could have stabbed you, Gage.”
“Not likely. I’m not a helpless private citizen, Mia. I’ve been trained.”
“Trained or not, he might have gotten lucky.”
“I’m not worried about what Mason might do. I’m worried about who he might hire to do it.”
She fell silent again. “I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t think about it too long.” He’d be gone and she’d be alone. “Your life has changed pretty drastically overnight.”
“I don’t want to admit to that.”
“You could give Mason some of the money just to get him off your back.”
“I thought of that. But the way he acted… And the fact that he didn’t once reach out to Dad in all the time he’s been away… He takes Camille’s side in everything.”
“She’s the side his bread is buttered on, Mia.”
“It’s more than that. It’s an attachment I just don’t understand.”
Gage’s cell phone rang and he glanced at the phone number. “It’s the rehab center.”
“Hello, Mr. Fontenot,” a man said. “I’m calling to notify you that your grandmother has fallen and we’ve had to have her transported back to the hospital.”
Shit! He hadn’t seen Mama all day. Although Roman went by at lunchtime and brought her a po’ boy. “How bad are her injuries?”
“She has a contusion on her cheek. We’re concerned she might have displaced some of the bones.”
“What hospital was she transported to?”
“University Med Center.”
“I’m on my way.” He turned to Mia as soon as he ended the call. “Mama fell and hit her face. They’ve transported her to the hospital.”
She was up and moving at once. “I’ll get my purse.”
Mia went down the stairs ahead of him and was already hitting the key fob to unlock the car when a vehicle raced up, brakes squealing as it slid to a stop and two men jumped out, guns drawn. Gage grabbed the back of Mia’s neck and forced her down in a hunched position behind her car. “When I tell you to run, I want you to run as fast as you can around the building. Stay low, keep moving, and don’t stop until you’re safe.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You have to, Mia. Call for help as soon as you’re safe.”
“Come out, Fontenot,” one of the men yelled. “We won’t hurt the girl if you come out.”
“Lower your weapons.” He stood up and held his hands up. “Run, Mia.” He purposely walked toward them so he’d be blocking their guns in case they decided to shoot at her.
She ran, hunched down, along the back of the store, to the corner and around it.
The two were on him in a second. He recognized the two detectives who threatened to cart him off to jail six years before. Harrison and Isaacs. A little older, a little heavier, and a little slower. He twisted to face them when Isaacs rushed him. Gage head-butted him in the face, grabbed his gun hand, jerked it up inside his arm, and ripped the weapon out of his grip, throwing it at Harrison, who danced backwards and nearly fell.
Gage elbowed Isaacs in the face, hitting his already-injured nose, and blood gushed.
Harrison cussed and bore down on him, swinging his gun sideways, so Gage pivoted, pulling Isaacs into the path of the blow. The man yelled in pain when his own partner hit him on the back of the head.
Gage released Isaacs as he started to fall and leaped over his prone body.
Harrison drew his taser. Gage rushed him, forcing him to pull the trigger before he could raise it to chest level. The darts punched low in Gage’s side, one dart striking skin, the other hitting his belt and falling away. Without both darts seated in the skin the current didn’t work. Gage jerked the prong free and looked up to find himself on the business end of the Glock 22 again.
“Make one more move and I’ll shoot you.”
Gage thought for a minute that if he made it out of this situation, he might laugh about it later—if he didn’t end up in jail for assaulting a police officer.
*
Mia kept running until she made it to the front of Promises. She opened her bag and searched the pockets for her cell phone. T
he sounds of a struggle continued from around the corner of the building. Oh, God! She’d left her cell phone on the table in the living room. She jerked out her keys and rushed to the front entrance of the building, where she unlocked the door and darted inside.
She ran past the café and cut through the commons area to the stairs, taking them two at a time. She searched for her office key, jabbed it into the lock, and hurried to the phone on her desk. She picked it up and punched an outside line.
No dial tone. She punched the outside line button and tried again. She went to the wall and pulled the fire alarm. Nothing happened. Oh God. The alarm must have been deactivated? The why’s rushed through her mind and her heartrate sored.
She ran into the bathroom to the storage closet and wrenched open the door. She’d never needed to unlock the door at the back of the closet and hoped the key worked. The lock moved stiffly, but it opened onto a landing with a railing and stairs that led up to her apartment. She was breathing hard as she climbed the narrow steps as quickly as possible, unlocked the door at the top, and slipped through her closet and into the bedroom. She ran into the living room and looked out the window.
The car was gone, and Gage with it.
Her cell phone lay on the coffee table where she last put it. She grabbed it up and dialed 9-1-1.
The moment she heard the operator’s voice she started to tear up. “My name is—.”
A gloved hand clamped over her mouth at the same time an arm came around her waist and lifted her off her feet. She dropped the phone to claw at the hand and screamed beneath the pressure. She kicked off from the coffee table and it tipped, dumping a decorative bowl off and breaking it. She hoped the 9-1-1 operator heard the noise.
“Shut up or I’ll strangle you right now.”
At the sound of her brother’s voice, she did the opposite and struggled that much harder.
Jazz leaped up on the back of the couch and yowled, leaping onto Mason’s shoulder and hanging on while Mason twisted and finally threw him off. The cat growled and rushed down the hall to the bedroom.
CHAPTER 23
‡
“God damn you to hell.” Isaacs spit blood out the window. His nose looked misshapen and canted to one side. He held a rag to it because it continued to bleed sluggishly. “You’re in big trouble. We’re police officers, and you resisted arrest.”
Hot SEAL, Midnight Magic (SEALs In Paradise) Page 20