by Marie Astor
Magee nodded. “David, I hope that you will not take me the wrong way. I do not have any doubts about your knowledge or trustworthiness. I am merely concerned for the safety of everyone involved.”
Finnegan grunted. “We understand that, Kevan, but from what you told me, this deal is going to come down soon, and unless you’ve got someone else in mind to trade for us, you’d better tell David what it is he needs to do.”
An hour later David left the Carlyle, smiling like a cat that ate a canary. Even better than the prospect of making a hefty profit from Magee’s information was the knowledge that David now had Finnegan and Magee—the maggot, as David had nicknamed his new acquaintance—by their balls. Even Finnegan’s connections would not save him from the scandal that would unleash if David were to release the recording of their conversation. Finally, his luck was turning around. David signaled to an empty cab that appeared by the curb—more evidence of his newly found luck—and gave the driver the address of Mila’s new apartment. Soon he would be able to see Mila as frequently as he wished.
Chapter 12
Alex Kingsley checked his schedule for the day. He had a one-hour space between meetings, which would give him plenty of time for a quickie with Georgiana. This was truly the perfect job. Alex was about to buzz his assistant in when her number rang on his telephone. “Mr. Kingsley?”
“Georgie, you must be psychic. I was just going to call you. Get your hot behind in here.”
“But Mr. Kingsley, I have Mr. Finnegan on the line for you.”
Alex gulped, his desire draining right out of him. “Put him through please.”
“Cornelius? How are you?” Alex’s shoulders tightened with apprehension. Why was Finnegan calling him now when Alex had just given him a report two days before?
“Hello, Alex. How’s the job treating you?”
“It’s going well, thank you, sir.”
“Any new developments?”
“Not that I am aware of, sir.”
“Perhaps you’ll be interested to learn that Jon Bostoff has started a consulting company: a white collar crime consulting service, to be precise.”
“I see.” Alex wondered what Finnegan was driving at. It was not uncommon for former crooks to offer consulting services, Frank Abagnale being one of the most famous examples. Why couldn’t Bostoff do the same?
“Do you?” Finnegan added meaningfully. “Reformed sinners can be very dangerous. We wouldn’t want Bostoff in his new capacity to start digging under Muller.”
“I understand, sir.” Alex could have kicked himself for being so dense. He knew personally what a pest a reformed sinner could be: Dennis Walker was the perfect example. With Muller let off the hook, Bostoff would be out for blood, and if he was anywhere as good as Walker was, both Finnegan and Alex would have to watch their backs.
“Perhaps I should remind you that Bostoff has been barred from the financial industry for three years. I think that it is the responsibility of the Investigations department—and by that I mean it’s your responsibility—to ensure that this sanction is enforced.”
“I understand, sir. I will take care of it.”
“Make sure that you do.”
Before Alex had a chance to utter any more assurances, Finnegan hung up.
Alex stared at the phone. He had made the decision to trust Janet as his eyes and ears at the office. Yes, she had put up resistance at first, but he had attributed her initial refusal to scorned pride: what woman did not hold a grudge against her ex-boyfriend? Still, that did not mean that the two of them could not look past their differences and become allies. The past weeks had proved that Janet had finally learned to adapt: she had provided Alex with detailed reports on her colleagues’ activities. Alex had specifically instructed Janet to notify him of all the developments related to the Bostoff and Muller case, and she had repeatedly told him that there were no new developments. Was the bitch lying to him? He would find out right now.
Alex picked up the phone and dialed Janet’s extension. “Janet, please stop by my office immediately,” he barked and hung up.
***
As she headed toward Alex’s office, Janet wondered about the reason behind her summons. She had been feeding Alex with fake reports ever since the commencement of his tenure at the Treasury. Could it be that he was on to her?
“Janet!” Laskin’s voice made Janet stop dead in her tracks.
“Hey there, Peter.”
“How’s it going, Janet? Boy, I tell you, either you’re really busy or you’ve been avoiding me because I haven’t seen you all week.”
Avoiding running into Laskin, and when failing to do so coming up with excuses not to meet him for drinks or any other of the outings that he so tirelessly suggested, had become Janet’s routine in the past few weeks. “You guessed it—it’s the first one—I’ve been really busy.” Janet hoped she sounded convincing. She only had to keep up her charade a few more days until Lisa’s wedding, which was on Saturday.
Laskin eyed her dubiously. “So you haven’t been avoiding me?”
“Come on, Peter, you know better than that! Why would I be avoiding you?”
“Oh, I don’t know ... For the same reason you’ve been blowing me off every time I ask you out for a drink.”
Janet widened her eyes, feigning a hurt look. “Me, blowing you off? I’ve just been real busy, that’s all.”
“So we’re still on for the wedding?”
“Of course we’re still on for the wedding. You’re my date, remember?”
“What’s all that wedding talk about?” Alex’s Kingsley’s voice made Janet freeze with her mouth agape.
“Good morning, Alex. I was just on my way to your office with my report,” Janet rattled off.
“And you were doing that by chatting idly in the hallway?”
“Actually, sir, we were just discussing one of our latest leads,” Laskin cut in. “I think we might be on to a tax evasion scheme.”
“Tax evasion, huh?” Alex smirked. “So what’s tax evasion got to do with a wedding?”
“Oh, that sir, absolutely nothing sir,” Laskin replied coolly. “Janet needed a date for her friend’s wedding, and I agreed to accompany her, that’s all. We were just confirming the details since the wedding is this Saturday.”
“I see. Excellent. Carry on Peter. I sure would like to see a report on that tax evasion scheme you mentioned.”
“I’ll get it on your desk as soon as I have all the details, sir. See you later, Janet.” With that, Laskin left Janet alone with Alex.
“Shall we?” Alex motioned toward his office.
“Of course.” Janet followed Alex into his office.
“So, what’s the department been up to this week?” Alex asked after he took a seat in his chair and propped his feet on his desk.
“We’ve had a very large number of alerts this week,” Janet began, “and we are still going through all of them to select positive leads.”
“Sounds promising, but I’ve got something more important that I’d like you to focus on. Apparently, Jon Bostoff has returned to the financial industry, this time in the capacity of a white collar crime consultant. Were you aware of this development?”
What is he after? Janet wondered. Of course she knew that Jon Bostoff had started his own business, and judging by the look on Alex’s face, he suspected as much. Her choices were to lie and appear clueless (and if Alex knew anything about her it was that she was not clueless) or tell the truth and take her chances. She chose the latter. “Yes.”
“And you didn’t think it important enough to bring it to my attention?”
“No. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with Bostoff’s new company. Is there?”
Alex frowned. “You are aware that Bostoff signed a settlement that bars him from the industry for three years, and here he is, violating the very agreement that saved him from going to jail.”
“Alex, with all due respect, Jon Bostoff is not conducting any financial oper
ations. He is merely advising companies that are concerned about white collar crime.”
“Sounds like you know a lot about what Jon Bostoff is up to. Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot—that friend of yours, Lisa, she was involved with Jon’s brother, wasn’t she? Are they still together?”
“Yes, they are getting married this Saturday.”
“So that’s the wedding Laskin is taking you to?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Wish all the best to the bride and groom for me.”
“I will.” Janet rose to leave.
“And Janet, I’d like you to keep an eye on Jon Bostoff. Once a crook, always a crook. You wouldn’t want him to be on the loose again, would you?”
“Of course not. I’ll get right on it.” Janet rose from her chair. “I’ll see you later, Alex.”
***
After Janet left his office, Alex wondered if she was telling him the truth. Did she really not think it important enough to tell him about Jon Bostoff’s new business venture? Maybe she did but he was still not convinced, and he could not afford to take any chances.
Finnegan had made it clear that he wanted Bostoff erased from the map. Now Alex had to come up with a pretext to do so. Too bad that he had only just learned about Janet’s invitation to Bostoff’s wedding; he would have certainly liked to be the one to accompany her to that interesting get-together.
Alex glanced at the calendar on his computer screen. Today was Wednesday, which left plenty of time until Saturday. Move over, Laskin, Alex thought, Janet Maple is about to get herself a much more suitable date for the Bostoff wedding.
Chapter 13
When Janet got home, Baxter’s excited barking erupted from behind the door while she fumbled with her keys. At least there was one male who was always happy to see her, and the fact that this male just happened to be a Jack Russell terrier did not make his welcome any less enjoyable. “Hey there, Baxter. Did you miss me?” Janet asked as Baxter jumped up and down excitedly, making it clear that his answer was affirmative.
“Do you want to go for walk?” The question was rhetorical: usually, whenever she knew she would be home late, Janet asked her neighbor Mrs. Chapman to stay with Baxter, so Janet knew that Baxter had already been walked. Still, she could use a walk tonight, and she knew that Baxter never minded a chance to get outdoors again, which he confirmed by barking excitedly. “Come on, then. Let’s go.” Janet secured the harness of Baxter’s leash around his chest. “Come on!”
Minutes later they were exiting the lobby of Janet’s building. Usually, Janet chose Carl Schurz Park as the destination for Baxter’s walks, but tonight she wanted to have the buzz of the city around her, so she simply headed down Second Avenue.
A few moments later she heard footsteps trailing her. She was about to hasten her step when she felt a hand touching her shoulder. The sensation was so unexpected that she shrieked, freezing in place. “Janet, it’s me, Alex. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Surprised, she turned to see Alex Kingsley standing in front of her. “What are you doing here, Alex? You scared me to death!” Baxter growled and barked in reinforcement of her words.
“I’m sorry to have scared you. I happened to be in the neighborhood and I just thought I’d say hi.”
“Were you visiting friends?” Having recovered her presence of mind, Janet eyed Alex suspiciously. What was Alex doing hanging around her building?
“Sort of,” Alex replied evasively. “Hey there, Baxter. How are you doing, old friend?”
Alex was about to lean down to pet Baxter, but instead jumped back as Baxter unleashed a wave of loud barks. For their relatively small size, Jack Russell terriers have very impressive teeth, and now Baxter was demonstrating this characteristic with abandon. Janet barely managed to yank Baxter’s leash to keep him from pouncing on Alex.
“Easy there, fella,” Alex said, attempting a laugh, but Janet could tell that Alex had been frightened. She sent a mental thank you to Baxter. “Do you mind if I walk with you a bit?” Alex asked.
A low, menacing growl erupted from Baxter. “Calm down, Baxter.” Janet gently tugged on Baxter’s leash. “Sure, by all means.” She was not exactly thrilled about the idea, but Alex was still her boss, so at least for the time being she had to play nice.
When they reached the next block, Alex halted. “Janet, I have to be honest with you: I didn’t just happen to be in the neighborhood tonight. I came here because I wanted to see you.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I did,” Alex’s voice was grave. “The past few weeks brought back many memories. Janet, I’ve made many mistakes, the gravest of which was treating you the way I did. There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t regretted it.”
Janet stared back at Alex in mute awe. Did he really think that he could wipe away all the hurt he had caused with one lame apology?
“I guess what I’m trying to say so ineloquently is that I would like to ask you for a second chance.”
Janet was too stunned to speak. Did she have the word pushover written on her forehead? Apparently, the answer was yes. With Dennis expecting her to drop everything at the snap of his fingers, and Alex thinking that he could just waltz back into her life, it simply had to be the case.
“And I can’t think of a better way to embark on this new path than to be your date for the Bostoff wedding,” Alex continued.
Immediately, Janet’s ears pricked up with suspicion. “The Bostoff wedding?”
“Yes. A wedding is a special occasion. Janet, I hope that you’ll give me a chance to be by your side, so that we could perhaps begin the journey of rekindling the feelings we once had for each other. Feelings that are still very much alive for me.”
Janet barely resisted a snort. She’d be damned if she would let Alex use her as an admission pass to the Bostoff wedding. “Oh, Alex, I can’t believe you actually feel this way.” Janet pressed her hand to her chest. “It means so much to me. But the Bostoff wedding … you see, I’ve already asked Peter and it simply wouldn’t be right to cancel on him at the last minute.”
“I’m sure that Laskin would understand.”
“He very well might, but that’s not the kind of person I am. When I make a commitment, I keep it. But I sure hope that you’ll think of other ways for us to reconnect,” Janet added, not wanting Alex to get overly worked up.
“I would like that,” Alex replied. “And do let me know what happens at the wedding.”
“Oh, I will Alex.”
“Good night, Janet.”
Just as Alex turned to leave, Baxter yanked his leash out of Janet’s loosened grip and lunged at Alex’s leg, tearing off a chunk of his left trouser. “That damned dog!” Alex jumped back, holding his leg.
“Oh, Alex, I’m so sorry! Did he bite you?”
“He almost did. This is a thousand-dollar suit! You nasty rat of a dog!”
Alex towered over Baxter. Baxter growled, exposing his teeth, between which he was still holding a piece of Alex’s trouser.
“Baxter, down boy, down,” Janet commanded Baxter in a quivering voice. She had never seen Alex this angry.
Noticing her reaction, Alex backed away. “I’m sorry for losing my temper, Janet. I think I’d better call it a night.”
“Good night, Alex. I’m sorry about Baxter. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
As Janet turned toward her building, a smile was playing on her lips. “Well done, Baxter,” she whispered. “Well done.”
***
Tucking his hands into his pockets, Dennis Walker sped up Second Avenue. At least now he knew why Janet had been blowing him off—her schedule was filled with much more important matters, like a rendezvous with Kingsley. Dennis wanted to kick himself for being such an idiot. To think that he had been about to break the major covenant of his life code for Janet while she was out and about canoodling with their lowlife of a boss. Seeing Janet walking Baxter with Kingsley felt like being punched in the gut. It reminded Den
nis of a similar evening when he had been the man walking next to Janet. He had longed to kiss her then but instead, scared of what he might feel, he had chickened out. Ever since then, his attraction to Janet only seemed to grow stronger, becoming an indelible part of his existence.
Granted, Dennis had no right to make any demands on Janet. It was not as if he had made his feelings for her clear to her. He himself had indulged in the company of random girlfriends in his efforts to put Janet out of his mind. All of them, including his latest liaison, Shoshanna, had been a complete wreck. No woman wanted to play second fiddle to another, and despite the fact that he hated admitting it, Janet Maple occupied Dennis’s mind completely.
So much for keeping things simple, Dennis thought. In his defense, he had not always been this way. There had been a time when he was capable of having feelings for a woman, even committing to one. But ever since his former fiancée, Vanessa, had walked out on him during the most difficult time of his life, Dennis had vowed never to get close to another woman: there just didn’t seem to be any point in such a complicated arrangement. Dating was fine, but he was not prepared to commit to anything further.
It seemed that his past was forever catching up with him. The memories of his life as a trader sprang up in his mind. During his first year at Vitaon hedge fund, Dennis had reaped the largest bonus of his career. The day after he got his money, he proposed to Vanessa with a ten-carat diamond ring from Harry Winston. Dennis still remembered the shock he felt when he discovered Vitaon’s fraud. The hedge fund might have been booming, but it was most indiscriminate as to the sources from which its investors’ money came, including terrorists and drug cartels. Dennis was shocked to discover that all of the fund’s managers knew about the fraud. As a thank you for his remarkable performance, Dennis was promoted to partner and let in on the secret. Joy was not the emotion Dennis felt after his promotion. With his new title, he would be liable for the fraud that was taking place at Vitaon.