by Gina LaManna
“So you set up an obstacle course for me?” I asked. “Involving clues, a fake case, and even a stakeout?”
“Basically. Or a scavenger hunt with a sexy sidekick. What’s not to love?” Meg shrugged. “Then came my gift to you. A makeout session with Anthony. What should have happened is that after some kissy kissy, you two would go inside the warehouse and apprehend a fake guy.”
“Why? Why wouldn’t you have just told me it was false at that point?” I asked.
“Because you couldn’t know it was fake until today,” Meg said, sounding a bit exasperated. “If you apprehended someone, then we’d all be happy: you would’ve solved a case, Anthony would’ve squeezed your buns, and I would’ve been able to plan your party in peace. It was set up perfectly.”
“But then Fede showed up with a real problem,” I filled in, starting to piece this elaborate stunt together. “And Anthony had to make a snap decision whether to tell me everything was a ruse, or let me keep believing it was a real case.”
“Exactly,” Meg said.
“Wow,” I hesitated. “You guys did all that for me? Staged a warehouse and everything?”
“It was Carlos’s argument that gave me the idea,” Meg said. “He was so convinced that we’d never be able to sneak a surprise party for you. I just had to prove him wrong; I told him that I go big or I go home. And for my best friend, I’ll always go big.”
My eyes widened and I couldn’t find the right words to express the cocktail of emotions I was feeling.
“It’s a compliment,” Meg said. “He thinks you’re too good at your job. You’re too nosy and your Sugary Senses are on high alert. He was worried you’d smell a rat.”
“He didn’t say that,” I said.
“Don’t doubt yourself so much,” Meg said. “If this isn’t a sign he loves you, then I don’t know what is.”
“I – wow. I’m in shock,” I said. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I do,” Meg said happily. “Happy birthday, Lacey. Surprise!”
Chapter 14
THE INSIDE OF THE CAR was silent for a few moments as everyone digested Meg’s explanation of the events.
Surprise is right, I thought to myself.
However, despite the ball of mixed emotions bouncing around in my ribcage, I distinctly felt amazement. Love. Awe. The fact that my family would do all of this for me – yes, it was strange and unconventional. Maybe it was a little over the top and risky. But then again – wasn’t that my family in a nutshell? They’d go out of their way to organize something like this for me? I considered myself lucky.
I couldn’t help a smile creeping onto my lips.
“I see that cake-eating grin,” Meg said. “See? Everything worked out.”
“Worked out?” I glanced at the man next to me holding the gun to my head. “Yeah, sort of.”
“Last chance to make a peaceful getaway,” Meg said. “I’m going to ask you one last question.”
I looked at my friend, confused.
“Do you want some cake?” she asked. “You can be a nice boy, drop the gun, and just maybe we’ll go easy on you and your buddy Oleg.”
“I’ll have cake,” Oleg piped in.
“You’re quite funny,” the man with the gun said dryly, glancing at Meg. “Believe me, this sentimental crap has been great. Really sweet. But the time has come. We have an audience, and I have a message.”
I glanced out the windshield and it was clear that the guests at the party had finally sensed that something was wrong. In my head, I wondered what had taken them so long – was it normal for the birthday girl to arrive at her surprise party and then sit in the car for ten minutes? Not to mention the whole gun-to-my-head issue.
“Here’s what’s happening,” the man said. “Listen closely.”
Meg leaned in.
“Not literally,” he said. “You – Meg. You’re out first. We’re leaving Oleg in the backseat.”
“Why do I have to get out of the car?” Meg asked. “I want to stay with Lacey.”
“Well, that’s too bad because I want you to join the party,” he said firmly. “You’re next, Lacey. We’ll get out at the same time. I’ll have the gun on you the entire time, so don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
Meg huffed. “So I’m allowed to go eat cake, and the birthday girl has to sit here? That’s not fair. Let her go eat. I’ll be your little pet for a minute.”
“No deal,” the man said. “Though I do admire your loyalty.”
“It’s okay, Meg,” I said quietly. “Go.” I cleared my throat and tried again. “Go inside. Please.”
With a hesitant step and a murderous glance, Meg opened the rear car door. A collective gasp went up from the crowd as Meg limped away from the vehicle, her hands raised above her head. Guards swarmed the driveway, but remained a safe distance from the car at Meg’s insistence. The group stayed just behind Carlos’s Bentley, a vehicle fit for the President of America. It was the only other car in the driveway, parked just a few feet away from my less-than-cool Lumina.
“Stay back,” Meg called to the guards, who were crawling along the edges of the driveway. “Lower your guns or they’ll shoot Lacey. It’s rude to shoot the birthday girl, I know. But this guy doesn’t have great manners.”
The guards appeared confused. Anthony and Carlos were nowhere to be seen, and the troops were clearly looking for instructions. They neither made a move to lower their weapons nor shoot them, which meant guns dangled at half-staff all across the lawn.
The gunman in the passenger’s seat lowered the window. Sticking his nose out, he spoke to the crowd. “She’s right, you know. I left my manners at home. If you don’t lower your weapons, the birthday girl gets a special little present to the brain. I just happened to forget my birthday gift for her, but I do have a bullet with her name on it.”
“Lower your weapons,” a voice said, as Carlos appeared at the edge of the crowd, which had grown in size.
An odd combination of feelings bubbled up; all at once I was overwhelmed by the number of faces I recognized. Cinnabuns and Autumn and Luscious flocked near the edges, while Dr. Gambino crossed his arms and chatted with Harold closer to the front door. Lorenzo from the gelato shop hung near my friends from TANGO, and a man wearing a turban stuck out like a sore thumb near the garage. I didn’t know the latter, but everyone else was a mixture of family and friends. And now they were in danger because of me.
“Ah, Carlos,” the man next to me said. “You’ve finally joined the party. Listen closely, my friend. I’m getting out of the car with Lacey. I have two guns. One trained on her, one on everyone else. If anyone moves, she dies.”
“How about that doesn’t happen,” I suggested under my breath. It didn’t seem to have any effect on the man, but it was worth a shot.
“Get out, Lacey,” he said. “Move slowly.”
I moved at a steady, slow pace. It would’ve been a tight race between me and a turtle at my current speed. Keeping my hands above my head, I let my eyes fixate on the ground. I could feel the heavy stare of hundreds of eyeballs looking directly at me, thinking that this wasn’t the type of party they’d signed up for.
The man giving orders got out from the passenger’s side of the car and, true to his word, kept one gun on me and another on the crowd. I had no idea where the other gun had come from, but I didn’t have time to figure it out now. He must’ve had it on him the entire time, and I hadn’t noticed, in my petrified state.
There was a motion to the left of Carlos, and Anthony appeared by his boss’s side.
“Lacey,” he said, his voice low. It carried across the driveway, and despite the flock of people standing behind and to the side of Carlos it felt, if just for a moment, that only the two of us existed. His eyes scanned me in one quick motion – analytical in nature, probably checking me for injuries.
“I said not to move. If you don’t believe that I can shoot, I’ll have to prove you wrong,” the man said.
Someone in
the crowd exploded a party popper.
In response, a gunshot broke the silence.
Half the crowd screamed. Pandemonium broke out near the back, and those nearest the house stampeded inside the mansion. But a few brave – or extremely curious – onlookers tucked their bodies behind trees and watched the scene unfold.
The man, leaning against the passenger side of the car, broke into a sunny smile. “That was for our party popper out there. And for anyone else who didn’t believe in my aim.”
As if punctuating his sentence, a thunk hit the ground a few feet away. The subject of the thunk appeared to have fallen from one of the huge maples towering as tall as the mansion. Proudly, the tree stood guard over the driveway and hosted a few onlookers cowering beneath its branches.
The crowd parted and a mutter scattered across the crowd like a wave; it started small and gathered strength until a buzz of whispers descended over the driveway.
“What is it?” Meg called out from the other side of the driveway. “Someone tell me what the heck everyone is whispering about.”
One of Carlos’s guards emerged in an answer, his hand covered in gloves at the edge of the ring of people. He deposited something on the ground, and when I realized what it was, I looked away.
It was a squirrel, its little body still as stone.
“Evil,” Meg whispered, raising a finger and pointing it at the man next to the car. “He’s evil.”
“I’m also a good shot,” the man said. “So if anyone has any ideas about moving a muscle...Well, let’s just say that I wouldn’t.”
“Back away,” Carlos said to the cringing onlookers. “I want all persons back inside the estate.”
“Sir,” Anthony said, stepping forward.
“No,” Carlos said. “Everyone.”
“I’m not leaving,” Anthony said, his gaze locking on mine.
Carlos’s head swiveled between his head of security and me. “Fine.”
“Mmm, interesting,” the man next to the car said under his breath, so that only I could hear him. With an amused twinkle in his eye, he noted the glance Anthony and I shared. “I heard Meg’s sob story, but I didn’t expect he loved you.”
“Leave, Anthony,” I said, raising my voice and ignoring my captor’s taunts. The others began filing back towards the house. “Please.”
Anthony simply shook his head, a mixture of sadness and longing in his gaze.
“Anthony may stay,” Carlos said. “Everyone else I want gone.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the man said. “Let’s not waste time clearing this place out. I’ll be honest with you – I don’t want anything today. Nobody needs to get hurt. It’s a celebration, after all. Happy birthday to you,” he said in a singsong voice, pointing at me. “And God bless freakin’ America!”
A slightly crazed, slightly amused glimmer twinkled in the man’s eyes. It sent shivers to the core of my soul, while goose bumps broke out on my flesh.
“Why are you here?” Carlos asked, his voice low and controlled.
“To warn you. You and your beautiful family,” he said. “Leave me alone.”
I glanced between them, wondering if Carlos knew what the man was talking about. What was Carlos involved in, now?
“Do you understand?” the man asked, glancing at my grandfather while a smile twisted his lips.
Carlos gave a curt nod. “I understand.”
“Just remember how easy it has been for me to associate with your beautiful granddaughter,” he said. “I found her once, I can find her again.”
Anthony’s hands clenched and unclenched by his sides, and the smirk on the man’s face let me know he noticed it, too.
“Now, I’ll take the car keys to that Bentley,” the man said, pointing at Carlos’s car. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Lacey will chauffeur me out of the driveway, and then I will be on my way. Yes, yes, your car is bulletproof, explosion-proof – I know all this obviously, so don’t try to stop me. You’ll only be hurting your own car. And I plan on returning it when I’m finished.”
“You cannot—” Anthony started.
“Anthony,” Carlos interrupted. “Hand over the keys.”
“You can toss them to me,” the man said. “I’m impressed with your muscles, but I have no desire to touch them. I’ll leave that to this one,” he said, tilting his head towards me.
I closed my eyes for a moment so I wouldn’t rush at the man with my arms outstretched, trying to throttle the words coming from his mouth. By the time I opened them again, we had the keys and he was directing me towards the Bentley.
“I’ll be back,” I said, sounding braver than my flip-flopping stomach.
“In one piece,” Anthony said. “Otherwise...”
“Don’t threaten me at a birthday party,” the man said. “It’s not necessary; this should be a happy day. I just stopped in to enhance the surprise party. Get in, Lacey.”
I got in and, my fingers shaking, somehow managed to start the ignition. I wondered if this was how the Queen of England felt riding her royal carriage down streets – stared at by all, protected by the best and never quite sure if danger would hit.
“Very good,” the man commented, as we pulled away. “I’m really sorry to spoil your party. It seems like your family cares a lot about you.”
“Yep,” I said, my voice tense.
“Quaint,” the man said. “And Anthony, my, my, my – I should have guessed. Is it his muscles that you like or is it the way that he looks at you? Maybe it’s his protective nature. Or does he—”
“Shut up,” I said. “Shut up, or I’ll—”
“What will you do?” the man said. “Lunge at me? I think not. I have a gun trained on you. Nobody’s going to save you except for me. They fear hurting you. Me? Not so much. Watch your tone of voice with me.”
I drove straight, the guard at the gate watching us pass by in terse silence, the walkie talkie next to him silent for once. I was sure he’d been instructed by Carlos to let us pass.
“The end of this block will be fine,” he said, flicking his fingers after another minute of driving. “Right...here.”
I turned the corner as he instructed and pulled the car to a stop.
“Good. Now, get out and walk back to the estate. And pass on my apologies for not being able to stick around longer,” he said, glancing up at me. “You can leave now.”
I got out of the car and began walking back towards the estate. I refused to look back.
“Oh, and Lacey,” he called after me. “Surprise! Happy birthday!”
I showed him one of my favorite fingers that I only reserved for special occasions. I never looked back.
“I’ll see you again,” he said. “And next time we meet, I hope your manners have improved.”
His voice faded as I continued to take steps towards the estate. The smooth acceleration of the Bentley’s engine signaled the man’s departure, and a flood of relief I didn’t know I’d been holding pent up inside washed over me. All I wanted was to sit down. My feet dragged, and I felt as coordinated as if I were walking on stilts made from pillars of cement. My mind was blank; I didn’t worry, didn’t fret. There was no anger or sadness or surprise at the moment, just tiredness.
When I rounded the corner, the guards noticed my arrival immediately. A pair of them rushed towards me, driving one of the numerous golf carts Carlos kept on hand for carrying items across the expansive estate. This time, the big ticket item was me.
I now felt like an entirely different sort of Queen of England as the guard drove the golf cart down the long, winding driveway. The crowd had somewhat dispersed, but the hushed murmur after the surprise guest-of-dishonor made his appearance put a damper on the party atmosphere. As the cart trundled in, the whispers grew into an excited chatter, which soon turned into shouts of she’s back!
“Let’s try this again,” Meg said, from the end of the driveway, as I approached with the guards. “Ready, everyone?”
I gave a she
epish smile and a small wave, as if I were a float-rider in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Surprise!” chorused nearly a hundred voices. Cries of Happy birthday, Lacey! echoed off the wall that surrounded the estate, keeping out the bad guys – at least, most of the time.
A small part of me wanted to hunker down and cry, if for no other reason than the onslaught of emotions wracking my brain. Some of the emotions were even happy ones, but still – it was too much for a newly thirty-year-old to handle all in one day.
Instead, I put on a smile. It started out fake, but the falseness quickly faded as I dismounted from the golf cart and hands clapped me on the back, pulled me in for hugs, patted my hair. Kisses touched my cheeks, my head, and I was pretty sure Joey even tried to plant one on my lips. Luckily, I dodged him in time.
Meg finally broke through the crowd and pulled me into a huge bear hug.
“I hope that’s peanut brittle in your pocket,” I said.
“You bet it is,” she said with a grin. “But I’m also happy to see you.”
The smile on my face was no longer fake.
“I’m sorry about everything,” Meg said with a bit of hesitation. She rested a hand on my shoulder, and didn’t quite make eye contact. “I really – I just wanted to make your birthday special. You’re my best friend.”
“It was incredibly memorable,” I said honestly. “Just—”
“No, you don’t understand,” Meg said, pulling me in close. She spoke just for me, a soft whisper in my ear. The rest of the partygoers returned to their business as she led me off the driveway and behind an evergreen tree on the lawn. The sweet scent of the needles stung my nostrils.
“What?” I asked, now that we were in private. “What is it?”
“I promised your mom I’d help take care of you,” Meg said, her voice sounding heavy and filled with emotion. “When the cancer hit...”
I swallowed.
“You know I spent a lot of time around your mom,” Meg said. “I loved her as much as you did. As much as a second daughter could.”