“Alton?” I heard Suzanna say as we stepped from the room.
I turned to Mr. Owen. “As soon as you can, evict him from the manor.”
Nox’s hand didn’t move from my back as we made our way outside.
THE SCENES BEYOND the windows of the SUV brought back memories, both good and bad. Nearly nineteen years of my life had been spent in this city and more accurately on the grounds of Montague Manor.
I gripped tighter to Nox’s hand.
“This won’t be the last time you’re here,” he said as the large iron gate moved open, allowing us to enter.
“I kind of feel like if it is, I’m all right with that.”
“It’s yours. You heard Daryl. You’ve read the will. No judge is going to deny you your rightful inheritance.”
Sitting taller I leaned close and kissed Nox’s cheek. “It’s the money, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“That’s why you put up with me.”
Nox’s smile grew. “No, princess, it’s because I like the way you scream when I—”
Deloris cleared her throat. “TMI. You’re not alone.”
We weren’t, not that that had ever stopped Nox before or his comments or actions. However, it wasn’t only Isaac or Clayton this time. Deloris was with us today.
“This won’t take long,” I said. “Jane said she had our passports ready. My mother didn’t trust the mail.”
Deloris nodded. “I feel better being here with you.”
“Jane promised that neither Bryce or Alton were here.”
“Daryl got the restraining order signed,” Nox said. “Your stepfather can’t be within one hundred yards of you.” Nox’s grip tensed. “The things he said. Fuck. I don’t plan to let him get that close. Then again, I wish he would.”
“Lennox,” Deloris warned.
“I should have hit him harder. I will next time.”
“I’m impressed,” I said.
“I’m impressive,” Nox replied with a grin.
“No, I’m impressed that Mr. Owen got the restraining order filed. I can’t believe a judge actually signed something against the great Alton Fitzgerald.”
“Also one stopping Mr. Spencer from going near Chelsea,” Deloris added.
Even without Chelsea pressing charges, her cheek gave reason for a restraining order against Bryce. Mr. Owen hadn’t requested an order for me with Bryce or one for Chelsea with Alton, but between the two of us, we had them both covered.
Clayton brought the car to a stop and I peered up and out of the window. The pristine walls, spotless windows, and expansive stately porches were exactly as they’d always been, yet knowing that my mother’s nightmare as well as my own was about over, gave them a new sheen.
Clayton opened the SUV’s door. As I climbed out, Nox followed behind me.
“You don’t need to go in.”
He lifted his brow. “We discussed the rules. I still haven’t reddened that sexy ass. For the record, going in what is still his house without me is the same as one of his cars.”
My behind tingled and grin returned at his threat. It wasn’t just the warning but the way the talk of his spanking my ass made his blue eyes shimmer. “Yes, Mr. Demetri.”
Nox’s lips quirked upward as he reached for my hand. Together we ascended the steps to an opening door. “Magic?” he asked in a whisper.
“It’s like Hogwarts,” I said. “No, seriously, the Montague staff is magic. They can appear and disappear. I’m not sure how they do it.”
“Alex!” Jane’s welcoming voice echoed in the foyer as we stepped inside.
I wrapped my arms around her and then took a step back. “Jane, this is Lennox Demetri.”
Nox offered his hand. “Very nice to meet you, Jane…?” He allowed her name to linger in the air.
“Peterson,” I said. “Jane Peterson.”
She nodded and scanned Nox up and down. “My my, I see why Alex is smitten with you.”
A hint of pink dotted his cheeks. “She speaks very highly of you too.”
“That’s good to hear.” She leaned closer. “I like that smile on your face. It makes you even more beautiful than you always are.”
“I like it too.”
“Beautiful on the inside too.”
“Maybe one day you could tell me some stories about Alex when she was young?” Nox asked.
“She still young, but yes, sir. I have stories.”
“Alex said you’ve been here her whole life?”
“That’s true,” Jane said. “Mostly because I’m older than dirt. It seems like my brother and I been here since before time.”
“Your brother?” Nox asked.
“Yes, my brother, Brantley. He been driving Montagues before I had diapers to change.”
I shook my head. “When I was little and learned Jane’s last name, I thought they were married.”
Jane’s laugh warmed the room and filled my soul. I could listen to it forever. “Ain’t no man out there who can handle this.” She swept her hand down herself.
I laughed. “Keep looking. There are some good ones out there.”
“Yes, child, I’d say you might have found you one. Besides, Brantley and me ain’t never been that close.”
“But you’ve worked together… forever?” Nox said.
“This place is big. We came here at the same time ‘cause our parents worked for Mr. Charles and Miss Olivia.”
My tone turned serious as I scanned the otherwise-empty foyer and allowed my gaze to linger on the hallway that led to Alton’s office. “Tell me again that he’s not here.”
“No, ma’am. He’s at work. I know from Brantley’s phone, Mr. Fitzgerald’s not left Montague Corporation all day. When he’s here, he’s locked in his office or up in his room.”
“Thank you for helping us. We’ll be heading back to New York soon.” I reached for Jane’s hand. “What are you going to do?”
She shrugged. “What can I do?”
“Come to New York. Momma would love for you to be with her, and so would I.”
“I’d like that. I’d like Miss Adelaide to come home too. This is her house. It’s yours.”
I took a deep breath as I looked around the foyer, taking in the marble floor, the large staircase, and the ornate lighting. It wasn’t as scary as it had been, but it also didn’t fill me with the warmth of Rye. I turned back to Jane.
In her gaze was the warmth, the feeling of home. I smiled. “Who knows? Maybe someday.”
I reached again for Nox’s hand. “While we’re here, let me show you my room.”
His brows rose in question. “You do know that we have a car full of people waiting.”
“Two people. It’s hardly a crowd. Besides, when did you worry about Deloris or Clayton?” I tugged his hand toward the stairs. I’d never imagined having Nox at Montague Manor. I’d never wanted to bring my worlds together, but with his hand in mine, the steps seemed less daunting. The doors weren’t soldiers ensuring my obedience. The keyholes weren’t portals with eyes watching my every move. The corridor was only that—a hallway.
I opened the door to my room.
“Very girly,” he said, taking in the frill.
I hurried toward my bed and bounced on the edge. “It is. Flower wallpaper and a canopy bed.”
Nox sat beside me. “I like it.”
“You do?”
“I like learning more about you.” He ran his hand up the smooth wooden post that held the canopy. “And I like what we could do with these posts.”
Heat filled more than my cheeks as my insides twisted and legs squeezed together. “Car with people, remember?”
He leaned over me, pushing me back to the mattress. “Just imagine you tied to these posts, your legs spread wide and sexy tits vulnerable.”
“Nox?”
He ran his finger along the neckline of my dress down to my breast and circled my covered nipple. His smile grew. “Your nipples are hard just thinking about it. Think what
I could do to them if we took off this dress?”
He was right.
“They aren’t the only thing that’s hard.” He reached for the hem of my skirt. “Come on, princess, let’s be naughty in your bedroom.”
“I…”
“What do you have here that I could use to tie your—”
A knock came on the doorframe, its sound stopping the rest of his question.
“Excuse me.”
My cheeks warmed as Nox and I turned to the open door and Jane’s smile. “Umm, yes?”
“The gate just called.”
I sat up as Nox sprang to his feet.
“It ain’t Mr. Fitzgerald.”
“Bryce?” I shuddered at his name.
“No, ma’am. It’s Mrs. Spencer.” When my eyes narrowed, Jane went on. “This is your house. You shouldn’t let that woman push you out.”
“I know, but I’m done with confrontation for now.”
“Then you best be going.” She extended her hand with two small folders. “Here’s yours and your momma’s passports. I sure hope I see her before she goes far away. I ain’t never been to New York.”
Nox extended his hand. “Miss Jane, we need to rectify that very soon.”
She nodded. “I think I’d like that, Mr. Demetri.”
Standing, I smoothed the skirt of my dress. “I know Momma would like that too. Thank you, Jane.”
“Thank you. I knew you would save her. I prayed you would.”
“I wasn’t alone.” I glanced up at Nox.
“Thank you,” she said to both of us. Her big brown eyes glistened with unshed tears.
I wrapped my arms around her. “Come now. With us. There’s nothing stopping you.”
Jane patted my back. “How do you know? I happen to be a very busy woman. I have business. Remember, I’m the house manager? What do you think would happen to this place if I just ran off? Then when you and Miss Adelaide come back, it would be a mess. I can’t let that happen.”
“I love you,” I said, kissing her cheek just before Nox and I hurried down the stairs and out onto the driveway. As we slipped into the back of the SUV, a black sedan turned into the circular driveway.
Deloris nodded toward the car.
“Suzanna,” I offered.
“I was concerned.”
“Jane said he wouldn’t be here. I trust her.”
“Nice woman,” Nox said, adding with a grin, “with terrible timing.”
Even though winter was approaching, most of the giant oak trees held tight to their leaves. The moss never went away. It was the other trees on the property that stood like skeletons, their flesh gone, leaving only the naked bones. I sighed as the tires bounced upon the cobblestones. A glance out the back window revealed only dried leaves blowing in our wake.
I turned back around and leaned against Nox’s shoulder. “Thanks. I liked having you there.”
“Do you think your mom will ever want to come back?” Nox asked once we were off the grounds.
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t blame her if she did. She’s never lived anywhere else.”
“Never?” Nox asked.
“I think she and my dad had an apartment before they were married while they both attended Emory. They married right after she graduated and moved here.”
“That would have been intimidating.”
“You think so?” I asked, surprised that Nox would think anything was intimidating.
He nodded. “And your grandfather. I don’t know anything about him, except his will. Princess, that is the document of a narcissistic egomaniac. I’d venture to guess that Bill Gates’ last will and testament isn’t as detailed.”
“And yet, it isn’t,” Deloris said. “It’s wordy and specific while at the same time vague.”
As the SUV moved closer to the hotel, I asked. “Do you think there’s any merit to my mother’s accusations that my grandfather was killed?”
“Like Lennox said the other night, it’s the date of the codicil,” Deloris said. “Your grandfather added it the day he died. That isn’t enough to warrant an investigation.”
“It’s enough to be suspicious,” I agreed.
“We need to hurry,” Deloris said, looking at her phone.
“What is it?”
“It’s Isaac. Our eyes outside the hotel contacted him: Mr. Spencer just arrived.”
I’D MADE THE drive from Westchester County—Rye to Brooklyn—hundreds if not thousands of times. Through the years I’d seen the changes, the improvements. The roads had become highways. The highways expanded. Theoretically it should have lessened the time needed for the commute. That was in theory.
Through the years the traffic had grown, tripled if not quadrupled. It didn’t matter if I took the Throgs Neck or Whitestone Bridge, there were always backups. Always cars. One of the problems were people like me—people who drove alone rather than carpooling. One person. One car. I wasn’t like Lennox—I rarely used a driver. I was more of a solo man. Always had been. Tonight, as my headlights reflected off the wet pavement and the sky spit flakes of snow, I was alone.
Adelaide was doing better by the day, growing stronger.
I’d been proud of her the other night as she spoke to Fitzgerald. I’d heard his responses. Each one reinforced my desire for his demise. It wasn’t like the idea was in need of support. I’d wanted it for nearly fourteen years, since the Christmas party.
The thing I needed to clarify, the reason I made up an excuse to leave Adelaide with Silvia, knowing they were safe and protected, was that Alton Fitzgerald’s demise was my request. When he no longer took a breath—because I knew it would happen—it would be my debt to pay.
That was why I’d again called Vincent, why I’d requested a second audience with him in a single week. That was why as the temperature outside the car dropped, my skin was warm and prickling with anxiety.
Instead of meeting at Vincent’s home, he’d asked me to join him at a little restaurant off the beaten path. It wasn’t the same one where we’d met years ago, but the interior was similar: dark wood-paneled walls with a wooden floor, tables covered in red-and-white checkered tablecloths, and each table lit by a single candle flickering in a red jar. If it hadn’t truly been authentic Italian, it would look like it was trying too hard to be.
The aroma of delicious Italian spices beckoned as I opened the front door.
Places like this didn’t employ young girls to welcome customers. The hostess was closer to my age with eyes that had seen a lot and a quick tongue that would happily send tourists fleeing. The elite clientele served here didn’t play well with outsiders.
“Mr. Demetri, it’s been awhile.”
“Sophia, you’re as beautiful as ever.”
Her sexy but dangerous veneer cracked and her smile blossomed. “The eyesight, they say it’s the first to go.”
I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I have a meeting.”
“Yes, Mr. Costello is waiting.”
I looked down at my watch. He’d told me nine o’clock. It wasn’t even 8:30.
Sophia must have seen my concern. “He’s been here with the family. The others left.”
“It’s just Vincent and Luca?”
“No, Luca took Bella, Gabriella, and the baby home. Cute little thing. Not so little,” she said. “He has the cheeks of his grandfather.”
I shook my head. “Poor guy.”
“Your words, not mine.”
She pulled her black sweater over her breasts. Ever since the first time I’d met her, they hadn’t changed, not in thirty years. They were still full and perky and accentuated her small waist. It was amazing the work doctors could do.
“Come with me,” Sophia said with a wink.
Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as we passed tables filled with patrons and those completely empty. That was the way places like this worked. There were always tables available for the regulars, even if that meant turning down others at the door. It wasn’t a restaurant: it was
a home, a dining room always available for family.
Delicious scents wafted through the air as I spotted Vincent and Jimmy. As usual, they were seated with their backs against the far wall.
“Your guest,” Sophia said as she gestured toward the table.
“Thank you, Sophia.” I turned to Vincent and placed my hand on the back of an empty chair. “Thank you for seeing me, Vincent. I hope I didn’t disrupt family time.”
Vincent nodded toward the chair, his way of telling me to sit. “No, Carmine was ready to go home. He’s not yet learned to appreciate the finer Italian cuisine.”
“Jimmy,” I nodded, taking the seat. Turning back to Vincent, I unbuttoned my topcoat. “I won’t keep you. I wanted to talk to you about my requests.”
“My men? Is there a problem?”
“No. They’ve been excellent. It’s my other request.”
“Eva. Her father is glad she’s back home.”
“Yes, she’s a remarkable girl.”
“A doctor,” Jimmy corrected.
“Yes, she is. An excellent one. I can never repay what she did. I’m here about the most recent request.”
“Oren, it’s time to cut the apron strings.”
I took a deep breath. “Your men—”
He lifted a hand. “You know how this works. It takes time.”
I did know how it worked. That was what bothered me. “I’m not recanting or asking you to renege.”
“No, why would you? You’ve loved her for many years. It must feel good to have your son make the request you’ve wanted to make. What happened? Did she ask you to spare him?” He waved his hand. “Women, they can be so emotional, even when it’s not warranted.”
We stopped talking as a waitress dressed all in black arrived with a tray holding three glasses of amber liquid. “Straight up?” she asked as she distributed the whiskey.
“Thank you,” I said. I lifted the glass and swirled the liquid. The strong aroma felt good as it burned my nose. It would be the first alcohol I’d even inhaled since moving Adelaide into my house.
When she walked away, I sat the glass down. “You knew. You knew who was at my home and didn’t say anything.”
Vincent shrugged. “I was waiting for you.”
“Chelsea Moore is real. She was there and she’d been injured. Now she’s with Lennox in Savannah.”