Trey

It feels odd as Mandy and I walk through the corridors of the hospital wearing scrubs. It was even stranger to see how much Romeo and Jules resembled us when they left. I look over at Mandy’s ass as we turn a corner. She looks pretty cute damn cute in hers.

“I saw that,” she scoffs, looking back at me. “You look pretty hot as a doctor, too.”

“Actually, I’m a brain surgeon,” I tell her with a wink. “Highly skilled and all about precision.” I smile as she shakes her head and laughs.

“Oh, I know you’re highly skilled and I’ve experienced the precision,” she counters, reaching back for my hand.

“Okay, you two,” Anthony groans behind us. “If I have to spend the next few days with the two of you…”

“We’ll behave,” I turn back and assure him. “We’ll keep the sickening stuff for later.” I laugh and pull Mandy toward me as we walk stride for stride down the main corridor of the hospital.

“Have you guys left?” Anthony says behind us, talking on his phone. “Okay, awesome. Just let them follow and proceed to pick up the others,” he tells the person on the other end. “Don’t do anything unless you are provoked. I’m leaving with Trey and Mandy now.”

He hangs up the phone and turns back to us. “Where are you guys staying?”

“We have a suite at Park South since it’s only a couple blocks from here,” I inform him. “That way we could just walk down the alley instead of using the limo all the time. I thought it would be less conspicuous, but I guess it didn’t matter since he was tracking my phone,” I add, realizing that it had been a futile attempt.

“Yeah, since he knows you were there, lets go somewhere new,” Anthony suggests. “You are off the radar now, so where would you like to go?”

“The Westin on Grand Cayman,” I reply to gauge whether or not this guy has a sense of humor. “The Governor’s Suite is pretty nice and you can’t beat seven mile beach.”

Anthony actually chuckles. “I think that one will have to wait. How about within the city?”

“I prefer the Four Seasons,” I tell him, as that has always been my favorite hotel. “They have a very cool penthouse. I just paid for several nights there that we didn’t even use.”

“Okay, since you just stayed there, that’s out. How about the St Regis?” he suggests. “Jack and Kate spent nearly a month there when they first got together. They love that place.”

“So did my Dad,” I reply with a sigh. “They always liked the Tiffany room, but it’s a little to elaborate for me. Good God… there is Tiffany china hanging on the walls.”

“Their Presidential Suite was just redone and is totally modern,” Anthony suggests. “That way I can take the front bedroom that is right by the entrance and you two can take the master in the back. I’ll be able to keep you safe.”

“That’s fine,” I reluctantly agree. “I’ve heard their service is impeccable.” I pull up Google and click on the number for the St Regis. By the time we reach the parking lot, I have confirmed our room for the night. A shiny black Escalade SUV sits at the end of the row. “Nice ride,” I comment, assuming it’s his.

“It’s not too bad, considering it’s almost ten years old and has a quarter million miles on it,” Anthony replies and turns the opposite direction toward a huge brown Suburban. “It’s not pretty, but this thing can handle grenades, armor piercing rounds and even small rockets.”

“It definitely looks like it could handle almost anything,” I reply, holding back a laugh.

“Best of all, no one will suspect that you are riding in a brown 2005 Suburban.” He laughs as he opens the door for us.

Mandy

Crawling into the back of Anthony’s SUV makes me feel almost invincible. It feels like we are sitting inside of a vault of some kind that is obviously built like a tank. If another sedan tries to mess with us, they will definitely end up on the losing end. I look down on the car parked next to us and feel another twinge of excitement.

Trey slides into the seat next to me. “Are you ready for this?” he asks with a spark in his eyes.

“I’m actually excited,” I reply. “Let’s go kick some ass!”

Anthony throws his head back and laughs out loud. “Give you two a bulletproof SUV and an ex-military chauffer and you are ready to take on the world, huh?” He looks back at us through the rearview mirror and I can see the amusement in his eyes.

“Sorry,” I reply suddenly feeling a little foolish. “I’ve never imagined myself riding in a bulletproof SUV and being escorted by a former military sniper. It’s just blowing my mind a little.”

“Pretty glamorous, huh?” he snorts as he slaps it into gear and exits the parking spot. “I think we are going to have a pretty quiet night. If anyone gets some action, it will be Romeo,” he adds, obviously not thinking about the sexual connotations attached to his choice of words.

“I don’t know…” Trey whispers, giving me a sexy, sideways glance. “I think my odds are at least as good as Romeo’s.” He leans over and kisses the side of my neck causing me to giggle.

“You two will have a room shortly,” Anthony chides, glaring at us through the mirror.

“Sorry,” I reply for both of us. “It’s been a long, stressful day.” I push my hand between Trey’s thighs and lean into him. Being close to him in the back seat is enough to keep me content for the moment.

Trey

As we turn onto Park Avenue and head north toward the St Regis hotel, I begin thinking about everything that has happened in the past twelve hours. Out of all the events that occurred, the one that strikes me most is the fact that Tommy showed up at the hospital. That totally stunned me.

“Did I mention that Tommy showed up at the hospital this evening?” I ask Anthony.

“No. You didn’t,” Anthony replies with a gritty tone in his voice.

“I came into Tyler’s room and he was standing next to the bed talking to him,” I recant. “Tyler didn’t have a clue who he was.”

“Hmm.” Anthony narrows his eyes and grows quiet for a moment before expressing his thoughts on the subject. “There are four scenarios.” He pauses as if he’s waiting for me to ask about them.

“He’s a psychopath and he wanted to see his work?” I ask, guessing that someone like Tommy would fall into that category.

“That’s one,” he looks up at me. “Another scenario is that he is flaunting the fact that he is getting away with executing what he believes is a flawless plan. By coming to the hospital, he is actually gloating.”

“Or he realized that an innocent person in his position would stop in and visit one of the largest corporate shareholders if he were in the hospital,” I add as it occurs to me.

“That’s right. He is obviously a smart man and has become successful by knowing how to present himself and his businesses in a positive light,” Anthony says, nodding his head. “He was probably hoping to run into the investigators while he was there.”

“Yeah, that would put him in a more powerful position than if they approach him at his office,” I reply, thinking back to how it felt to have them show up at my door. “What’s scenario number four?”

“He’s actually innocent,” he says, his brazen eyes once again piercing back at me through the mirror. “Human beings have a tendency to cast blame based on our opinions of a person. That’s how I ended up in Iraq following the 911 attacks.”

I think back to the things that have led me to believe that Tommy was behind all of this. It has been built upon gut feelings, his argument with Bill, his referral of Dr. Potaturri and most importantly his arrogant attitude. “Yeah, I get what you are saying,” I reply after thinking about it.

“He’s guilty,” Mandy whispers, still leaning against me. “I just need to visit Harris and get access to the SEC database.”

“We have to talk to Bill’s daughter and son-in-law tomorrow too,” I add, realizing that he never called me back. “Did Tony and Romeo pick up Aileen and her family?” I ask Anthony as the thought of them begins to weigh on my mind.

Anthony gives Romeo a quick call to check in on them. Listening to his side of the conversation, it’s obvious that something hasn’t gone quite right. “I want you to secure both units making sure that there are no alternate entrances and then no one is allowed in or out. No one,” he adds with the emphasis of an authoritarian dictator. He lowers his phone and looks up at the mirror. “Her husband is missing,”

“Fuck! I was afraid of that.” A shiver goes right through me. “We have to keep Aileen and her mother safe. They are probably the only other ones who know what is going on. Them and maybe, Carly.” I scroll to her number and try her again, but it goes right to voicemail just as it did the last time.

“Carly, it’s Trey again. You need to give me a call as soon as you get this message. We just found out that Aileen’s husband, Nolan, is missing. At this point, I don’t think any of us are safe,” I tell her in the message, hoping it will prompt her to call me back.

“You are all safe,” Anthony immediately corrects me. “As long as everyone follows our direction, no one else will get hurt. I guarantee it.” His eyes remain focused on the mirror, awaiting my acknowledgement.

“Okay. I stand corrected,” I tell him. “It’s just that I knew they were in danger and it was such a helpless feeling. I could tell by the way Tommy looked at Becky that she wasn’t safe either.”

“Becky is with Romeo,” Anthony confirms much to my relief. “Everyone will be secure at Trump Tower shortly. Who is Carly by the way?”

“She was Dad’s fiancé,” I inform him. “She’s the one who introduced Dad and Bill to Tommy. She is apparently on a flight to Belize right now.”

“Belize, huh?” Anthony scowls. “That’s where money and criminals go to hide,” he says, confirming what Chester had told me earlier. Why would Carly need to hide money or herself for that matter? Hopefully she will call me back. It would be nice to talk to someone who actually knows what is going on.

Mandy

I find myself thinking back to the conversation we had earlier with Becky. If Carly introduced Tommy to Bill, it is possible that she played a role in helping him sell the business. Since Bill is the chairman of the board at Addison Media, I imagine that created some kind of a conflict of interest for her. If Tommy paid her a commission, she probably didn’t want either Victor or Bill to know about it.

“What’s on your mind?” Trey asks as the SUV slows and we pull up to the curb in front of the hotel.

“Nothing really, I was just thinking about the fact that Carly introduced Tommy to Bill and your dad,” I tell him as we exit the vehicle. “I can’t believe we have to check in to this place in scrubs,” I add as we walk up to the shiny gold-plated doors.

“Hey, I just finished eight hours of intricate brain surgery… who had time to change?” Trey jokes while taking my hand and leading me inside. “Besides, this is all they really care about anyway.” Trey pulls his black card from his wallet and hands it to the gentleman at the front desk. “The penthouse for Addison.”

“Everything has been prepared for your stay, sir,” an elderly man named Avery says, swiping his card through the machine. “If there is anything that would make your stay more comfortable, just let us know.” He smiles and gives Trey his card back.

Once again I find myself amazed by the architecture that went into these old, landmark hotels. There is a huge mural of a blue sky and clouds on the wall behind the front desk that curves up toward the ceiling. Intricate gold crown moldings adorn beautiful gray and white marble columns topped by another huge mural painted on the ceiling. The theme again is a blue sky with dark ominous clouds and youthful angels darting amongst them. I spend a moment trying to distinguish where the actual structure ends and the painting begins. It’s a phenomenal piece of work. The enormous crystal chandelier that hangs down from the center of it is astounding as well. I wonder how much that thing weighs.

“Did we lose Anthony?” Trey asks, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the beautiful surroundings. I follow him back to the entrance where we find Anthony standing in front of the entrance looking frustrated. “What’s wrong, Trey yells out to him.

“I gave him my keys and off he went,” Anthony huffs and shakes his head as he comes through the door into the lobby. “Then I realized… shit, I don’t have my damn bags.”

“Can you take care of my friend here?” Trey turns back and looks toward the concierge.

“Right away, sir!” A young man named Renzo comes out from behind the podium and appears to be intent on taking care of it himself. “I’ll get them from the parking garage.”

“At least your bags are at the right hotel,” Trey replies as we both realize we once again have nothing but the clothes on our backs.

“I know,” Anthony says, holding up a finger and messing with his phone with the other hand. “Your bags have been picked up and will be here within the hour,” he tells Trey before turning to Avery at the front desk. “Where does the valet park the vehicles?”

“Do you want all of your luggage, sir?” Avery asks him in return. “Yeah, I think so,” Anthony replies, raising his eyes in thought.

“Bring all of the bags from the brown SUV,” Avery relays to Renzo, using a small radio of some type. “We’ll have them for you shortly,” he informs us. “Along with a complimentary bottle of…” he pauses, waiting for a suggestion.

“Jack Daniels Single Barrel,” Anthony suggests upon realizing that Trey was waiting for him to answer.

“Add a bottle of Camus Cuvee 5.150 to my tab as well and a bottle of Ace for my lady,” Trey says, giving me a smart-ass grin.

“I think you have me confused with someone else,” I turn to Trey, narrowing my eyes. He knows damn well that I can’t tell the difference between Ace, Cristal or Dom Perignon.

“Would you prefer something else?” Avery asks, aiming to please.

Truthfully, my favorite is Martini and Rossi Asti Spumanti, but I really don’t want to mention that fact at the moment. “No, that will be fine.” I laugh and roll my eyes. “Can I get some fresh strawberries with that?” I give Avery my best puppy dog eyes.

“Darling, you are spending the night in the Presidential Suite,” he replies with a smug smile. “You can literally have anything you want. Just an hour ago, I sent Renzo to the Doughnut Plant down on twenty-third for one of our guests,” he informs us as the young man comes trudging through the hallway with Anthony’s luggage. “We aim to please.”

“All I need is a stiff drink and a good night sleep,” Trey says with a tired smile.

I need something stiff too, to go along with my strawberries and champagne. I smile silently as we join Renzo and a bellman, named Ozzy, in the elevator. I close my eyes momentarily and let out a sigh of relief. I’m not used to this kind of excitement.