Trey

After dropping off Nana and Misty, we swing by the bank to take care of a little business before returning to the St. Regis to pick up Mandy. Anthony remains quiet, as if he is mulling over the details of the case. After pulling up to the curb of the hotel and giving the keys to the valet, he finally lets me in on his thinking.

“I’m still not sure whether or not we are dealing with The Ghost,” he says, revealing the source of his inner conflict. “It was like him to send a message by leaving a car in front of your grandmother’s house, but he would have been more forceful than leaving a note on the steering wheel.” He scoffs, as if he can’t believe a real man would do such a thing.

“I’m just glad he didn’t do anything more dramatic,” I reiterate. “Nana has nothing to do with anything, other than being related to us.”

“Okay… Romeo has left the airport in Belize City and is headed to the bank to see what he can dig up regarding Carly,” he says, reading a message on his phone. “Hopefully there is a young, naïve female teller that he can influence,” he adds with a chuckle.

“Anthony!” someone yells as we make our way into the lobby of the hotel.

“Jack,” Anthony replies after turning back and spotting him in the distance. “I’ll wait for you down here,” he tells me, before heading into the café to join Jack, Kate and Brandon. I remember him saying that this place is one of Jack’s favorite places.

I step into the elevator and Ozzy joins me, punching the button for our floor. “So is that guy your bodyguard or something?” he asks, giving me a look of suspicion.

“Yeah, things have been a little crazy lately so Jack Ryker suggested I hire him for a bit,” I reply, glancing over at him wondering what he’s thinking.

“I was reading about you online last night,” he admits pensively. “I’m sorry about your dad and your brother,” he adds with a somber look.

“Thanks, but my brother actually got out of the hospital yesterday,” I reply. “He still doesn’t have much of a memory, but at least he is up and moving around.”

“You know, I often feel jealous of the people who stay here, but at least I don’t have anyone trying to kill me,” he says with a chuckle as the elevator stops on our floor.

“Yeah, I’m hoping to get past this phase of my life fairly soon,” I tell him, waiting for the doors to open. “Have a good one,” I tell him, handing him a tip on my way out the door. Ozzy seems like a nice kid, but I have to wonder if that’s his real name. If so, it seems as if it might limit his career options.

I quietly enter the suite and sneak up behind Mandy while she is putting the finishing touches on her makeup. She is jamming to a song by KT Tunstall, so she doesn’t notice me until I’m right behind her.

“Jesus! You scared me,” she screams, jumping from her chair. “That’s mean, considering all that’s been going on lately.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her. “I wasn’t thinking. You look great by the way.” She’s dressed in what I would call a sexy business suit, black with grey stripes, and a matching skirt that hits her just above the knee.

“We have to go to the regional SEC office this afternoon to pick up a case file they are building on Tommy,” she tells me with a broad smile. “Harris came through for me after all.”

“That’s great.” I give her another squeeze.

“Harris is slowly realizing that I’ll probably never come back,” she tells me, pulling back to gauge my reaction.

I smile at her and reach into the breast pocket of my suit and pull out an envelope with her name written upon it. “Guess what showed up last night?”

Her eyes light up upon seeing the Wells Fargo logo in the corner. “Our winnings?” She smiles and slides her fingernail along the seam, as the fold peels back it reveals a check with her name upon it. “Seven hundred and fifty thousand,” she says, shaking her head and staring at the numbers. “I can’t believe this is real.”

“It’s definitely real,” I assure her. “We’ll go deposit it after we have some breakfast. Anthony is waiting for us in the café along with Jack, Kate and Brandon. I think Kate is a couple years younger than you.” I can’t help but snicker at the thought.

“Hmm, that must say something about Jack,” she replies with a flutter of her eyebrows.

“That he’s rich and famous?” I ask, being a smart ass.

Mandy

Walking into the café to join Jack and the others, I am glad to be wearing a business suit instead of yoga pants. Jack and Brandon are both dressed in business suits, Kate looks just darling in a little business suit that must be a size zero. It fits her like a glove; it must have been custom fit for her.

“Dad and Kate, this is Trey and Mandy,” Brandon says, standing up to introduce us.

“It’s a pleasure,” Trey says shaking hands with both of them before taking an open seat next to Brandon.

“I just love your suit,” I tell Kate after greeting both her and Jack. “Did you have that custom fitted?”

“No, it’s straight off the rack. It’s part of a new line that I am developing with Nordstrom’s, designed for working women,” she says, with a proud smile.

“It fits you amazingly,” I add, reaching over to feel her lapel. “That must be really comfortable.”

“It’s comfortable, wrinkle-free and sells for about a third less than the one you are wearing,” she says in return. “Although, that one does look fantastic on you.”

“If I can get one like yours for a third less, I will do it in a heartbeat,” I tell her, still amazed by how it hugs her body perfectly. “Mine was custom fit based on my measurements, but I think yours actually fits better.”

“See guys,” Kate says, looking back and forth between Brandon and Jack. “Once women find out they can actually get clothes that fit them properly, the sky is the limit.” She pulls a business card out of her clutch and hands it to me. “You just send me your sizes and I’ll make sure that you are part of our test marketing campaign.”

“That would be great!” I love this girl already. Stuffing the card into my wallet, my attention turns to a more serious conversation that is emerging amongst the guys.

“If Anthony thinks you’re in real danger, I would definitely take it seriously,” Jack is telling Trey, which instantly grabs my ear. “I would trust him with my life any day of the week.”

“Thanks, Jack,” Anthony says, “At this point I’m just not exactly sure who we’re dealing with.” He pauses reflectively. “If it really is The Ghost, there might be a bigger agenda here than any of us can imagine.”

“Hopefully it turns out the same way that mine did,” Jack laughs. “I was convinced that Sau Ming was after me, but in the end it was a young punk named C.W. Jenkins. He was just smitten with Kate.” He gives her a sideways glance.

“I know C.W.,” Trey says with a laugh. “You’re really missing out on that one, Kate. He is definitely God’s gift to the female gender.”

“Oh, I know.” Kate replies with a cringe. “We went out one time and it was the worst date of my life. He was such a creep.”

“I’m thinking it might be a copycat in this case,” Anthony tells Jack, bringing a serious tone back to the conversation. “Someone who wants us to believe he’s The Ghost or is simply trying to emulate him.”

“I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t want anyone nicknamed The Ghost, chasing after me,” Kate says, placing her hand on my arm. “But Anthony will take care of him. You’ll have to ask one of the other guys about Anthony’s military record. He’s too modest to talk about it.”

“I don’t like to dwell on the past,” Anthony pipes up after hearing her comment. “I was there to protect my men and that’s what I did.” He gives us both a look that resembles that of a scolding father. “Now my job is to protect people like you, so that is where my focus lies.”

“Just know, he’s really kick ass,” Kate whispers in spite of his words. “You and Trey have nothing to worry about.”

“I totally agree with her,” Jack concurs, smiling and turning to Anthony. “Someday they will make a movie about you. In the meantime, lets order some breakfast.”

Trey

Talking with Jack and Brandon over breakfast, I’m beginning to wonder if I should take on a larger role at Addison Media. I have a feeling that Tommy’s days are numbered and even though I’m probably not qualified to be CEO I could at least play a more active role. The conversation evolves even further after giving them a thumbnail sketch of what went gone down with the Firefly Media debacle.

“Have you ever watched The Profit?” Jack asks. “He goes in and turns around companies that have good ideas but are failing for one reason or another.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. I think the majority of Tommy’s companies could use his services,” I reply jokingly.

“That’s what I’m saying,” Jack says with a nod. “If Addison Media gets involved, you can bring in someone who can turn companies around the way Marcus does. With Addison behind it and a decent host, the network would most likely pick it up again. If they don’t, you could still end up with a stable of growing companies.”

“It’s definitely something to think about,” I reply, feeling the first little twinge of entrepreneurial excitement that I have felt in a long while. “It would be a good way to bail out the Gleason’s. Otherwise, I have a feeling they will be screwed.”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe that a guy like Bill would take his own life,” Brandon adds. “He spoke at one of our banquets at Harvard Business School. He was a rock star in his day.”

“I have to give Aileen a call later today and see if there are any preliminary autopsy results,” I tell him. “I don’t believe for a minute that Bill hung himself. That makes no sense. Even if he was stressed financially, he had plenty of other options.”

“Well, I hope the true story comes out,” Jack says, with a look of compassion filling his eyes. “For both him and his family. He should be remembered for all the good he did, for not only the business community, but this entire city.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”