Mandy

We are all in a solemn mood as we pull into valet parking at the St Regis. It’s easier to park here and walk a block during the workday, since all of the lots tend to be stuffed to capacity. I’ve been thinking about Aileen and Trey. It was hard enough to watch Mom die on her own terms after years of illness. I can’t imagine having a parent murdered and losing them in the blink of an eye.

I pull out my phone as we enter the elevator at Trump Tower and send dad a text. I want him to stay in Tennessee for the remainder of the week. Trey has been talking about wanting to get out of the city for a few days, so maybe we can all go visit him instead.

Dad: Silvia told me the same thing. I hate sitting here worrying about all of you, but I don’t want to cause any more fuss.

Me: Thanks Dad. Love you!

Dad: Love you too, Sweetie.

“He’s okay with staying home?” Trey asks as I toss my phone back into my purse.

“Not really, but Silvia told him the same thing, so he probably doesn’t feel like he has a choice in the matter.” I smile and picture him pacing the kitchen floor. “Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”

“I think it will come to a head in the next twenty four hours,” Anthony says while calmly watching the floors click by on the panel. “We will handle it if anyone makes a move on this end and Romeo will have Carly pinned down shortly.”

We hear a scuffle in progress as the elevator reaches our floor. “Hang tight,” Anthony commands, pulling his pistol from its case. He slowly peers around the corner, led by his cocked Glock nine. “What are you doing? You dumb shits!” he yells in a sarcastic tone. “Are you trying to get hurt?”

Bolt and Gator drop their hold on one another and snap to attention. “He was braggin’ that he could take me,” Bolt says, explaining the situation.

“I would’ve had you if we weren’t interrupted,” Gator snaps back, picking up his baseball cap and strategically positioning it back on his head.

“Awww, that was the most excitement I’ve had in months,” Nana says with a genuine look of disappointment, holding Misty in her left arm.

“Yeah, it was just getting good,” Vanessa, adds, waving her hand at Anthony.

“You’re such a fun killer, Anthony,” I tease him as he looks around in bewilderment.

“Whatever!” Anthony rolls his eyes and holsters his weapon. “Where is Crusher?”

“Silvia wanted to run an errand, so he went with her,” Bolt answers. “I think she has a crush on him or something.”

Trey clears his throat, looking up at the ceiling. “You are talking about my mother for God’s sake.”

Everyone breaks out laughing, including me. “She is a single woman,” I remind him. “Although, Dad is probably going to be pretty jealous if he hears about this.”

“Yeah, he’ll be hopping the next flight.” Trey laughs, along with the rest of us.

Trey

Hearing the laughter, Aileen and Nolan come out into common area. Nolan looks like he hasn’t had much sleep and Aileen looks even worse. She still has the same smudged eyeliner that she was wearing yesterday and her hair is starting to look matted.

“On top of everything else, Mom is driving us insane,” Aileen says as she shuffles toward us. “Please tell me it’s safe for us to go home.”

“When Crusher gets back, I’ll have Gator escort you home,” Anthony tells her, reaching out to put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure she wants to make arrangements, so that’s understandable.”

“Unless you’re Irish, you don’t know the half of it,” she says with a small sigh. “She’s very traditional and the fact that she isn’t by Dad’s side and preparing for the wake is driving her nuts.”

“Tell her to get her things ready,” Anthony reaffirms, leading to a look of relief from both Aileen and Nolan.

“Do you think we’re safe at this point?” Nolan asks as soon as Aileen disappears from view.

“No, I don’t,” Anthony, replies bluntly. “We need another day or two for everything to resolve. That’s why Gator will be staying with you.” Gator comes over to join the two men.

“Good,” Nolan says, wringing his hands. “I don’t want to end up in another dumpster. I had to throw away those clothes.” He literally cringes at the thought.

“Yeah, you were definitely ripe,” Anthony acknowledges with shake of his head. “They should’ve used you in a Febreze commercial. Of all the places I’ve been, few things can compete with a dumpster at an Asian Market after a warm day.”

“On that note, how is Tyler doing?” I ask Vanessa after noticing his absence.

“I honestly don’t know,” she says with a crack in her voice. “He stopped taking the antidepressants because they were making him feel weird.”

“So he is acting more like his old self?” I ask, hoping to find some glimmer of hope.

“The anger is back, but he’s acting like he is in high school.” She gives me an unsettled look. “He stayed up until three o’clock playing video games last night and hasn’t gotten out of bed yet.”

That’s exactly what he did when he was in high school,” I comment, thinking back to how annoyed Mom used to get with him. “As soon as his football career was over, he blew everything off and would just play video games for hours and hours.”

“I don’t think that’s uncommon for someone who has had a brain trauma,” Bolt says after overhearing our conversation. “Immature behavior and personality changes are pretty normal. If someone had hostility prior to the injury, it can be magnified dramatically. I’ve seen guys get really nasty after brain trauma.”

“Can you imagine if something like that happened to Crusher?” Gator asks, just as the elevator dings and the doors open. Crusher and Mom step out of the elevator, shopping bags hanging from both of his hands.

“What?” he asks, coming to a stop in front of Anthony.

“Nothing,” Anthony replies. “We were just talking about brain injuries and you showed up. At least I see you are making yourself useful.”

“Oh, he’s great to go shopping with,” Silvia gushes, placing her hand on his arm. “Much more accommodating than my boys ever were.” She scowls in in my direction.

“Yeah, you go with her to Paris and Milan, then we’ll talk,” I reply giving Crusher a sideways glance. “Besides, he’s about four times the size we were and we would end up carrying a dozen bags each.”

“You are so full of crap!” Mom bursts out laughing. “Come on Crusher, let’s go order you some lunch.”

We all look at one another, as Crusher strides into Dad’s condo with Mom in tow, giggling like a schoolgirl with a crush. “Is there actually something going on with those two?” Mandy whispers, asking what each of us is thinking.

“Well, if I were a few decades younger,” Nana giggles, reaching out to give Gator a pinch. Her dog, Misty, gives Nana a look of disapproval.

“On that note, Gator, you get the keys from Crusher and take Nolan, Aileen and her mother to the Gleason home,” Anthony instructs. “We are headed to the SEC office to see what they’ve put together regarding Tommy,” he says, nodding to Mandy and me.

“Why? What’s going on?” Nolan asks. His statement grabs the attention of both Becky and Vanessa as well, who draw closer to us.

“Tommy diluted you and the other shareholders just prior to selling you his stake and it was never properly disclosed,” Mandy explains to them in a nutshell. “One of my colleagues is pulling all the relevant documents and building a case file for me. We want to see if there is enough to pursue a criminal case or if it’s just a matter of an ethical violation. Either way, you guys should be entitled to a nice refund to compensate for the dilution,” she explains to Nolan.

“Oh my God, that would be great,” he says letting out a huge sigh. “Maybe we would all be able to sleep again.”

“Would he be able to stay on as CEO of Addison Media?” Vanessa asks. Becky leans in wanting to hear Mandy’s answer.

“If there is criminal wrong doing, he will definitely lose his job,” she tells them. “If it’s simply an ethical issue, it will be up to the board of directors to decide.”

“I don’t think he will be with us much longer,” I assure everyone. “Even if he hasn’t committed an actual crime, this whole Firefly Media thing stinks to high heaven.” I turn to Nolan. “Regardless of what happens, I’m going to help you guys get that mess all straightened out. Dad and Bill were good friends for years, so it’s something that he would have done for him.”

Nolan stands there speechless for a moment, chocking back his emotions. “Aileen and her mother will be very relieved. Thank you, Trey.” He reaches out to shake my hand, so I shake his and pull him in for a hug. If anyone ever looked like they needed a hug, it was he. “Now go home and get some rest.”

“Will the rest of you just hang tight for the time being?” Anthony asks the group. “Bolt and Crusher will be hanging out here, so if we can keep everyone together for another twenty-four or forty-eight hours, that will be great.”

Everyone begrudgingly agrees to stay put for now. Obviously everyone would like to get back to a sense of normalcy, but their safety is much more important. “We’ll stop back tomorrow morning and give everyone an update. Hopefully by then we will have located Carly and have a handle on things,” I tell them before going into Dad’s condo to rouse Tyler before leaving. I make my way back to his old bedroom and have an eerie flashback as I crack the door and enter the dimly lit room.

“Are you getting up today?” I ask, cracking the blind to let in some daylight. “It’s after noon, Tyler. It’s a gorgeous day.”

“Why can’t everyone just leave me the fuck alone?” he groans, sounding just like the dickhead who had blamed me for Dad’s death.

“I just came in to say hello and see how you are doing,” I reply, trying to go easy on him. Dr. Novacek had warned us that we would have to very understanding, because he his brain had been through a very traumatic experience.

“Oh, I’m doing fucking great,” he sneers, giving me a look of death. “My knee hurts like a mother fucker, I can’t have any pain pills and I don’t even remember the bitch who keeps telling me she’s my fiancée.”

“You are going to have surgery as soon as possible,” I tell him, grabbing an ice pack from the cooler and placing it on his knee. “You and Vanessa have been together since you were a senior in high school. She helped you get through the pain the first time.”

“Since high school?” he asks with a horrified look on his face. “Well then, I think it’s about time for someone new.” He shakes his head and looks as if he can’t believe he had spent nearly a decade with her. “Being around her makes me so fucking angry and I don’t even know why!”

“I’ll let you rest,” I tell him, leaving before his temper escalates any further. “I’ll stop by and check on you tomorrow.” I turn toward the door and see Vanessa standing outside of the room. Judging by the look on her face, it’s apparent that she is mustering all of her strength to keep from bursting into tears.

“He’ll come around,” I whisper, putting my arm around her and giving her a one-armed hug. “They’ll have to adjust his meds. He’ll be fine.”

“Nothing is going to be fine,” she whispers, pulling me away from Tyler’s doorway. “I can’t go through this again. I thought it would get better, but it’s actually getting worse. He is so angry with me… I can’t take it anymore.”

“We’ll talk to Dr. Novacek and see if he will adjust his meds,” I reason with her. “You’re pregnant and I think it’s just a matter of getting his mind and memory straightened out.”

“I still love him, but I can’t do this anymore,” she replies, seeming to want to drop the topic. “But, I’ll give Dr. Novacek a call.”

“Okay, I’ll touch base with you tomorrow to see what he suggests. We’re going to stop by in the morning and give everyone an update,” I tell her, moving toward the doorway. “Stay strong and we’ll all get through this. Mandy and I have a date with an SEC investigator,” I tell her, glancing at my watch. Walking away, I am hoping that today isn’t an example of what Tyler is going to be like going forward. It will be miserable for both Mom and Vanessa.