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New York City is a sight to be seen. It’s the nightlife, the skyscrapers, the people themselves. But winter is when it’s the most beautiful, I think.

Only the trees are wrapped with Christmas lights this early in November, but soon everything will be covered in white and blue lights. The windows will be decorated on all of the shops in Rockefeller Center and people will come from around the world to see it.

It’s stunning, but what’s best about it, is that it’s crowded. During the winter months, this block is constantly packed. And that’s exactly what I need right now.

I have to take off one of my gloves to turn my phone on and check the messages. My foot taps on the hard cobblestone beneath my feet as I wait on an iron bench.

The phone goes off in my hand and I stare at the message from my father.

Just a bit overworked because of my dumbass son.

Are you sure you’re alright? I ask him and ignore the insult.

It’s fine.

If you went to the hospital, I text, it must’ve been bad. On the subway here I got the message from my father that he was being released. He said he felt lightheaded in the grocery store and the manager called him an ambulance. He said they were just being dramatic, but I know my father. He’s stubborn and hates hospitals.

I’m fine. Go make it right with your wife, he tells me and I have to tear my eyes away from the phone.

I’m trying.

I hesitate to tell him, but the cold sickness flowing through my veins begs me to text my father, She’s pregnant. I can’t help it. I’m so fucking proud. Like I did something amazing for the first time in my life.

His response is immediate.

Thank God. Now she has to forgive you right? he texts back and I let a small chuckle escape.

I wish it were that easy. That’s not how it works, Pops, I tell him.

He messages back, It’s Pop-Pop now. I’m so happy for you two.

Fuck, it shreds me to even think about telling him the truth, so I don’t.

My phone pings again and this time it’s not my father, it’s the person I’ve been waiting for. I’m here.

A few children shriek in laughter as they run by me and I lift my eyes up, watching them chase each other. And that’s when I see her.

Samantha.

I shove the phone in my pocket, standing up and putting my glove back on and shoving my hands into my pockets as I walk toward her.

“Thank you for meeting me,” Sam says with bright red cheeks that match the tip of her nose. Her hair’s been blown by the wind around her face, although she has on a white beanie and a coordinating scarf and gloves. She slips her phone into her black wool jacket and says, “I feel like I’m being paranoid.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“James messaged me and said what happened to Tony could happen to me and to lay off the demands for the divorce.”

“As in … an overdose.”

“I don’t know.” She takes a deep breath and looks to her left and right as her face crumples. “I think just … I think he was threatening to kill me.”

“Are you okay?” I ask her and she shakes her head. Fuck, it shreds me to see her like this. I won’t let him get away with this.

“The coke was laced with poison and the cops are convinced it was intentional,” I tell her.

“I would say I don’t think James is capable of that,” Sam says with sad eyes. As she breathes, her breath turns to fog. “But he’s done things before … ”

“Things like what?” I ask her.

“He’s choked me, thrown me against the wall. He’s threatened me before. But he’s never … ” Her eyes get glossy as she says, “I didn’t think he would ever do it.”

“You think he killed Tony?”

She nods her head once, a frown marring her face as she gets choked up. “He said it was for you,” she speaks softly, her eyes flickering from me to the cars driving behind us.

I don’t give her a response in the least, hiding the anger as my heart thuds hard in my chest at the confirmation of what I already knew.

“What did I do?” I ask her.

“It’s because of me,” she says and her voice cracks.

“You didn’t do this.”

“You don’t understand,” she says, gaining more composure and wiping under her eyes as the wind whips between us and forces her hair behind her. “He wants me to give him everything in the divorce. The properties, the business, he’s not budging.”

“I thought it was finalized?” I ask her.

She shakes her head and says, “I pushed back.” Her words come out hard. “He’s pushed me around for so long and he thought he could just get rid of me and throw me away like he did his first wife. But I made this business.”

“So he went after me?”

“To prove a point.”

“And what’s that?” I ask her.

“That he could eliminate whoever he wants.”

Anger narrows my gaze as I tell her, “He missed his shot.”

“He’ll do it again,” she tells me, “and I’m scared.”

“It’ll be alright,” I tell her although I’m not sure it will be. I’m already trying to figure out how to end this. How to put that asshole nine feet in the ground.

“Please help me, Evan,” she begs and her voice is coated in agony. “I don’t know where to go or what to do.”

“The police,” I tell her and it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever thought of going to them. “You can tell them everything.”

“He has them in his back pocket,” she says bitterly and then adds, “You know that. Did they tell you anything?”

I shake my head no and say, “Only that the coke was laced to kill. It was made into a murder weapon.”

“Oh, God,” Samantha lets out a gasp and hunches forward slightly. I feel the need to put my arm out to steady her and she clings to me.

A moment passes in the wintry cold where I think back to a few times we’ve gotten out of tight spaces. I thought a client here and there would go to trial, but they never did. I didn’t think it was because of James though. I thought they didn’t have enough evidence.

“He’ll go down for what he did,” I tell her as one name and one face come to mind. Mason. Jules’ husband. He’s gotten off for murder, just last month.

He killed his father and everyone knows it.

He’s from a different world than me, but I know him from back in the day when the rich kid was pissed and wanted to cut loose. I don’t have a thing against him although I haven’t spoken to him since I split up a fight a few months ago.

He owes me for that. And Mason’s the type of man who pays his dues.

“What are you going to do?” she asks me. She scoots closer to me, almost too close, and I take a step back.

“I know a guy,” I tell her and she’s quick to nod but then her face falls.

“Fuck,” she whispers, her eyes focused behind me and I whip my head around to see what she’s looking at.

“It was him,” she says and then covers her mouth. “Shit,” she says with tears in her eyes.

“He can’t hurt you,” I tell her, turning around and keeping an arm behind me to protect her. My eyes search the crowd but I don’t see him.

Her hands tug at my arm, pulling me back to her. Her bright red lips glisten as she licks them and tells me, “He went down to the subway, but he saw us. I know he did. At least I think he did,” she says then closes her eyes tight and takes a step back. “It was definitely him.”

“Is he following you?” I ask her, although her eyes are still on the subway tunnel and her body’s still as she holds her breath.

“I don’t know.” Her bright blue eyes flicker to mine as she says, “I’m scared, Evan.”

“You should go to the cops, Sam-” I start to tell her she needs to protect herself, and if she doesn’t trust the cops she can always hire security, but she cuts me off.

“It’s not me. I’m not worried about me. If he thinks you know, you’re not safe.”

“I don’t care what he thinks. Or what he thinks I know.” I stare into her eyes as I tell her, “I’ll kill him before he touches me again.”