Chapter Twelve
ADAM
When the new door was finished, Alex and I headed to the hospital. I drove, as I was becoming more concerned about Alex’s state of mind by the minute. I wasn’t sure if it was Alex’s anxiety about how his parents were doing, his anger about his home being violated, or what he had said earlier about needing to talk, but it was blatantly obvious that he had something heavy weighing on his mind.
We drove silently for the first few miles, and then Alex broke the silence at last by saying,
“I hope we can still be friends, after I tell you what I have to say.”
I glanced sideways at my friend. I felt only pity for him right now, but I knew it was due to the situation, and soon the anger at what Alex had been involved in would return. I only gave a slight nod of my head and waited for him to go on.
“I’ve got myself in over my head, Adam. I don’t know what to do. This all started out to be my dream. The job I always wanted, and I knew I would be good at it…I am good at it, when I’m left alone and allowed to do it,” he sighed heavily and raked his hand through his hair and down across his face again. “But, there’s too much money involved, too much power at stake, people just can’t leave it alone.”
“What people?” I asked as we merged into the swarm of traffic waiting to pay their toll to cross the bridge that led back into the city.
“People like Brigham who wanted to control me because he felt like I owed him something for installing me in this position and others, bad people. These aren’t people you mess with, Adam. I mean, my career is not all that is at stake here. They are coming after my family now.”
“Alex, You’re not making a lot of sense.”
He sighed again, “I know, I just don’t know where to start. The jest of it is this…I was placed in my position by Brigham, to control the funds that were coming in to the campaign and make sure that the people who were elected would be ‘sympathetic’ to his cause. That is, look the other way when it came to his shoddy practices in the Gulf, and stand up to the EPA when they started breathing down his neck.
“It sounds a little shady, I know, but I looked at it as an opportunity to do enough good that it would overshadow the other things I was doing. The President is a good man. He hasn’t been in office long enough to do all of the good that I know he can do. I thought that I was doing some of what it would take to allow him to fulfill the promises he had made to the American people in the future. I did my job well, and I was doing such a good job, that money literally started pouring in. That kind of money began to attract the attention of other people.”
He got quiet again as we made the turn into the hospital parking lot. I found a space and turned off the ignition. I looked at Alex and said,
“Who were these other people?”
“First, I met a man named Johnston at one of the fundraisers. He said his boss owned a large textile company in the UK and was planning on moving it into the States. He said they wanted to support American politics in an effort to ease their transition. Again, not exactly the most honorable motives or intentions, but I told myself that as long as the money was coming in, the President could get re-elected and that was the end goal, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer, I knew the question had been rhetorical.
Alex continued, “Their money started pouring in, and at first it was all good. Then, I met the man at the top, Mr. Grant. He’s a refined, smooth-talking, mean son-of-a-bitch. He told me, in the politest way possible, that he had arranged for Vick to be killed. He said he was going to make sure that Miles Brigham IV was found to be responsible for it, and he said I was going to make sure that the money he had put into the campaign stayed liquid enough to be moved around. He introduced me to his son, Jack. Jack became my main contact after that and let me tell you Adam, Alicia is lucky to be rid of that snake.”
“So,” I said, still trying to grasp all of what Alex was telling me. “The point of killing Vick was to frame Miles?”
“I guess,” Alex said, sounding wearier than ever. “You see, Grant had approached Vick before he and Miles had their falling out. Miles told Vick to blow him off. Brigham runs his own shady deals, but he knew these guys were going to be trouble of the very worst kind, and he told Vick so. Vick said thanks but no thanks and went on with his life. Problem was, when Miles found out that Vick was sleeping with his daughter’s boyfriend, he wasn’t willing to stand behind him any longer. This gave Grant the opportunity he needed to get rid of both Vick and Miles. Kill Vick and his boyfriend, and frame Brigham. Unfortunately, the boyfriend got away, and no one has been able to get to him. He’s surrounded by Feds and Grant’s people want no part of that. They didn’t see him as a big enough player to worry about, anyways.”
Alex took another break. He started to open the car door to get out, but I stopped him by saying, “What about Marjorie? What did she do to get involved in this mess?”
Alex looked surprised, and by the look on his face I thought he was going to deny knowing anything about that. Instead, his denial seemed to turn into resignation and he said,
“They went there looking for you. I swear, Adam, I didn’t know about it beforehand or I would have stopped them somehow. Jack is obsessed with Alicia, Adam. You have to keep him away from her. I was there when he heard the news about Marjorie. He was livid. He said the fools were supposed to have ‘gotten rid of the buffoon who thinks he’s going to marry his girl’. They were supposed to have gone in and made it look like a robbery. Kill you, and leave Alicia grieving. Jack believed that would be enough to push her right back into his arms.
“Instead, they found Marjorie alone. She was never one to do things the easy way; I don’t have to tell you that. They said she gave them hell, scratching and clawing at them like a wild-cat. She wouldn’t shut-up and the men, afraid someone would come up to the apartment to find out what was happening, had killed her. They tried to make it look like a suicide, but she had fought them too hard, and the murder was apparent. They weren’t worried, though. They knew you would be the primary suspect, and Jack paid that journalist, Rose Dugan, a pretty penny to skew everything she wrote against you. He even fed her information that he had gotten from a bug he’d planted in your offices.”
I was trying to process all of this information. The attorney part of me was already going over in my head what kind of charges Alex was apt to face over all of this. I had one more question,
“Was that all the break-in was for at the office? Just to plant the bugs?”
“Partly, but remember, they still wanted to ruin Brigham, as well. Stealing his files was all part of their end game. They took the others, just to try and make it all look random.”
“And what about tonight? The detective said the driver heard their accents, and they were English. Was that Grant?”
“Tonight was about making me pay for trying to stand up to them. I tried to tell them I didn’t want to be a part of this anymore. They didn’t take it too well. This was why I didn’t want my parents staying at the house. I was afraid they would try to get to them when I wasn’t at home. I should have done more to protect them.”
Alex opened the door the rest of the way then and said, “I don’t know what you’ll do with all of this information, but I know that you’re too honest of a guy to let it go. I’m okay with that. I’m tired. I want it all to be over. Right now, though, I need to see my parents and make sure they’re okay. I’ll be expecting the authorities when I get home.”
He stepped out of the car and without allowing me to say anything else he closed the door and headed up the walk towards the front entrance. I watched him go, all the while trying to figure out in my head what kind of deal I would ask for after Alex agreed to testify against all of these people and I became his attorney.
I drove back to the city, home to Alicia. Tonight, I just wanted to lie in her arms and think only about her and how happy she makes me. Tomorrow with a clear head, I would think over all of what Alex had told me before calling David.
I wanted to offer my services to Alex, and convince him to tell David what he had told me tonight himself. I was still angry at my friend for allowing himself to become involved with these people, but I could see the anguish in his eyes and hear it in his voice.
Alex was in over his head. He wasn’t a murderer. He wasn’t a bad guy. He had gotten drunk on power and allowed it all to go to his head and cloud his judgment. I would have to give some thought to the bad press that representing the man who had been somewhat involved in the murder of my ex-wife, but I honestly believed that deep inside Alex was still the person I had grown so close to over the years. He was the friend that had stood up for me at my first wedding, and sat up with me at night through the bad times with Marjorie.
I would have to convince everyone else that the true bad guys here were the ones who would kill a man, and frame someone else for it, and kill a woman who just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time.
I thought about how glad I was for Alicia’s good judgment in not waiting to talk to Kyla about Jack; he was a lot more dangerous than either of us had thought. Alicia had been getting a bad feeling from him from the start, but I had mostly written my dislike of the man off to simple jealousy. I hadn’t wanted this man who was so obviously still in love with my fiancé to keep popping up in our lives. I shuddered when I thought about how many times Alicia had been alone with the man. I pressed harder on the accelerator, aching to get back and hold her in my arms.
Kyla had gone home by the time I got there, but Alicia was waiting up for me. She could see in my eyes and the sag of my shoulders how tired I was. She didn’t ask me to talk about it. She simply took me by the hand and led me to bed. After helping me strip out of my clothes she curled her soft, warm body up next to mine and just let me hold her.
Somehow, she was always able to sense exactly what I needed, and when I needed it. My last conscious thoughts that night were that I had never felt so emotionally connected to anyone in my life, and to remember to thank God for giving her to him, and keeping her safe.
EPILOGUE
2 YEARS LATER
ALICIA
“What are you doing here?” Kyla was staring at me as I got off the elevator in front of my office like I had two heads. She was also glancing nervously up and down the hallway.
“I work here, or did you forget? And, nice to see you, too, by the way.”
She snorted out a laugh. “No, I didn’t forget you work here but are you supposed to be out driving yourself around? You look like you’re going to pop. And, nice to see you, too,” she added with a little smile.
“I feel like I’m going to pop. I almost wish I would. I’m ready for him to come out. No, I didn’t drive I got a ride with the service.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I have an appointment at two and it was already noon and Adam hadn’t had time to pick me up yet. It also seems silly for him to drive all the way out to pick me up when he’s already in the city. I just took the car service.”
“Does Adam know you’re here?”
“Adam is not my…shit! Okay fine, he is my boss, but he’s not the boss of me. He won’t be mad so stop looking so nervous. I’m pregnant, I’m not an invalid.” I walked toward my office and noticed two things. Carla was not at her desk and there was no activity or noise in the hallway, at all.
“Where is Carla?”
“Um…she was running an errand. She’ll be right back.”
“An errand in the middle of the work day?” That didn’t sound like Carla to me. As a matter of fact, the whole floor seemed eerily quiet. “Where is everyone else?”
“Busy, busy,” Kyla said. I rolled my eyes and waddled on into my office. Kyla followed me. She was acting all weird and nervous.
“What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
I went over and pushed my chair back about two feet from my desk so I could sit down and there would be room for my belly. I loved this baby growing inside of me from the moment I knew he was there, but I’m ready for him to come out. The doctor says two more weeks. My parents will fly out in one week. I’m hoping if I do a lot of walking, we can compromise.
“Where’s Nico?”
“Alex is appearing in front of the grand jury this week… I’m sure Adam told you.” Adam had told me.
Alex ultimately agreed to testify against everyone involved in the misappropriation of the campaign funds and the murders of Vick and Marjorie. Jack tried to flee back to the U.K. when he heard but the Marshalls had picked him up at La Guardia. The FBI had been working on having his father extradited since he was the ringleader of the whole group but so far they haven’t had any luck. Jack’s father was going to leave his son to take the fall for all of it. It took me some time to come to terms with the fact that my childhood friend had resorted to extortion, theft, and maybe even murder over money that he never really needed. He’s a brilliant man. He’s an attorney. All he ever had to do was work for it.
“Yeah, he told me.”
“Nico is in with him right now going over his testimony because Adam couldn’t get out of this EPA thing.”
“When is Jack’s next court date?”
“His new lawyer has drawn up a motion to dismiss. He says that the only evidence the state and the feds have against Jack is Alex’s testimony and they want the case dismissed.”
“Who is his new attorney?”
“Hal Rogers.”
I had just opened a bottle of water and taken a drink. I choked on it. “You’re kidding me? Hal is representing one of the men responsible for Marjorie’s death and Adam the other? She has to be rolling in her grave.”
As it turned out, Jack and his father were more involved in the murders than anyone else. Jack hadn’t actually committed them, but he’d paid people to do it. I shudder every time I think about how close I came to losing Adam because of Jack’s simple jealousy and need for instant gratification. It makes me sick.
“Poor Adam mumbled something this morning about not being able to get rid of the guy,” Kyla said. She reached up to touch her face and something sparkly caught my eye.
“What is that on your finger?”
Kyla looked down at the ring and her whole face glowed. “Nico proposed last night.”
“Oh my God!” I tried to get up. I was struggling and she saw me so she came to me. She took my hands and helped me stand up and I embraced her as much as I could in my condition. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to. This morning has just been crazy…”
“Kyla!” The sound of Adam’s voice wafted down the hall. Kyla looked nervous again. What the heck is going on? “I should go see what he wants,” she said.
“Adam! She’s in here with me.”
Kyla gave me a tight-lipped stare. When Adam walked into the office she relaxed her stare and said, “I’m going to go have some lunch with Nico. Call if you need me.” Adam’s eyes were focused on me.
“Okay, call me later?” I asked Kyla.
“I will try,” she said with a smile before she left.
“I thought you promised to wait for me to come and get you.”
“I didn’t see that it made a difference. I wasn’t driving. I was going stir crazy.”
He gave me a sympathetic look and came over around behind the desk and took my hands in his and pulled me to my feet. He kissed my lips and then he bent down and gave my belly a soft kiss. I loved when he did that, it was so sweet. “How is my baby boy today?”
“He is active,” I said. “How is his big daddy?” I asked with a smile.
“He’s the luckiest man in the world. I have a wife that is gorgeous, sexy, smart, funny…and I know that you’re going to be the best mom ever to my son that I get to meet very soon. If everything else in my life was taken away at this moment, that would all still be more than enough.” He kissed me softly on the forehead. I reached up and put my hand on the side of his face and asked,
“Things are going okay with the EPA?”
“The EPA?”
“Didn’t you and Mac just have a meeting with them?
“Oh…yeah, we did.” It wasn’t like Adam to be absent-minded, just like it wasn’t like Carla to run errands during the day. Something was definitely up.
“Why is everyone acting so weird?”
“I didn’t notice anyone acting weird.”
“Why is it so quiet in here?”
“Everyone is hard at work.”
“Why is Nico in there prepping Alex instead of you?”
“You and I had an appointment. I thought I was leaving early to pick you up, so I asked Nico to do it.” As he talked, he was walking us through my office and out into the hall.
“I’m sorry you had to miss it because of the appointment. I could have handled that. I just want the doctor to ask this child if he’s ever coming out.”
“Think about it, he’s in his warm, beautiful Mommy’s tummy getting everything he needs, why would he want to come out. It’s cold out here.”
“Well, I’m ready to see him, and I promise to bundle him up.”
Adam chuckled and continued to propel me out into the hall way. He was leading me down where the conference room was. I still didn’t see another living soul. Surely everyone hadn’t gone out to run an errand or interview a client all at once. It was never this quiet in here.
“Adam…” He pushed open the conference room door and reached around to flip on the light. The room came alive with noise and people and color. There was a big blue banner that said, “Welcome to the world Little Lord Hanson.” That’s what our colleagues had taken to calling the baby growing in my belly. All of our colleagues were packed into the room. There were baby decorations and a three-tier cake and a table filled with gifts.
I rubbed my belly and said, “Look how loved you are little man. Look how many lawyers set aside their billable hours for you. Do you know how huge that is?”
Adam laughed. I felt him lean down and kiss the side of my neck. “When the boss says put aside your billable hours and go to a baby shower employees jump.”
“I see that. This is amazing.” I hugged him. “Thank you, baby. I’m going to go in and say hello to everyone.”
“There’s one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Turn around Alicia and let me see my grandson.”
I turned toward my mother’s voice. I talk to her nearly every day on the phone, but it had been over a year since I’d seen them. First she was sick and then Dad was sick and then I was too pregnant to fly. I’d had a few crying spells over it recently and as usual, Adam had found a way to make it right.
This is what love is. It’s not about a business or money. It’s not about being from the same background or believing in all of the same things. It’s simply about caring so deeply about another human being that you will take time out of your day to make sure theirs is special. Love is something that you’re willing to keep fighting for because you know that in the end it’s going to be worth it. It’s always looking forward and not judging the one you love by what’s happened in the past.
I felt Adam’s arms encircle my waist and he stroked his fingers gently across my swollen belly and buried his face in my hair. This is love. Adam is love and I’m the luckiest girl in the world.
Get my never released free book Tempting for a limited time.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE BILLIONAIRE
By Alexa Davis
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Alexa Davis
Chapter One
Cade
Thanksgiving Afternoon
“More wine?”
Without even bothering to wait for an answer, the man across the table clicked his fingers at the poor, stressed out-looking maid, indicating for her to pour me another drink. All without even speaking. It felt incredibly disrespectful to me. I never would’ve treated anyone like that.
Then again, just because the man sitting opposite me shared my dark hair and eyes, my muscular build, and at least half my DNA, didn’t make us anything alike. We had never been, and we never would be. I didn’t want to be like him, either, thank you very much.
“So, Son, this is an enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner, isn’t it?”
“Erm, sure.” I might’ve been twenty-four years of age, but around my dad, I reverted right back into a sullen teenager all over again. It didn’t help that we only saw one another at special events; it didn’t give us any time to build up a bond. “If you say so.”
“If I say so?” he scoffed with mirth. His eyes crinkled with laughter as he rested his hands on the rounded belly that could only come from rich foods and too much expensive wine. “Son, where else would you get fed so well?”
That much was true. The food was good because it cost a fortune, but this didn’t feel anything like Thanksgiving to me – just me and my father looking at each other, barely knowing one another, with poor servants who should’ve been with their own families working hard to serve us. Everything about it felt wrong.
When I used to go to my best friend’s home for Thanksgiving, back when we were in college, Matt had all his family around him. The noisy, messy affair was always a lot of fun.
I didn’t even know where my mother was. She was a famous photojournalist who was always off on worldwide assignments. I tried to remember her schedule, but it was challenging to keep up. That was probably the reason that her short-lived marriage to my father didn’t work. She was a butterfly who needed to roam free. Occasionally, I felt resentful she wasn’t around more often, but mostly, I was happy she was happy.
“Where is Helen?” I asked glumly, referring to my father’s new wife. She was forty-one years old, fourteen years younger than my dad, but she was so “done” that it was hard to tell. She was one of those unbearable women who couldn’t let go of her youth. I didn’t like being around her at all, so really it was good that she wasn’t here.
“She’s still in California at that month-long spa thing.” Dad waved his hand dismissively as if this was something I should know already. “You know what she’s like, always obsessed with the new beauty treatment.”
Hmmm, sounded like more plastic surgery to me, I thought. Not that I’d bother to say that aloud.
“So, you have graduated from business school now,” he continued with a smile. My education seemed to be the one thing he was proud of when it came to me. Then again, it was the only thing he knew about me. “What’s your next plan?”
“I want to take a little while off to explore my options. Maybe six months or so.” I knew this wouldn’t sit well with him, but it was what I wanted. My father had everything he could ever want money wise, but I could tell something was missing. He didn’t have the happiness out of the office that I got the impression he secretly craved.
I didn’t want that for myself. I wanted it all. I wanted to have a well-rounded, happy life, and I felt like the only way I could do that would be to explore what was out there for me. How could I know what was right for me if I didn’t discover it all?
“Six months.” He rolled his eyes at me as he said that. “You want to move faster than that in business, Son. All the opportunities will be gone by the time six months is up.”
I really had to resist the urge to roll my eyes; as if all businesses would suddenly close their doors to any new employees in six months’ time. Honestly, my father’s views were ridiculous, but there was no point in outright arguing with him because he was far too set in his ways. I’d spent too much time pointlessly fighting with him.
“You know, you could always come and work at the Stone Group. It’s your blood. It’s your name. The position is there for you if you want it.”
I knew that was coming. I could predict it from a mile off. That was why my father was so happy for me to take that business degree – he’d always wanted me to come and work for him. It wasn’t my dream, though. The Stone Group was his company; I didn’t want to have a position handed to me. I wanted to create a business of my own.
“I appreciate it, I really do.” I tried to be diplomatic as I turned him down. “But I want to do my own thing. I want to carve out my own path.” A bit of flattery should do it. “I want to do what you did and become a self-made man.”
“I see.” At first, I thought he was about to explode. His face turned a funny shade of red, and I could see him sucking in a deep breath of air. I knew he wouldn’t like it that I didn’t want to work for him, but I hoped, at the very least, he’d understand. “Well, if that’s the case, I want to help you out-”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to worry about that,” I tried, but he quickly spoke over me.
“I want to ensure that you have an opportunity, even if that isn’t at the Stone Group. I don’t want anything to hold you back. I know I haven’t always been around much.” That was an understatement! “But that’s because I have always worked hard. Now I want you to take advantage of that. I want you to benefit from all my work.”
“What do you mean?” I was stunned. This announcement felt like it was the closest to an emotional outpouring my father could manage and that had me very confused. Pragmatic, I was used to. Slightly cold, I could cope with. Any indication that he hadn’t exactly been there for me was a little too much.
“I want to give you some money to get you started.”
“Oh no...” I didn’t start this conversation for that. “This isn’t something that you can argue with.” Stubborn as ever, my father’s expression darkened. “This is what I am going to do, and you will accept it. I am going to give you a billion dollars to get you started.”
I laughed. I laughed loudly. As far as jokes go, this was a good one. A billion dollars... Even if he hadn’t been around for me very much, this was too far. It was utterly ridiculous.
“I’m serious,” he declared proudly. “I am going to give you this money as an early Christmas present. I know you want to be your own man, but you’ll need something to get you started. That way you can take the six months to do something positive.”
“And that’s a billion dollars, is it?” I was stunned. I could barely talk. I felt like I’d been blindsided. “There have to be some strings attached.”
After a beat, my father jumped in again. “Well, I suppose there is.” I knew it! “I will be leaving for Berlin on the first of December to help coordinate the expansion of the company. I want to make some positive strides in Europe for the Stone Group. Helen will be coming over to join me eventually when she’s ready, and we’ll stay there for at least the next six months to a year.”
“Wow, that’s...” I slumped back in my seat and stared at him. “That’s really something. Good luck with that. But where does that leave me?” Was this some form of trick to get me working for the company, even though I’d just told him that I didn’t want to?
“It’s Alissa.”
“Alissa?” He said that name as if I should instantly know exactly who he meant, but it barely sparked any recognition in me at all. “What do you mean?”
“Helen’s daughter. She doesn’t want to leave New York to come to Europe with us, and as I’m sure you can imagine, Helen is very worried.”
“Really?” I couldn’t imagine Helen being worried about anyone other than herself, but maybe I didn’t know her well enough. Maybe underneath that icy, unbearable outer shell, there was a real sweetheart there. My father had to see something in her. “She is?”
“Alissa lives a modest life. She won’t even accept my financial help.” How she managed to say no to my dad, I would love to know! “She is...stubborn.” He sighed deeply as if this fact hurt him. “I suppose I haven’t always been the best with her, which may be why she’s rejecting me now. I don’t know.”
“Again, how does this affect me?” The way he spoke about this girl as if she was his own flesh and blood irritated me beyond belief. What about the way he’d neglected me? Did he not care about that? Didn’t he think that impacted me at all?
“Well, I want you to look out for her.”
Oh my God, was he insane? “I don’t even know this girl. How the hell am I supposed to care for someone who doesn’t even know me?”
“I figure you could do it discretely. She doesn’t know that you have anything to do with me, so she won’t think I sent you. Just...befriend her, check that she’s doing okay. You have the billion dollars, so you can help her out financially if need be.”
Yeah, right. Some chick who didn’t even know me was going to take money from me. Real great plan, Dad. Still, if I wanted the billion dollars, which would admittedly really help me during my sabbatical, then I had to go with this insanity. All I had to do was try; then I’d upheld my part of the deal.
“You remember her, don’t you?” Dad narrowed his eyes at me. “You met her at the wedding. Auburn hair and bright blue eyes? Very quiet, looks a little bit like Helen? Sort of.” Maybe she had once, but no one looked like Helen now!
I had vague memories. To be honest, I spent a lot of the wedding very drunk because I could barely stand to be around all those phony people who were “oh so happy that your dad is getting married again.” It had been a freaking nightmare.
“Right, sure, I remember,” I half lied. “So, what do you want me to just talk to her and stuff?”
“Yeah, just keep us updated, make sure she’s okay.” Dad gave me a grin that was bordering on a sneer. The wine must have been going to his head. “You can do that, surely? For a billion dollars.”
He had me on the hook, and he knew it. I felt like I was selling my soul to the Devil, but the deal was so good that I couldn’t resist. A billion dollars, I would have been crazy to say no, no matter what he wanted in return. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. Erm, thanks, Dad.” Thanking him felt like utter torture, but it had to be done. At least the world was my oyster now – if I just kept focusing on that part, the rest of it didn’t seem so bad.