Keeping Gemma (Holiday Cove 2)

“Fire away.”

“First of all, what do you want to happen? In a perfect world.”

“I want to keep my museum, but not at the cost of throwing my friend under the bus. If I can’t find a way out of this without hurting Rick, then I’d be willing to walk from the museum, but only if I can keep the planes. The building, while important, is still, at the end of the day, just four walls. It’s the planes and the memorabilia that matter the most. I’m not willing to give that up. Especially not to O’Keefe.” My words gradually turned sharp until they came out just under a yell.

Lance didn’t flicker.

“And, just as a reminder, whatever you tell me doesn’t leave this office. But, I have to ask, what are your ties to Rick? You’re not tangled up in his smuggling business, are you?”

I shook my head. “No. I’ve used his charter service before, but all for above board reasons. I’ve never helped him smuggle in anything, but at the same time, I’m not exactly immune since I knew what he was doing was shady as shit.”

Lance nodded slowly, processing. “It’s possible they could charge you as an accessory since you knew what was going on, but it’s unlikely. You could plead out in exchange for your testimony if worst came to worst.”

I opened my mouth, prepared to argue that I would never go to court and help the prosecutors put away my friend.

“I said worst case scenario,” he reiterated before I could voice my objection. “As far as O’Keefe and this contract go, my advice would be to stay away from him until the FAA and FBI complete their investigation, especially if you’re right about him being the one who tampered with the lines—or even hired the person who did it and is after you.”

“Should I tell the FBI what I think about him being involved? I don’t have any concrete proof, but it seems like they should have a heads up.”

Lance nodded. “It can’t hurt. They have resources available that could help. For all you know, he’s someone already on a watch list somewhere. If he’s really the one behind the crash, this likely isn’t his first rodeo, and he might have done something in the past.”

“Wouldn’t they have caught him? If he left clues before?”

“They might have not had enough to take to the DA. It’s not as cut and dried as TV shows make it out to be,” he answered with a smile. “But, seeing as how your physical safety—as well as that of your staff and clients—is in danger until this case is solved, I would recommend staying away from him.”

I sighed. “Well, the problem is that he gave me three days to sign them or he would go to the cops with the information about Rick. I don’t want to call his bluff because he’s crazy enough he might do it.”

Lance shook his head. “He won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“People like Henry O’Keefe come across as brash and impatient, but it’s a facade. He’s playing a long game here. He’s used up a lot of manipulation and scare tactics thus far. He started off by offering you Talia, and when you didn’t take that, he resorted to threatening and putting the heat on her in hopes of flushing you out. When that didn’t work, he turned to blackmail. He’s not going to gamble on his last remaining chip. He’ll hold onto it to get what he really wants.”

“The museum,” I said, watching the pieces fit snuggly together as Lance painted the whole picture.

“Exactly. So, go hang out, do whatever you gotta do, but I’d stay away from the places he knows he can find you. The museum, your home, anything like that. Lay low until the FAA and FBI can finish their investigation. Let them know everything you know, obviously, without bringing Rick into it. I doubt they’d pursue it. That’s not their deal, but just to play it safe, leave him out of it.”

“I can’t go home?”

“Not right now since it’s right next to the museum. I have a few friends and I’ll look into this thoroughly.” The confidence in his tone went a long way toward soothing away the frayed edges of my nerves.

“And when the time comes, if this goes to court, I’ll represent you and make sure you stay out of prison.” He set his glasses aside and picked up the contracts. He handed them back to me across the desk. “And whatever you do, don’t sign these.”

I laughed. “No problem there. I’m not letting that bastard get my museum.”

“Good.” Lance stood and I followed suit. He reached across the desk. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Rosen. If the FAA or FBI have questions, just give them my number. I’ll field all of that for you. You just relax, work on your recovery,” he gestured to my broken arm. “I’ll handle the rest.”