BECKY
I love the smell of money. I ran my nose over the stack of crisp bills and felt a whole lot better than I had when the mysterious man came to pick up the car. “Mom, who was that? Where did you get that?” Shit, I forgot she was here. Victoria walked into the room and stood over the bed where I’d emptied the money bag with thirty neatly bound stacks of ten thousand brand spanking new hundred-dollar bills each.
I hurried to put it away while struggling to come up with an explanation. “Never mind that how about we go shopping? That will make you feel better, wouldn’t it?” When I saw the light in her eyes, I knew she’d forgotten all about her question.
“Let’s drive to New York; I want to shop there, not at these stupid stores around here.”
I knew why she wanted to go, she’s my daughter after all, and as long as I can keep her from asking any prying questions, I’m willing to do anything. Still, how would I explain the more than five-hour trip away from home without any warning? I know; I’ll use her expulsion as an excuse when Felix asks. I’ll say it was a way to cheer her up. Maybe we can even stay overnight.
I didn’t want to be too rash in my movements, one surprise is more than enough to deal with, but I think I can swing it. In fact, this might be just the pick-me-up. I need to get over the shock of seeing Adrienne again after all these years. I’d gotten rid of all her pictures from around the house, even the big family portrait that held center stage over the mantle in the living room.
“Get dressed; let’s leave before I change my mind.” I saw the first sign of life in her since I picked her up from the principal’s office. She left to get dressed while I put my face on, feeling better by the minute. I don’t know why I was so worried. I’ve always been able to get around Felix, and this time will be no different. Sure, he’d be put out about the tuition, but it’s not the worst thing that can happen. Besides, if Gia really is involved, I can always blame her new association with the high and mighty Russos.
By the time we were out the door, I felt all my worries evaporate. I’ve been letting that little boy get to me. Letting his family name and their considerable power scare me when there was no need. Once I get some retail therapy under my belt, I’ll put on my thinking cap and come up with a way to deal with him. I may not be her mother, but I’m still a guardian, and no one can stand in the way of that.
The more miles I put between me and home, the better I began to feel. Even Victoria looked a lot better, and I didn’t want to spoil the mood by bringing up the school situation, so I didn’t. Instead, we talked about what designer bags and clothes we were going to treat ourselves to. By the time we made it into the city, our spirits were lifted, and worrying about anything wasn’t even an afterthought.
DRACO
“Boss, we followed her all the way into the city.”
“She really went to New York. What’s she doing now?”
“Looks like they’re going shopping.”
“Okay, thanks.” I hung up the phone, surprised by the accuracy of my son’s predictions. When did the kid become this good? And what does that mean for the future?
“What’s got you looking so worried?” I looked up at my brother, who’d dropped by to pick up the stuff I brought him back from the city.
“My son.”
“Gabe? What happened to Gabe?”
“Nothing, calm down.” I forgot how overprotective he is of the boy.
“If it’s nothing, why do you look like that?”
“Garrett, have you ever noticed his intelligence?”
“Of course.”
“No, I don’t mean that medical crap you two be yapping about. I’m talking about his mind, the way it works.”
“He gets that from you.”
“No, I was never as good as he is. I’m a schemer. I can scheme with the best of them. My son is a born strategist, and his mind scares me. If he’s this good at his age, who’s going to stop him?”
“What is it that you’re trying to say? What the hell has got you spooked?”
“Not spooked, more like apprehensive. Really apprehensive.”
Gabe had called every play so far of Fontane and his family without missing a beat. I hadn’t put much thought into it when he first asked me to make an offer on the car; I figured he knew what he was doing. But the rest of it, how did he know? As far as I know, he’d only just met these people in the last week or so, so how could he so easily read this woman and her daughter and know which buttons to push?