“Joel, I have to tell you something, buddy. You can’t lose it on me now. Charlotte is pregnant. You’re going to be a father.”
Joel stared at him in disbelief and then raked his fingers through his hair. “No, no, no. She won’t let that happen. You have to get Charley away from here.”
“Shit, Joel, I just gave you the best news of your life and that’s your response? Look, you can’t fall apart right now, man. I need you. Tash has Charlotte on the bridge.”
“Jesus. No, no, no...”
“We have to get to them and I can’t do it alone. I’ll take care of my girlfriend and you take care of yours. So can you do it? Can you go outside for Charley and your baby? Because I swear to God, Joel, I’m not leaving this place without you!”
chapter eight
♫
MY HEAD throbbed violently. The blindfold was removed and I blinked in the gray dusk light that had fallen over the Bay. There was little traffic at this time before the evening rush hour. A thick fog had settled over the bridge. Carsten Pullman held my wrists which were still bound and he pressed a gun against my spine.
“What happened to the woman in blue?”
“She’ll be joining us shortly. In the meantime, remember I don’t have to kill you to ruin your life. I could just shoot your hand off. I’ll do minimal jail time and you’ll never play the violin. So behave yourself. Let’s just get through this and we can all go home.”
“You’re completely crazy. The board won’t accept your vote now. Best case scenario, you’ll be fired.”
“I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ll sue the company for wrongful dismissal. The board doesn’t have to accept my vote. I’ll have Joel’s proxy and that’s all I need to push Tallulah through and keep my investors happy.”
He was so calm just like a true sociopath. Carsten Pullman truly believed he wasn’t doing anything wrong. “Worst case scenario is you’re going to prison,” I said, finishing my sentence.
He laughed. “If I go to prison, then everyone is going to prison. I have the girl waiting to press charges. I have Anastasia’s testimony. Daniel won’t be able to charm his way out of this one. Joel will go to prison for rape and Daniel go will go to prison for assisting in the commission of a crime. Razor Industries is going to need an experienced man at the helm. I didn’t appreciate being pushed to one side or attending meetings only to realize no one was listening to me anymore.”
“It’s just business. It doesn’t mean anything. Twenty years from now you’ll be dead and no one will remember your name.”
“Fuck, you are a little piece of work aren’t you? Anastasia should’ve killed you when she had the chance.”
I froze. “What did you just say?”
“Anastasia was the one who pushed you off the roof. Didn’t Daniel tell you?” Carsten chuckled. “See, they make deals, these rich kids. They have their own secret society, their own pacts. Anastasia protected Joel once, so Daniel protected Anastasia. You see how that works? It’s just business. Now, why would that upset you? What is Daniel Razor to you? He found you, gave you a wardrobe, fucked you, and then he discarded you. That’s what they do. If you didn’t like the rules you shouldn’t have joined the game.”
“I don’t believe you.”
That was a lie. I did believe him. I believed every word the asshole said but I wanted to provoke him into telling me more. When I had Anastasia and Daniel arrested for attempted murder, I needed to have my facts straight. Phil would want details.
“You don’t believe me? Humph. I don’t see why not. I have nothing to gain one way or the other. You dead, you alive—it makes no difference to me. I only told you because I thought it was a piece of information you might enjoy.”
“Why Anastasia would tell you such a potentially damaging secret? I don’t believe you because I can’t see Anastasia volunteering that information. And I know Daniel wouldn’t. So you’re making it up.”
He laughed again. “I got it from the horse’s mouth. Daniel’s girlfriend tells me everything. Confiding in one another helps build trust.”
I still didn’t get it but now I was really intrigued. “What does Anastasia have to do with you? I know about Tallulah and why you need Joel’s proxy. And I know that you recruited Wilma to pose as his dead mother.”
“My, you are a knowledgeable young lady.” His eyes scanned the bridge, first in one direction and then the other. “Where the hell is she?”
“Who?”
And then she stepped out of the fog, sauntering toward us slowly, her hands in her pockets, her long blonde hair bound back in a French braid.
Anastasia.
“There were two of you,” I said, finally understanding.
“We meet again,” she said with a sweet, welcoming smile.
“It was you I saw in the hall right after I got off the phone with Wilma. And when you were having your engagement meeting with Daniel, it was Wilma Joel saw in the redwood forest. Which one of you followed me though the woods that day?”
“That was me. I wanted to get a look at you. You were about what I expected. Cheap.” She turned to Carsten, dismissing me. “I parked the van at the Roundhouse. Are we almost done here? I don’t want to be around when he arrives.”
“This won’t take long. Are you sure you don’t want to watch?”
“It is a little too melodramatic for my taste. The bridge, the fog ... Daniel will appreciate it though. Nice that you remembered.”
I suddenly realized why Carson had chosen the bridge as the place for the exchange. “Daniel was going to jump off this bridge when he was sixteen and Joel stopped him. He started living for Joel’s sake. It’s a message.”
“More or less.” Carsten shrugged. “I think he’ll understand. It’s poetic.”
Anastasia shivered. “I’ll get a cab from Marin back to the hotel. I don’t want to run into him on the walkway. Text me when it’s all over. Make sure he knows you used my phone and I’m protected, Carsten. I’m no good to you if he finds out I’m involved.”
She barely glanced at me as she walked past, burrowing deeper and deeper into the fog until her electric blue trench coat was completely out of sight.
“What did she mean by ‘text me when it’s all over?’”
Carsten sighed. “Listen, these kinds of decisions are never easy. One has to weigh the pros and cons in every major takeover. There will always be collateral damage. You, unfortunately, are disposable because I don’t have anything on you that I can use. I can control Daniel by threatening Joel with prison. But you are another matter. Once I have Joel’s proxy, I won’t need you anymore and I made a promise to Anastasia. She wants rid of Joel and I can’t blame her. However, until my position is secure I will need Joel in order to control Daniel. So I’m offering you up instead. It’s not great, but it’s the best I can do and she’s willing to accept it.”
I tried to pull away. “You’re going to throw me off the bridge.”
“Close. I’m going to dangle you off the bridge until I get the proxy and then I might let go. I’m an old man. My hand could slip.”
He had a gun. I could run and he could shoot me. Maybe he’d miss, maybe he wouldn’t. Or I could stay where I was and hope that Daniel arrived with half-a-dozen cruisers from the SFPD.
What would those mercenary Dawsons have done in my place?
I looked discreetly for an exit.
“And here he comes now,” Carsten said softly. “Who is that with him? Fantastic—it’s the freak! The proxy arrives in person. You must be very important, Miss Dawson. Even his own mother couldn’t lure him out of the house.”
I turned to hear Daniel and Joel running toward us through fog that seemed to be thickening by the minute. Carsten grabbed me around my middle and slung me up to the railing before I could stop him. He shoved me back and my arms swung out into space. The blanket of fog below gave the illusion of safety, like there was a big mattress to catch me if Carsten let go. For a man in his seventies he was pretty stro
ng.
Daniel shouted and then I heard Joel. His voice was strained, close to a panic attack. Joel was battling terror with every step. What was he doing here? I thought crazily. Daniel shouldn’t have let him come. He can’t handle open spaces.
“Joel! It’s me, I’m okay.”
“Shut up,” Carsten snarled. “He’s here now.” He pressed the gun to my temple. “Daniel, son, stay back and let Joel come to me alone. I won’t hurt her. I swear. I don’t want to hurt anyone. The proxy is all I need and then we can all go home.”
Daniel emerged from the heavy fog that had collected on the walkway. His face was glistening with sweat and mist but his eyes were hard and unreadable. “Fuck you, Carsten.”
Carsten glanced at me, half-amused, half-baffled and then turned back to Daniel. “Is that your response to this situation? You still haven’t grown up. I warned you this would not end well if you continued to block the acquisition of Tallulah. Where do you think your paycheck comes from? We work for the shareholders, boy. They run the show. Nothing you do here is going to change that.”
“Fuck you,” Daniel repeated. “If you think I’m going to hand over control of Razor Industries, you’ve underestimated my resolve. You’ll bankrupt the company in a year.”
“So? I’ll be rich, you’ll be rich. What does it matter who isn’t rich as long as we are? Is it the family name you’re worried about? No one gives a shit about the family name anymore. From what Anastasia has told me, you and your brother have already damaged the family name. Now be a good little boy and let Joel pass before I lose my grip on his girlfriend. Or is she your girlfriend? It’s hard to keep it straight with you two.”
Daniel moved to get his phone out of his pocket.
“I wouldn’t,” Carsten said coldly. “I know a girl who is ready to accuse Joel of rape if anything happens to me. If I go to prison, we all go to prison. Put the phone away. That’s it. That’s better. Now, Joel—do you have something for me? Come closer. Don’t be scared. Don’t be a snivelling coward. What would your mother think if she saw you like this?”
I pulled myself further up to catch sight of Joel moving behind Daniel. His eyes were wild but not with fear. This was hate. I’d never seen him like that. Carsten didn’t seem to notice.
“I have the proxy in my pocket.” Joel drew near to Carsten, keeping his eyes on the man. “Hand over Charlotte to Daniel and the proxy is yours. Not before.”
He withdrew a sheet of notepaper from the back pocket of his jeans, unfolded it and held it out for Carsten to examine. Joel’s signed voting shares, a block large enough to sway the board to acquire Tallulah and put Carsten Pullman in power. Daniel would be sidelined in his own company.
“Joel, don’t.” My protest was feeble. I didn’t want to die but I thought I should give him the option of saving his brother’s company over me.
“Danny, grab Charlotte.”
Carsten’s eyes went from Joel to Daniel who was coming closer and then back to Joel again. “Wait. Put the proxy in my jacket pocket first. I’m not letting her go until I have that.”
Joel slung his leg over the edge of the bridge. “Let her go or I jump and you have nothing.”
“No!”
Daniel flung a hand out to his brother. Carsten yanked me off the railing and hurled me to the walkway. It all happened so fast. Joel lunged for Carsten. I can still see his body poised against the lights of the bridge, the cables and inky sky above. He landed on Pullman, wrapped his arms around his neck and dragged him to the rail.
“Take care of her, Danny.” Joel tugged hard and both men almost went over the edge.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Casten screamed and fought Joel’s grip. “You’ll kill us both!”
“That’s the idea.”
Joel slung his leg over the side.
“Joel, no!” Daniel yelled. “Don’t! Jesus, man, I’m begging you, don’t do this! He’s not worth it!”
“Danny, I have to or it’ll never end. You’ve protected me long enough. If I’m gone, they can’t threaten you anymore. Just remember what I told you about Alexandra and watch out for Charley. I love you, brother.”
“No!”
Joel pushed off gracefully, backward, like he was strapped to a parachute and falling out of a plane. Carsten’s eyes flared wide, unable to escape—Joel was using him like a shield. Both men dropped over the edge, falling through the thick fog. Two hundred and forty-five feet below was the cold, rough water of the strait. In four seconds, Joel and Carsten would hit the water at seventy-five miles per hour. They would die from the trauma caused on impact. If they survived that, they would drown or die of hypothermia.
There was no chance for survival.
I lay on the walkway, numb and in shock as Daniel screamed his brother’s name. He was leaning dangerously far over the edge; his arm outstretched as if he could snatch hold of him somehow and pull him to safety.
“Joel!”
He threw his head back and roared with a cry of such anguish, I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see the tears running down his face.
Two cars pulled over, putting on their hazard lights. A man jumped out and then a woman came running toward me. “What’s happened? Miss, are you all right?”
Voices rolled around us but I couldn’t speak. Daniel wasn’t looking at them or me. He was watching the space where his brother had been alive and talking only seconds before.
“Did someone fall?”
“Was it an accident?”
“Sir, did somebody jump?”
Oh my god, oh my god, Joel jumped. He’s dead. He’s dead.
The air was a flurry of phone calls. Cell phones, smart phones pulled out of pockets to call 911. The paramedics would be here soon but it was too late.
“Why did he do it?” Somebody was asking me. “Why did he do it?”
I lifted my face to the night sky. It was ironic that Joel who was so terrified of open space, of life beyond his apartment, had chosen to end it all in the vast open space of San Francisco Bay.
Daniel’s face closed. He turned away from me and the crowd who had gathered at the edge of the railing. A bystander helped me to my feet as I watched him walk back along the bridge, retreating into the fog.
Daniel Razor was going to look for his brother’s body and he didn’t need me for that. He didn’t need me at all anymore.
chapter nine
♫
ANASTASIA IS late for our meeting in Chinatown. She answered my text, saying she would be here on time but I should’ve known she’d find some way of screwing with me. She still believes she’s driving this train.
Contacting her was Phil’s idea. As Carsten Pullman once told me, when you have something on a person, you keep that person safe so you can use her or him over and over again. I knew the truth about Anastasia and Daniel didn’t. Play one against the other.
It turns out the Redman Foundation is a big supporter of Torsten Hedstrom’s symphony orchestra which is based in Geneva. Torsten is a famous conductor who also happens to act as an advisor on the board of the Geneva Conservatory. Anastasia agreed to place a call to the board director on my behalf. Consequently, they invited me to join the summer session beginning in two weeks—the master class. Naturally, all fees would be paid in advance. Anastasia is meeting me to hand over a first class plane ticket to Switzerland, a clean platinum credit card and an envelope of cash. In return, she gets to keep Daniel Razor.
She can have him. They deserve each other.
I tell myself I have no choice—I had to resort to extortion to get what I wanted. It’s for the violin, the music, my future and I have a baby to think about. I tell myself they turned me into this person. It helps to have someone to blame. I numb myself with a lot of half-truths about what I’m doing so I can get on that plane without feeling anything for him.
I’m not sure if it’s working. My heart still cracks in my chest when I think of the look in his eyes on the bridge even though it’s been over a month. And t
hen I remember that Daniel Razor, this man that I can’t stop thinking about—chose her over me. She tried to kill me and he knew all about it. I can never trust him and I can never forgive him.
And then I’m glad again that I called Anastasia and brokered a deal.
Just before all this came about, at our last recital, the quartet voted to give me a solo. A pity solo, I’d said and Myles agreed. At first I chose Joel’s adagio but at the last minute I picked a piece that was all mine—that said everything I wanted to say to Daniel but couldn’t.
I played Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s Chaconne for Violin. Nine minutes. A tour de force performance. After I’d finished, I raced offstage and broke down crying in the green room. Myles came in with Susan and Phil. He stood in the doorway and applauded.
I had finally accepted the cross.
So here I am and here she comes, walking toward me. Daniel’s fiancée has a sweet smile on her pretty face and a fat envelope in her hand.
I did it for the music. Just remember that, Daniel. You knew what I was like from the beginning. I am just like you.
*
CHARLOTTE HAS her violin case in her left hand. I can see her up ahead, standing in line at the main gate, waiting to board the international flight to Switzerland.
Marlene, the receptionist who used to work with Charlotte at Razor Industries told me that Charlotte Dawson was leaving the country. She didn’t need her old job back because Charlotte was going to become a classical violinist. “Did you know she played the violin, Mr. Razor?”
Yes, I knew.
I assume she got the money from her lawyer, Phil. Or from some other investor. She got the money somehow. She was never going to stay, no matter what I once believed. Or hoped.
Her dark hair is bound up with a ribbon. Her luggage has already been checked. She’s clutching her boarding pass and identification in her right hand like someone is going to take it away from her. Once she’s through the gate, I can’t call her back. I’ll never see her again. The best thing is to just let her go. I have nothing to offer Charlotte.
Razor Edge: Razor Trilogy Three (Razor Thriller Romance Novella Book 3) Page 6
