A Dangerous Widow (Dangerous #1)

by Christina Ross

  Time passed swiftly.

  I reviewed my notes for the speech I had to give, I met with members of my staff as they started to arrive, and despite it all, I pumped them up to work the crowd in an effort to draw as much money out of our guests as possible. Because that’s why we were there. Every person I’d invited here tonight was beyond wealthy—the trick was to get them to part with their money. I had specific ways to do that, and I shared those ways again with my staff in case any of them had forgotten.

  “And don’t forget,” I said to them. “If you sense that anyone is stalling or low-balling, come to me, and I’ll approach them myself. Tonight, we’re going to best what we did last year—which was more than forty million dollars. I’ve stacked tonight’s deck to try to crush that number. If you need any help from me, just come and get me. Tonight is about helping people less fortunate than we are. I want to break sixty million tonight, and I know that we can do it—so, let’s make it happen!”

  With my staff properly rallied, I went over to Ben and put my hand on his shoulder.

  “Now I remember why you were such a good cheerleader in high school,” he said.

  “Oh, stop. I totally sucked as a cheerleader.”

  “Sorry, but it’s true. They look electrified now.”

  “I love them,” I said. “I’m honored to have them working for our cause. They’re so young, determined, and earnest. You can see the enthusiasm in their eyes. Tonight, we’re going to do amazing things to help other people. And it’s for that very reason why I couldn’t bail on tonight. I needed to be here for them and for the cause. I want to rake in sixty million tonight. If we don’t meet it—although I feel that we might—I’ll just make up the difference with my own money. Because that’s how important this is to me.”

  “You’re a wonder, Kate.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m just a girl who got lucky, and who hasn’t forgotten her roots. I haven’t forgotten what it feels like to be poor. You have to give back, Ben.”

  “And you have.”

  “And I’m grateful that I can. The domino effect of my life isn’t lost on me. When Michael and I started out, we had nothing. Then, when his business started to take off, things got a hell of a lot better. Eventually, we were able to give to charities we believed in. Since his death and the sale of StoneTech, I’ve just carried on with what mattered most to both of us. Even though I’ve decided it’s time to move forward with my life, I’ll always honor Michael. You would have liked him, and he would have liked you—which is kind of important to me right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of what’s happening between us. But you knew that before you even asked that question.”

  “Maybe I just wanted to hear you say it.”

  “So I have.”

  Ben nodded over toward the staircase that led up and into the Grill Room. People were starting to file in and gather at the large bar in the room.

  “Party time,” he said.

  “And so it begins.”

  “I’m not leaving your side tonight.”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “And here comes Catherine—she won’t be leaving it either.”

  I took Catherine by her hand as she approached us. “Thank you for being with me tonight,” I said to her.

  “It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Stone.”

  “Please, call me Kate. After all, at some point, we are going to be bathroom buddies tonight.”

  “True enough.”

  I looked over at the teems of people who were coming up the stairs and moving into the Grill Room. “Everyone entering now has just gone through security,” I said in an effort to calm my nerves. “They’ve walked through metal detectors. I know that that technology isn’t foolproof, Ben, but it has to mean something.”

  “To a point it does,” he said. “But what’s done is done, and now our focus must turn to the room. Are you ready to greet your guests?”

  “I am.”

  “One thing—if ‘W’ is an assassin, she’ll likely be somewhere in her thirties to very early forties. She’ll be extremely fit. If you see anyone you don’t know who matches that profile, let me know.”

  “I will.”

  “Then let’s do this.”

  * * *

  An hour later, the party was at full peak. I’d greeted hundreds of guests, the orchestra was playing, people were chatting, cocktails were flowing, and the mood felt light and bright. I’d introduced Ben to Laura and her new boyfriend, Jack, whom I’d liked at once, as well as to Jennifer and Alexander Wenn, who had expressed their concern by offering Ben access to their own security team.

  “I want to see you soon, Kate,” Jennifer said before they left. “You need your girlfriends around you now. We’ll work something out. I’ll be in touch.”

  Throughout it all, I’d seen several women I didn’t know who fit the profile Ben was seeking. The trouble was that they’d all arrived with men I knew and trusted. Still, I pointed them out to Ben, because unlike me, he trusted no one here tonight.

  When I noticed that my team was starting to gather people into the Pool Room, I checked my watch. I was set to deliver my speech at nine-thirty, which was just ten minutes away.

  “It’s time for my speech,” I said to Ben.

  “The sooner you get it over with, the sooner we can leave,” he said. “So—the Pool Room?”

  “The Pool Room.”

  He reached for my hand and we started down the long hallway that emptied into the Pool Room. Once inside, I saw Nick and a few members of his team circling the space, which eased my mind as I took to the dais that had been set for me at the back of the fountain in front of the wall of windows. I always felt nervous when I had to give a speech, but since this organization was so near and dear to me, the idea that I was about to do some good gave me a bit of backbone that I might have lacked otherwise.

  When I heard the orchestra stop, I opened my clutch to remove my notes. And that was when I saw my phone light up with a text. And then everything changed.

  I picked it up and read it. “You look beautiful in your lavender gown, Kate. How do you think you’ll look when it’s covered with your own blood…?”

  With every ounce of courage I had within me, I kept my features neutral as I handed the phone to Ben.

  “She’s here,” I said as he read the text. “In the room. Watching me. Threatening me. How in the hell does she know my number?”

  “This is your personal cell?”

  “It is.”

  He showed the text to Catherine, and asked her to alert Nick and the rest of the team. When she reached into her clutch for her cell, Ben said, “You don’t have to go through with this, Kate.”

  “What can she do with hundreds of people here? Just look at the exits—they’re blocked by people. You’ve seen my speech—it’s brief. Just watch the room for me and let me finish this.”

  “Nick’s been informed,” Catherine said. “The team is on full alert.”

  “If you’re going to do this, make it fast,” Ben said.

  “I will. I promise.”

  I took a breath, and then turned to face the crowd with a smile despite how terrified I felt.

  “Hello!” I said to a loud round of applause. While people clapped and whistled, I looked around the room and saw faces that I knew—and several faces that I didn’t know. I saw Bill and Maxine Witherhouse, Laura and Jack. Just in front of me were Jennifer and Alex, and over to my right were a host of other people I knew. There were so many faces looking at me that it was too much to process.

  Where are you? I thought as I looked out over the room. Are you about to try something? Are you going to kill me?

  Give the speech and get out of this.

  “Thank you all for coming,” I said. “And don’t worry—I know that the cocktails, conversations, and dancing are important, so this speech won’t be long. In fact, it will be succinct. Four years ago, when I reassessed my life after my husband’s death, I knew
that I needed to devote the rest of it to philanthropic work. I’ve done that through the Red Cross, and also through the StoneTech Foundation. Each has helped millions, but the Manhattan branch of the Red Cross has a more profound reach when it comes to helping the citizens of this city. That’s why I’m here with you tonight. That’s why I’ve committed myself to this organization. And I have to believe in my heart that it’s also why you are here—to help people who are in need of our assistance. So, here’s what we can do together—we can lift up that single mother whose husband or boyfriend has walked out on them. We can help that man or woman who just lost their job and now is struggling to find work in an effort to keep a roof over their heads. We can help someone who has become homeless, and we can also assist the underprivileged. These are the people who need us right now, and if you’ll join me in that fight, we can and will change their lives.”

  There was another round of applause, and when it died down, I dropped my voice a notch. “I know most of you,” I said. “And because of that, I also know how big your hearts are. I know that you’ll come through for the people of Manhattan tonight. Their voices so often go ignored or unheard, but they can’t remain silent to us, can they? So, if I might have the honor of speaking for them—thank you for whatever you can donate tonight. And thank you for coming this evening—I’m beyond grateful, as are the citizens of our city. Now, if you haven’t already had one, enjoy a cocktail. Dance if you haven’t already danced. And please talk to each other about how important this cause is. Because I’ll warn you right now that I will be visiting each and every one of you. And just so you know, if you don’t have a pen on you, I certainly will have one on me!”

  * * *

  Though I’d somehow held myself together, I nevertheless was a nervous wreck when I stepped away from the dais and took hold of Ben’s hand.

  “You were brilliant,” he said.

  “I was scared to death, and I still am. And because of that? Guess what? I need to use the restroom—as in now.”

  “I’ll escort you and Catherine.”

  The restrooms were in the Grill Room, which seemed a hundred miles away from me as Ben led me forward through a crowd that greeted me with bright smiles and congratulations.

  “Kate, you were great!” Laura said as we approached Jack and her.

  “Bathroom,” I said discreetly in her ear. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Got it, lovecat.”

  When we started down the long hallway that led to the Grill Room, Maxine Witherhouse, of all people, stepped into our paths.

  “You were glorious, Kate,” Maxine said. “So raw. So powerful.”

  And if you would just give me that massive diamond choker you’re wearing, Maxine, we’d likely be halfway to our financial goals tonight alone.

  “Thank you,” I said as she gave me two air kisses. “I’m grateful that you came.”

  “Bill and I wouldn’t have missed it! We were so pleased to be invited.”

  “We were invited because Kate knows that we have deep pockets, Maxine.”

  “Oh, Bill—really!”

  “No,” I said, turning to Bill, who was looking hard at me. “On one level, I have to admit that he’s correct. Both of you can assist us tonight. But I also wanted you here for personal reasons. We are friends, after all, aren’t we, Bill?”

  “That’s a curious question,” he said. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

  Because now I know things about you, Bill, which I never knew before. Were you so angry with Michael for ending the takeover of StoneTech that you’d have him murdered?

  I didn’t know.

  “Exactly,” I said. “I’d love to talk with each of you right now, but after that speech, my team needs focus and direction. Can we chat later?”

  “We look forward to it,” Maxine said. “And also to writing you a substantial check!”

  Well, there’s that, I suppose. And I will take your money, Maxine, because you clearly don’t need any more diamonds.

  By the time we finally got through the crowd and to the restrooms, naturally there was a line—though at least it was short. Ben said that he was going to check in with Nick before he kissed me on the lips and stood off to the side.

  “Catherine, if you need me, I’ll be right here,” he said. “All you need to do is say my name.”

  “I will,” she said. “But I’ve got Kate covered. We’ll be fine.”

  * * *

  When it was my turn to use one of the five stalls, I stepped inside the restroom, and gave Catherine a nod as she pressed her back against the far wall. I then entered the free stall, closed the door behind me, and locked it just as the toilet in the stall next to me was flushed. I then heard the stall door open, and listened as somebody else moved inside.

  I used a piece of tissue paper to wipe down the seat before I lifted my dress, dropped my underwear, and sat down to relieve myself. And when I did that, for a moment, I actually felt a sense of calm in this little metal cocoon. Tonight had been more challenging than I’d thought it would be. It was strange—right now, I felt at once charged and exhausted. But at least my speech had gone off well. Now, all I needed to do was to make the rounds and let the donations flow in. I wanted to make sixty million tonight, and because of whom I’d invited, I was fairly certain I could achieve that.

  When the piece of toilet paper drifted down beside my right shoe, I watched it fall to the ground and had only a moment to process what was written on it in bright red letters—YOU’RE NEXT, BITCH!

  Before I could even process it, there was a sudden rush of movement that confused me.

  I heard the door next to me smash open.

  I heard Catherine cry out in pain and surprise.

  Startled, I pulled up my dress, unlocked the stall door, and rushed through it. What I saw horrified me—Catherine’s throat had been slashed, and she was sliding down the wall with blood spurting from her neck in thick red ribbons. The three women who were in the remaining stalls exited them to see what had taken place, and when they did, chaos went into full bloom as they fled the restroom screaming.

  “Catherine!” I said as I knelt down beside her and used the palms of my hands to place pressure against her wound.

  “Move aside,” Ben said as he rushed into the room. “Grab me some paper towels—fast! We can fight this! Call 911! Now!”

  As quickly as I could, I gave him a wad of paper towels and then reached into my clutch, removed my cell, and called 911. While I explained to the operator what had happened and where we were, I watched in horror as Ben tried to save Catherine, who was bleeding heavily.

  “Stay with me, Catherine,” he said. “Fight this!”

  Her head lolled to the side. Her skin was draining of color.

  Nick ran into the room.

  “Jesus,” he said. “Catherine. Fuck!”

  “Kate has called 911.”

  “Catherine,” Ben said. “Are you with me? Can you see me? Look at me? Oh, God. Catherine, if you can hear me, can you at least tell us what she looked like?”

  But Catherine didn’t answer.

  When her eyes dilated into unseeing black globes, it was clear to all of us that she was dead.

  It was then that the room started to spin.

  And then the lights began to dim.

  I sagged against the sink as the orchestra came to an abrupt stop—and then I listened as the Four Seasons turned into a circus of fear.

  At that point, news of what those three women had seen had spread far and wide, and now people were clambering to flee the premises en masse to potentially save themselves from a murderer who might still be on site.

  “I did this,” I said as my vision began to dim. “This is my fault…”

  Ben had warned me not to go through with tonight, but I’d nevertheless insisted. And now Catherine was dead.

  It was me who had killed her.

  When that realization struck me, I felt my knees go weak and fainted to the floor.

&n
bsp; CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  When I came to, I was in Ben’s arms. Catherine’s blood was spattered across his face and the collar of his shirt, and he was rushing me down the staircase that led out of the restaurant and onto Fifty-Second Street.

  With guns drawn, four of Nick’s men flanked us as we left the building, hurried onto the street, and moved into the limousine that was waiting there for us.

  Two of the men got into the front seat—one stepping behind the wheel. The other two men joined Ben and me in the back seats, positioning themselves so that they faced the rear window. The moment all doors were closed and locked, and all of us were buckled in, we raced east down Fifty-Second Street, and then quickly swung a left onto Third.

  “Are you OK?” Ben asked me.

  “No.”

  “I mean physically.”

  “I’m barely holding it together.” My eyes brimmed with tears when I said that, and the moment he put his arm around me and held me close to him, it was too much—I put my face in my hands and started to cry. “That poor woman,” I sobbed. “Her death is on me.”

  “Kate, this wasn’t your fault,” he said. “You gave all of us a chance to back out tonight, and it was our choice not to. Nick and his team are professionals who take risks every day. That’s their job, and believe me, they take their jobs very seriously because they know the risks. The men who are with us right now in this car knew what they were getting themselves into tonight, just as Catherine did, and yet here they still are—finishing the job in an effort to get you home safely.”

  “How could this have happened?” I asked him through blurry eyes. “She cut Catherine’s throat. Did she have one of those porcelain knives you told me about? She must have—how else could she have gotten past security? And how did she even get inside? Did she bribe someone? If so, who?”

  Before Ben could answer, I saw the driver glance up at the rearview mirror and say, “What is this asshole doing?”