by Sloan Storm
“It’s worth almost one hundred thousand dollars.”
I watched for any reaction from her, but none came. She held eye contact with me and then looked at the ring once again. Hoping to distract her, maybe brighten her mood, I decided to change subjects.
“Hey, listen — today is the day. I’m going to be flying out of town to deliver the case. You are welcome to come with me if you want. It’s not necessary though.”
She looked at me again and smiled. “No, I think I’ll just stay here.”
I walked closer to her. “All right then. I’ll be back in time for dinner. That reminds me, you will need to be ready to go tonight by eight o’clock. I’ve got a big surprise in store for you.”
That last little bit seemed to lighten her spirits.
“A surprise? What is it?”
I leaned into her, sliding my hand around her hip. After kissing her on the cheek, I pulled away. “Well, it won’t be much of a surprise if I tell you. Will it?”
“No, I guess not.”
Reaching for the knot in my tie, I stood tall. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t forget, eight o’clock.”
I turned to walk away. Before I took a second step, she spoke. “I was doing fine before the ring came back into my life.”
Stopping in place, I turned and looked at her. “What are you saying?”
She held the ring up, extending it towards me. “I’ll be even better without it in my life now.”
Everything about the expression on her face seemed genuine. I walked back to her. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. I don’t care what you do with it. It doesn’t mean anything to me.”
She gestured for me to take it from her. I opened my hand, and she dropped it into my palm.
“All right then,” I said, closing my fingers around it and slipping the ring back inside of my pocket. “I’ll make sure the cash equivalent of the ring finds its way to a worthy charity.”
A melancholy smile spread across her lips. “I like the sound of that.”
11
Family Matters (Tempest)
Dorian hadn’t been gone long when my new cell phone started to vibrate.
I was still trying to get over the shock of seeing the engagement ring again. I hadn’t expected it. I mean, I hadn’t forgotten about it, but I hadn’t thought to ask about it either. Maybe I didn’t want to know. I wasn’t sure.
Reaching for my phone, I looked at the display. I didn’t recognize the number, but then again, all of my numbers got trashed. I decided to answer it anyway. It was my father calling.
“Dad?” I said, pressing the phone into my ear while covering my other ear. I could barely hear him. “Where are you?”
“Temp…” he replied, his voice hardly louder than a whisper. “Can you hear me?”
Something was definitely off. Not only did I have trouble hearing him but the normal recording that played, stating the call came from a correctional facility didn’t interrupt us as usual.
“No, not really. Why are you whispering?”
“I can’t talk much louder than this. I’ve got a burner. That’s all you need to know.”
The behavior was super out of character for him. The entire time he’d been locked up, my dad always played it straight, not wanting to do any more time than he had to. He’d always tried so hard to keep himself out of trouble and maintain a low profile that whatever was on his mind had to be important.
He wasted no time getting right to the point.
“Do you remember the rumor I mentioned to you? About Todd?”
A semi-frantic tone hung on every word coming out of his mouth. Still, I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just drop this whole thing with Todd.
“Dad, let it go. I already told you we broke up. We aren’t together anymore. I don’t get why…”
He cut me off. For the first time since the call started his voice grew loud, the next words out of his mouth crystal-clear.
“You’re in trouble, Temp. And I mean big trouble.”
I didn’t know how much longer I could stand to listen to him talk like this. “You aren’t making any sense. Slow down.”
I must have gotten through to him. He took a breath, pausing for a couple of seconds. “I don’t know how much time I’ve got. I just need you to listen.”
“Okay, all right.”
My dad blew out a deep exhale. “Do you remember the gang banger I told you about? The one with a nephew that’s a hitman?”
“Yes. What about him?”
“Hang on…” he replied. A muffled scratchy sound echoed in my ear.
“Dad, Dad. What’s going on?”
He came back on the line. “Guard went by. Shit, we need to finish this conversation and do it now.”
“I’m listening.”
“Okay,” my dad began, whispering again. “It’s about the nephew. He’s gone missing, and his uncle thinks you and Todd are involved in what’s happened to him.”
What?
My stomach went crazy, a sharp pain tying it into knots. How could any of this be happening? What did any of this mean? I had no idea what this gang banger’s threats would amount to. Would they hurt my dad? There was no way I could tell him the truth about Todd. I had to play it cool… For his own sake.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad. That guy’s crazy. Why would I… How could I possibly be involved in something like that?”
My dad cleared his throat. “I don’t think you are, but I can’t say the same for Todd. The fucking guy is nowhere to be found. The only thing I’m concerned about here is you, and I don’t want you getting caught up in something that you’re not responsible for and…”
He went silent.
“Dad? What’s happening?”
The muffled sound returned for a few seconds before he returned. “Another guard.”
I had to say something to reassure him, convince him I was safe. Only, I didn’t get the chance. Once the threat of the guard passed him by, he continued.
“The gang banger’s sister… She’s the mother of the hitman, and the bitch is frantic. The last thing she heard from her son was that he was headed north to Reno to do a job. She hasn’t heard anything from him since.”
I swallowed hard before responding, careful to keep the hesitation in my voice quiet. “A lot of people go to Reno. Maybe he’s just drunk or getting laid.”
“Maybe, maybe… But that’s not what they think, and what they think is all that matters.”
“What do they think?”
“They’ve got proof, Temp. Or at least it looks like it.”
I tried to keep my breath under control. While I struggled, my dad kept talking.
“She went by her son’s house, looking for him. Apparently she searched for any clue she could find but didn’t come up with much, except one thing.”
I replied, putting all of the false confidence I had into the next sentence.
“Oh I see. So the mother of a gangster claims to have found proof I was somehow involved in the disappearance of her son. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds? What exactly would she have found anyway?”
“A cocktail napkin. It was from the Bellagio.”
“So, that doesn’t mean anything. People take those all the time.”
“Not one with your name written on it, Tempest.”
Holy shit!
And then, just like that, I remembered his face. The same guy who’d killed Todd was in the lounge only days before we drove north to Reno.
Holy fucking shit!
My dad went silent again, pausing for several seconds. “I need you to tell me the truth, Temp. Are you involved in what happened to that man?”
What the hell was I going to tell him? If I said I was, then he’d have to lie. I didn’t want to put him in harm’s way by telling him the truth. He would be safer if I stuck to the lie, which is exactly what I decided to do.
With the most confident tone I had,
I answered him. “No, I’m not involved.”
For the first time, I heard relief in my dad’s voice. “You have no idea how good it makes me feel to hear that.”
“I’m glad.”
“Unfortunately, that still doesn’t mean that you are out of danger. I might believe you, but that doesn’t mean people on the outside do.”
Standing in front of one of the large bedroom windows overlooking Dorian’s estate, I nodded. “Dad, I promise you I am safe where I am. Absolutely nothing is going to happen to me here.”
“Where? Are you talking about your apartment? How hard is it going to be to find you there?”
“No, I… I’m staying with a friend right now.”
My father continued to drill me with questions. “Who?”
“What difference does it make who it is?”
For only the second time during the conversation, he raised his voice again. “Because I need to know you are safe from these psychos!”
“Look, Dad, I understand, okay? You just have to trust me when I tell you that I’m safe. All of this will blow over. I’m not involved. You need to stop worrying and give it time to work itself out. In fact, I’m so sure I have nothing to worry about, I’m planning on visiting you soon and…”
“No!” he barked, cutting me off. “I don’t want you coming here. Not until this is behind us.”
“Dad, I’m not gonna be bullied by anyone. You taught me that, remember? Now listen, I am coming, and that’s all there is to it. You can be sure I’ll be well protected.”
A long exhale from my father’s mouth followed. “I don’t guess there’s any point in trying to stop you. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Of course, I will.”
“It will be good to see you again.”
I didn’t like the sound of his voice. It had a noticeable tone of sadness in it.
“What’s the matter?”
Once again his voice went soft.
“I never saw my life ending this way,” he muttered.
I frowned and shook my head. “Ending? What are you talking about? You aren’t going to die in there. Quit talking like that.”
He ignored me. “Temp, I need you to promise me something.”
“No, whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it. You’re overreacting right now.”
“Be quiet,” he snapped. “I only have a minute or so left. Let me get this off my chest.”
“Fine.”
“I want you to bring me something. I want your mother’s wedding ring.”
All the time he’d been locked away, my dad refused to have any mementos of my mom. He didn’t want to be reminded of her in any way and now this?
“What? Are you being serious? Why have you changed your mind?”
“I just am, okay? Do your father a goddamn favor!”
Pain laced his words. Where was this coming from all of a sudden? Unfortunately, there wasn’t any time to find out. Rather than fight with him, leaving things on a bad note, I agreed.
“I will, I promise.”
“Thank you. I have to go.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, Temp.”
Not long after, we hung up. His request concerned me — hell, it freaked me out. What would possibly make him want to say something like that?
I looked out over Dorian’s estate again, sunlight shining in on me. It might’ve been more than one hundred degrees beyond the window, but inside, my dad’s strange request left me ice cold.
A couple of hours passed.
I managed to put my dad’s strange behavior out of my mind. I had to. There wasn’t anything I could do about it at the time.
Instead, I decided to run to my old apartment and get my mom’s ring. It wouldn’t be long before I saw my dad again, and with Dorian out of town until that evening, it seemed like the perfect time.
There was only one problem – I had absolutely no way to get there. My car was still at my apartment. The only option I had was to see if one of the security guys could take me.
After walking downstairs, I’d just about reached the front door when a voice called out from behind me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ainsley yelled.
My hand had just reached the handle of the front door. I pinched my eyes tight.
Bitch.
“Hey!” she continued. The soles of her shoes clipped and clapped across the marble flooring. I even hated the way she walked. “I know you can hear me.”
Peeling my fingers away from the handle, I turned and looked at her. Ainsley strutted in my direction. I’d seen that smug look on her face before when she told me Dorian put her in charge of keeping me medicated.
“Dorian may be on his way to deliver the case, but that doesn’t mean you’re free to come and go as you please.”
I glared at her. “What are you talking about?”
She closed to within a few feet of me, stopping and flipping her hair away from her face. “You’re not getting out of anyone’s sight.”
I scoffed at her. “Whatever. If you want to keep track of me then you’re going to have to come with me to my apartment. One way or the other, I’m going.”
Seriously, the last thing I wanted to do was get into a big fight with her. I tried to diffuse the situation.
“Look, it makes you feel any better, I was planning on having a couple of the security guys go with me.”
Ainsley shrugged. “No, actually, that doesn’t do anything for my feelings. I’m still going.”
I groaned. “Okay, fine. I’m going. Do whatever you want.”
We arrived at the security gate to the estate not long afterward. With two of Dorian’s men in the front, Ainsley finally got her way.
I hadn’t been to my place since this whole mess started. It seemed strange going back there. It was almost like I hadn’t been there in months.
My apartment wasn’t in the greatest neighborhood, but it was cheap, clean, and all I could manage on my cocktail waitress salary and tips. The ride wasn’t a long one, and soon we rounded the final turn, entering the apartment complex.
“Looks affordable,” Ainsley sniped.
I just rolled my eyes at her. There were more important things for me to focus on than her endless stream of snark.
“Which way ma’am?” Robert, one of Dorian’s security men asked.
I leaned forward in the seat, straightening my arm and pointing ahead. “It’s the last building on the left, building G.”
Robert pulled the vehicle into a parking spot, and almost before he put it into park, I started to get out, leaving my cell phone and purse behind.
“Hey!” Ainsley called out. “Do you want your stuff?”
With my hand hooked over the top of the car door, I glanced down at her and shook my head. “No, this won’t take long. You can leave your stuff as well.”
Closing the car door, I started to walk towards the building, both of Dorian’s security men and Ainsley following behind. I hurried up the stairs, holding the keys in my hand before pinching the house key between my fingertips and sliding it into the lock.
Opening the door, I groaned to myself.
What a fucking mess.
Oh well, there wasn’t anything I could have done about it anyway. In passing, I offered a half-assed excuse for the state of my apartment.
“Sorry about the mess. I wasn’t expecting to leave town in a hurry.”
“In a hurry?” Ainsley replied. “Did someone chase you out of here?”
She was really trying to push my buttons. I wasn’t about to get into it. I ignored her.
“Why don’t you guys wait out here? I’ll be right back.”
The security guys looked at each other and nodded. I didn’t bother to wait for Ainsley to say anything. I walked down the hallway and turned the corner, entering my bedroom to grab my mother’s wedding ring.
I kept it hidden, in the same small jewelry box my dad gave to my mom. I really hated the
situation. It would have been nice to have some privacy. Making my way over to my chest of drawers, I opened the top one and reached in the back to get it.
I wrapped my fingers around the box and pulled it out, closing the drawer and turning to make my way out to the living room, when Ainsley walked through the bedroom door.
“What are you doing in here? I told you to wait in the living room.”
Ainsley didn’t even bother to look at me. Instead her eyes meandered around my room, invading my privacy with an annoying disregard.
“I’m just keeping an eye on you.”
I managed to conceal the box in my palm, wrapping my fingers around it and keeping it out of sight. While I stood there looking at Ainsley, she wandered, messing with my stuff and generally being nosy. I grimaced at her.
“Come on,” I grumbled. “Let’s get going.”
I took a couple of steps towards the door and noticed Ainsley picking up a photo off my nightstand.
“Put that down, and quit touching my things.”
She continued to ignore me and violate my space.
“Is this your family?”
She turned to look at me. With a quick motion, I crossed my arms, tucking my closed hand underneath an armpit and concealing the box from her. I might’ve been in a hurry to get out of there, but she certainly wasn’t. I didn’t answer her, so she continued probing.
“When was this picture taken?” She glanced at me and then at the picture again. “You don’t look that much older. How long ago was this?”
“Gee, thanks,” I deadpanned. “If you must know, it was taken a few years ago. It’s the last good picture of my mom before…”
“She got cancer?” Ainsley said, finishing my thought.
Jesus. Seriously?
“Dorian really does tell you everything, doesn’t he?”
She didn’t say anything, just turned around and put the picture back where she found it. Once she finished, she looked at me, pointing in my direction.
“Can I see it?”
“See what?”
“The ring. I can see the box in your hand.”
Before I could respond, she walked towards me. Locking my arms even tighter, I glared at her.
