The terrace was crowded with New Yorkers, tourists, and families enjoying the sunny January afternoon. Kids ran around the fountain while their parents sat and watched them. She remembered coming here with Mikaela and her nanny when they were young. Of course, Mikaela had had adoring parents and an Irish nanny. Maggie had the black-sheep parents who couldn’t seem to keep it together although she knew they had loved her. Intellectually she knew that she should leave this alone, but she just couldn’t seem to do it. Having her plan snatched out of her hands at the last minute had been devastating. First her computer had crashed and then the original tape and DVD had gone missing. And now Mikaela had somehow figured out that she was behind the blackmail scheme.
It was all just too much of a coincidence. How could Mikaela have known that she had sent the blackmail texts from the burner phone she had paid cash for on Forty-Second Street? They hadn’t seen each other in a year. Now she and her new husband had turned the scandal of the sex tape around and were the current darlings of the media. Every news and celebrity program was asking the question, “Where are the newlywed Cavanaughs?” The pictures of Mikaela’s fairytale wedding were everywhere. It was just too fucking much. Did everything turn to gold for Princess Mikaela Sexton?
Ah, here he comes—the dark-skinned Latin male wearing baggy jeans and a hoody under a worn black leather jacket. He jogged up to the bench and sat down a foot away from her. “So, chica. What you want? Why I have to come all the way over the bridge to talk to you?”
Maggie looked around. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them. The kids were still running around, the teens were playing with their cell phones, and their music was too loud. How to broach this subject? Just come out with it? Or should she beat around the bush a bit? “Ernesto. What if I wanted to hire you to do a job for me?”
“What kind job, chica? You wan’ me to rub somebody out?” He laughed as though he thought that was incredibly funny.
“Shit, Ernesto. Keep your voice down. What if I did? What would it cost?”
“You kidding me, chica? You nuts?”
“No. I’m not kidding. If you could help me out, I would be able to pay you after my inheritance kicks in. It wouldn’t be too long. What would it cost for you to take a drive up to Connecticut and take care of a problem for me?”
“Couple a grand, I guess. It depends on where and who and how hard was the job. Who do you want me to take care of? You mean kill right? Not just mess them up?”
“Shhh. Don’t talk so loud. Someone will hear you.” She looked around nervously again before continuing. “My cousin, Mikaela. She’s a serious pain in my ass, and she’s standing between me and my rightful inheritance.”
“Where she live?”
“Greenwich. A big old house on a lot of property. No close neighbors. It should be easy to get in at night, do the job, and just drive away.”
He looked suspicious. “You sure you wan’ do this? You sure you gonna be able to pay? If I do this job for you and you don’ pay, you gonna be sorry, chica. Real sorry.”
“I’m sure. I’ll get my inheritance and then I’ll be able to pay.” A frisson of apprehension tingled down her spine. Was she making a mistake?
When she looked up, the bench was surrounded by plainclothes cops with guns drawn and flashing badges. “Maggie Sexton, you’re under arrest for attempted murder for hire and blackmail.” She was pulled roughly from the bench and handcuffed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You have the wrong person.” She looked desperately from side to side and didn’t see any way out.
Ernesto Hernandez was handcuffed as well, and they were both hustled into the back of a squad car. “You crazy bitch. Who you tell about this?”
“No one. I didn’t tell anyone. Who did you tell?”
“Nobody.”
* * * *
Dillon answered his cell phone. “Mr. Cavanaugh. Mario Ferrante from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office here. We’ve arrested Maggie Sexton in Central Park this afternoon while she was attempting to negotiate a contract for the murder of Mrs. Cavanaugh. We also arrested a gang member named Ernesto Hernandez, since he has been undercover in Brooklyn for over a year, and we didn’t want to compromise his operation.”
“You’re kidding. She actually went through with it?” He was shocked. He really hadn’t thought that Mikaela’s cousin would take her scheme this far. The woman must be nuts. “What happens next?”
“When you get back from Florida, you and Mrs. Cavanaugh will have to come in to go over the case with my office, turn over any evidence you have such as text or e-mail messages, and sign a complaint. Since we have the whole conversation on tape, the case will probably end with a plea bargain rather than a trial.”
“We should be home next week. We’ll call when we get back to town and arrange to come into your office. I need to tell Mikaela. I can’t say this will be a relief to her. I really don’t know how she will feel about this. After all, her only relative just tried to have her killed.”
“It’s not pretty. That’s for sure.”
“Thanks for the call. I have to advise several other people who have an interest in this matter. Thank you for all your help.” He pressed end and turned to Mikaela. “It’s over, baby. Maggie has been arrested.” He reached over and pulled her into his arms. “She was trying to take a contract out on you.”
Mikaela burst into tears and he just held her. Finally, her sobs quieted, and she rested against his chest. “We knew that was a possibility, but I really can’t process that she would actually do it, Dillon. Did she actually try to pay someone to kill me?” Dillon rocked her in his arms.
“According the Brooklyn DA, she did. They arrested her in Central Park trying to negotiate the contract. The undercover cop was arrested as well since they didn’t want to blow his cover. The worst of this is over now, baby. She can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Oh, Dilly. I really don’t have any family at all now. I just want to go home. I want us to start our lives together.”
“We will, baby. You have me and my family now, and we’ll make one of our own. We have each other and my folks and our friends. Family is what you make it.”
Epilogue
The Hyatt Regency Greenwich Hotel, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, Tuesday night, February 2, 2016
Dillon and Mikaela sat on a sofa in the lounge of the suite Joe Cavanaugh had booked for election night. His parents, his law partner, and everyone from his office, as well as a collection of friends and all of his campaign workers were there. Everyone was milling about drinking and eating while they patiently waited for the polls to close and the votes to be counted. There was an air of eager expectation in the room.
The last month had been a whirlwind. Dillon meant it when he’d said the voters of Greenwich could elect him or not as they chose. Dillon had kept the campaigning to the barest minimum, but after everything that had happened some appearances and press interviews were necessary. Of course, Joe was relentless. The pressure from the press and paparazzi had been relentless as well. It seemed that with the arrest of Maggie Sexton for trying to contract a hit on Mikaela, they had become America’s sweethearts, and their story had swept the press. Their experience was likened to Romeo and Juliet. They had gotten heartily tired of hearing it. Mikaela liked to joke privately that at least they hadn’t ended up dead.
When they got home from Florida, they met with the Brooklyn District Attorney and turned over the blackmail text messages. Morgan Court had returned the original video tape and DVD to Dillon and Mikaela, and they had destroyed them for once and all. In the end, they had approved a plea bargain deal that would require Maggie Sexton to serve ten years in the Alderson Federal Prison Camp, located in Alderson, West Virginia, also known as “Camp Cupcake,” coincidentally the same prison where Martha Stewart had been incarcerated. The prospect was not a pleasant one. Ten years was a really long time. Mikaela had had second and third thoughts about signing the complaint against
her cousin, but the results of Maggie’s jealousy could have been fatal and just could not be overlooked.
Maggie had written Mikaela a letter apologizing for the entire episode, saying that she must have been out of her mind at the time. Dillon and Mikaela thought it was just a ploy to try to get them to request a lighter sentence for her. Mikaela did not respond. One thing they didn’t need was to hear from Maggie in prison. The whole matter was distressing enough for Mikaela, who had finally managed to shake off her depression over the entire ordeal.
By nine o’clock nerves were beginning to fray when at last Joe had a call from the supervisor of elections. Mikaela held Dillon’s hand in a death grip as they waited for the results. This was it.
“Attention, everyone. I’m pleased to announce that Dillon has defeated his opponent in the special election for the vacant Fourth District congressional seat by a landslide. I would just like to thank everyone for their support and hard work. The campaign was fast and furious since Dillon decided to run at the last minute. I just want to say that Mary and I are proud of our son and daughter-in-law for not caving in to the ugly blackmail threat perpetrated by a jealous and disgruntled relative. Maggie Sexton took advantage of a young girl and then waited like a spider in her web to spring her trap. That is over and done with, she is where she belongs, and we all want to get on with our lives and the job at hand.”
Dillon and Mikaela stood up. “Thanks everyone for a great job. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m just a regular guy who wants to do a good job in Washington for the citizens of my district. I have no intention of serving more than two terms.” He laughed. “That is if we decide to run for a second one. Mikaela and I are looking forward to life settling down to a dull roar any time now. Thanks again.”
Dillon pulled Mikaela into his arms for a stunning kiss that went on and on. He could hear camera shutters snapping in the background. Finally, he whispered, “This is it, baby. We’re going to Washington.”
“Yes, we are. And I get to sleep with the Honorable Gentleman from Connecticut.” She smiled up at him, and he could see the love in her eyes. It was the most beautiful sight in the world.
Dillon was hopeful that now that the election was over things would quiet down. He knew their story would follow them to Washington. They would just have to deal with the notoriety as he tried to settle into the demands of his new job as a congressman.
* * * *
Mikaela was monumentally relieved that Maggie had not managed to ruin this for them. She knew she would have had a hard time living with it if she had been the cause of Dillon losing the election. She just knew he was going to be a fabulous congressman.
Mikaela leaned into the kiss, closed her eyes, and let everything else just float away. She had a little secret to share with Dillon, her husband and Dom, when they got home tonight. Right now she just wanted to hold it close to her heart.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I was born in New Jersey and grew up an only child on a small farm in the “Garden State.” My father grew acres and acres of flowers for commercial florists and various produce, such as tomatoes. My high school years were spent at Wayne Hills High School, where I was not one of the popular, preppy kids, or one of the hoods—which kind of left me in limbo as I wasn’t one of the brainiacs either. Weekends were spent going into “the City” and Greenwich Village with my friends and doing a lot of things I probably shouldn’t have—don’t tell my grandkids!
After attending Katharine Gibbs School in Montclair, New Jersey, I began a career as a legal secretary and then a paralegal. I moved to Florida and currently live in Davie, Florida, with my dog, Snickerdoodles, aka The Dude. I was married for eight years but have been single for many years. My major addiction is jewelry, but any kind of shopping will do for a fix!
After my longtime job as a paralegal was ended by the economic downturn, I decided to turn lemons into lemonade and finally write the stories I’d had in my head for many years. I had always wanted to write romance novels, but my family and job kept me too busy.
My major interest aside from my family and friends is horses. I enjoy putting an animal character into my stories if possible. I am extremely “low tech” and probably should have been born in the 1800s, as I enjoy driving a horse and buggy for fun. I also enjoy horseback riding, but the ground has gotten harder and further away over the years.
I have a small farm and vacation home in Ocala, Florida, which is my favorite place in the world. There’s nothing as wonderful as swinging in the hammock in the shade and listening to the music of the wind in the pines while cuddled under a quilt reading a good book.
Books have always been my escape into love and adventure, and through reading, I have been able to be many people, do many things, and go to many wonderful places I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to be, do, or see.
I hope that all hardworking women who have a moment to put up their tired feet and relax with a cup of coffee—or a glass of wine—will feel like they have had the opportunity to enjoy a trip to beautiful South Florida, my own backyard. I hope they also enjoy getting to meet my fantasy friends and experiencing something new and different with a touch of hot romance thrown in for good measure!
New adventures with old and new friends will continue with this new Black Dahlia Hotel series.
For all titles by Skye Michaels, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/skye-michaels
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Michaels, Skye - Mikaela's Debut [The Black Dahlia Hotel 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 14
