I tried to shake off the overwhelming feelings, thinking that it was just the music and Alexander’s singing messing with my head. Up until fifteen minutes ago, I didn’t even know that he could dance or sing. I barely knew him. I could not possibly be in love with him. The idea was ludicrous.
The music began to transition once again, but I was barely hearing it as Alexander leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips. My throat tightened and my eyes began to burn, threatening tears that I couldn’t afford to shed. They were tears of sadness, for I knew that loving Alexander would ultimately destroy me.
“Angel…” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. The term of endearment almost broke me. My heart began to hammer in my chest.
Don’t. Please don’t.
Just one more word from him and the geyser would break open.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Justine walking toward us. I pulled slightly away, stopping whatever he was about to say to me. I focused my attention on Justine. She appeared to be troubled about something.
I looked back up at Alexander.
“Justine is headed this way,” I told him.
“I need to cut in,” she said rather curtly once she reached us.
“No, Justine. I’m dancing with Krystina right now,” Alexander tried to shrug her off, never tearing his eyes away from mine. They were blazing so intense that I had to blink and look away.
“Alex, I don’t want to dance with you! I need to talk. Right now,” Justine said in a panic. He turned to face her and his expression changed instantly. He looked alarmed.
“Justine, what is it?”
“I think Charlie is here.”
Alexander paled. I didn’t know who Charlie was, but it was the second time that his name was mentioned over the course of the night.
“Who is Charlie?” I asked, but Alexander waved me off. I bristled at the way he brushed me to the side.
What the hell?
“Not now, Krystina,” he dismissed before turning back to Justine. “Where do you think you saw him?”
“Going into the kitchen. I’m pretty sure that it was him. He was dressed like a member of the kitchen staff. I tried to find Hale, but he hasn’t come back from bringing Suzanne home yet.”
“Dammit!” Alexander swore and his eyes flashed with anger. “Krystina, I need to handle this. Justine, take Krystina to the table. I want both of you to stay put until I say so. Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” Justine responded without skipping a beat. “Krystina, come with me.”
Having little choice because I hadn’t a clue about what was happening, I followed Justine to our table. Once we were there, I looked pointedly at Justine.
“For the second time, who is Charlie?”
“Charlie is my ex-husband,” she told me, looking about the room nervously.
“So?”
“He’s a problem. A big one.”
“You’re not giving me much here. Elusiveness must run in your family,” I said sarcastically, feeling very annoyed over how rudely I was being dismissed. And not just by her, but by Alexander as well.
“It’s a complicated story. If Alex wants to tell you, he will.”
By the way her eyes continued to dart around distractedly to various people in the room, it was obvious that she wasn’t going to give me any more information. I sat down in a chair, trying to access what I knew about Alexander and his sister so that I could piece together some sort of explanation on my own.
Why does her ex-husband pose such a threat?
Before I could come to any conclusion, Alexander was back. He was flushed and looked thoroughly rattled.
“I’m not sure if it was him, but I spotted someone that could have been him slipping out the back kitchen door. I only saw the back of his head, so I can’t be sure,” he told us. “This may be nothing, Justine. Are you sure that it was him?”
Justine suddenly looked doubtful.
“I don’t know, Alex. Sometimes I feel like I see him everywhere. But, I could swear…” she trailed off and shook her head. Her panicked look returned and Alexander placed his hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay. Just relax. Let me get a hold of Hale.”
Alexander grabbed his suit jacket that was slung over the back of one of the table chairs. He reached into his pocket and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Justine asked.
“My phone. I would swear that I left it in the breast pocket.”
We all glanced around the top of the table and under it to see if we could locate it.
“I don’t see it, Alex,” I said. “Ally loses her phone all the time. We usually find it by calling it. Do you want me to try?”
I reached for my purse to pull out my cell, but Alexander stopped me.
“Don’t bother. I turned the ringer off when I was giving my speech.”
“I’ll check with the wait staff later,” Justine offered. “Maybe someone picked it up accidentally when they were clearing the table. Just use my phone to call Hale.”
“Fine. Give it to me.” Alexander took Justine’s phone and hastily punched in the numbers. “Hale, what’s your ETA?”
While Alexander was talking to Hale, Justine leaned in to whisper to me.
“This place is crawling with security,” she said. “But Hale is the best. I should have had someone else drive Suzanne home. I wasn’t thinking.”
I didn’t comment, as I was too bewildered over the situation to say much of anything. I looked back at Alexander with the hope that he would clarify something soon, but saw that there was very real alarm written on his face.
“What? That can’t be right. Circle around to make sure. I’ll wait on the line,” Alexander instructed Hale.
“What is he saying?” Justine demanded. “Circle around where?”
“I’m here,” Alexander said into the receiver, rather than answer Justine’s demands. He became quiet again as he listened to whatever Hale was saying. He had that angry tick to his jaw, so I knew that whatever it was couldn’t be good.
“Alex!” Justine hissed, but he held up his finger to silence her. When he spoke again, there seemed to be real panic in his voice.
“I don’t know why the fuck they would be together. Have your men follow them,” he said and looked to me. There was conflict in his eyes. “In the meantime, I want you to take Krystina back to the penthouse. Justine will stay with me until we can make a more inconspicuous exit. I’ll take care of making sure she gets home safe.”
Now it was my turn to ask questions.
“Alex, what’s going on?”
“You’re both leaving,” he said after he ended the call with Hale.
“Why?” Justine and I both exclaimed at the same time.
“Justine, you weren’t mistaken. Charlie was definitely here. I shouldn’t have to explain why it’s important for you to leave.”
All the color drained from her face.
“You’re right,” she whispered. In the blink of an eye, it was if a switch flipped. Justine’s stricken look was replaced with a professional air. “Yes. I’ll go start making my round of goodbyes.”
Turning away, she went off to mingle with the last remaining guests. I shook my head, amazed at how quickly she was able to change gears, before rounding on Alexander.
“I’m glad Justine knows what the hell is going on. Are you going to explain it to me?”
“Krystina, you have to understand. Charlie is a dangerous man. He is very much like my father was, if you can catch my meaning. He’s not supposed to be here. His presence is a violation of the restraining order that Justine has on him. Combine that with...” he trailed off and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are both away from here.”
“Alex –,” I started.
“This is not up for debate! You will not argue and just do what I say!” he hissed.
I blanched at his menacing tone. I only wanted to ask why I had to leave too. I didn’t understand why Justine’
s ex-husband would pose any sort of threat to me. He couldn’t possibly even know who I was. But then again, maybe he did for all I knew. I was reminded of how unforthcoming Alexander could be with information.
This is bullshit.
“You know what? I think I’ll find my own way home,” I told him.
He grabbed hold of my arm.
“Krystina,” he pleaded in a softer tone. “Please, just trust me on this.”
I wanted to yank my arm from his grasp, but there was something in his eyes that gave me reason to pause. He looked visibly afraid.
“What is it?”
“Charlie has been threatening to expose the past. Given the speech that I gave tonight, it won’t be difficult to add credibility to what he might say.”
Once again, I still didn’t understand why it was such a big secret, but it was a losing battle with him. Nevertheless, I was getting the impression that Alexander wasn’t quite telling me everything.
“There’s more to it, Alex. It’s written all over your face. What else is going on?”
He shook his head, looked to the ceiling, and took a deep breath. When he brought his gaze back to meet mine, his expression was full of trepidation.
“He just knows too much, angel. None of it can come out.”
I could see his pain over the idea of having the past brought to light. It was as if he lived with a looming black cloud over his head. Tonight should have been perfect, yet it ended up being ruined because of Alexander’s fear of exposure. It wasn’t fair for so many reasons.
Reluctantly, I conceded to leaving. But as I exited the building with Hale, I felt overwhelmed with the need for answers. What had happened to Alexander was tragic. I could empathize with that. But, in my opinion, he was obsessing over keeping his past hidden. Nobody would find fault with him over what happened. He was his own worst enemy in this situation.
Perhaps if he knew the truth, things would be different. Because of that, my resolve to find the truth about the murder of Alexander’s father was now stronger than ever.
CHAPTER 24
The penthouse was quiet when I walked in. Assuming that Krystina had already gone to bed, I made my way down the hallway to the bedroom. My eyes roamed over the décor as I went, noting how much of a stark contrast it was to Krystina’s apartment. It suddenly didn’t matter that I had spent a small fortune on the interior design. To me, it was beginning to feel cold and lifeless. The penthouse lacked the little feminine touches that only Krystina would be able to bring to it.
When I entered the bedroom, I saw that she was fast asleep. Her dress from the evening was tossed neatly over a chair in the corner, and her feathered headpiece was sitting on the dresser.
I walked over to her and ran my hand lightly down her arm. She stirred, but didn’t wake. I noticed that her skin felt cool to the touch, so I pulled the comforter further up and over her shoulder.
Stay sleeping, angel.
I didn’t want to have to answer the barrage of questions that she was sure to have, but I also knew that I couldn’t keep the truth from her for too long. She was right when she said that there was more to it. It wasn’t just about Charlie. It was more, so much more. Her uncanny ability to read through me was startling, but I couldn’t tell her in that moment.
I didn’t have it in me to tell her that Trevor Hamilton was lurking just outside the venue doors, or that he was seen walking away with Charlie Andrews.
I could still picture her face on the night I took her to Club O – so pale and horrorstricken. I may not have known that Hamilton was the reason for it at that time, but I knew that I never wanted to see that look on her face again.
I left Krystina to sleep and went into my office. I sat down behind the computer and rubbed my hands over my face. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why Hamilton was with Charlie Andrews in the first place.
How do they know each other?
Together, they had put me into an impossible situation, forcing me to choose between the safety and well being of the two most important women in my life – Justine and Krystina. There had to be an explanation, but none of it made any sense.
Hale’s crew that was tailing the two men lost them in a mob of people that filled Times Square. As it stood, we had no idea of their whereabouts. Because of this, leaving the charity gala had been nerve wracking. Justine was constantly looking over her shoulder, paranoid that Charlie would pop up. She didn’t know about Trevor Hamilton, and I knew that adding him to her list of concerns would send her into a downward spiral. She had been shaking like a leaf by the time we left the venue, all of her energies spent on keeping up the proper façade in front of the guests.
I leaned forward to turn on the computer monitor. My inbox was already open and waiting. I scrolled through the emails to find the one that Hale had sent me just that morning, the report of his findings on Trevor Hamilton. Had I known that Hamilton would be a potential threat tonight, I would have made reading it a priority before now.
TO: Alexander Stone
FROM: Hale Fulton
SUBJECT: Trevor Hamilton Background Info
Mr. Stone,
Attached is the information that you requested regarding Trevor Hamilton. If you would like me to dig further into any particular area, just let me know.
Hale
I clicked on the attachment.
FULL NAME:
Trevor Joseph Hamilton
DOB:
December 19, 1992
PLACE OF BIRTH:
Westlake, OH (St. John Medical Center)
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Weight: 185 lbs.
Hair: brown
Eyes: hazel
ADDRESS:
Current address: unlisted/unknown
Previous address: Greenwich Residence Hall, 636 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10014
PHONE:
(440) 239-5001
PARENTS:
Joseph P. Hamilton, Jr. (father, born March 1, 1960)
Sandra L. Marx-Hamilton (mother, born July 2, 1961)
Gross annual income: $1,329,000.00
SIBLINGS:
Jessica Ann Hamilton (infant sister, born premature November 23, 1989, deceased November 24, 1989 due to complications at birth)
EDUCATION:
Dover Elementary School (gr. K-4)
Dover Intermediate School (gr. 5-6)
Lee Burneson Middle School (gr. 7-8)
Westlake High School (gr. 9-12)
New York University, Stern School of Business (un-enrolled March 2015 by school administrators, re: charges of harassment and sexual assault by Lisa O’Hara and Angela Draper)
OCCUPATION:
No job history found
RECREATION:
High school football (receiver)
Lakewood Country Club (lifetime member)
Club O (joined February 2015, unlimited access granted January 2016, membership revoked October 2016)
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Tinder, How About We
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND
Constructive Possession of Narcotics (cocaine), January 2015, fined $2500, charges were reduced to a misdemeanor
Sexual Assault, April 2015, plaintiff: Lisa O’Hara, charges dropped October 2015, case settled out of court
Sexual Assault, May 2015, plaintiff: Angela Draper, charges dropped December 2015, case settled out of court
Sexual Assault, July 2016, plaintiff: Sarah Mayall, case pending trial
BANK INFORMATION:
Bank of America
Current balance: $497.26, Average daily balance: $12,384.00
Last deposit amount: $5500.00 on August 30, 2016 (JP Morgan Chase incoming wire transfer)
90-day history shows frequent withdrawals from Aqueduct Casino, Club O, The Playhouse Gentlemen’s Club, and Starlets
I sat back in my chair and read the information over again. I was pleased at how extremely thorough
Hale had been with his research, but I should not have expected anything less. Hale had a wealth of contacts at his disposal for this sort of thing. Whenever I asked him for a full background check, he never failed to deliver.
I was disgusted by what I read. Based on Hamilton’s sexual assault charges and removal from the University, the man was quite obviously a predator. It amazed me that he got through Club O’s rigorous vetting system.
The bank withdrawals from the strip clubs came as no surprise. However, the casino withdrawals gave me reason to pause. They might explain how Hamilton and Charlie knew each other.
But that still doesn’t tell me why they were seen leaving the charity gala together. What was their purpose?
I could only assume what Charlie was up to, but Trevor Hamilton was another story. After wracking my brain for a solid thirty minutes, trying to come up with an explanation, my eyes began to feel heavy. I looked at the clock. It was nearing two o’clock in the morning.
I need sleep.
Hoping that I’d have a clearer head in the morning, I powered down the computer and went back to the bedroom.
I looked down at Krystina’s sleeping form. She looked so peaceful. Innocent. I dreaded having to tell her about Hamilton, but I knew that I had to for her own protection.
Tomorrow. I’ll tell her tomorrow.
I climbed into bed next to her and the bed dipped under my weight. Krystina’s eyes fluttered open.
Stepping Stone Page 20
