I had called Matt to meet me in the parking lot. Technically, I was off duty, and I didn’t want to involve any of my guys in this.
Matt told Karen, “Okay, this looks like your typical locket, but what you don’t see is the hidden camera that is secured right here.”
He showed us both where the camera was, and he was right. I didn’t see it until he pointed it out to me.
“This is going to work, right?” she asked Matt.
“Yes, with no doubt. As long as you keep this necklace on, I will not only be able to hear you, but I will be able to see too.”
“Okay, let’s do this,” she bravely said.
Matt said, “Nick, I’m all set. I’m going to go to my car to test it.”
A minute later, Karen was nodding. She heard Matt ask her to nod her head a couple of times. She heard his voice through her ear mic that was tucked discreetly behind her ear. Her hair did the trick of effectively concealing it. Matt left, and I walked Karen to my truck, but not before taking her in my arms to reassure her everything was going to be fine.
I told her, “I will be with you every step of the way. You know that, right?”
“I’m scared, Nick, but I trust you to care for us. Let’s do this before I change my mind.”
I watched Karen leave in my truck, and then waited a few minutes before following her in Leslie’s car. It wasn’t a flashy car and wouldn’t draw attention to me, which was perfect for what I needed to do. I told Karen to park in the lot and walk into the school to get the girls. I spotted my truck and kept a few spaces behind it. I had a clear view and would definitely see Karen walk out with the girls in hand.
Now, let’s hope he took the bait and follows her back to the shop. Upstairs in the loft, Veronica would be waiting to care for the girls while Karen was downstairs to see if Alex would show. It was risky and not exactly planned out, but I was running out of options. I knew I didn’t want to put Gigi in the direct line of fire. She loved her father, or at least the idea of him, but he was using her to get to Karen, and that was what led us here.
Ten minutes later, the parking lot was a frenzy of activity. Parents and kids were everywhere. I was getting a little nervous, and then calmed when I saw Karen walking with Gigi and Trinity. Fuck! My nerves. Okay, Nick, keep yourself in check. Your gut instinct has never failed you, and it won’t today.
I called Matt, who answered on the second ring.
“You have eyes on her Nick?” he asked.
“I do, she just pulled out from the lot. Wait, hold up.”
“What’s going on, Nick? Talk to me.”
“Matt, a black Toyota Camry, New York license plate: GAP2568 just pulled out and is right behind Karen. The driver fits Alex’s description, but I can’t be sure this far away.”
“Okay, give me a minute to run the plate,” he said, as I tapped my fingers on my steering wheel to get myself in check. “Nick, the car was reported stolen this morning from Queens Plaza.”
“The same mall that Karen’s shop is in,” I said as my jaw clenched in fury.
“Yup, the very same. Nick, don’t do anything stupid. Keep a steady distance between you and him.”
“Matt, I know what I’m doing.”
“Just checking,” he said.
I watched Karen pull into the plaza parking lot and park my truck in front of her salon. She hurried the girls inside as I instructed her to do so. I watched as the Camry kept going through the lot. What are you playing at, Alex?
Matt texted me to say he was in position with his team. I told Karen to set her alarm to silent, so if he managed to get inside, it would immediately signal the police. I didn’t want a team crashing through her newly renovated shop, so we had to be smart about this. The girls were secured upstairs with Veronica, but Karen was alone. I hated this. All of this sounded better in my head, but now watching it unfold was making me crazed with worry. So far there was no sign of Alex, so I called Karen on her cell.
“Oh, it’s you. Your timing is perfect,” she said in an agitated voice.
Something was wrong. Her voice sounded different.
I whispered, “Baby, listen very carefully. Is Alex inside with you? A simple yes or no will do.”
“Yes.”
“Is he close?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I am watching the door now. If you can get over to the window, I want you to raise the blinds and stay on the line with me. I don’t care what you say, just stay on the line.”
“We have been over this. I am not happy with the logo you painted on my front window. I am standing right in front of my window, and I can see the imperfections with the design,” she said as she raised the blinds, giving me a clear view into the shop.
I could see Alex inside! That’s why he drove on. He must have jimmied the lock on the back door to get inside.
Karen said, “Listen, I am a busy woman and clearly you have wasted enough of my time today. You need to fix my window, because I am not paying one more dime unless you get it right.”
The call ended and I watched Karen pocket her phone.
Atta girl. You did good, baby. Now keep yourself in check. I’m on my way. I stepped into Matt’s car after my call ended with Karen.
“What’s happening, Matt?”
“See for yourself.”
He handed me the iPad. Karen was standing near the front counter while Alex was behind the counter.
I said, “I can’t hear anything.”
“Sorry, Nick, I’m listening through my mic. You adjust the sound from the side.”
Once I could hear, it took everything I had not to rush the shop.
Alex said to her, “You sound like a real ball buster. You always were. Why should anything change now, right, baby?”
“Exactly. I am a business woman now, and this is my shop. I worked incredibly hard for it. The least he can do is paint my logo correctly.”
“Sorry about your alarm, but I had to cut the wires just in case you panicked and signaled the cops. I just want to talk to you.”
“So talk. You obviously have a lot on your mind if you went to great lengths to get me alone.”
“Cutting a wire is no big deal, babe.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s not for a guy like you, Alex, but I wasn’t talking about my alarm, and you know it.”
“Karen that was not my fault. Your pretty boy kept pushing me, so I pushed back.”
“Alex, you did a hell of a lot more than just push. You put Nick in the hospital. You beat him in front of my home and just left him there on the sidewalk. Yes, Alex, that’s your fault. You should be in jail.”
Matt said, “Nick, we got him on tape admitting to everything. We can rush the door at any time now.”
I said, “No, Matt, she’s too open. Let’s just hang back for another minute or so. Veronica just texted me. All is fine upstairs.”
“She has the door locked?”
“Yes, and the deadbolt too.”
“Okay, so we wait,” Matt acquiesced.
I watched Karen slowly move around the shop, with Alex’s eyes trained on her. Come on, baby, no sudden moves.
She said, “Alex, what are you doing? What do you want from me? I don’t hear from you in years, and now you’re back and won’t leave us alone.”
“Yeah, babe, I’m home. I want my family.”
“We are not a family, and you are not part of ours.”
“Oh yeah? And Nick is? You are my wife. The girls are my daughters, and you are going to have to kill me in order to get me out of your life. Hate to sound cliché, baby, but if I can’t have you, then no one will.”
“So terrorize me instead, is that what you think will get me to love you? You are fucking insane. How dare you try to see Gigi at her school! What have you been doing to my baby girl?”
“My daughter, Karen, mine. I would never hurt them, not ever. She wants to be with me, and I just bet if I go upstairs, she’ll be happy to see me. Gigi, daddy’s here,” he called o
ut as he taunted Karen.
“Don’t even think about it, Alex. I am warning you,” she said.
Listening to Karen put me on edge, so I said, “Matt, we need to get in there before this gets out of hand.”
“Nick, my team has their shot. All I need to do is give them the signal.”
“Killing him was not part of the plan.”
Matt responded, “Did you tell that to your girl? Do you see what I see?”
“Oh fuck! No, baby, please no.”
I watched in horror as Karen now had a gun in her hand, directly aimed at Alex.
Alex said to her, “Put the gun down, Karen, before someone gets hurt.”
She responded, “I don’t think so. Don’t even think about taking another step. If you do, I will blow your fucking head off. The way I see it, you broke in here. I defended myself.”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. I am not going to hurt you.”
“Yeah? Where have I heard that before? You didn’t want to hurt me when we were married, but you did just that by abandoning your wife and babies. Let’s not forget how you drained my bank account while you were on a roll. Just as I am finally back on my feet and have a real shot at happiness, you come back and fuck with me again! First Nick, and then trying to brainwash Gigi into believing you are this great guy. No, you are not a good guy, Alex. You are pathetic! Maybe I am too. I wanted to believe in you. I wanted to find the good in you, but you disappoint me over and over again. I’ve been through enough. If you cared at all for me and our girls, you will do the right thing and leave us alone. I am in love with Nick, and I am going to marry him. We are a family. Him and me and the girls! As for you and me? We are nothing.”
“Listen, baby,” he said as he started to step from around the counter. His hands were raised, but I didn’t trust him. “Don’t you remember how good we were?” he said as he took another step.
“Don’t you call me baby! That is reserved for the man who loves me. You never did.”
“That’s not true,” he said.
“The hell it is. I got pregnant, Alex, and if you want the truth, here it is. I stayed with you because of our baby. I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t want our child to be born out of wedlock. I know it sounds medieval, but it was the right thing to do, just like now. I want you out of our lives. You need to do that. For once in your life, do the right thing.”
He argued, “Oh yeah? And what if I don’t? What then? Nick beats me up again? You get a restraining order? I will always be part of your life because of the kids we made. My kids! Now stop being a dumb bitch, and put the fucking gun down!” he lunged forward, and Karen kicked him in his knee cap.
He went down, screaming, “You bitch!”
I said, “Matt, let’s move. I need to get in there before this gets really bad.”
“It looks like she has it under control. Your girl is a badass.”
“Yeah, and that makes me nervous. Let’s go.”
We made it to the door accompanied with two cops right behind us. I called out for Karen, but she didn’t move. She just stood there with the gun steady in her hands.
I called again, “Baby, did you hear me? I need you to open the door. I’m here, Karen.”
She muttered, “He wants to take my babies, Nick. I can’t let him do that. You were right, Nick. You knew he would be here.”
“Baby, none of that matters now. Just open the door and this will be over,” I pleaded.
Matt gestured to the other unit who was with us to go around to the back. I saw them move slowly through the shop and stand back in position. I tried one more time getting through to her.
“Karen,” I said softly, “please open the door.”
She finally connected with me and slowly began walking backwards. When she reached the door, she leaned her arm back and unlocked it. I didn’t hesitate to go to her. I gently cupped her face to make her look at me.
I said, “You’re safe now. I love you. Hand me the gun.”
“I’m sorry, Nick. I didn’t know what else to do,” she said, shaking.
“You did great, baby. Just hand over the gun, so I can take you in my arms and hold you.”
She wiped away her tears and handed me the gun, which I then handed over to Matt. She nearly fell into me. I held her close and kissed her over and over again. Her body racked with sobs.
“It’s okay now. You’re safe,” I assured her.
She turned to face Alex and said, “It didn’t have to be this way. I never wanted to hate you.”
“So don’t. Come on, Karen, we can try again,” Alex said as he tried to step forward, but Matt held him back. He was going to be charged on multiple counts including what he did to me.
She answered, “No, we can’t. I have two living reminders of what we had, and that’s enough. It may be over for you and me, but you can still change things around for your relationship with your daughters if you want that.”
“Not without you. I told you before. If I can’t have you, then no one will. Fuck you, Bartelli!” he shouted as he leaned down to pull a gun out from his boot.
He raised the gun and lunged forward to reach for Karen, but I already grabbed and shielded her with my body. Matt jumped him, but Alex was quicker and knocked him backward. They struggled again for the gun. Karen was shaking underneath me. I couldn’t leave her. Alex got the gun back and pointed it down to Matt, and then a single shot rang out, piercing our ears.
“Stay down,” Matt called over to me.
He talked into his shoulder mic and called for an ambulance. I was beginning to panic, and then Matt assured me the help that was coming were members of his team, and the call will not be on the open channel.
He called out, “We have one man down with a gunshot wound to his chest.”
The shot came from one of his men who were in the back. Matt’s life was threatened, so he took his shot.
“Let me go, Nick!” Karen said as she struggled to be free of me. “He’s their father. I have to go to him.”
She crawled over to him and held his hand. Alex was face down in a pool of his blood. Karen was beside him. He was circling the drain and probably would not make it to the hospital.
Matt’s EMT’s rushed through the door and began working on Alex. They turned him over and placed his body on a back board. He was struggling to breathe. They tried to tube him, but with the last strength he had, he shoved them away.
“Alex, please let them help you,” she cried over him.
“I’m sorry, Karen. You were right about everything. I’m sorry. Tell the girls that their daddy loved them.”
He choked on blood spilling out from his mouth, as he took his final breaths. His eyes slowly closed, and he was gone.
Alex was dead.
Karen was crying over his lifeless body.
Where do we go from here?
After our much-needed day off, Carter decided to take a few more. He called Stan to tell him that he was taking his official bereavement leave. Of course, Stan pitched a fit, but his hands were tied. Carter needed to take the time to properly grieve for his mother.
The weeks that followed her death, he was just existing in a broken shell. It broke him. It broke me. Believe it or not, his father coming to town was all he needed to breathe again. It forced him to engage, and that made Carter find his voice again…to tell his father how much he hurt his mother and him over the years. For the abuse. For the betrayal. For the pain. He told him all of it. In the end, Lennox left Carter’s home, but not without delivering one last threat.
Although Carter wanted to forget and put it all behind him, he reluctantly told me what happened…
Carter told Lennox, “I want you gone. Get the hell out of my house.”
“Son, just give me what I want, and I will.”
“What is it, father? It comes down to jewelry? So to hell with your ex-wife dying. To hell with how it affects your son. All you care about is some fucking jewelry that I know you don’t care about, but just want it to
sell to the highest bidder. Am I wrong? I bet you have Sotheby’s on speed dial.
“I want what is mine, and furthermore, it belonged to my mother.”
“She loved me, father. She was generous with that love, and for whatever reason, she gave it all to me. You’re angry and jealous.”
“She had no right!” Lennox yelled.
“Says you? It’s done, and it has been done since she died and her estate was settled. You have no rights to what she left me, especially Thea’s engagement ring.”
“Dammit, you are so smug…Cartier.”
“Is that supposed to bother me? A childhood nickname that grandmother used to call me? I loved it, and I loved her. If that’s your best, then you are really off your game. Is Thea responsible for that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! That little girl?”
“Exactly right. Nice little shiner you have there. Do you need another bag of frozen peas?”
“This is not over. I will be in touch.”
“No, it is. It has been for a long time now. You have more money than you know what to do with. You have a new wife. New kids. The perfect replacement family. You don’t need me anymore, and I certainly do not need you. My mother is dead. If you have an ounce of humanity within you, then you will show me respect and leave me alone to grieve for what I have just lost. Go back to New York, and don’t ever come back here.”
When Carter finished telling me about his father, he deeply sighed and let out a few breaths. After Carter’s final declaration, Lennox left in a silent rage and didn’t look back. I held my man in my arms and prayed he would feel my love radiate all over him and through him. Carter deserved nothing less. He was a good man despite who his father was.
Three days later, I was sitting in Dr. Avery’s office waiting to get my hand placed in a cast. It’s going to look fabulous in wedding photos, which reminds me.... I pulled out my phone and dialed her number again.
“Hi, Rosalyn, it’s Thea Falcone calling. Please call me as soon as you get this message. Change of plans. No big wedding anymore, just a kick-ass party on the beach.”
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