“So, what, then? A million? Two?”
“Well, last year it brought in closer to thirteen.”
Thirteen. Million. Dollars.
I never forgot the de Vries cousins had money, of course. Jane was a newcomer, but Eric and Nina both had that quiet elegance that came with a big fuckin’ trust fund and the security of knowing neither they nor the generations that would follow them would ever want for anything. But there was a difference, I thought. The de Vrieses weren’t just the kind of people who influenced a few people here and there with a couple of extra hundreds folded in their palms. They could move fuckin’ mountains if they wanted.
Like this one. Like tomorrow night.
“I know.” Jane leaned over and patted my hand like she was touching a small child. “It’s nuts, isn’t it?”
“It’s practically immoral,” I said before I could stop myself.
“That’s the question. Is it better to attack the status quo from outside, or change things from within if you can get the power to do so?” Jane shrugged. “I haven’t made up my mind about it, to be perfectly honest. But I do like the clothes. And the real estate. I don’t miss living on an SA’s salary, that’s for sure.” She examined me curiously. “I’m surprised, actually, that you get to be here for the arrest. Is that normal for your office to be this involved?”
“Kings County moved to a vertical system, so as soon as a case moves to prosecution, the same attorney stays with it through trial. And since this case came through me instead of NYPD, due to its special nature, I have more of a right than normal to play bad cop with Derek.”
Derek and I had been working together for years designing sting operations, mapping out the criminal rings in Brooklyn. I had gone on more than one raid with him to witness arrests. He kept a bulletproof vest for me in his car. Plus, like a lot of DA employees frequently targeted by New York’s criminal underworld, I was already packing most of the time anyway.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Jane hugged herself with a shudder. “Part of me wishes John Carson won’t even come. I don’t ever want to see him again.”
I could only imagine what she was remembering. I hoped for her sake she had seen a therapist or someone to help after experiencing what she’d been through. Trauma is trauma, whether it’s a war zone or not. Hell, even love could be a war zone sometimes. I was feeling that more than ever.
I shook my head. “I’m usually well outside the line of fire. It’s more like coaching from the sidelines, making sure everything gets done according to the rules. Considering the sensitive nature of this particular case, they need me here tomorrow to advise on the legalities of everything. And I need to witness the arrest and maybe even the crime scene if we’re going to make an airtight case against John Carson and his cronies.”
Jane blew a long stream of air between her lips. “Wow. I’m jealous. Maybe I would have been more excited about my job if I got to do stuff like this.”
“Not the same in Chicago?”
She shook her head. “Not even close. The CPD wanted us the hell out of there until it was time to go to court. We were the paper pushers. That was it.”
I made a face. “I would have left that too. Sure you don’t want to come back? You got your bar exam waived in New York State, didn’t you?”
My boss was always looking for talent. I was pretty sure there was a place for Jane on Jay Street if she wanted one.
Jane nodded. “I did, yes.” She paused, her bright red fingernails playing over her lips for a moment. “Do you want to know the truth, though? I didn’t ever really like it. I went into law and public service to make my dad proud, more than anything else. Not because it was really what I wanted to do.”
I considered that. “Yeah, I know what that’s like. I sort of did the same thing.”
Jane peered at me over her glasses. “Did you?”
I shrugged. “For my grandfather, but yeah. Only it was after he died. He begged me to straighten out my life. Be a good guy, not one of the baddies. There were a lot of the latter running around my neighborhood back then. The last days of the mob, you know, before they were really wiped out up there.”
I still remembered sitting on the porch at Nonna’s while she and the other housewives up and down the block gossiped about all the arrests. One after another, mobster after mobster ratted on each other. The organization hadn’t been the same since.
But it was still there. Still powerful. And in some ways, even slipperier, since without as many associates, most of the crime families in the Northeast outsourced the grunt work that had once gone to its own soldiers to lesser criminal groups, like MCs or local gangs. When it came to criminal organization in New York, Cosa Nostra was still on top.
“It was all he wanted,” I said. “For me to escape that. I know too many guys who went that route. They don’t really tell you, but when you grow up with it, you know when someone’s a wise guy.”
I had wondered more than once while Derek was doing his stakeouts in The Hole if he would spot a member of one of the Five Families coming in and out of that safe house. I couldn’t believe that ammunitions sales in Brooklyn would happen without the okay of one of the dons.
“Do I seem like I come from a criminal?” Jane wondered in a soft voice.
I looked up. It hadn’t occurred to me that she might struggle with a less-than-innocent legacy as much as I did. But of course, that would make sense. The woman had just discovered less than a year ago that half her DNA came from a complete monster. That alone should fuck with anyone without the subsequent trauma he’d inflicted.
I was quiet for a minute before I replied. “My parents abandoned my sisters and me when I was fourteen.”
Jane looked up in surprise. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head. “That’s all right. Not really my point. I mean, my dad I guess didn’t technically abandon us, but he was a no-good alcoholic, and to be honest, I consider abuse and neglect its own kind of abandonment anyway.”
Jane’s expression suddenly took on a different kind of recognition. Yeah, after years of working in a DV bureau, she knew exactly what I meant.
So I didn’t elaborate. “After he died in a car wreck, my mom split. I don’t know, maybe it was the grief. Maybe it was knowing she was as good as dead anyway with the amount of poison she poured down her throat every day. But she left me and my sisters to be raised by our grandparents.”
Jane opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. It happened a lot when people found out this side of my history.
“But you know what? It was the best thing they could have ever done for us.” I sat back. “I might come from a couple of derelicts, Jane, but the two people who raised me made all the difference. Genetics is only half the story. And really, I think not even that.”
Jane looked like she wanted to argue. It was obvious she’d been wrestling with the question a lot lately.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I would like to think that…but there are other things about me that…well, I’m nothing like the two people who raised me. Sometimes our reactions to things are just innate. I think that has to be genetic.”
“Like what?” I wondered.
Her mouth twisted around. “You know…this is going to sound weird. But sometimes I wonder if my marriage was sort of preordained by my DNA.”
I frowned, although the idea of kismet sounded eerily familiar. “How do you figure?”
“Think about it. I didn’t even know my biological father, but he was utterly obsessed with my mother-in-law from the time he met her, what, more than thirty-five years ago now? Stalked her through college. Basically created a whole vendetta against the de Vries family because of her.” Jane shook her head. “It’s madness.”
“But what does that have to do with you and Eric?” I wondered.
“I pushed Eric away for years and years. I sabotaged our relationship again and again. And it wasn’t because he wasn’t good to me. The de Vrieses�
��well, the thing I know about them is that they are unfailingly loyal. Even to a fault.”
A pang lodged itself in the pit of my stomach. “Yeah, I’ve picked up on that.”
“I convinced myself that just because of his past, our future would have been marred,” Jane said sadly. “But really, I was scared of myself. The other thing about the de Vrieses is that…they are really intense people.”
My entire body felt that down to its core. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.”
Jane raised one wry brow. “Have you?”
I didn’t reply.
“Well, when I first met Eric…my reaction to him was just as intense. Maybe even obsessive. I couldn’t stop thinking about him, hard as I tried. And physically…well, holy shit.” She winked. “Sorry if that’s a little TMI.”
I shrugged. “I’ve heard a lot worse.” Not to mention experienced pretty much the same fuckin’ thing with another member of the family.
“But it wasn’t just those things, you know? It’s like…when Eric is around, every cell in my body turns in his direction. Every single part of me is aware of his presence. It goes so much deeper than just emotions. Than just sex.” She shook her head. “And they aren’t easy people to be in love with, the de Vrieses. Talk about drama llamas. But they are easy people to love. Do you know what I mean?”
We stared at each other for a long time. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. Because what the fuck would admitting the truth to this strange woman get me?
“I—I can see that,” I said as diplomatically as I could.
Jane waited a moment more, probably realizing I wasn’t going to elaborate.
“It’s probably just me,” she said. “Which is why I wonder, you know? Even now. There’s a thin line between love and madness. My fa—this man, Carson. He’s pretty fully on the latter side. What if—what if I end up crossing that line too?” She bit her lip ruefully and pulled at her hair, which had been dyed with streaks of red on one side. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been called crazy.”
“There’s a pretty key difference, though,” I told her. “Your father—your real father, I mean. The one who raised you, not just the one who dropped you a set of chromosomes. He must have shown you what love looked like, Jane. That’s devotion, not obsession. I see you with Eric. You learned it somewhere. I think you figured out the difference.”
When Jane looked up again, her gaze was like Cupid’s arrow, straight and true.
“And you?” she wondered. “Have you figured it out too?”
Before I could ask her exactly what she meant, the door to the conference room opened. In walked Cora, Derek, Bridget, and following closely behind was the arrow’s target.
Nina.
“I just want to make sure we have all the financials worked out—” she was saying before coming to a halt when she found me at the end of the table. “Oh. Oh, hello.”
I tipped my hat at her, but didn’t get up. If I did, everyone would see my legs shaking. “Hey, doll.”
Before she could answer, I turned back to Jane. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get started, shall we?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“All right,” Derek said after going through tomorrow night’s plan for the fourth fuckin’ time. “I think we’re good.”
I had to give my detective credit. He was nothing if not thorough. Ludicrous as this scheme was, neither of us was willing to pass up an opportunity to bring down one of the biggest baddies New York had ever seen.
But after an hour of pretending Nina de Vries wasn’t casting covert glances my way, I could not wait to get the fuck out of that room. For the most part, I had managed to keep my attention on the magazine editor and other committee members instead of the blonde magnet sitting across from me. But I could feel her. Holy fuck, could I feel the woman’s presence. Calling me. Mocking me.
And after that little stunt she pulled Thursday, the longer I spent in her company, the angrier I got.
Devotion versus obsession. Have you figured that out too? Jane had asked.
Had I?
I wasn’t sure, any more than I thought the ice princess across from me had. Our attraction definitely walked the line of obsession. But devotion? How could I know if she wouldn’t let me try? Maybe the obsession I felt for her only came from the fact that I wasn’t allowed to practice devotion at all.
But I’d never have the chance to figure it out.
“Good,” Cora said as she stood up from the table and checked her watch. “I believe that covers it. Finally. Now Jane and I have about a mountain of things to figure out before we leave tonight.”
“Actually, I need to see the last two stairwells, Ms. Spring,” Derek said as he and everyone else stood too. “Take some photos, if you’re willing.”
Cora didn’t even bother to hide her sigh.
“I’m going to talk to Eddie in accounting to make sure the transfers have gone through,” Nina piped up, and for good reason. The mention of Nina’s mountain-sized donation cleared all frustration from Cora’s pinched face.
“I’m going to head back to Jay Street, then,” I called after Derek as he followed the editor out.
“And don’t forget to wear a tuxedo, Mr. Zola,” Cora said. “If you absolutely must watch from inside the event, even from downstairs, you’ll need to look like a guest, not someone off the street.”
I looked down at my suit, which happened to be one of my favorite Armanis, and frowned. Across from me, Nina hid a smile with her hand. She knew exactly how much a cut like that bothered me.
“See you in Brooklyn,” Derek said as he followed Cora out the door.
I turned to Jane. “I’ll see you tomorrow—hey.”
She looked up. Her arms were crossed over her middle, hands grasping her elbows so tightly her fingertips were white. “Yeah?”
“It’s going to be okay. One way or another, we’ll get the bastard.”
Jane exhaled. “Thank you, Zola. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
I nodded and left, not even bothering to say anything to Nina beyond a curt nod. What else was there to say? After tomorrow, I’d never see her again. And I really, really wanted to believe that was for the best.
“Matthew. Matthew, wait.”
I turned around when I reached the elevator bank to find Nina following me briskly.
I sighed. “Nina, what is it?”
She blinked guilelessly, her large gray eyes as wide as the ocean. “It’s—nothing. I just thought I would ride up with you.”
I punched the call button. “Fine. Just fine.”
We stood there as a few people from the Institute passed us on their way into the office. When the doors shut behind them, leaving us alone in the hallway, Nina sighed herself.
“I—Matthew, I wanted to apologize for what happened on Thursday. For the entire week. I lost control of myself. It was wrong. Please forgive me.”
“I’m not a pawn,” I said. “But sometimes you treat me like I am. Treat my life like it’s there for your fuckin’ amusement. But it’s not. I’m trying to move on, Nina. Legitimately trying.”
The elevator doors opened, and we both entered. It wasn’t until they closed that Nina finally spoke, gripping the handrails so tightly her fingertips turned white.
“I know you were trying to move on, Matthew. And believe it or not, I was too. It’s just…I felt that I couldn’t unless I knew it was real. You. Another woman. I needed to see her just like I know you needed to see me and Calvin.”
I scowled at the name. The very sound of it made me want to tear this fucking car apart.
“And how’d that work out for you?” I asked. “What did you think of Annie and me?”
Nina clenched her teeth. “The truth?”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted from you, sweetheart.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Fine. I didn’t like it.”
“You were jealous.”
Her gray eyes didn’t move. “Yes. Extremely jealous.”
“Crazy jealous?”
She licked her lips, then slowly nodded.
I exhaled a shaky breath. “Well, then you know. You know exactly how I feel every time I even think about the fact that you go home to another man every fuckin’ night—”
“Matthew—”
“No, I’m going to get this out, goddammit.” Now that we’d started, I wasn’t stopping now. I took her by the shoulders, letting her know she wasn’t going to turn away. Not this time.
But she didn’t fight it. Nina, for once, wasn’t running away. She was facing the music, listening to every word I had to say.
My gaze floated over her, taking in the glossy gold waves, the crisp red lips, the big gray eyes that in this light almost looked blue. The immaculate white shirt over a spotless gray skirt and the silver-colored heels I knew so well. She was as much a goddess as ever. Impenetrable and cold to some. But to me, there was a fire burning deep under that layer of ice. They say the hottest part of a flame is its blueish center. Nina de Vries wasn’t frigid. To me, she was ice hot.
“You really are a siren, you know that?” I said. “Just when I think I might have a shot at escaping your thrall, you cast a new spell.”
“A spell?” She touched her lips in amusement. “That’s quite a compliment.”
“Trust me, it’s not.”
“How’s that?”
“Dumb blonde doesn’t really suit you, doll. Smart girl like you. I’m guessing you read enough classics at Wellesley to know what happened to men who chased their sirens.”
She didn’t answer. Of course she knew. Everyone knew.
“They crashed,” I said bitterly. “They fell to their watery graves, shredded by rocks while they chased women they thought were the loves of their—”
Clunk.
The elevator jolted to a stop, tossing Nina and me both into the air about three inches and then into the walls from the momentum.
“Shit.” I strode to the console and pressed the button for the main floor again. The button remained lit, but the elevator didn’t move.
The Other Man (Rose Gold Book 1) Page 31
