Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“You’ll learn what?”
I shook my head again. “I don’t know. He said very little. Arnold was there in a flash. And I was surprised to even see him, so much so, I was paying scant attention to what he was saying.”
“Are we phoning the police?” Alyona asked.
Jamie looked to her. “Yes. Can you take care of that?”
“Right away,” Alyona said, and dashed off.
“Jamie,” I snapped.
He looked down at me. “What?”
“It was Dru’s biological father.”
“And…he attacked you. Arnold said he threw you up against a building, which, sweetheart,”—he came to sit next to me and took my hand—“you didn’t answer my question. Are you okay?”
“I was just shocked. He didn’t hurt me.”
“Fucking fucker,” he bit off, but lifted my hand and kissed the back of it.
He then put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side as he settled us both back into the couch.
“I’ll handle Dru,” he declared. “But we have to make a complaint. It needs to be on file in case he intends any more of his bullshit.”
That possibility didn’t thrill me, not making the complaint, not Lynch having more antics up his sleeve.
But I couldn’t dwell on it when there were other priorities.
“How are you going to handle Dru?”
He looked down at me. “Tell her what happened.”
I stared up at him. “Won’t that upset her?”
“She hasn’t seen him since she was five,” he shared. “She calls me Dad because I’m her dad.”
“But—”
“Nora, honey,”—he pulled me closer—“she knows what kind of man he is, and if she was here, she’d be right with me, telling you to report it to the police.”
“It will still upset her.”
“He’s skilled at upsetting people, as you’ve personally experienced, but welcome to my world where you’re powerless against anything but damage control when it comes to that guy.” He took my martini glass out of my hand, threw back a sip, then handed it to me while murmuring, “Now I need to sic Kateri on that clown’s ass, see if she can find out what he’s up to.”
“I think we need to talk about Dru some more,” I suggested.
“I think I’m going to have a chat with Arnold. I want him to escort you to and from your cars. I’ll also chat with your hire company. I want your drivers escorting you in and out of wherever you’re going.”
“Although he didn’t approach to invite me to breakfast at the Plaza, maybe we can brainstorm why he might suddenly have returned.”
“The police are coming,” Alyona announced.
Jamie peered over my head at her. “Thank you, Alyona.”
“Would you like a drink?” she asked Jamie.
“I can get it,” he told her.
I felt her leave us, and Jamie turned back to me.
“That’s what Kateri is going to find out,” he said.
“Jamie, he seemed very angry.”
Jamie studied me.
“If we’re going through with reporting this, I think you might want to call Dru now, to warn her, in case he goes to her,” I suggested.
“Fuck,” Jamie clipped, then he pulled out his phone.
He got up and went to the bar cart, putting his cell to his ear.
I then listened to his side of the conversation, which was fraught, mostly around Dru’s concern for me.
I took in a deep breath, and let it go.
He ended it by assuring her that Kateri would be on it by morning, I would be looked after, and she needed to be vigilant, and if she was concerned, he’d get her security. It was clear she declined this, which didn’t make me happy.
He then completed the call and brought his bourbon back to sit next to me.
When he was settled, Heiress had come up to get a belated greeting from her daddy, and he was scratching her ears, I remarked, “I’m not sure Dru should make the call about security.”
“I’m sure. She shouldn’t. Once I stop saying hello to Heiress, I’m contacting my team. She’ll never know she’s being followed.”
That made me feel better.
“Do you know what’s become of him? Lynch?” I asked.
In hindsight, I realized, Chet looked rough. Not downtrodden and, say, homeless or anything. Just like he’d done quite a bit of hard living in his years on Earth, and it showed on his face.
Jamie stopped scratching Heiress, which earned him a nasty look and her walking over Jamie’s lap to get to me, so I took over as he alternately sipped, texted, and answered me.
“He’s rattled around. Pennsylvania. Connecticut. New Hampshire. New Jersey.” Sip. Type. “He tried to be a rambling man with Lindy. Once she had a baby, she wanted roots.” More sipping. More typing. “It was one of the things they argued about.” Still more typing, but no sipping. “He remarried. Twice. Divorced. Twice. No other children.” I heard the whoosh and he looked to me. “How did you get him to leave Lindy’s memorial reception?”
“I asked him to leave, and when he refused, I called security, and they made him leave.”