young woman he barely knew, let alone loved. Then, as now, there was nothing he could do about the arrangement.
At least not while his father was alive.
“Here it is,” Leana said.
“Let me see it.”
Leana waited until he finished reading it. “Well?”
“When were you sent this?”
“A little after nine-thirty this morning.”
“Who gave it to you?”
“A messenger?”
“What did he look like?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Try to remember.”
She thought back. Although only hours had passed since she’d seen the man, she was surprised at how difficult it was to conjure an image of him. “He was blond,” she said. “And he had an earring.”
“Was it the guy who chased you that day in the park?”
“No,” Leana said. “That man had dark hair. And, besides, I’d never forget what he looked like.”
“What kind of earring was this messenger wearing?”
“A small gold hoop, I think.”
“Which ear?”
“Right. No, left.” She looked at him. “Left.”
“Was he tall?”
“He actually was kind of short.”
“Did he seem nervous?”
“Not at all. He actually was impatient, as if he had a thousand other errands to run.”
“What else can you remember?”
“Nothing. It happened so quickly, I’m surprised I remember as much as I do. Why is this so important?”
“It’s important because whoever delivered this note and that gun to you might be the man who’s been hired to kill you.” He saw fear cross her face and said, “Look-why don’t you start packing? The sooner we’re out of here, the sooner you can move into your new apartment.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, then on the lips. She was scared and his heart went out to her. “I promise you’ll like it. It has lots of windows and high ceilings and hardwood floors and a kitchen that’s bigger than this whole apartment.”
“What good will a big kitchen do me?” Leana said. “I can’t cook.” She thought of all the terrible pots of coffee she had made for Michael and said, “I can’t even make a pot of coffee without screwing it up.”
“So?” Mario said, smiling. “We’ll drink tea. And you don’t have to worry about dinner. I’ll cook for you-just like old times. Okay?”
Leana thought of his wife and children, thought of all the times they had been separated in the past because of them, and decided that she didn’t want it to be like old times. It was time for her to have something real. A relationship with Mario couldn’t be. Circumstances would always prevent it. She made the mistake of falling in love with a married man and foolishly thought that something good would come from it.
Her mind went to Michael. What would he think when he came here and found her gone? She had no way of getting in touch with him. Michael always called her. On her cell, it always said that his was a private number. Worse, they always met at her apartment. For the first time, she realized how absurd that was. They were together so much and yet he hadn’t given her his number or told her where he lived.
Mario placed his hand on her arm. “We should leave,” he said. “Is there anything you want to bring with you?”
Leana went to a bureau across the room.
She pulled out shirts and pants and shorts and underwear, tossing them all into the suitcase Mario held open for her. She didn't see the clothes. She didn't see what personal items she tossed into the bag. She saw only Michael and Eric, Louis, Celina and her parents, and could not believe how much her life had changed in the two short weeks since the opening of The Redman International Building.
She wondered if her life would ever be what she’d dreamt it to be and decided it would. I will make it, Leana thought. I will make it to the top. And then a thought occurred to her. If I live.
“You ready?” Mario asked.
“There’s something I want to give you,” she said, walking the few steps to her bed. Hidden beneath it was a locked metal box. Leana lifted it onto the bed and removed a key from her bedside table. She unlocked the box. Inside were pictures of her mother and her father and Celina, old letters from old friends-and the $25,000 check Philip Quimby gave her in exchange for the counterfeit jewels.
She handed the check to Mario. “Tonight, I saw a woman whose sole possessions were her three hungry children and a few torn garbage bags filled with God knows what. I might be leaving my home tonight, but I’m leaving to move into another home that will keep me warm and dry. That woman and her children should be so lucky.”
She nodded toward the check. “Would you donate that to the shelter and see to it that it’s put to good use?”
Mario looked touched. “Of course, I will.”
“I start work soon,” she said, and saw by the change in Mario’s expression that he knew nothing about this. “We haven’t discussed that yet,” she said. “I was going to tell you about it over dinner that night-but you didn’t show. Where were you, anyway?”
He was about to tell her the truth, but then decided now wasn’t the time to tell her about the threat against Lucia’s life. “I told you I was with Lucia,” he said. “It was her birthday.”
Leana shook her head in disappointment. “No, it wasn’t, Mario. Lucia’s birthday is a week after my own. I haven’t forgotten that. So, why the lie?”
He was surprised she remembered. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t want to, but there’s a reason for it. Something happened at home.”
“What’s happened at home?”
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, I want to know about this job.”
Leana stilled the wave of stubbornness that rose within her. He was helping her now. She decided to answer the question. “Louis Ryan asked me to manage his new hotel. I start next week.”
“Louis Ryan?” Mario said. “The developer?”
“Yes,” Leana said. “The developer.”
“But the man’s a crook,” Mario said. “Everyone knows that. And your father hates him.” His last words lingered in the air. “Which is why you took the job.”
“Maybe,” Leana said. “But the job also is a great opportunity. It was Harold who suggested it, Mario.”
“Your father’s own best friend suggested this?”
“He set up the appointment.”
Mario was incredulous. “Something isn’t right here, Leana. You’ve got to see that.”
“Everything’s perfectly right,” she said. “Harold wouldn’t have suggested that I meet Louis if it wasn’t. Now, look. I don’t want to discuss this now. If you want to do so later, fine. What’s more important is that soon I’ll have an income of my own. I’ll finally be independent. That’s a big step for me, Mario. Don’t ruin it.”
Mario tried to accept what she’d just told him-but he couldn’t. He couldn’t believe she was going to work for Louis Ryan. Did the woman have no sense? All of Manhattan knew how Louis Ryan and George Redman felt about each other. He knew that if Leana took this job, sooner or later she would take the brunt of that hatred.
So, we’ll talk later, he thought.
When they left the apartment, they walked swiftly to Mario’s car. It was parked at the curbside, perhaps 500 feet away. In the distance, the Washington Arch glowed and the faint sounds of a reggae band carried in the breeze.
They had just reached the car when someone called out Leana’s name from across the street. Leana turned and glimpsed the person at the same moment Mario opened the car’s rear passenger door and shoved her
