If my kid can’t go, then I must find a way to talk Felix into taking Gia out of there as well. How would it look to have one daughter attending a prestigious private school while the other goes to a public one? I’m sure I can get him to see my point. Just a few weeks ago, I could’ve played the sisters card, and he’d have fallen for it.
But with him acting the way he has been, I’m not sure it would work. Whatever happens, if I don’t make this right, Victoria is going to cause trouble. She hates losing to Gia, and I seem to have lost control of her, so there’s no telling how she’d react if things don’t go her way.
The phone rang, almost making me jump out of my skin. The number looked vaguely familiar, and I couldn’t be bothered, but I can’t afford to let any calls go unanswered, not with things so up in the air like this. “Hello.”
“Yes, I’m calling about the car. Have you given it some more thought?” Oh hell, I’d forgotten all about that. The first time he called, I’d been tempted but knew Felix would not be pleased, and it might lead to more trouble than I needed if I sold the car that rightfully belonged to his precious daughter.
But now, after today, in fact, these last few days, I’m not sure I can afford to pass up a deal like this man was offering. “How did you say you heard about the car again?”
“I checked the registry and found one registered to this address. Look, if you’re holding out for a better deal, I have to tell you, you won’t find one. There aren’t that many people willing to pay three hundred grand cash upfront. I don’t have much time for you to make up your mind; if you’re not interested, I’ll look elsewhere, have a nice day.”
“No, wait, wait, let me think a minute.” I bit my nail until it bled. “I’ll do it. How soon did you say you can get me the check?”
“As soon as you give me the okay, I can have someone in your area pick it up and drop off the check.”
“How do I know you’re legit?”
“It’s a cashier’s check., directly from the bank.” I don’t know much, but I know you can’t be swindled that easily with one of those.
“Okay, that’s fine, then; you can pick it up any time before six, anything later, and you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
“I can bring cash if you’d prefer.” The magic words. I don’t know much about cashier’s checks, but I know plenty about money. “I would prefer cash if you don’t mind.” He must be loaded if he can come up with that kind of money on such short notice.
“I can have someone there in half an hour. Make sure you have the papers ready.”
“Sure, everything will be ready when your guy gets here.”
I hung up the phone and ran upstairs to the safe, where I knew Felix kept the paperwork for the car.
How is this person to know that my name isn’t on the bill of sale? I doubt he’d be asking for ID. Felix hardly ever looks in the garage, so it might be a while before he notices the car missing. In the meantime, I can wait until some time has passed and report it missing, while I have a nice little nest egg in case Felix wises up before I’ve got all my ducks in a row.
BECKY
I love the smell of money. I ran my nose over the stack of crisp bills and felt a whole lot better than I had when the mysterious man came to pick up the car. “Mom, who was that? Where did you get that?” Shit, I forgot she was here. Victoria walked into the room and stood over the bed where I’d emptied the money bag with thirty neatly bound stacks of ten thousand brand spanking new hundred-dollar bills each.
I hurried to put it away while struggling to come up with an explanation. “Never mind that how about we go shopping? That will make you feel better, wouldn’t it?” When I saw the light in her eyes, I knew she’d forgotten all about her question.
“Let’s drive to New York; I want to shop there, not at these stupid stores around here.”
I knew why she wanted to go, she’s my daughter after all, and as long as I can keep her from asking any prying questions, I’m willing to do anything. Still, how would I explain the more than five-hour trip away from home without any warning? I know; I’ll use her expulsion as an excuse when Felix asks. I’ll say it was a way to cheer her up. Maybe we can even stay overnight.
I didn’t want to be too rash in my movements, one surprise is more than enough to deal with, but I think I can swing it. In fact, this might be just the pick-me-up. I need to get over the shock of seeing Adrienne again after all these years. I’d gotten rid of all her pictures from around the house, even the big family portrait that held center stage over the mantle in the living room.
“Get dressed; let’s leave before I change my mind.” I saw the first sign of life in her since I picked her up from the principal’s office. She left to get dressed while I put my face on, feeling better by the minute. I don’t know why I was so worried. I’ve always been able to get around Felix, and this time will be no different. Sure, he’d be put out about the tuition, but it’s not the worst thing that can happen. Besides, if Gia really is involved, I can always blame her new association with the high and mighty Russos.
By the time we were out the door, I felt all my worries evaporate. I’ve been letting that little boy get to me. Letting his family name and their considerable power scare me when there was no need. Once I get some retail therapy under my belt, I’ll put on my thinking cap and come up with a way to deal with him. I may not be her mother, but I’m still a guardian, and no one can stand in the way of that.
The more miles I put between me and home, the better I began to feel. Even Victoria looked a lot better, and I didn’t want to spoil the mood by bringing up the school situation, so I didn’t. Instead, we talked about what designer bags and clothes we were going to treat ourselves to. By the time we made it into the city, our spirits were lifted, and worrying about anything wasn’t even an afterthought.
DRACO
“Boss, we followed her all the way into the city.”
“She really went to New York. What’s she doing now?”
“Looks like they’re going shopping.”
“Okay, thanks.” I hung up the phone, surprised by the accuracy of my son’s predictions. When did the kid become this good? And what does that mean for the future?
“What’s got you looking so worried?” I looked up at my brother, who’d dropped by to pick up the stuff I brought him back from the city.
“My son.”
“Gabe? What happened to Gabe?”
“Nothing, calm down.” I forgot how overprotective he is of the boy.
“If it’s nothing, why do you look like that?”
“Garrett, have you ever noticed his intelligence?”
“Of course.”
“No, I don’t mean that medical crap you two be yapping about. I’m talking about his mind, the way it works.”
“He gets that from you.”
“No, I was never as good as he is. I’m a schemer. I can scheme with the best of them. My son is a born strategist, and his mind scares me. If he’s this good at his age, who’s going to stop him?”