The left rear door of the limo opened and a man got out and smiled.
“Hugo,” Janet cried. She rushed forward and hugged her old friend. “It’s so wonderful to see you again. Where have you been? Are you okay? How’s Carmela? What are—?”
Hugo Rosales laughed and held Janet at arm’s length. “Whoa, girl, one question at a time.” He laughed again and said, “I’m the new head of security for an investment firm. RBPD forced me to retire on full disability. We should get together for coffee some time and get caught up.” He waited a beat and then pointed at the car. “My new boss wants to talk with you.”
The right rear door of the car opened. Bruno Pedace stepped out and came around to where Janet stood.
Janet was shocked to see him. She was also surprised by his appearance. He wore an immaculately-tailored blue pinstripe suit, a white shirt, and a power-red tie. He looked ten years younger than the last time she’d seen him.
“You look…different.”
Bruno smiled and spread his hands. “I guess it’s the suit.”
She nodded. “More than that.”
“I’m healthier than I’ve been in a very long time.”
Janet pressed her lips into a thin slash and said, “That’s good to hear, Bruno. Now, you want to have your driver move that land barge so I can go home?”
“Please, Janet. Give me a minute.”
Janet shrugged and waited.
“I know you’re angry with me, Janet. I—”
“No, I’m not—”
He held up a finger and pleaded, “Please let me finish.”
She glared.
“I kept things from you because I didn’t want you implicated. I wanted to tell you what I was doing, but I just didn’t know how. And I didn’t want to put you in jeopardy.” He sighed. “I’ve missed you terribly. You’re the most important person in my life. I don’t want that to change.”
“Everything’s changed, Bruno. I’ve followed the news. People have been murdered. People who hadn’t done anything wrong lost their jobs when Rosen, Rice & Stone was taken over by their bank. I don’t have to be a financial genius to figure out you had a hand in all that.”
Bruno raised his hands. “I had nothing to do with anyone getting killed and every one of the people who was fired has been offered a job at a company I took over.”
Janet met Bruno’s gaze and thought, He’s telling the truth.
“I made a lot of mistakes. But, if I had to do it all over again, I would still not share my plans with you. The danger to you would have been tremendous. As it was, I put you in danger.” He waved his arms around and added, “My God, look what happened with that Vietnamese gang. You could have been killed.”
Janet continued to stare, momentarily at a loss for words.
“Have dinner with me tonight.”
She shook her head. “Too much has happened, Bruno.” She swallowed and then said, “It’s been months and you didn’t call me even once. I didn’t know if you were dead. And now you just show up here and want to go to dinner. Besides, I have no interest in spending time with a man who’s still in love with a woman who betrayed him.” She half-turned toward her open car door.
“Janet, you have to believe me. Paolina means absolutely nothing to me. The man who carried around her picture no longer exists. That man was a professional victim. Holding onto that photo was weak and stupid. I’m not that man anymore. I don’t need a protector and I don’t need a crutch. What I need is a friend.”
Janet turned back to look at him.
He said, “I’ll be here in this parking lot at 5 p.m. every night until you agree to have dinner with me.”
Janet shrugged, did an about-face, and sat down behind the wheel of her car. Before she closed her door, she looked in her rearview mirror, smiled, and thought, We’ll see if he shows up tomorrow.
*