Postlogue
Blaire walked into the office, the ding of the elevator startling her. It was too quiet this late at night. She wanted to turn around and get out of here, but…she also wanted to confront that bastard who had promised that this would all be resolved by now. Ian Montrose had told her and her brother that, if they trusted him and did as he ordered, they would have control of Clarissa’s money!
So far, that hadn’t happened! She and her brother were still paupers among their friends! When was the last time she’d been able to pay her bar tab?
Okay, she never paid her bar tab. Why should she? There was always someone else close by that she could tease, entice or promise “to pay them back” once her bank fixed things with her account.
Blaire didn’t have an account. Not since those idiots got angry about a few bad checks. She sniffed as she walked down the hallway in her Jimmy Choo heels. Being poor sucked!
“I’m in here,” Ian called out.
Jerking around at the sound of that man’s voice, Blaire turned to peer through the glass walls. Every damn wall in this office was made of walls. Why? What was the point of having an office if anyone could look in at you?
Tamping down her annoyance at the décor, Blaire moved forward. At the far end of the accounting office, she saw him. Ian stood in an office at the far end of the hallway, a glass of scotch in his hand.
And he didn’t look happy.
Shoving her Prada clutch purse under her arm, she tottered down the hallway. Better to get this over with. She knew Ian and, as soon as she admitted that she’d failed, he’d get angry, yell at her, call her names and…then he’d come up with a new plan.
Before she was halfway down the hallway, Ian turned and walked back into his office. Blaire could feel the anger and disgust even from this distance. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was safe to tell him. He was handsome enough and adequate in bed. But she’d never seen him angry. Yeah, he was a manipulative bastard, but he was also rich and powerful, so having sex with him when he required it had been the way she’d handled him over the past several months.
However, his palpable anger made her wary. This could be a mistake.
But did she have any other options? She and Chad had placed all of their hopes on Ian’s plan to get rid of Clarissa.
No. She didn’t have any more money. She’d even spent the spending cash that Ian had given her two weeks ago after what he’d called a raucous bit of fun in bed. She’d called it boring, but apparently, Blaire had made all the appropriate sounds.
So Blaire pulled her shoulders back, bravely lifted her chin and continued towards Ian’s office.
Standing in the doorway, she felt a bit better when she spotted her brother slumped in one of the chairs. Chad already had a glass in his hand and this obviously wasn’t his first, if his flushed cheeks were any indication.
Ian handed a glass to her, already filled with a double portion of the scotch. Blaire looked down at the liquid and tried not to shudder. She’d never acquired a taste for scotch. She preferred a good glass of wine, or a sweet, delicious cocktail. If she had to drink liquor straight, vodka was her drink of choice.
But she lifted the glass to her lips and smiled at Ian with her eyes. “Thanks,” she whispered, feeling as if she should keep her voice low. The office was too quiet. It felt…weird. Almost dangerous. Or was the danger in Ian’s angry eyes?
“I don’t see Clarissa with you,” Ian commented in a smooth, conversational voice. “So I’m assuming that you failed.”
Blaire started to huff with indignation, but at the look of contempt in Ian’s eyes, she suppressed the urge.
“She wouldn’t get in the car, Ian,” Blaire replied, deciding that it was time for a bit of seduction. Ian was much more amenable to her charms after a raunchy round of sex. So she leaned a shoulder against the doorway and crossed her long legs at the ankles. She smiled with triumph when Ian’s eyes moved to her legs. She knew he liked them. Hell, she’d had them wrapped around his waist several times ever since this whole campaign to discredit that factory-bitch started. The man was old, but he was rich. She and Chad were staying in an apartment that Ian paid for, so she knew she had to keep him happy.
When Ian’s eyes lifted to hers, he didn’t look any less-angry. “So…you failed.”
Blaire’s confidence faltered. Since seduction wasn’t working, she fell back on pouting her way through this meeting. “What was I supposed to do? Push her into the car?”
“Yes!” Ian roared, causing both Blaire and Chad to jerk in surprise. “Yes, damn it! I told you to get her into the car and get her here! I even gave you something to help convince her to get into the car!”
Blaire snapped the glass down on the bookcase next to the doorway, then whipped her purse out. After shuffling through the contents, she grabbed the syringe out, then walked over to Ian’s desk, slapping it in the middle with a snap. “Here’s your damn syringe.”
Ian rolled his eyes and swung towards the darkened window for a moment. Then he spun back around, glaring at her. “What? Were you too afraid of using it? I told you that the police had been convinced that the stupid bitch was a drug user. All you needed to do was to shove that needle into Clarissa’s arm and she would have done anything you told her to do.” He paused, bracing his hands wide on the glass desk in front of him. “Including,” he continued in a lethal voice, “getting into your damn car!” He’d started speaking in a low, angry voice, but was yelling by the end.
“There was a police officer guarding her, Ian!” she yelled back. “Was I supposed to shove the needle into the twit right in front of the police?”
“Yes!” Ian snapped. “I told you that I had everything under control! The police are mine! I’ve handed out enough bribes that the damn police would have killed her for me if I’d asked! But you didn’t trust me and you’re too stupid to follow through!”
Blaire huffed, irritated that she’d failed so miserably. “Well, you should have told me that!” She reached out to grab the syringe again, stuffing it back into her purse. “I’ll give her a call tomorrow and ask her to join me for coffee. I’ll do it at my apartment so that there aren’t any witnesses.” She forced her lips into a smile, even shifting her body slightly, hoping that the low cut of her dress showed enough cleavage to distract this prick. Maybe Blaire should do him here on his desk and then he’d be in a better mood. Maybe she’d even get him to buy her that pretty necklace she’d seen in that jewelry store yesterday.
Ian straightened up. “Think you can get the job done right this time?” he snarled.
Blaire pouted and softened her tone. “Don’t be mad, honey,” she teased, leaning forward so that he had a better view of her breasts. “You know that I’m not as smart as you. If you’d been there, you would have been able to tell me how to get the job done.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “Just…get it done tomorrow. I have a feeling that this is going to blow up in our faces if we fail again. That bastard, Harris, is too close now. If he and Clarissa get together, then we’re out of luck.”
Blaire pouted again, but straightened, tamping down on her irritation. After moving back towards the doorway, she turned, waving her hand dismissively in the air. “Fine. Coffee tomorrow. I’ll give her a pretty apology and then I’ll stab her in the arm with whatever you put into this syringe.” She flicked a finger against the purse clutched under her arm. Anything else?”
Ian lifted the glass of scotch halfway to his mouth before he said, “Just call me when it’s done. I’ll take over from there.”
She grinned, relieved that he wasn’t yelling at her anymore. She softened her pose, batting her eyelashes. “And maybe you and I can have a bit of fun?” she asked, ignoring her brother who was still sitting slumped in the chair.
“Wait a minute,” Chad said, obviously reviving himself from his drunken stupor. “What am I doing? I want to be a part of this.” He stood up and looked between Ian and his sister. “I know what you two are planning and I want to be a part of it. If I don’t help, then I’ll be cut out of the fun money after you,” he pointed drunkenly at Ian, “get a judge to declare yourself her conservator and are put in charge of all of that twit’s delicious money.”
Blaire watched as Ian stared at her brother. She wasn’t sure what part Chad could play in this drama, but he was right. Ian was a wily bastard. If Chad didn’t help take Clarissa down, then Ian would cut her brother out of the rewards.
“What can you do?” Ian sneered, his tone implying that Chad was pretty useless.
“What if Chad takes care of Levi Harris?” She turned to her brother. “Think you can do that?”
Chad’s smile was slow in coming, but he nodded. Turning to Ian, he said, “Yeah, I can take him out. But you gotta pay me something.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “Why the hell would I pay you for something that you want to do anyway? The man won’t let you join his club. You hate him. So just get rid of him.”
Chad suddenly didn’t seem as drunk. His eyes became focused and he leaned forward. “Because you’ve been screwing my sister and giving her cash for the past several weeks. I want some of the loot! If I’m doing to kill Levi Harris, then I’m going to need money to get a gun. Plus, I want some money just in case you cut me out of everything later on.” He snarled and continued, “I don’t trust you.” He glanced over at Blaire and she huffed at his disdain. “I don’t have the right parts to get cash out of you, so give it to me for my part. Ten thousand dollars and I guarantee that Levi Harris will be dead by tomorrow morning.”
Ian laughed. “Why the hell would I trust you to take out Harris? You’re not the brightest bulb and he’s not an idiot.”
Chad chuckled. “Yeah, but he’s got the hots for Clarissa. So while little Blaire is stabbing our soon-to-be druggie step sister, I can head over to Harris’ place. He’ll let me in because I’ll be,” he tilted his head and placed his hands together in a prayer-like pose, “so contrite! ‘Oh Levi, my baby sister and I just want to get to know Clarissa. She’s so sweet and kind’,” he mocked in a baby-like voice. He turned serious. “I can get close to him and take him out,” he paused for dramatic effect, “but I need a gun to do it.”
There was a long silence and Blaire held her breath, waiting to see what Ian might do. The two men stared at each other, neither moving. The tension in the room increased to the point of nearly breaking.
Then Ian nodded. “Fine!” he snapped. “I’ll give you the cash. But if Harris isn’t dead by tomorrow at noon, then I will find you. You’d better have every penny of this to pay me back.” He reached into his desk and pulled out a stack of cash. Both Blaire and Chad stared at the cash, stunned.
Ian slapped the cash on the desk, then glared at Chad. “Do we have a deal?” Ian asked, his voice smooth and in control.
Chad chuckled, but picked up the money shoving it into one of the pockets of his sports jacket. “Yeah. We have a deal.”
Chad then turned, startling Blaire. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, but she really didn’t like the idea that Chad was going to shoot someone. It was one thing to shove a needle full of drugs into a person’s arm. It was a whole different level of evil to shoot someone when they were standing right in front of them.
However, Blaire was smart enough not to speak until they were in the elevator. When the doors had closed on them, Blair turned to face her brother. “You’re not really going to kill Harris, are you?”
Chad shrugged. “I don’t know. It sounds like a pretty easy way to make ten grand.” He smiled and Blaire realized that he wasn’t drunk at all! “Maybe I’ve just discovered my new role in life. If I can get paid to shoot people, I think it would be pretty fun.”
Detective Dean Holden glance at his partner. “What do you think?”
“I think we got ‘em,” Detective Luther McGraw replied with a satisfied grin. “After years of tracking Ian Montrose, I think that we can finally make these charges stick.” He lifted his hand. “Murder for hire, conspiracy kidnapping and I’m sure there are some financial charges that we could apply since he’s trying to kidnap someone in order to gain control of her money through a conservatorship role.”
Dean rubbed a hand over his face, exhaustion hitting him hard. “Yeah. This is good.”
Melissa Gavin, the technician for this mission, turned and pulled her headphones off. “Gentlemen, I think it would behoove both of you to arrest the two people that are coming down in the elevators right now.”
Dean chuckled while Luther rolled his eyes. Both men were fully aware of how to do their jobs. But the petite, pixie-like woman pinched her mouth into a moue of disapproval.
Luther pulled a pair of handcuffs from behind his back. “Shall we?” he suggested to Dean.
Dean grinned, rubbing his hands together. “I think we…” He stopped when he got a phone call. He glanced at the number on his phone, then over at Luther. “It’s Montrose. I told you that I’d met him at that seedy bar the other day.” He paused and let the phone ring again. “I have no idea what he wants, but hold on,” he said, his voice low and alert once again. He lifted a hand, silently telling everyone to be quiet. Then he pressed the button.
“What?” he snapped, purposely making his voice gruff, trying to pretend as if he’d been sleeping.
Melissa immediately turned, clicking on her keyboard. Within a fraction of a second, the phone call was traced and recorded.
“I have a job for you. Ready to earn a hundred grand?” Ian Montrose said over the phone.
Dean paused, looking to Luther to make sure he’d heard the words. “Sure. Give me the name and details.”
The man chuckled. “They are coming out of my building now. I’m sending you video surveillance of the two.” There was a clicking sound, then he continued. “Think you can take the two people out tomorrow afternoon?”
Dean paused, looking at Melissa and Luther. Then he said, “Sure. Why do I have to wait until tomorrow afternoon? If they are coming out of your building, I can be there in five minutes and take them out now.”
“No!” Monrose snapped. “You have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. But I will let you know their exact location. So this will be an easy job for you.”
Dean nodded. “Sure. Fine. Whatever. Send me a ten percent deposit and I’ll have the job done whenever you’re ready.”
“Good.”
Then the call ended. Dean turned to Melissa. “You got all of that?”
Melissa glared at him. “Of course I got it all,” she replied primly. “I know how to do my job.”
Dean laughed, then leaned forward, giving the woman a loud smooch on her cheek. “You’re amazing!” he said, then turned to Luther. “Ready to arrest some bad guys?”
Luther chuckled. “Let’s do it.”
Luther and Dean stepped out of the van and casually strolled across the street. A woman in a tiny, red dress with killer red heels just stepped out of the office building, her arm linked to a soft, fraternity-looking man in a pair of khakis and a blue sports jacket.
The duo were oblivious to the detectives that were both moving strategically closer.
“Blaire Stevens?” Luther called out.
“Chad Stevens?” Dean asked.
The two stopped and turned, smiles on their faces as they looked curiously at Luther and Dean. Luther wore a scuffed-up denim jacket and a pair of well-worn jeans. His cowboy boots had definitely seen better days. Dean wore a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, so he looked mildly less interesting. But the shorter couple leaned their heads back as they looked up at Luther and Dean, stunned and suddenly nervous.
Chad, the idiot, pushed his sister away, crouching low as if he was ready to fight. “You’re not going to mug us!” he snarled.
Dean chuckled, shaking his head at the misunderstanding that seemed to happen too often lately. “I’m Detective Dean Holden of the Philadelphia Police.” He pulled his sweatshirt up to reveal his badge. “And this is Detective Luther McGraw.” Luther pulled his jacket back, revealing the gold shield. “Chad Stevens, you’re under arrest.”
The woman gasped and tried to teeter towards the shadows, as if she might hide. She definitely couldn’t run from them, not in those shoes.
Luther followed her. “Blaire Stevens, You are also under arrest.”
“Me?” she hissed, still backing away. “Why the hell am I under arrest? He’s the one with all the cash!”
“Do you have a controlled substance in your purse?” Luther asked, his voice serious. He reached out and easily grabbed the woman’s arms, slapping one side of the cuffs onto her wrist. Because she was trying to fight him, her purse fell onto the sidewalk, the contents spilling out over the filthy cement. Dean noticed the several uniformed officers moving towards the area. They’d all been on standby during the operation but were not ready to assist. One of the officers bent down and snapped a picture of the syringe that was now laying on the sidewalk.
“No way!” the woman gasped. She was balancing precariously on those platform shoes, and looked down at the syringe. “I don’t know how that got in there.” She turned to look at her brother. “Is that yours?”
Chad glanced at the syringe, then at Dean who had his handcuffs out. “You’re not pinning those drugs on me!” he snarled, then tried to run.
Dean moved fast, grabbing them man’s arm and swinging him around. Seconds later, handcuffs were snapped onto his wrists. “Going somewhere?” Dean growled close to his ear.
Chad tried to fight the restraints, but Dean was significantly stronger. “Why the hell are you arresting me? I’ve done nothing wrong?”
Dean yanked the man backwards. “Murder for hire is a pretty major offense.” That’s when he patted the man down and found the stack of cash. Pulling it out, Dean whistled at the large amount of money that was still held together by the bank’s paper currency band. “Is this the money that Ian Montrose gave you so that you could buy a gun and kill Levi Harris tomorrow?”
Chad Stevens couldn’t hide his surprise and horror. “Did he…? Did Montrose rat us out?” he hissed.
Dean shook his head. “No, idiot. You did. The conversation up in Montrose’s office is all recorded with a warrant to back us up.” Dean put a hand on the man’s shoulder, gripping his collar and pulled him forward. “Thing is, we were only looking at Montrose for embezzlement. Clarissa Donata’s new business manager and her accountant found some serious inconsistencies in the books Montrose submitted.” Dean chuckled as he led the guy over to the back of a squad car and pulled the back door opened. “You’re the one that offered to kill Mr. Harris. It was even your suggestion.”
Chad resisted being put into the back of the vehicle. He tried to pull away, saying, “I’ll cooperate! I’ll tell you everything!”
“Shut up, Chad!” his sister yelled as she was being handcuffed, then led over to different squad car. “Don’t say anything, you idiot!”
Chad waited until his sister was inside the vehicle, then he turned to Dean and said, “I’ll tell you everything if you give me a deal.”
Dean sighed with impatience. He was tired. It was well past midnight and he still had to fill out all of the paperwork for tonight’s arrests. “Thing is, we don’t need anything from you. I don’t think we’ve ever had such an easy-to-prosecute case since the three of you admitted everything and we have a recording of your conversation.”
Chad was really starting to panic. That’s when he looked over at the entrance to the building to see Ian Montrose being led out of the building. His hands were behind his back as well with two uniformed police officers on either side of him, securing each arm.
“At least I’m not going down alone,” Chad grumbled, then ducked into the back of the police car. He was still angry, but seemed resigned to his fate.
Luther came over to stand next to Dean, both of them watching as Montrose, the man that they suspected had ties to organized crime, was put into a squad car as well.
“Think the district attorney will make a deal with Montrose?” Dean asked.
Luther shook his head. “You think Frank’s going to make a deal with these losers? No way. Montrose was having an affair with his wife. The DA is out for blood. Frank isn’t going to show any mercy on that case.” He peered into the back seats of the three squad cars. “Three arrests in one night. Not bad!” he said with a nod.
Dean chuckled and punched his partner. “Now we get to fill out all of the reports.”
Luther scowled at Dean. “You’re such a Debbie-downer! Can’t we just enjoy the moment of success?” he grumbled, walking away.
Dean chuckled and followed, both of them bickering back and forth until they jumped back into the truck.