A Dangerous Widow (A Dangerous Series) (22 page)

“Could all of these people be responsible
for Michael’s death?” I asked.
 
“Could they be working together now to shut me down?
 
What if we’re not just dealing with one person
here, but with many?
 
We haven’t
even considered that.
 
And I have to
wonder—could the reason Rhoda can’t get a read on whoever’s behind this
be because multiple people are involved?”

“It’s feasible,” Nick said.

“Agreed,” Ben said.

“And it’s also getting late.”
 
I looked across at Nick.
 
“While I mean no disrespect, I have to
wonder where any of this is getting us?” I said.
 
“Rhoda told all of us to focus on
‘W’.
 
She said that ‘W’ would be the
person who would tell us who is behind this.
 
Just look at all of the names we have at
our disposal at this point—a good dozen.
 
While it’s good to have these sorts of
insights and leads, where is that going to get us tonight when all we have are
questions, theories, and suppositions?
 
Rhoda has already warned us that things are going to unfold faster than
any of us imagine—and by that, she meant tonight.
 
I have no reason to doubt her.
 
So I agree with her—the fastest
way to end this is to draw ‘W’ to me, grab her, contain her, and shake her
down.”

“Rhoda never suggested that we draw ‘W’ to
you, Kate,” Ben said.

“But isn’t that what we’re doing, Ben?”

“Yes, because you’ve given us no choice.”

And that pissed me off.

“Because what happened to Michael has given
me
no choice,” I shot back at him.
 
“If things had turned out differently
between you and me, and it had been you in Michael’s place, I’d be right here
doing the same thing for you.”

“Hey,” he said, surprised by my tone.

But I wasn’t having it—we’d been down
this road too many times.
 
It was
time to shut this down for good.

“From the start, I’ve told you that I would
go forward with this on my own if I needed to,” I said.
 
“I told you that you could just walk
away if you were uncomfortable with any of this, but you didn’t.
 
That was your choice.
 
I have misled no one when it comes to my
intentions, but I can tell you this—I am sick of being questioned about
them.
 
For me, all of this comes
down to honoring Michael and giving him the justice he deserves.
 
It’s been that way from the start, and
it will be that way until the end.”

“Regardless of how this ends?”

“For me personally?
 
Yes, Ben.
 
As for everyone else in this room, I
suggest you decide for yourselves before we go forward.”

“Listen,” Nick interrupted.
 
“Kate, you need to know that my team and
I are committed to your safety tonight.
 
We’re going nowhere.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Neither am I,” Ben said.
 
“Jesus, Kate, you’ve got to know that.”

I didn’t know what to say to him after his
comment about me offering nobody a choice when that was patently untrue, so I
said nothing.

“Anyway,” Nick said.
 
“Since everyone appears to be on board,
let me tell you what the team and I are looking for tonight.
 
It’s actually very simple.”

“Shoot,” I said.

“Keep close to Ben.
 
Don’t ever once use a restroom without
Catherine accompanying you.
 
As for
the rest of the team, if you sense for one moment that something isn’t right,
reach out to one of them and tell them because they will be that close to
you.
 
Hell, we’ll be circling
you—not that anyone will notice.
 
But we will be.
 
So, if you
talk to someone—anyone—and if you feel that something is off, let
one of us know, and we’ll take it from there.”

“I can’t have you threatening my guests,
Nick.”

“Without good reason, I don’t plan to,
Kate.”

*
 
*
 
*

As I was dressing to leave, I felt riddled
with stress, fear—and guilt.
 
The stress and fear were all for ‘W’ to enjoy, but the guilt was
reserved solely for Ben.

I never should have snapped at him that way
in public—if I felt that I had to do it at all, it should had been done
in private, and with far less of an edge.
 
What had I been thinking?
 
Behaving like that wasn’t who I was.
 
Obviously, his comment had gotten under
my skin, but I didn’t handle it well.
 

I owed him an apology, but since he’d chosen
to shower and change in one of the other bedrooms because he intuitively knew
that we needed some space after that exchange, I finished dressing before I
went to him.

He was in the far bedroom at the other end
of the hall.
 
After I knocked on the
door, I stepped inside and found him putting on his shoes at the foot of the bed.
 
He looked up at me, our eyes met, and at
the same time, we each said, “I’m sorry.”

He stood up and reached out his arms to
me.
 
“Come here.”

I started to tear up as I walked toward
him.
 
“I never should have done
that,” I said.
 
“I’m so sorry,
Ben.
 
I’m starting to feel the
pressure about what might happen tonight and going forward, and I took it out
on you—the very last person I should take anything out on.”

He took me into his arms when I said that
and I placed my cheek against his chest.
 
“Actually, I did deserve it—what I said was a cheap shot.”

“I disagree.”

He kissed me on the forehead.
 
“How about if we just chalk this up to the
stress of the situation, and leave it at that?
 
Because what I can’t bear is for you to
be angry with me, Kate.
 
That’s the
last thing in the world that I want.”

“I feel the same.
 
I came here in hopes that you’ll accept
my apology.”

“I will if you accept mine.”

“Done.”

“Now, kiss me,” he said.
 
“Because I will do everything in my
power to protect you.
 
When you walked
in here a moment ago and I saw you in that dress, I knew that I was the
luckiest man in the world to have you back in my life again.
 
And I promise you this—I will
never do anything like that again, not when I know that it might jeopardize
what we have between us right now.
 
I can’t risk us, Kate, especially not now.
 
Not after all these years of being
apart.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

We arrived at the Four Seasons two hours
before the event.

Nick’s first mission was to meet with the
manager and to confirm that every server, bartender, and staff member onsite
was indeed a well-known member of his team, and that no one had been
substituted at the last minute from an outside agency.
 

When he’d cleared that, he asked about the
orchestra that been hired, and was assured by the manager that the Four Seasons
used them often, and that he personally knew each of the musicians.
 
A tour of the restaurant followed, which
included the Grill Room and the Pool Room, so that Nick and his team could have
a good feel for their surroundings before the evening began.

Time passed swiftly.
 

I reviewed my notes for the speech I had to
give, I met with members of my staff as they started to arrive, and despite it
all, I pumped them up to work the crowd in an effort to draw as much money out
of our guests as possible.
 
Because
that’s why we were there.
 
Every
person I’d invited here tonight was beyond wealthy—the trick was to get
them to part with their money.
 
I
had specific ways to do that, and I shared those ways again with my staff in
case any of them had forgotten.

“And don’t forget,” I said to them.
 
“If you sense that anyone is stalling or
low-balling, come to me, and I’ll approach them myself.
 
Tonight, we’re going to best what we did
last year—which was more than forty million dollars.
 
I’ve stacked tonight’s deck to try to
crush that number.
 
If you need any
help from me, just come and get me.
 
Tonight is about helping people less fortunate than we are.
 
I want to break sixty million tonight,
and I know that we can do it—so, let’s make it happen!”

With my staff properly rallied, I went over
to Ben and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Now I remember why you were such a good
cheerleader in high school,” he said.

“Oh, stop.
 
I totally sucked as a cheerleader.”

“Sorry, but it’s true.
 
They look electrified now.”

“I love them,” I said.
 
“I’m honored to have them working for
our cause.
 
They’re so young,
determined, and earnest.
 
You can
see the enthusiasm in their eyes.
 
Tonight, we’re going to do amazing things to help other people.
 
And it’s for that very reason why I
couldn’t bail on tonight.
 
I needed
to be here for them and for the cause.
 
I want to rake in sixty million tonight.
 
If we don’t meet it—although I
feel that we might—I’ll just make up the difference with my own
money.
 
Because that’s how important
this is to me.”

“You’re a wonder, Kate.”

“No, I’m not.
 
I’m just a girl who got lucky, and who
hasn’t forgotten her roots.
 
I
haven’t forgotten what it feels like to be poor.
 
You have to give back, Ben.”

“And you have.”

“And I’m grateful that I can.
 
The domino effect of my life isn’t lost
on me.
 
When Michael and I started
out, we had nothing.
 
Then, when his
business started to take off, things got a hell of a lot better.
 
Eventually, we were able to give to
charities we believed in.
 
Since his
death and the sale of StoneTech, I’ve just carried on with what mattered most
to both of us.
 
Even though I’ve
decided it’s time to move forward with my life, I’ll always honor Michael.
 
You would have liked him, and he would
have liked you—which is kind of important to me right now.”

“Why?”

“Because of what’s happening between
us.
 
But you knew that before you
even asked that question.”

“Maybe I just wanted to hear you say it.”

“So I have.”

Ben nodded over toward the staircase that
led up and into the Grill Room.
 
People
were starting to file in and gather at the large bar in the room.

“Party time,” he said.

“And so it begins.”

“I’m not leaving your side tonight.”

“I don’t want you to.”

“And here comes Catherine—she won’t be
leaving it either.”

I took Catherine by her hand as she
approached us.
 
“Thank you for being
with me tonight,” I said to her.

“It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Stone.”

“Please, call me Kate.
 
After all, at some point, we are going
to be bathroom buddies tonight.”
 

“True enough.”

I looked over at the teems of people who
were coming up the stairs and moving into the Grill Room.
 
“Everyone entering now has just gone
through security,” I said in an effort to calm my nerves.
 
“They’ve walked through metal
detectors.
 
I know that that
technology isn’t foolproof, Ben, but it has to mean something.”

“To a point it does,” he said.
 
“But what’s done is done, and now our
focus must turn to the room.
 
Are
you ready to greet your guests?”

“I am.”

“One thing—if ‘W’ is an assassin, she’ll
likely be somewhere in her thirties to very early forties.
 
She’ll be extremely fit.
 
If you see anyone you don’t know who
matches that profile, let me know.”

“I will.”

“Then let’s do this.”

*
 
*
 
*

An hour later, the party was at full
peak.
 
I’d greeted hundreds of
guests, the orchestra was playing, people were chatting, cocktails were
flowing, and the mood felt light and bright.
 
I’d introduced Ben to Laura and her new
boyfriend, Jack, whom I’d liked at once, as well as to Jennifer and Alexander
Wenn, who had expressed their concern by offering Ben access to their own
security team.

“I want to see you soon, Kate,” Jennifer
said before they left.
 
“You need
your girlfriends around you now.
 
We’ll work something out.
 
I’ll be in touch.”

Throughout it all, I’d seen several women I
didn’t know who fit the profile Ben was seeking.
 
The trouble was that they’d all arrived
with men I knew and trusted.
 
Still,
I pointed them out to Ben, because unlike me, he trusted no one here tonight.

When I noticed that my team was starting to
gather people into the Pool Room, I checked my watch.
 
I was set to deliver my speech at
nine-thirty, which was just ten minutes away.

“It’s time for my speech,” I said to Ben.

“The sooner you get it over with, the sooner
we can leave,” he said.
 
“So—the Pool Room?”

“The Pool Room.”

He reached for my hand and we started down
the long hallway that emptied into the Pool Room.
 
Once inside, I saw Nick and a few
members of his team circling the space, which eased my mind as I took to the
dais that had been set for me at the back of the fountain in front of the wall
of windows.
 
I always felt nervous
when I had to give a speech, but since this organization was so near and dear
to me, the idea that I was about to do some good gave me a bit of backbone that
I might have lacked otherwise.
 

When I heard the orchestra stop, I opened my
clutch to remove my notes.
 
And that
was when I saw my phone light up with a text.
 
And then everything changed.

I picked it up and read it.
 
“You look beautiful in your lavender
gown, Kate.
 
How do you think you’ll
look when it’s covered with your own blood…?”

With every ounce of courage I had within me,
I kept my features neutral as I handed the phone to Ben.

“She’s here,” I said as he read the
text.
 
“In the room.
 
Watching me.
 
Threatening me.
 
How in the hell does she know my
number?”

“This is your personal cell?”

“It is.”

He showed the text to Catherine, and asked
her to alert Nick and the rest of the team.
 
When she reached into her clutch for her
cell, Ben said, “You don’t have to go through with this, Kate.”

“What can she do with hundreds of people
here?
 
Just look at the
exits—they’re blocked by people.
 
You’ve seen my speech—it’s brief.
 
Just watch the room for me and let me
finish this.”

“Nick’s been informed,” Catherine said.
 
“The team is on full alert.”

“If you’re going to do this, make it fast,”
Ben said.

“I will.
 
I promise.”

I took a breath, and then turned to face the
crowd with a smile despite how terrified I felt.
 

“Hello!” I said to a loud round of
applause.
 
While people clapped and
whistled, I looked around the room and saw faces that I knew—and several
faces that I didn’t know.
 
I saw
Bill and Maxine Witherhouse, Laura and Jack.
 
Just in front of me were Jennifer and
Alex, and over to my right were a host of other people I knew.
 
There were so many faces looking at me
that it was too much to process.

Where are you?
I thought as I looked out over the
room.
 
Are you about to try something?
 
Are you going to kill me?

Give the speech and get out of this.

“Thank you all for coming,” I said.
 
“And don’t worry—I know that the
cocktails, conversations, and dancing are important, so this speech won’t be
long.
 
In fact, it will be
succinct.
 
Four years ago, when I
reassessed my life after my husband’s death, I knew that I needed to devote the
rest of it to philanthropic work.
 
I’ve done that through the Red Cross, and also through the StoneTech
Foundation.
 
Each has helped
millions, but the Manhattan branch of the Red Cross has a more profound reach
when it comes to helping the citizens of this city.
 
That’s why I’m here with you
tonight.
 
That’s why I’ve committed
myself to this organization.
 
And I
have to believe in my heart that it’s also why
you
are here—to help people who are in need of our assistance.
 
So, here’s what we can do
together—we can lift up that single mother whose husband or boyfriend has
walked out on them.
 
We can help
that man or woman who just lost their job and now is struggling to find work in
an effort to keep a roof over their heads.
 
We can help someone who has become homeless, and we can also assist the
underprivileged.
 
These are the
people who need us right now, and if you’ll join me in that fight, we can and
will change their lives.”

There was another round of applause, and
when it died down, I dropped my voice a notch.
 
“I know most of you,” I said.
 
“And because of that, I also know how
big your hearts are.
 
I know that
you’ll come through for the people of Manhattan tonight.
 
Their voices so often go ignored or
unheard, but they can’t remain silent to us, can they?
 
So, if I might have the honor of
speaking for them—thank you for whatever you can donate tonight.
 
And thank you for coming this
evening—I’m beyond grateful, as are the citizens of our city.
 
Now, if you haven’t already had one,
enjoy a cocktail.
 
Dance if you haven’t
already danced.
 
And please talk to
each other about how important this cause is.
 
Because I’ll warn you right now that I
will be visiting each and every one of you.
 
And just so you know, if you don’t have
a pen on you, I certainly will have one on me!”

*
 
*
 
*

Though I’d somehow held myself together, I
nevertheless was a nervous wreck when I stepped away from the dais and took
hold of Ben’s hand.