Fifth Ave 01 - Fifth Avenue (75 page)

Leana
turned to
him,
her
eyes
warm
and
liquid
in
the bedroom’s muted
light.
 
She
was
beautiful,
he
thought.
 
If
it
cost
him
his
own
life,
he
would
see
to
it
that
no further
harm
came
to
her or her
family.
 
He
would
see
to
it
that his
father
was
stopped.
 
If Michael was wrong and
George Redman had indeed
killed
his
mother,
then
he
would
have
to
be
brought
to
justice
another
way--not
like
this.

He brushed
a
lock of
hair
from
her forehead.
 
“Are you ready for this
?”

Leana
shrugged.
 
“No.
 
And I
hope
they’re not expecting too much
from
me
tonight,”
she
said.
 
“I’m
not up to this at all
.”

And
here was the
opportunity
he’d been
waiting
for.

Last
night, while
they were
relaxing
in
bed,
it
came
to
Michael
that
if
his
father
would
murder Celina,
then he
almost
certainly
planned
the
same
fate
for
Leana.
 
Louis
didn’t
want
Leana
to
manage
his
hotel.
  
He
only gave her that
job
to
publicly humiliate
her
father.
 
And Louis wouldn’t
stop
there.
 
Before Redman
was
murdered,
Michael
knew his father
meant
for
the man’s
family
to
die
before
him--so
George
would
feel
the
pain
Louis himself
had
felt for
years.

On the clock radio, the music stopped and a segment on the morning news began
.
 
Last night, they’d intentionally turned up the volume so they wouldn’t oversleep.
 
Ordinarily,
he
would
have
shut off the machine
.
 
But
this bedroom
was
wired, and if
the radio’s
volume
was
loud enough, Spocatti
wouldn’t
hear
what
he
was about
to
say.

“Then
don’t
do
it,”
he said
quietly.
 
“Don’t
go.”

Leana
looked
surprised.
 
“What
are
you
talking
about?”
she
said.
 
“I
have
to
go.”

“No, you don’t
.
 
Call Ryan
and
quit.
 
You told
me
last
night you
don’t want
this
job
.
 
We
can be
back in
Europe by
the end
of
the
day.”

“I
can’t do that to
Louis,
Michael.
 
He’s
done
too much
for
me.
 
It isn’t
right.”

“Ryan’s using you
.
 
You
told
me
so
yourself.
 
Didn’t
you
tell
me that
you only
took
this
job
to hurt
your
father?”

“That was
only
part
of
the reason.”

“Maybe
so, but the other night was a turning point.
 
He cares about
you.
 
He
came here
because
he
wanted to
tell
you
himself
about
Harold.
 
Yesterday, I
saw
him
reach
for
your
hand
at
Celina’s
funeral.
 
Last
night,
he
called
to
see
how
you were
.
 
Don’t
mess
with
this,
Leana.
 
You
finally
have a chance
to
build
a meaningful
relationship
with
your father.
 
Don’t
you
see
how precious this is?
 
I
would give
anything to
be
in
your
place to have
a
father who
cares
for
me the
way yours is beginning to
care
for
you.
 
Don’t deny him another chance.”

“I don’t plan to,” she said.
 
“But
I’m going through with
tonight’s opening.
 
This
isn’t
about
my father
any
more,
Michael.
 
This is
about
me--my
abilities.
 
All
of
New
York
will
be there
tonight.
 
Those who matter
will finally
be
watching
me.
 
I’ve
waited
too long
for
this.
 
If
I
quit
and go
to
work
for
my
father--assuming
he’ll hire
me--there’s
no
telling how long I’d
have
to
wait
for
a
moment
like
this.”

She
looked
at
him
with
such
impatience,
Michael
was taken
aback.