Pieces of Lies (26 page)

“Sorrrry.”

“I’ll talk to you after I meet with him. Yes. Alright. Goodbye.”

Poor Clint
..
 He was about to sign over his trust fund thinking I was part of the deal and I was not about to see him taken for a ride, especially if he was making this decision using me as the deciding factor. 

I reached into the back of my jeans and took hold of my Glock. Gripping the handgun, I watched as Wickburn went over to the corner of the room to another door, and slipped behind it. I allowed a few minutes to pass to get a little distance between us so I could mimic his movements and follow him without being discovered. When I opened the door he had walked into, I found myself in another hallway. 

I walked very slowly, keeping my movements quiet and fluid. As I neared the end of the hall, I could see another door left ajar. I peered through it, scanning the room on the other side. It was a small sitting room with doors to the left and right. I walked in and looked at both doors. Standing in the sitting room, I tried to assess which door I should take, but then I jumped, startled to hear voices coming from the door on the right. I scanned the room, looking for a place to hide. I spun around, unable to find any place to crouch or crawl into. Thinking I should probably go back the way I came, I stopped moving when I recognized the voice of Clint coming from the other room. I could tell it was him, even from the muffled tone. 

My heart nervously started for the right door, and my body followed.

I walked over to the door and turned the doorknob, my heart racing but my hand was steady as I gripped the gun, holding it up vertical to the side of my face. I knew every second I hesitated before bursting in, was time that Clint could be signing over his future. 

Get a grip Norah. You can do this. You have to.
 

I was convincing myself in my head.

Do it, do it now!

I kicked the door open, which caused both men in the room to immediately jump to their feet. Clint and Wickburn both looked at me and then to my gun that was pointed at Wickburn, standing behind another desk.

“Norah, what are you doing here?” Clint looked alarmed by my presence. He stared at the gun in my hand and immediately walked forward to take it away from me.

“Don’t Clint. Just stop please.”

He stopped and stared at me, his eyes drifting over to my hands as I held onto my gun.

“Please tell me you haven’t signed anything yet?” I asked him.

Clint looked back at Wickburn and then to me. “I was just about to, but Norah as I told you, it’s for the both of us.”

I shook my head vehemently. “Lies Clint; he is lying to you. I heard him on the phone only a few minutes ago saying that I’m not part of this arrangement.”

Clint looked stunned but didn’t question me and instead turned back to Wickburn, tension rising from his body. I don’t think he expected that bit of information.

“Is she right Arthur? Is this ‘out’ only inclusive for me?”

Wickburn laughed, “Who are you going to believe Weston? The Lappell, who have been a part of your family for generations, or your little assignment here, who is nothing more than the spawn of a criminal?”

Ouch!

Clint's eyes went from me to Wickburn. He then promptly came and stood next to me, his decision clearly made. 

Sigh
.

“I’m not signing anything without Norah, so I guess the deal is off.”

I suddenly felt guilty for forcing a choice on Clint that wasn't mine to make. “Clint, if you really want out of the Lappell, then this is still your decision. Only you know if it’s worth staying in or not.” 

Both men went eerily quiet as they stared at one another in some kind of Lappell unspoken language. I had no idea was was transpiring between them.  

Finally, Clint spoke up, “Not without you, Norah.” 

Clint reached towards me and tried again to take the gun from my hands, but I moved it away from his grasp. I was pleased that he hadn’t signed away his future’s fortune but our situation had not improved.

With the tension continuing to rise in the room, Clint pleaded with me again, “Please give me the gun Norah,” his voice filled with worry, watching the determined way I held the weapon.

“No fucking way Clint. Sorry. I have a few things I need to know first.”

Wickburn chuckled. “Don’t worry Clint, she won’t fire that thing. She doesn’t have it in her.”

Clint looked instantly uneasy. He knew better.

I fired the gun, the bullet whizzing through the air, missing Wickburn’s head by inches and hitting the bookshelf behind him. The room came to a halt as a new expression of dread spread across Wickburn’s face, and I had to admit to myself, I enjoyed bringing that fear to the surface.

“Wanna bet?” I said, as if I was possessed by the Norah of old, the Norah from New York City who knew all too well how to be a bad ass. I hadn't seen her in a while.  

Hello, sweet greetings, get fucked!

Wickburn settled uneasily into a chair near the table. I could see his hand shake, but he quickly got his emotions under control and laid his other hand on top to steady it.

He turned to look at me with a frosty glare. “What do you want to know Miss Rossi?”

“Who were you on the phone to before you came in here? I heard that conversation. I know you have some kind of reason behind getting me into this all this, which doesn’t just include gaining my family’s connections. It has to do with just me. Tell me who you were talking to.” I walked forward with the gun, ensuring it was directly pointed at his head and that he clearly understood my lack of tolerance for lying.

“What does she mean Arthur? Have you made a deal with someone about Norah specifically? Who wants her?” I could hear Clint’s tone spark with anger from not knowing what was really going on. 

“Tell me who was on the phone!” I yelled, and walked straight up to Wickburn and rested the gun on his skull, firmly between his eyes. Whoever he had been talking to was the reason all this drama came about in the first place. If I knew who was trying to get to me, I could stop all this madness and the threats against the people I cared about.

Wickburn remained silent. Grinning. I wanted to smash that grin right off his face with my gun.  My hand began to shake as my anger began to take control of me. 

Steady Norah.

“He won’t talk Norah. If it has to do with the Lappell in any way implicating them, he will take a bullet before he will say a word. It’s no use. It’s a rule.” Clint sounded as frustrated as me.

What were my choices now? What could I do? I couldn’t really shoot him; could I? This wouldn’t be the end of it and it would only get worse. If Wickburn was under some kind of instruction to make sure that I am part of the Lappell for another reason other than my family, then what lengths will he go to make sure that will happen? “
I’ll take out Hollows
” – Wickburn’s declaration of how far he was prepared to go, echoed in my head, reminding me of the scope of the decision I was rejecting. How many people would be hurt because I didn’t say ‘yes’?

Would it really be that bad?  It can't be any worse then being under my father's reign, can it?

“What if I agree to join amicably in exchange for you letting both Josh and Clint out of the Lappell? You’ll have me and my family and then you’ll have no need to hurt anyone.”

Clint’s head spun around and his mouth gaped open at my complete change of approach. 

“NO Norah, NO!”

Wickburn's eyes squinted like he was deep in thought, but then began to nod slowly, “Yes, I can arrange that.”

“Norah, don’t do this. You don’t know what you will be agreeing to.” Clint was begging with his voice.  I tried to ignore his pleading thinking only of who I would be protecting.

“I won’t let them hurt you and Josh, and if I can stop all this before it gets out of control, then I will.”

Ignoring Clint’s pleas, I walked over to shake Wickburn’s hand. I had to control my breathing as I put my gun down onto his desk, and then I watched in slow motion as my hand moved through the air and towards Wickburn. 

“There will be no need for that.” A deep voice had penetrated the air in the room.

Out of pure reaction, my fingers flinched and then fell to my side of my body. My knees began to shake and all clear thoughts evaporated from my mind as I recognized immediately who had now joined the conversation.

Whipping my head around, I saw Josh, standing next to my father and at least five of his associates. Wickburn’s face changed immediately into a grim-looking expression. You could hear a pin drop in that moment. The silence was that thick.

“Arthur Wickburn.” There was a jagged edge to how my dad said his name and I could tell he was holding a great deal of anger back. 

“I’ve been told you are trying blackmail my daughter.”

Chapter 20

Daddy

My father's associates led me out of the room and into the adjoining one to wait, while my father, his men, Josh and Clint remained in the room with Wickburn. I felt like a child having to wait in the naughty room until it was time to deal with me. I couldn’t be bitter though. Even if the last thing I wanted was my father to be here, it stopped me from making one of the worst mistakes of my life. A few seconds later and I would have shaken hands and given my verbal acceptance to the Lappell, and who knows where that would have taken me. 

Nowhere good, I’m sure
. 

As my mind ticked over, trying to figure out what was going on next door, I began to pace. There was no way my nerves were going to let me sit down, so I just walked round and round, trying to calm my overactive imagination.

Finally, the door opened and Josh and Clint walked through. It shut abruptly behind them. I ran up to both of them and threw both my arms around their bodies in a massive bear hug. I was just so happy to have them by my side at that moment, I couldn’t help but give in to my emotions. Both their hands gripped my body, pulling it towards them as closely as they could. When we broke free from our group embrace, I punched Josh hard in the shoulder. He winced in pain, rubbing it with his hand.

“You went and got my Dad!” I yelled at him.

He stared at me fearfully, waiting for me to do more. I stepped forward towards him and he stepped back, holding up both his arms in a defensive position. I jumped forward and threw my arms around him, pulling him close so I could whisper in his ear. His whole body relaxed into me. “I can’t believe you went back to New York for me.” I hugged him tight. Josh leaned in to whisper back into my ear.

“I guess there is something more important to me than my fear.” 

My whole body rippled with appreciation for this boy who had changed my whole life.  I held him close. Josh really was my best friend and had always looked out for me. I felt like there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep me safe. 

“Oh Josh,” I breathed, feeling overwhelmed with love for my best friend.

Clint make a few uncomfortable throaty noises and I broke away from the hug. Josh had his eyes closed tightly as I stepped away, and in that second, I regretted having to let him go. I looked over to Clint who was watching us intently.  

I turned to Clint, “Did you sign anything in there?”

Clint’s eyes looked very deeply into mine and a wave of feelings came rushing back. “No,” he said, sounding breathless, and lifted his hand to take my mine. I started to move towards him but the door opened. My hand fell, and we all spread apart, making room for whoever was coming out. My father and his associates stepped through and closed the door behind them, not allowing any of us to see Arthur Wickburn again.

“You boys go ahead. As we discussed, I will see you both at the wedding. I will take my daughter home.” No-one questioned my father's instructions, and just started to disperse and make their way out of the mansion.

I groaned as I sat and took my place across from my Dad in his town car.  I knew he would quickly launch into a verbal assault.

“You should have told me what was going on Lenorah, and you shouldn’t be walking around with a gun like a vigilante.” His eyes were piercing me as he scolded my behavior, but then reached into his jacket and handed me back my Glock that I had left on Wickburn's desk.

“I’m twenty-two dad, you can’t tell me what to do anymore. I’m old enough to look after myself.”  I took the gun from his hand and stashed it back into my jeans.  To anyone else, our exchange would have been weird, but the way we handled guns was just a part of everyday life.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I could tell he wanted to yell at me, but was restraining himself.  “Well this situation shows me that you most certainly cannot look after yourself and I think you should come home immediately.”

I clenched my teeth, “No, I will not.”

He sighed heavily, “I understand why you want to stay. Those boys…” he trailed off.

“Their names are Clint and Josh,” I pointed out.

“Hmmm yes, well, I am pleased that Josh did come and see me about this situation. I always did like that boy, but Lenorah, there is no way of knowing just how out of hand this could have become.”

I huffed and stared out of the car window. The fact of the matter was that he had come and saved me again from a predicament that I wasn’t able to handle. I could have argued that it was a situation created from being his daughter and blamed him for it, but he loved and protected me the only way he knew how, which never faltered, and so for the moment, I just continued to be stubborn and argumentative.

“Josh shouldn’t have brought you here.”

My father's nostrils flared. “He did the only logical thing Lenorah. I don’t think you know what those groups are capable of.”

“It can’t be any worse than what you do,” I said, with a clear edge of resentment.

That statement caused his large Italian hands to flex and then ball up. This could get loud and angry very quickly, and could most certainly turn into a screaming match, but my father didn’t entertain my verbal jabs. Instead he just cracked his knuckles and pushed back into his seat, composing himself. I watched him as he avoided my eyes. His thick wavy black hair that was combed back, jerked to the side with the sound from his fingers. His prominent Italian nose sniffed in a huge wallop of air as he thought about what to say next, and his dark brown eyes squinted slightly as he stared out the window.