AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If you leave, how do I get paid?” he asked.
“I’m staying in room 212. Call the room phone in the morning by 6 a.m. if you are on-board. I’ll give you the burner phone and $5,000 cash before I leave around 8 a.m.”
Gavin’s mouth dropped open. “Why would you give me the whole amount? How do you know I won’t just keep the money and do nothing?”
“I think I’m a pretty good judge of character. If I turn out to be wrong, it’s my mistake.”
“None of these people will get hurt, right?”
“I won’t even know the location or who is placing it there, and I’m certainly not hanging around town to be a target. I’ll be miles from here when they show up.”
“I’ve heard a cell phone can set off a bomb.”
Max had to suppress the laugh. Like I would have a clue how to wire a bomb to a cell phone. “How can there be a bomb if I have no idea where you are placing the phone?”
Gavin studied him for a few seconds, then finally said, “I’ll do it.”
“Sure you don’t want to think about it?”
“I think you’re telling me the truth.”
“I am, Gavin. Thank you. You may end up saving my life.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Fontana wasn’t at all what Bash had expected. Based solely on the rumors, he had pictured him as an intimidating brute who was rough around the edges, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He was refined, polished, well-educated, and exuded confidence, but there was also a down-to-earth quality about him. Bash could tell Fontana was good at reading people and adjusted his style to fit his audience. Surprisingly, it didn’t appear disingenuous or manipulative. He also didn’t seem to be a man who would waste his time if it weren’t important. There was no doubt the man had an agenda. Bash just hadn’t been able to figure it out yet.
“How exactly does a self-service lounge work? You pour your own drink?” Fontana asked, seeming to materialize out of thin air.
Caught off guard, Bash sat up straighter, adjusting himself in his seat. “I didn’t see you come in.” He cleared his throat to give himself time to put on his game face. “There is a cooler behind the bar with a pad of paper to write down your room number and what you took.”
“The honor system. I like it,” Fontana grinned, then strode over to the bar. After writing on the notepad, he came back with a Blue Moon and sat back down.
“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing with my mother’s picture?” Bash asked, impatience in his voice.
“So, you concede that it is your mother?” Fontana reached into his back pocket and pulled out another photo, and handed it to Bash.
He stared at the picture for a long moment before meeting Fontana’s eyes. His throat closed so tightly he struggled to force out words. The scene in the photo took his breath away. His mother, stunning in an elegant white wedding gown, stood at the top of the Empire State Building, veil billowing in the breeze alongside a young, smiling Maximillian Fontana, dressed in a black tuxedo. He was looking at his mother as if she were every celestial body in the heavens wrapped into one woman.
“What does this mean? W…Were you married to her?” he asked, feeling his world shift.
A sadness crept over Fontana’s face as he cleared his throat. “It never got that far. These pictures were taken around the city in iconic locations on the morning of our wedding day. We wanted to memorialize the d…day,” his voice broke.
Bash couldn’t comprehend what his eyes were showing him. Seeing his mom so young and carefree, looking adoringly at Fontana, shook him to his core. How was it possible?
His mom had been the light in his life growing up. Although she had been a private person, she had always made their life fun and silly, and completely stable. But she was also extremely guarded. Limiting their associations to only a select few people. Sometimes, Bash felt her overprotectiveness would strangle him, and he couldn’t wait until he went to college to gain some freedom. He never expressed that to her because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Now, he realized there was more to the story.
“What happened?” Bash breathed.
“She ran,” Fontana said soberly.
Bash was stunned. The few things his mother admitted to him came flooding back. Her family abandoned her, and his father’s family was dangerous. She also told him that his father didn’t know about Bash. Was afraid to tell him. Now was the time to find out how much was true and how much was contrived. He couldn’t believe what he was about to ask, but before he did, he took a long look at Maximillian Fontana. The same green eyes he had seen a familiarity in. Same nose, cheekbones, firm chin. Similar body builds. The only difference was his own lighter, caramel-colored hair. Fontana was an older version of himself. How did Morgan not see it?
“You are my father.”
Fontana’s eyes widened with shock as he sat back in his chair and took a swig of his beer. “A couple of weeks ago, I was seated in my library reading a book my assistant gave me for my Birthday, The Deadly One by Sebastian Bartoli. I rarely have time to read, but I picked it up while I waited for an overseas call. Fatima walked in to tell me she was leaving to have dinner with a friend. Before she turned to leave, she noticed the back cover of your book. She said, ‘Oh my God, Max, that man looks just like a younger version of you. Who knew you had a doppelganger?’ She left the room laughing. When I turned the book over, I knew. I had to find you.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
