“I called your father myself,” I segued.
She finally met my eyes in silence.
“I told him you were here,” I began, and the color drained from her face. There was nothing fake about her fear of him. She was truly scared that he would hurt her.
“What would you have me do with your father?” I asked softly.
“Take care of him. I don’t know. Throw him in the Hudson for all that I care. Make him disappear without a trace,” she said, and I couldn’t help myself as I chuckled at her request.
“Who do you think I am? The Godfather? Do you truly understand what you’re asking me to do?” I questioned, my voice rising just a bit with every syllable.
She furrowed her brow a little in confusion.
“That isn’t what you do?” she asked.
“No. This isn’t a movie. I don’t take care of people like you think. I don’t kill them, and I don’t make them disappear. I have people who solve problems for me and if it’s possible, it all takes place under the pretense of the legal system taking its normal course,” I answered bluntly, and her face fell just the slightest bit more.
“Oh,” she replied. There was the smallest hint of defeat and hopelessness in her tone and I decided that for that moment, I would alleviate that worry for her.
“Your father will be taken care of,” I said purposefully, and her face lit up once more.
“You’re going to help me?” she asked, her optimism returning almost instantly.
“I’m not doing it for you. When I refused to tell him of your location, he threatened me, and I cannot let that stand. I don’t take kindly to threats and I will take care of him, but it will be done my way,” I replied.
“What are you going to do?” she pressed.
“That is none of your business,” I answered boldly, and her eyes studied mine a bit more intensely. She was trying to figure me out.
“I’m going to handle him because no one threatens me without repercussions and that is the last I will discuss of the matter, butnow I want to talk about something else. I made another phone call while I was gone,” I continued.
“Who did you call?” she asked cautiously.
“I called your husband-to-be,” I replied rather matter-of-factly. She sucked in an anxious breath. I could see her mind working. She was beginning to figure it out.
“I see,” she answered.
“When someone comes to ask me for my help, I expect honesty,” I scolded her firmly and her smile of relief wilted. “You’ve never met your fiancé, have you? He didn’t call you today and he didn’t threaten you, did he?” I continued.
Her eyes glanced down at my hands and then her gaze returned to me. There was a certain innocent quality to the fact that I’d caught her in a lie. She chewed her lip anxiously, but she couldn’t keep her eyes from glancing down at my palms, again and again.
Slowly, I rolled up my cuffs. One sleeve after the next and she watched every second of it. She squirmed a little in her seat and pressed her fingers nervously against her thighs, waiting for what would happen next.
Like a naughty little girl waiting for Daddy to teach her a lesson. Like a naughty girl about to get a spanking.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a part of her that wanted me to handle her. I needed to watch her more closely. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to her.
“Let me tell you what’s going to happen. You’re going to call Anthony and you will tell him you don’t want to go through with the wedding. You will apologize for letting him know the nightbefore the wedding and you will politely wish him the best. Do you understand me?” I instructed and she nodded obediently.
I pressed the call button and allowed my fingers to brush against hers. A breathy sigh of surprise escaped her mouth as I tapped the screen so that Tony would be on speaker phone with her.
She was giving me one sign after another. I’m not sure she was even aware she was doing it, but I was quickly becoming more certain that she wanted me to take control. She licked her lips and her eyes flashed to mine once more. She wanted to know what I would do.
“This is Tony,” her fiancé answered, just as he had done before.
“Hi, Tony. It’s Keri Esposito.”
“Oh. Hi there,” he replied, his words unsure.
