“I very much doubt we’ve met at a PTA meeting.”
His eyes narrowed. “I never forget a name. Or a face.”
Was that a threat? The fear rose first, skittering across her skin like an insect, followed by a sharp stab of anger. She lifted her chin, nostrils flaring.
“You will tell your son to stay away from my daughter and delete the account and the picture, correct?”
“Yes. I will ask him to do this.”
“No. You willtell himto do this.”
His face remained expressionless. “Fine.”
“Good.”
“So what’s the occasion?” she asked, breaking a silence that grew more menacing the longer it continued.
“What do you mean?”
She jutted her chin in the direction of the noise outside the door. “The party.”
“My wife and I are social people. We run a business, and this is just a little gathering, for our special friends.”
“Is it legal?” she asked sweetly.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Mostly.”
“Money laundering? Uranium smuggling?” she suggested with a bright, false smile.
“Property development.”
Property development, my ass.
She’d seen a lot of shady characters in her career. And she’d found that shady characters were almost invariably flashy as well—an odd, but reliably consistent combination of traits. And this Bruno characterscreamed shady, from the gold chain at his throat to the expensive Ferragamo loafers on his feet.
“Property development.” She rose from her chair. “Right. Of course.”
She was done listening to this man. She’d call in some favors and learn everything she could.
“I understand you have a small but lovely home, Mrs. Mondello.”
She froze.
“A lovely home on Beaverbrook Lane, if I’m correct,” he continued, gazing at her over the rim of his glass.
The back of her neck prickled. “How do you know where I live?”
“The same way you know whereIlive.” He made an expansive gesture with his arms. “The school directory works both ways, you know.”
“Is that a threat?” she asked quietly, heart thudding so loudly she was afraid he could hear it.
“On the contrary.” He spread his fingers over his chest in an expression of innocence. “It’s a compliment. You have lovely river views.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Only in the winter.”
“Yes,” he said softly. “Only in the winter.”
Silence filled the room again as her mind raced. He didn’t know she’d be coming. He couldn’t have looked her up in the directory.So how did he know where she lived?
