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Arie raises an eyebrow, and then shakes her head. “Whatever you say. Just don’t make a racket when you get back. She’s a light sleeper and it’s hard enough to get her down as it is.”
“What? How do you know that?”
Arie just keeps walking. “What? I didn’t say… She took a nap this afternoon. I noticed. Go take your walk.”
I don’t have time to linger on that exchange. Instead, I wait until Arie and Chloe are a few steps ahead of me, then I double back to where Track Suit Guy is standing next to a street light, watching. He’s so focused on Arie, he hasn’t noticed that I’m right next to him, so when my hand closes around his throat, dragging him into the alley, his eyes go wide with alarm. All of his faux cockiness is gone.
I slam him up against the brick wall of a high-rise and lift him off the ground by his throat, growling in my most intimidating voice. “What the fuck are you doing following us you piece of shit?”
The fear that was in his eyes initially disappears, and is replaced with arrogance. He smiles, and points to my hand, which is squeezing his windpipe and making it impossible to talk. I appreciate the complication and lower him to the ground, but I press my hand against his rib cage.
“If you so much as blink in a way that pisses me off, I will crush your ribs and make your heart explode, do you understand me?”
He reaches up and rubs at his throat where I’ve left a deep red handprint. “I could have you arrested for assault.”
I snort. “And I could have you arrested for stalking. So, let’s cool it with the idle threats, huh?”
He shakes his head. “I’m ju
st a man talking a walk. You’re the one who came up to me out of nowhere and put his hands on me… Mr. Cochran.”
I feel my blood run cold with a combination of fury and confusion. “How the fuck do you know my name?”
“I know a lot of things, Mr. Pierce Cochran. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll mind your business where it comes to me and my associates. Understand?”
I feel a wave of my old, reckless self come back, and I slam him against the wall again. “Did you just threaten me? I know you didn’t just threaten me. No one could possibly be that stupid.”
The man reaches up with both hands and shoves my hands away from him, never losing his overconfident smile. “Listen, kid. You’re in over your head. Just stay out of our way and you and your kid won’t get hurt. It’s not complicated.”
I don’t have time to say anything else. A black sedan flies up along the side of the street and the man saunters off, then jumps into the back seat, before the car speeds off. And I’m left standing in the alley, completely baffled as to what the hell just happened.
Arie
“Arie, I want to know what the fuck is going on and I want to know right now.”
Pierce has just stomped back into the apartment, and he looks furious. His hands are shaking, his face is red, and I get the impression he wants to punch a hole in the wall. The only thing stopping him is the fact that Chloe is still awake and watching him carefully. It’s like she knows exactly what is going on and is just waiting to judge his next move. I’m sitting on the couch, and I grab a pillow to hold for comfort, even if it’s only emotional.
“Maybe if you tell me what you’re talking about, that might help,” I say, trying to play it as innocent as possible until I know how much he knows. He crosses his arms, clearly impatient and not in the mood for games.
“Oh, I don’t know, Arie. Some goon in a tracksuit just threatened me and my daughter, in extremely vague terms. He was following us down the street for blocks, watching you, specifically. So, I’m going to ask you one more time, Arie. What the fuck is going on? What have you gotten yourself, and by extension my family, into?”
I start running scenarios in my head. He’s going to kick me out. He’s going to turn me into the cops. Can he turn me into the cops? He’s going to hand me over to the Cannizzo family. I’ll have come this far only to lost Chloe again. What the hell do I say?
“I didn’t get you into anything, Pierce. I’ll handle it. I promise.” He’s not going to accept that.
“That’s not an answer, Arie. This guy was not fucking around, and it wasn’t me he was interested in. So, are you going to tell me or not?”
“Not,” I respond, trying not to make eye contact, afraid he will see right through me.
“Goddamnit, Arie. Fine. You want to play it this way, fine. But the Arie I knew would never have gotten mixed up with people like that. And the fact you’re refusing to tell me the truth makes me believe it’s even worse than I can possible imagine. You’re putting me at risk, but worst of all, you’re putting Chloe at risk. I can’t have that. As far as I can tell, there is only one way to handle this.”
My stomach drops all the way down to my feet. He’s going to make me leave. I think I’d rather he just drop me off in front of Cannizzo’s headquarters and let them kill me. I can’t go through all of this again.
Pierce sighs. “That Auckland meeting dad was talking about? I’m supposed to fly over there tomorrow and set up a satellite office in the city, then meet with some new clients. I was supposed to be there for two or three weeks while I get everything organized and acclimate the new clients to our way of doing business. I was going to go alone, and leave Chloe here with you. Instead, I think you should both come with me. And maybe, while we’re there, you will decide it’s in everyone’s best interest that I know what the fuck you’ve gotten yourself into.”
My jaw drops. I’ve never been outside of Manhattan, even when we were dating as kids. I’ve never even been on an airplane. So, the idea of flying all the way to New Zealand is absolutely amazing. And terrifying. I also feel like a jerk, because Pierce is only taking us with him so I don’t get him and Chloe hurt. How could I possibly have thought I would just skate my way through this with no consequences?
Chloe toddles over and crawls up into my lap with a smile, then lays down in my arms and starts to doze off. I have to bite my lip to stop from crying. I missed my little girl so much, but have I been selfish? Should I have just stayed out of her life, and Pierce’s, for their own good? I feel like I am just making a mess of everything, and Pierce is doing more than he should have to, to make up for my stupidity.
