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“Are you sure? This seems like a lot of expense, and effort, on your part… for me. Maybe you and Chloe should just…”
Pierce shakes his head. “First of all, I can’t take Chloe to New Zealand by myself, look after her, and get the work done that I need to on my own. Second, what kind of asshole would I be if I abandoned you here in the middle of whatever the hell this is?”
“Pierce, I…”
He holds up his hands. “I’m not going to push you, Arie. But don’t think this is over either. When we get back from Auckland, you’re going to tell me what is going on. Deal?”
“Deal,” I say, choking back tears. I’ve never cried, or almost cried, this much in my life. Even when I was sick, even when I thought I was going to die, I didn’t cry this much. I’m starting to feel like a bigger baby than my child, who is an actual baby.
“Okay, go pack up your stuff. You have a passport, right?”
Shit. Bailey. He was getting me a passport. I wonder if that’s gone through. “Um… I was in the process of getting one. I need to make a phone call and see where I am in the process. How long do I have?”
Pierce scowls and looks at his phone. “I can put the trip off for a day or two, but not far beyond that. How are you getting… You know what? Never mind. Just add it to the list of things you owe me explanations for.”
As he leaves the room, I grab my phone to call Bailey. He answers on the first ring.
“Twice in one day! To what do I owe this distinct pleasure, Miss Blanchard?”
I peek around the corner to make sure Pierce is safely ensconced in his room before I say anything else. He’ll get his explanations, but today is not that day. “You mentioned getting an expedited passport for me. Any chance you can make that super expedited?”
“Speak of the devil and he shall appear! Your passport arrived just this afternoon. I checked my office mail on my way home. Wait… why? You’re not running, are you? Did something happen?”
The concern in his voice actually gives me a sense of comfort. It’s been a while since I believed anyone was truly looking out for me, even though I’m not sure why he’s been doing so much for nothing in return. “No, not exactly. Though I think Cannizzo is having me followed? I don’t know, honestly. Something is going on. But Pierce wants to take Chloe and me with him to New Zealand for a work thing until it blows over.”
“He knows?” Bailey asks, his voice skeptical.
“No. But I will tell him. Eventually. Just not now.”
“Uh huh. Well, I’m not going to bust up in your business since Mr. Cochran knows I am little Chloe’s former guardian. I will have a bike messenger bring you over the passport now. Keep an eye out. And Arie?”
“Yes?”
“Watch your back. If Cannizzo is having you followed, this may be worse than we thought.”
When I hang up, I look down at Chloe’s sweet face as she sleeps, and yet again, I have to choke back tears.
What the hell have I gotten her and Pierce into?
Pierce
Apparently, Arie hasn’t caught on to the fact that the entire apartment is equipped with a state-of-the-art security system. Security is my job, and my life, and I wouldn’t allow for Chloe to be protected by anything less than the absolute best. That means every room has a motion-activated camera, a sound system, and the ability for me to m
onitor it all from the computer in my bedroom. It’s not so much about spying on anyone, as it is about making sure Chloe is safe and secure at all times.
The fact that I am able to listen to Arie’s phone call is a just a perk.
I hadn’t intended to listen, but I’d forgotten to turn off the computer earlier, and the camera in the living room had been activated when I walked out. The right thing to do would have been to close the computer and walk away, but it wasn’t just her safety in question now. Or mine. It was Chloe’s.
Now I am looking up the name “Cannizzo” on the web and I am not happy with what I find. The first thing that comes up is an article from the Times, and I feel my face going red with anger just at the headline.
Sonny Cannizzo Convicted of Bankruptcy Fraud! 48 Murders Remain Unsolved
I almost walk away from the computer; afraid I might flip out if I read anything that makes me believe this Sonny Cannizzo character is connected to Arie in anyway. But I know I have to keep reading. I have to know what is going on, especially if Arie isn’t going to tell me.
The trial of notorious mob boss and career criminal Salvatore ‘Sonny’ Cannizzo was concluded on Friday afternoon, and while Cannizzo went before a jury facing charges including murder, securities fraud, racketeering, extortion, money laundering, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice, and attempted bribery of a federal official, he was convicted of the lone charge of bankruptcy fraud.
Among the initial charges were three accusations of murder: Cannizzo was accused of ordering the killings of police officer Janice Trumbull from the borough of Brooklyn, FBI agent Martin Morrison, and FBI agent Leslie Brookwood, both of Washington D.C. Prior to the trial, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Penny Elliot believed they had a slam-dunk case against Cannizzo.
