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I feel the rage return, and I think that if one of these guys were in front of me right now, I could kill him without a single shred of remorse. All of my trained reflexes are kicking in, and I just want to neutralize the situation, and make sure Arie is safe. I have to take deep breaths to lower my blood pressure until I can breathe and think normally again.
“Arie, tell me you didn’t get caught up in gambling. After what your uncle went through? After what Marie went through to get him out of it?”
She emphatically shakes her head. “No! Never, Pierce. I would never do that. I was in a horrible position and I needed money. I was… I needed to pay a bill. Or the people I needed to pay wouldn’t keep helping me. And the, for a while, it seemed like having to pay these people back wouldn’t be an issue. Then, suddenly, it was an issue again. Now, I don’t know what to do.”
I squint, reading her face. I learned a lot in the SEALs about spotting the signs of deception in a suspect. And Arie is not lying. But she is holding a lot back. And that isn’t going to fly.
“Arie, there are more holes in that story than Swiss cheese. Tell me everything, and tell me now. How am I supposed to help you otherwise?”
She reaches down and wraps her arms around her stomach, and begins to look queasy. I didn’t want to ruin dinner, but I also know this needed to happen. I nee
d to know what she has gotten herself into. So, I reach over and squeeze her arm. “Arie, please let me help you. Please.”
Arie reaches up and hides her face behind her hands for a moment. When she comes back, there are tears in her eyes, but she quickly brushes them away. “I was sick, Pierce. Really sick. I thought I was going to die. The doctors thought I was going to die. For a while, I was doing everything I could to fight it. And it was expensive. So expensive. I couldn’t afford the treatments, so I was forced to take money from these men I met at an OTB. By then they told me there was no hope, and they said I had maybe a few months to live? So, I took more money to pay off the hospital, thinking, ‘Well, I’m going to die anyway. What are they going to do about it?” And then, there was good news and bad news.” She pauses for a second and sighs. “The doctors discovered they’d been wrong all along. They’d misdiagnosed me, and now they said I was going to live. I just needed surgery, and to take some pills for the rest of my life. But now… I’m very much alive, and very much in debt to some horrible men. And I don’t know what to do, Pierce. I don’t.”
I throw my hands in the air. “Well, obviously, I’m going to give you the money, Arie. Why didn’t you just ask me to begin with?”
She just shakes her head sadly. “As I said earlier, it’s one thing to work for you, Pierce. To come by the money honestly. But I refuse to owe anyone else money. The whole ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ thing.”
“Arie, you aren’t robbing me. It’s my money, and I can do with it as I see fit. And I would never ask you to pay me back. I just want you to be safe.”
Arie smiles sadly. “I appreciate it, Pierce. But I’ve gone to great lengths to make sure they don’t know anything about me other than… me alone. I just need to see if they will let me pay them back in installments now that I have a real job.”
I wince remembering the man from the other day who followed us. “Honey, they know more than who you are. They know where you live, where you work. They know me, Chloe. I think they know a hell of a lot more than you expected.”
Arie starts to panic. “Oh, my God, do they know we’re here? Could they hurt Chloe? We have to get back to her! What if they…
“Calm down, seriously. It’s okay. There is no way they know we’re here. I’ve been watching since we left New York and no one is following us. But Arie, if you’re not going to let me pay them, what do you want to do? You really expect them to agree to a payment plan? Like they’re the bank and you’re refinancing your house? The Cannizzo family isn’t going to be amenable to you paying in installments.”
She leans back away from the table and crosses her arms over her chest. “How did you know it was the Cannizzo family I owe the money to?”
Well. Shit.
“I… I just… um…”
She taps her fingers on the table.
“The house has a security system. I overheard you talking to your ‘friend.’”
“So, you were spying on me,” she says with a scowl.
“I wasn’t spying. I was worried. And apparently, I had a right to be, based on what you’re telling me. But that doesn’t matter now. What matters is getting you out of this horrible situation. And don’t you think moving to a new country will help you get away from them, especially if you can’t pay them off?”
Arie groans. “I can’t just run away. They will follow me. I know they will. They said they will. And I don’t think they will have a problem finding me here, no matter how far away it may be.”
The collection of waitresses shows up again, this time with New Zealand filet and duck fat potatoes, thyme-roasted Portobello mushrooms with peas and mint feta, and spicy Moroccan lamb pie with a creamy mash. I want to keep arguing with Arie, but the food smells too amazing, and the next thing we know, we’re tucking in, eating everything we can get our hands on, and drinking another bottle of the delicious champagne like it’s water. By the time they bring a collection of desserts, we’re both stuffed, and definitely buzzing with the gentle haze that expensive champagne allows you.
A manager walks up as we’re finishing dessert, and he looks equal parts elated and nervous.
“Mr. Cochran, we are so honored you chose to dine at our humble little restaurant. I hope you found everything to your liking?” His face makes it clear that anything less than a glowing review might destroy his life.
“It couldn’t have been better. I suspect we will be frequenting your establishment many times over,” I say, feeling extremely verbose thanks to the champagne. The manager claps his hands together.
“And your wife? Did she enjoy her meal?”
“Oh, I’m not…” Arie starts to say, but I cut her off.
“She did, most definitely. My wife thoroughly enjoyed every dish. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my wife eat so voraciously before.” I wink at Arie, and she blushes. Damn, what has this champagne done to me? Stop being so damn forward, you goon, I think as I watch Arie shrink back into the booth.
