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“No. I’m good, thank you,” he replied holding up his glass of lemonade.
When she was gone, I made myself a stiff drink and sat down.
“Don’t leave me in suspense,” Jimmy insisted. “Did you get them?”
I took a swig holding the alcohol in my mouth allowing it to burn my cheeks. Swallowing I said, “Kind of.”
“Kind of? What does that mean?”
When my conversation with Jimmy was done, I knew that there was one more talk I needed to have. So, climbing into my father’s now unused car, I drove back to Long Island. The security guard at the end of Armand’s street looked pissed. Radioing that I was there, he got the go-ahead to let me in. My heart thumped.
I was expected to see Armand waiting for me at the front door. He wasn’t. Entering the now darkened, empty house, I made eye contact with Eris who was there to greet me.
“Where is he?”
“Upstairs in his room,” she said adding nothing else.
Jogging the stairs up, I crossed the hall to the master bedroom. With the door open, I walked in. Scanning the room, I found Armand on the balcony. He was staring out to the lightless beach. Knowing this was it, I joined him.
“You have them, don’t you?” He asked not looking at me.
“I do,” I said casually.
“How did you know they were there?”
“The FBI has been building a case against you for years.”
“So, they told you.”
“I know somebody,” I admitted staring out at the beach with him.
“So what do we do now? Do I shoot your kneecaps until you give them back? Do I go after your family?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why not?”
“Because, right now, the FBI only has one of the ledgers.”
“Which one?” He asked turning to me.
“The cleaned one, of course.”
“And what, you’re going to blackmail me?”
“It’s a move I like to call, ‘The Armand’,” I said with a smile.
He chuckled.
“I don’t take to blackmail as easily as you do.”
“I imagine you wouldn’t. But, I will remind you that right now, you have everything. Don’t do anything stupid and that won’t change.”
“So, you’re still going to marry Eris?”
“Oh, hell no. In fact, you’re done with being involved with my life.”
“So, you think you can treat my daughter like that and get away with it?”
