All The Pieces (Pieces of Lies 3) (10 page)

 “Hey Delia. It’s great to see you.” They stepped away from their embrace and looked each other up and down.

She punched him gently in the stomach. “You’ve lost a few pounds since the last time I saw you.” Her gaze switched quickly to me before going back to Clint. “Something making you lose your appetite in New York?”

He stood, trying to looked relaxed, but his fidgeting hands showed he was nervous about what she had asked. “I’ve just been busy with work lately. No time for food. But you always did worry too much about me.”

She brushed her hand across his shoulder. It seemed almost motherly, the way she swept her hand over his clothes, like she was trying to swish away lint in an effort to make him look tidy. “Well...someone has to.”

Delia smiled warmly at her brother again before turning to where me, Samuel and Tess had huddled together in a small group. “I guess it’s time for introductions then.” Clint walked beside her as they came closer to us. I took a few steps back, already feeling uncomfortable. Did she know what happened with me and Clint?

“I’m Delia Weston...And you are...?” Her eyes swept over the three of us, waiting for a response.

“I’m Samuel Voltaggio,” Samuel spoke up first. He stepped forward and held out his hand to shake Delia’s. “I’m here to serve and protect beautiful women such as yourself.” Samuel lifted his eyebrows at Delia, trying to get her to react. I forgot how boyishly charming he could be. She smirked at Samuel, trying to hide her grin from getting even bigger. Tess shook her head at his blatant flirtation. Leave it to Samuel to be the icebreaker.

“God. You are so obvious.” Tess walked forward next to Samuel and pushed him out of the way as she took her turn to shake Delia’s hand. Samuel laughed at Tess’s intrusion, and yet somehow I think he expected Tess to do that.

“I’m Tess. The witty and sarcastic, yet completely cool best friend in this little rescue operation we have going on.”

“Oh...I see.” I don’t think Delia knew how to take Tess, but she was quick to turn her attention away from Tess and onto me. I took another step back. Delia walked in my direction now. She looked determined in her approach, and I couldn’t have felt more out of place. Her stare made me feel like she was about to give me the third degree. Perhaps she did know everything? It certainly appeared that Clint would be open to her about his feelings and what had gone on. They seemed to have that kind of bond.

“You are Norah, right?” She looked me up and down again, the coldness in her eyes not hidden from my view. They were frostily on display so I couldn’t misinterpret that she was about to say something that wasn’t warm or inviting.

“Delia...” Clint warned with his voice.

“Yes,” I said, finally facing her blue judgmental eyes with my scared, apprehensive brown ones.

“So you are the girl who shattered my brother’s heart and ran off with another guy only days after breaking up with him?”

I gulped. “It wasn’t really like...”

“Like what? That wasn’t what happened? You didn’t run off with another guy? The same guy who lied to you and my brother and made him look like the bad guy, just so he could get his hands on you?”

I gulped again. I really was a cold-hearted bitch when it was put that simply. No wonder she was biting my head off. The light-headed feeling in my head surfaced once more, and I felt my ankles start to shake. I was not at all prepared for this. So much had happened in the span of only a few days. So much to take in. So much to process. So many emotions both in the present and now from the past.

My ankles wobbled once more and I knew that I needed to sit down. Clint was all of a sudden next to me, like he knew I was about to stumble and fall. His presence helped me get some of the oxygen back into my body and calm my nerves. I secretly thanked him in my head for being a pillar of support. “That’s enough Delia. She only found out a couple of days ago. And she is not the one to blame. I am. So back the fuck off.”

“Yeah Clint, call off your sister, or I will.” Samuel was now rushing to my defense, the charm in his voice long gone. Tess stepped forward too, but Samuel held her back.

Delia halted in front of me and Clint, staring at us both, her eyes going back and forth. She held up her hands and stepped away. “Sorry. Okay. I’m sorry. I’m just really protective of my little brother.” She sighed and leaned in. “I’m sorry Norah. Please forgive my lack of understanding of all this, and my poor manners.”

I tried to summon a smile. “It’s fine,” I said. “It’s great that Clint has someone like you watching out for him.”

“Look, let’s just start over. Would that be okay with you?” She held out her hand to shake mine and everyone fell silent, waiting to see what I would do next.

Looking at her defending Clint, I realized I couldn’t be angry at this woman. She made a really good point, and not only that, we needed her to help us find Josh. We needed to get back to our reason for being here.

I took her hand with mine and forced my mouth to turn up, trying to be as sincere as I could manage. “Thank you for helping me. I appreciate any information you can give us about the whereabouts of Joshua Hollows.”

“Well, Norah. Let’s get started, but just so you know, I’m only doing this because Clint asked me to help you. I love my brother and would do
anything
he asks from me. You know that right?”

Even though her words dripped in venom, I couldn’t help but think she was a wonderful sister. If I had one, I hoped mine would have done the same for me. This time I smiled at her out of respect, and without fear, because of her protective nature for Clint.

“Yes, I do.”

She nodded and then motioned for us to follow her to an office that wasn’t too far from the terrace. There were a couple of couches and office chairs in the room and Delia told us all to get comfortable and take a seat. She walked over to a desk where a laptop was sitting. Delia punched at the keys and then turned the laptop around to face us so we could all see the screen.

“This, ladies and gentlemen, is Hamilton Brooks. An
elite
Lappell member, and the highest ranked Lappell member alive.”

On the laptop screen, a man in his early fifties appeared. He was standing at a large window in what looked like a company boardroom. His face was long and oval, with soft features. He was wearing a black tailored suit, and had a neatly trimmed grey beard covering his face, and a tall, lean build. He looked like a regular business man. Kind of like a younger version of Sean Connery.

“Now what you all need to know is that this man is Europe’s equivalent to someone like your father Norah. He is extremely powerful, very connected, and...how should I put this...likes to make up his own rules for both business...and pleasure.” She paused and walked around to the other side of the desk before she continued her speech. “This man is very dangerous, and word has it, he does have your boyfriend Norah. He wants to see you, and he is using Joshua as bait. Whatever his plans, I can almost guarantee you, it won’t be for anything good.”

We all stared at the screen, trying to see the danger in the man’s face. You would never see the monster she was describing based on his looks alone. It was the deceptive quality of all things Lappell.

“You need to be extremely careful in how you approach this. Don’t let that friendly face fool you. He will have an agenda. He will have a plan. And he has the resources and the manpower to make anything happen.”

I wasn’t sure if Delia was trying to scare me or talk me out of seeing him, but her warning sounded personal, like she had seen first-hand his power and cruelty. “Okay then. How do we set up an appointment to see him? Do you have his number?”

Everyone fell dead silent at my questions. Was I supposed to be shaking in my boots right now? Was I supposed to ask Samuel and Clint to fly me home? Did everyone forget who my Dad was and the type of men I had already dealt with in my life?

Delia laughed, almost mocking me with the cackle in her throat. “Oh dear. No one makes an appointment to see Hamilton Brooks. And no one, especially someone like me, has his phone number.”

“But Clint said you work for him?” I pointed out, remembering what Clint had said back in Prague.

“I work for a man who is one of his advisors, but I don’t work for Hamilton directly.” She snapped her laptop closed. “Hamilton Brooks doesn’t do casual meetings or general public events. There is a reason this man stays so hidden from the public and only comes out when it suits him.”

“Oh...” I said softly, clearly disappointed. That did present a huge problem. How would I find Josh if I couldn’t find or speak to this Hamilton guy?

Delia watched my face take a dive into despair. She walked from the desk to where I was seated on a couch, and lifted my chin. “Norah, I wouldn’t have told Clint I could help you if I couldn’t in fact, be of assistance. It’s just that what I can offer you, may not be something you can put yourself through. So this part of the problem will be entirely up to you to decide.”

A glimmer of hope flashed in my head.“What do you have that can help me?”

Delia walked back to her desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a large black envelope. I could see silver script writing all over it, but couldn’t make out what it said.

“I have an invitation to a very special event. A date party, hosted for the elite of the Lappell by the one and only Hamilton Brooks tomorrow night. I have no doubt, that Hamilton has anticipated you seeking me out and learning about this party where he will be in attendance. He will be watching your every move Norah. He will be expecting you to go. He will know you are here right now, talking to me.”

All I got out of her talking were two very specific words. “Date party?” I asked, now feeling Tess’s worried eyes looking at me. I knew Clint and Samuel’s eyes probably held the same expression, but I couldn’t look at them for signs of fear. I needed to stay focused on what Delia was trying to say.

“Yes, and that is where the problem begins.”

“Why is that?”

“Have you ever seen that movie
Eyes Wide Shut
by Stanley Kubrick?”

“Yes...so?”

“So do you remember the mansion scene? Tom Cruise. The masks? What this party means is that because you are not an official member, you’ll be regarded as a member date. And member dates have certain expectations when they attend these events. They are required to perform with their members. And by perform I mean...”

I cut her off, nausea gripping my insides at the thought. “Please don’t say it.” It was all coming back to me now. The very first Lappell party I attended with Josh. The burlesque bar in New York. It was crystal clear to me exactly what kind of party this was and what was expected of the women who attended these events. I had already seen the exploitative nature of the Lappell when it came to the opposite sex. Now, I had to walk in to one of these parties, as a guest, being someone willing and able to do what it takes to get the job done.

Could I really do something like this? For Josh?

I went quiet as my mind ticked over. My morals were in full warfare battling with my need to save Josh.

“Well you see the dilemma we have then don’t you?” Delia then walked and stood next to her brother. “And the only person you could possibly go with to this party would be Clint. He isn’t elite Lappell, but I am, and since he is family and a Lappell member, he can attend on behalf of me. It’s one of our elite rules.”

All eyes then fell on Clint.

“Which means you’ll need to,” she paused and held up both hands making quotation marks in the air, “‘perform’ with Clint. In front of everyone. Is that something you are prepared to do Norah? Just so you can speak with Hamilton Brooks about the whereabouts of your so-called fiancé?”

There were not enough expletives for the verbal bombs going off in my head. I looked at Clint, who looked equally freaked out.

“Oh hell no!” Samuel blurted out, looking frantically from me to Clint. “No, no, no, no. Just, no. You cannot do this Len. Fucking no. I won’t let you.”

I looked to Tess for help now. She saw I needed backup. “Hey...Samuel. Why don’t we take a walk and leave Norah to discuss this some more? I think you need to cool down. It’s her decision alright.” I felt Samuel staring at me, shaking his head as Tess led him out of the room.

My attention then switched to Clint, who was pacing near the desk, his head down and his fist resting on his forward. I went over to where he was standing in the corner and leaned in to speak. “Are you going to be able to do this with me Clint?”

His eyes widened and then looked at me, almost shocked that I was asking him such a question. “Are you? I mean, with me?” he shot back.

“Yes,” I said sucking in some more air as I tried to sound confident. “I have to.”

I felt Clint’s fingers brush up against mine as he moved closer to my shaky body. A sudden rush of electricity moved along the tips, and I had to pull my hand away rather quickly. Clint noticed the pull of our hands too, staring down at where the spark had ignited between us.

He tried to muster some courage into his voice. “Then I will be right by your side the whole time Norah.”