Annihilate Me (Vol. 4) (The Annihilate Me Series) (30 page)

“I
see her.
 
She’s actually very
pretty.”

“Let’s
say hello and see how it goes.
 
Follow me—Tank wants us out in the open.”

We
stepped forward and intercepted them.
 

“John,”
Alex said.
 
“Nice to see you here.”

“Is
it, Alex?”

“For
me it is.
 
Hello, Savanna.”

“Alex.”

“This
is my fiancée, Jennifer Kent.
 
Jennifer, this is John and Savanna Welch.”

I
offered my hand to each.
 
Savanna
took it without hesitation before her husband reluctantly followed suit.
 
“It’s a pleasure to meet each of you,” I
said.
 
“I’ve heard so much about
you.”

“I
wonder what you’ve heard,” John said.

“I’ve
heard how much Alex respects what your father built.
 
Welch Health Services is nothing if not
a leader.
 
I know that your father
built it from nothing, which is incredible when you consider what it’s
become.
 
Alex told me that we must
respect that going forward.”

“Should
you win the takeover,” he said with an edge.
 
“You don’t have it yet.”

Instead
of commenting, I turned to Savanna.
 
“I can’t get over your necklace.
 
It’s amazing.”

She
seemed surprised by the compliment and placed her fingers against it.
 
“John surprised me with it for our
anniversary.”

“Which
one?”

“Our
seventh.
 
Two years ago.”

“It’s
so beautiful.”

“Thank
you.
 
But looking around, I think I
may have worn too much.
 
We’re not
in New York often.
 
I’m pretty much
a stay-at-home-mom to three kids—all under six.
 
I never know what to wear when we go to
events such as this.”

“Savanna,”
John said.

“Well,
it’s true.”

“You’re
fine,” I said.
 
“Do you mind if I
have a closer look?”
 

“Not
at all.”

“I
love the way the diamonds are cut, set, and layered.
 
And look at your bracelet and
earrings.
 
Just sublime.”

“Do
you think so?”

I
wasn’t being disingenuous.
 
I meant
it.
 
Her jewels were stunning. “What
a wonderful husband you have.”

“I’m
very lucky.”

“Savanna,”
he said.

“Well,
I am.”

While
Savanna and I launched into our own conversation, I kept my ear out for what
was being said between John and Alex.

“How
often are you in the city?” I asked.

“Not
as often as you’d think—we’re based in Cincinnati.
 
John is here all the time.
 
I’m usually at home trying to keep
everyone entertained.”

“That’s
a bit of work.”

“I
have help, but I refuse to be an absent mother.
 
So, between us, you could say it’s nice
to take a little break.”

“I’m
going to ask you again,” I heard John say to Alex.
 
“Would you please reconsider this
takeover?”

“None
of this is personal, John.
 
You know
it’s just business.”

“But
my father built WHS.
 
You of all
people should appreciate that.
 
What
if someone successfully took over Wenn.
 
How would you feel about that?
 
How can I convince you to drop this?”

Oh,
dear.

“I
love your dress,” Savanna said.
 
“It’s so chic.
 
And daring.”

“Maybe
a little too daring.”

“I
don’t think so.
 
You’re wearing
it
—it’s
not wearing you.
 
Not that I know
much about fashion.
 
I don’t have
time for it.
 
I’m generally with the
kids.”
 
She looked around the
room.
 
“None of this is new to John,
but I have to say that I’ll never get tired of it.”

This
girl was nothing if not sweet.
 
“What do you think of the space?”

“I
can’t believe that this is somebody’s apartment.”

“And
this is just the first floor.
 
There’s another floor above us, which is where Henri lives, and then he
has this most amazing rooftop terrace that he turned into a garden.
 
We were there earlier this summer.
 
I wish you could have seen it when it
was in full bloom.”

“Can
we work out something between us?” I heard John say to Alex.
 
“Maybe a partnership?
 
My father worked hard for what I have
now.
 
I know you can take it away
from me, but do you have to?”

There
was a moment of silence before Alex said, “Maybe not.
 
Call me tomorrow.
 
We might be able to work something out
between us that benefits both of us.
 
And that respects your father’s name.
 
Does that work for you?”

“It
does,” he said.
 
“And if it’s just
us in a room without our board members involved, at least we can get a
conversation going between us.
 
I
appreciate your time, Alex.
 
Let’s
talk tomorrow.”

It’s
not him.

“Where
are you staying?” I asked Savanna.

“At
The Carlyle.”

“I’ve
never been.”

“It’s
beautiful.
 
John and I don’t travel
much together.
 
It’s work, work,
work for him.”

“And
work, work, work for you, especially with three children.”

“I
suppose so.
 
I never thought of it
that way.
 
This is the first trip
we’ve taken together since his father passed.
 
We don’t do much anymore.
 
John is focused on the business, which I
know Alex is interested in.
 
I hope
he passes on it.
 
I know that sounds
selfish.
 
I know that’s not how the
business world works.
 
But that
business means everything to John.
 
He wants to carry it through for his father.”

“Maybe
he’ll be able to,” I said.
 
“At
least on some level.
 
Alex and I
will confer in the morning.
 
We’ll
look over the options.”

“That
would be great if you did,” John said while he moved closer to his wife.
 
“I’m afraid I haven’t behaved very well
through this.
 
I’ve taken it
personally, but it’s difficult not to.
 
Maybe Alex and I can work something out tomorrow.”

“I
think we can,” Alex said.
 
“We just
need to keep an open mind.”

“I’m
prepared to do that.”

“So
am I,” Alex said.
 
He reached out
and shook John’s hand, and we wished them well.
 
Alex turned to me when they were out of
earshot.
 
“Not him.”

“I
feel the same.
 
I was
eavesdropping.
 
It’s not him at
all.”

“So,
where the hell is Faust?” he said.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Later
in the evening, after standing in line forever to use one of two restrooms
available on the first floor of Henri’s penthouse, I emerged from it and
returned to the party only to hear my cell go off in my clutch.
 

A
chill railed through me.
 
I looked
around for Alex, but didn’t see him in the crowd.
 
My cell buzzed again.
 

I
looked up at the ceiling where I knew there were cameras surrounding me.
 
Could Tank see me now?
 
I felt that he could.
 
I opened the clutch, switched on my
phone, and saw that I’d been sent a text.
 
And with a sense of trepidation, I pressed the text icon.

I
immediately recognized the number and closed my eyes in relief.
 
It was Alex.
 
I’d been away so long, he probably was
wondering where the hell I was.
 
I
opened the text and read what he’d written to me.
 
“Meet me on the rooftop?
 
I’m all alone.
 
Come and join me.
 
The view is spectacular.
 
Love, Alex.”

Earlier,
in the elevator, we’d mentioned the rooftop when I’d broken the ice with him.

“Do
you remember the last time we were here?
 
At Henri’s birthday party?”

“On
the rooftop?
 
Yes.”

“And
the letter you wrote to me?”

“I
carry that letter in my heart.”

And
now he wants a moment alone with him in the spot where he gave me that
letter.
 
I felt a groundswell of
love for him and looked around for the elevator, which was to my left.
 
I went over to it, pressed a button, and
heard the car start to descend.
 

When
the doors slid open, I stepped inside, and thought about how cold it was going
to be on the roof.
 
But we’d only be
there a few moments and Alex likely would give me his jacket, anyway, so I
didn’t worry about it.
 
He probably
just wanted to hold me in his arms in private again, tell me that he loved me,
and show me the view.
 
Then we’d go
back to the party and get back to business.
 
We’d yet to meet Faust, and we still
hadn’t run into Henri yet.
 
I
pressed “RT,” the doors shut, and the car started to climb.

When
the doors opened, a stiff breeze caught my dress, lifted it up, and sent a
shiver through me.
 
It was freezing
up here.
 
I closed my arms around my
chest in an effort to keep warm and stepped out onto the roof where Henri’s
gardens had been turned into something that resembled a graveyard.
 
Many of the low bushes, now protected
from the oncoming winter with heavy gray sacks that were tied at the bottom,
looked like gravestones to me.

“Alex!”
I called.

There
was no answer, but the roof was huge—and with the wind picking
up—it stole away my voice.

I
went along the gravel path where tall trees stood naked in front of me, their
leaves long since carried away so that the limbs looked skeletal.
 
I continued forward, hearing the city’s
din below me, the faint sound of sirens around me, and then, behind me, a
sudden rushing of footsteps.

I
turned to face Jake Kobus, son of Gordon Kobus, both of whom I’d met earlier
that night, just as he collided into me, jerked me off my feet, and said in my
ear, “Now you die.”

Despite
my surprise, instinct kicked in—and it kicked in hard.
 
I struggled against him.
 
I tore at his face with my hands, but he
was stronger than I was, and he managed to bind my arms against my sides as he
fought to pull me closer to the roof’s edge.

He’s
going to kill me.
 
He’s going to
throw me off of the building.

I
looked at him with such a sense of fear and rage that adrenaline, hot and
bright, ripped through me.
 
I shook
myself violently against him, tripped him up with an extended leg, and managed
to set myself free from his clutches when he stumbled back onto the gravel
path.

“You!”
I said.

“That’s
right.
 
Me
.”

While
he was down, I ran toward him and attempted to kick him in the head in an
effort to immobilize him before he could get up.
 
But he was faster than me.
 
When my foot started to fly toward his
head, he stopped it with his hand—and with it, he also crushed my
momentum.
 

But
not without hurting him in the process.
 

The
heel of my shoe impaled his palm—it sank deep within it and felt like a
dull knife going into a thick hide of leather.
 
He bellowed in pain.