Freeing Him: A Hart Brothers Novel, Book 2 (14 page)

“Close your eyes and dream of me.”

I hastily dress and leave. Brooklyn is no comparison to the comfort of Gabriella’s arms, but it is with some reassurance when I sit and watch the sun rise that she knows I’m safe. This waiting game is difficult, but it’s unavoidable. I want my father’s anger to be so potent that he’s at the point of losing control. Only then will my plan be put into motion.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Gabriella

Kolson leaves and I scramble out of bed and watch him walk to the stairs. I’m desperate to follow him, but I don’t. My brain buzzes with everything that’s happening. In the time it would take me to dress, he’d be long gone. I have no idea where he’s staying, and if I try to follow him, it will only arouse suspicion, particularly if Langston is watching me. And that poses another question. What if he has cameras here? My paranoia mounts. I need to have Case sweep the place for microphones, hidden cameras, and bugs before I will be comfortable here again.

Sitting up in bed, I pull my knees to my chest. Exactly how much danger am I in? Would Langston try to have
me
killed? Is that what Kolson was alluding to? How much of this should I tell Case? Or should I tell him anything at all?

Kolson told me not to say a word, so I won’t. For now. I trust Case with my life. He’s loyal to me, but he operates on the right side of the law too. If Kolson has done anything in the past that can put him behind bars, I don’t want Case involved.

My brain is on its way to a meltdown. I can’t just sit here. Jumping out of bed, I start to search my apartment for unusual things … things I’ve seen in movies and on TV. I look under lamps, on the back of picture frames—I even dissemble the heating and air conditioning unit looking for bugs of any sort. I find nothing in my search.

By the time I have to head to the penthouse to get ready for work, I’m frazzled.

I don’t spend a minute thinking about what to wear. Instead, I shower, throw on the first thing I get my hands on, and head to the office. No one has arrived yet so I put the coffee on and get on my computer. It’s amazing what you can find on Google these days. I run a search on how to sweep your apartment for listening devices. What comes up is unreal; I quickly realize I’m going to have to enlist Case’s help.

When I hear the door open, I walk up front and see it’s Gloria.

“Dr. Martinelli. You’re here early.”

“Uh, yes. Gloria, I need you to cancel out my day. In fact, I’ve decided to take a leave of absence.”

“Dr. Martinelli, are you okay?”

“Not exactly. With everything going on, I’m not doing my patients justice by seeing them when my mind is elsewhere. The past month, I’ve canceled more than I’ve been here and it’s silly to go on like this. It’s not fair to my patients. I can refer them to one of my colleagues if they’d like, or not. But can you take care of this for me?”

“Certainly. And I sure am sorry, but I know you’ll get through this.”

“I hope so, Gloria.” Truth is, at the moment I’m more worried about Langston Hart killing Kolson—or me—than I am about my psychiatric practice. “And Gloria, can you let me know when Case gets in?”

“Sure.”

Twenty minutes later, Case pokes his head into my office.

“Hey. So you decided to take that leave after all?”

“Yeah.” I motion him in. As he shuts the door behind him, I scribble a note.

I need to talk to you about something vitally important. Away from prying eyes and ears. Where there is no risk of anyone hearing us. Can we do this?

He reads the note and nods. Then writes back:

Gramercy Park. West Gate, 1 hour.

My eyes bulge and I mouth, “How the fuck did you get a key to Gramercy Park?”

He shrugs and laughs. Then he gets up and leaves.

Gramercy Park isn’t too far from here so I have about forty-five minutes before I need to leave. But I head out in thirty and pick up coffee and donuts on the way. When I get there, Case waits for me at the gate.

“Yeah, so, you have to explain this.”

He shrugs. “Believe it or not, it was Narcotics Anonymous. You know I’ve helped a lot of people get clean. Some of them are wealthy. And one of them once promised me that if I came through for her, she’d give me her key. So here we are. This place is as private as can be. No possibility of prying eyes or ears. Unless they knew ahead of time we were coming.”

We sit on one of the benches and I can’t help but sigh at the beauty that surrounds us. The park is small, only about two acres, and it’s the only private park in all of Manhattan. Talk about exclusive. Key owners, and there are only approximately three hundred fifty, pay an annual fee for exclusive access. It’s a quaint, lovely slice of nature wedged within a charming neighborhood that makes me breathe easier and feel more peaceful. Lush with grass and perfectly trimmed hedges, the November fall blooms still dot the landscape as there hasn’t been a hard frost yet to kill them off. It’s like I’ve been transported into a fairyland. As I take in the varying shades of umber on what remains of the autumn shade trees that paint the park, I can only imagine that this would be a wonderful place to sit and read a favorite book.

“Before we get started, will you promise to bring me back here under better circumstances one day? This is like a scene from a fairy tale.”

Case laughs. “It is sort of romantic, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” It makes me think of Kolson.

We quietly munch on our donuts, taking in the scenery. Finally, he asks, “So?”

I embark on my explanation of why I wanted to meet him here.

“This all probably sounds crazy to you. And you’ll think I’m delusional or paranoid. But I want you to sweep my studio for surveillance devices.”

“He came to you last night. I had a feeling he was around somewhere. The way he handed you HTS, I knew he wouldn’t leave the area.”

“God, Case. Please don’t say anything. He says both our lives could be in danger.”

“Gabby, I know. Langston Hart has been tied to the Mob. The FBI has never been able to nail firm evidence, though.”

“I’m worried about Kolson. I’m worried that if they get Langston, they’ll find something on Kolson too.”

Case rubs his chin. “I can find out if they suspect him.”

“How?”

“I have a friend.”

“I don’t know, Case.” My stomach wants to hand me back the donut I just swallowed.

“Think about it. It’s just an idea. I’m sure the FBI is searching for Kolson already anyway, since Langston has been on their radar for years. In the meantime, I’ll do whatever you want me to do. And you know you can trust me, Gabby. Always.”

“This is so fucking crazy. I mean, he up and leaves. And then when he showed up last night, I didn’t even recognize him. At first I freaked out. And here’s what else is weird.” I tell him about Kestrel’s visit and Langston’s call and how he had me pulled into his limo.

“As much as your heart wants to reach out to his brother, do not trust him. Under any circumstances. Kolson’s right. He’s glued to his dad’s hip. If you Google him, you can barely find a photo of one without the other.”

“I understand. That’s not uncommon in abuse victims. I see it all the time. There’s an unbreakable bond. The victim fears the abuser yet won’t report him or her and stays with them.”

“I think with Kestrel, it’s more than that. Langston must have him over a barrel about something. In any event, let’s get back to what you need me to do. I’ll do it tonight.”

“Can’t we go now?”

“No. It’s imperative to stick to a normal schedule. Act as though you never saw him. If they are watching you, which I’m guessing they are, they’ll notice if you start doing things out of the ordinary, such as meeting me in the park. We’ll say this is one exception and we won’t do this ever again. I’m going to get you another phone today. One that you’ll only use to contact me. For all we know, they’re watching me as well because they have to know that you and I are close.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Communicate by text if it’s something you don’t want anyone to hear. Other than that, we’ll stick to our usual thing. The leave of absence will take you out of your office but will put you at HTS. They’ll be checking you out there for sure. They want that company. Whether it’s for revenge or just financial gain, who knows? But whatever the reason, make sure you watch your back. Stop by your office at RIS a couple times a week to keep things on track. That will show them you’re still keeping your practice alive.”

The information piles up in my head like bricks. I hope the masonry work is stable enough to stay put, because the bricklayer, namely me, is toting around a set of nerves that are utterly frayed.

“Now do me a favor and make yourself cry.”

“Huh?”

“I want you to cry so it looks like I’m consoling you.”

I’m not too far off from that state, so I lay my head on his shoulder and cover my face. He puts his arm around me and pats my back, making it look to anyone who might be spying on us that he’s being a good friend.

He bends his head and whispers, “Rub your eyes against my shirt to smear your mascara.”

I murmur back, “Why are you whispering?”

“Just do it.”

“I think I got some in my eyes. Now they’re watering.”

“Perfect.”

“Why?”

“We have an audience.”

“What?”

“Hush.” His hand still pats my back. “You good?”

“Yeah.” I lift my head and ask, “Well?”

He uses one of the donut napkins to dab under my eyes. We then walk to the same gate and exit.

Case’s arm is around me as we walk to make it look like he’s supporting me, but he tells me to check out the guy in the dark suit seated on the bench outside the park.

Once we’re clear, he explains that the man watched us for about ten minutes.

“How do you think he knew to go there?”

“He must’ve followed you from the office. I think he was lurking around and decided to have a seat once he figured we would be in there for a while.”

“Do you think the office is bugged?” I ask.

“I’m going to do a sweep when we get back to make sure, but I doubt it.”

“So Langston is following me, then. I need to make Kolson aware.”

“I’m sure he already is. If I were a betting man, I would guess that Kolson is also following you.”

When my head jerks around, Case hisses, “Stop it. Do you want them to think you’re on to them?”

Shit! I’m such an idiot.

We walk the rest of the way back to the office in silence and Case tells me he’ll be at the penthouse at seven.

At eleven, I call Sam and have him drive me to HTS where I meet with Jack and let him know of my plans to be more involved with the business. His reaction tells me he’s not happy. I didn’t expect him to be.

“Jack, let me assure you, you will be running this company. What I’d like to do is spend some time around you to see how things are done. I have no prior experience and therefore, no expectations. Langston Hart called me yesterday—he wants HTS. He intends to do his best to get it. I want to make sure I can prevent that in any way possible. You and I both know that’s the last thing Kolson would’ve wanted. I would like for us to do everything we can to see that doesn’t happen.”

“Dr. Martinelli, you have my full cooperation.”

“Excellent. And please, call me Gabby. Since, I hope, we’ll forge a strong working relationship.”

Jack smiles, his expression softening.

“Gabby, I know this has been a very difficult month for you. I hope spending time here will perhaps make you feel better about things somehow.”

“Those are my hopes too, Jack.”

“Mr. Hart must’ve thought a great deal about you to place his company in your hands.”

“Uh, yeah. But I’m relying on you to keep it where it is, Jack. I’m wading through mud right now.”

“I think you’ll do just fine. Why don’t I bring you up to speed on our largest clients and then we can go from there?”

Jack spends several hours with me. We’re sitting in Kolson’s office (I can’t bring myself to call it mine) when we hear a commotion outside the doors. My secretary has raised her voice and there are other voices shouting as well. Suddenly, the door bursts open and in marches Langston. He doesn’t stop until he reaches the front of the desk. Jack stands, as do I.

“Where the hell is my son?” His thundering voice reverberates around the large room.

Jack steps forward, but I stop him with my extended palm.

“Who the hell do you think you are, barging in here like this?”

“I want to know where my son is. Where the hell is he hiding?”

“I’ve told you already.
I don’t know.
Had you listened to me before, you could’ve saved yourself a trip.”

Oh, if looks could kill …

“Listen here, baby girl …”