The Love Of Money - S02 E189

Story 1 month ago

The Love Of Money - S02 E189

Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 189

I turned toward Erin, searching her face for some clue, but she only stared back. Then it hit me.

Someone was probably listening.

Perhaps detective Reynolds?

But why try to bait me into confessing to something he knew I wouldn’t admit to?

“I haven’t murdered anyone,” I said flatly.

“I don’t believe you.”

My jaw clenched. The urge to fire back was instant…  to tell him that if I were capable of murder, his son would’ve been dead a long time ago.

And then another flash of inspiration hit. This wasn’t about Rajesh.

Hiro wanted me to incriminate myself by saying something that would link me to the kidnapping of his son. That alone would probably be enough to warrant an arrest; the suspicion surrounding the Desai investigation would likely prevent me from making bail.

He was good, and I’d almost fallen for it.

“I don’t care,” I snapped. “Anyway, that’s not why I called. I want a truce. What’s it going to take to get you to the table?”

“Truce!?” he spat. “There is no truce here. After what you’ve done, I would rather die than sit at a table with you. I would rather see both our countries burn than be in the same room, breathing the same air as you!”

He slipped into rapid-fire Japanese, and I pulled the phone from my ear, exchanging a look with Erin.

“He’s really pissed off,” I said.

“I can hear it from here,” she replied, impressed.

A sharp clatter echoed through the receiver—something striking a hard surface and bouncing across a floor. I recognized it from the times I’d thrown my own phone around.

“I think he just threw his phone.”

Japanese murmurs continued in the background. I stared out over the skyline, letting the city spread beneath me while I savored the taste of his fury.

Then came the shuffle of someone picking up the phone.

“Mr. Upton?”

Sachiko.

Relief washed through me—maybe his daughter would be more reasonable.

“Your father’s being a pain in the ass,” I said.

“What did you expect?”

“I expected him to have a reasonable conversation like grown-ups so that we can end this stupid war.”

“I am here. What do you have in mind?”

“Not over the phone,” I said quickly.

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.” My patience was thinning, thanks to their games. I certainly didn’t want to run the risk of saying something that could get me thrown in jail because the wrong person was listening. If we were to meet in person, I could at least control what outside observers heard a little better.

“And I’m done with this bullshit. You’ve got until the end of the day to agree to meet with me.”

“Or what?”

Or your brother will see this killer view of New York just before I fling him off my roof.

I wanted to say it, but not when the good detective could be listening.

“Do I really need to say it?”

Silence stretched so long that I thought she’d hung up. I was about to check when her voice returned.

“I’ll convince him to talk to you.”

“How do I know you’ll be successful? That he’ll show?”

“Because you cut my brother’s finger off, you monster!” she snapped. “He will be there!”

Looking over Erin, I could tell that she heard Sachiko’s accusation from all the way where she stood. She looked disturbed by it, and I only hoped she could tell how much I hated myself for giving into my darker instincts in that moment.

I could still feel Ryo Tanaka's phantom blood, sticky and warm between my fingers. His screams still filled my dreams when I tried to sleep. The sounds had been unnatural… Barely human as Chloe had sawed through his knuckle joint.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said flatly.

Her breathing steadied into a long, loaded pause.

“Where do you want to meet us?” she finally asked.

I hadn’t thought that far ahead, so I simply said, “I’ll text you the location.”

And then I hung up.

I looked at Erin. “Did you get all that?”

“I got the gist,” she said. “Do you think she’ll persuade him to make a deal?”

“I don’t know.” I sighed. “Even if he does, he’s just going to want the same things as before. Besides Ryo and Carla, he’s going to want his pound of flesh. If I’m going to make any good deal with Hiro, I have to come at him with strength… not try to buy him off.”

“You’re threatening his kid and hurting his empire,” Erin said. “What else is there?”

The New York skyline offered little inspiration on how to crack the mystery that was Hiro Tanaka. I turned away from it. “I don’t know. What does Hiro value the most? Money?”

“To hear him talk,” Erin said, “honor. He’s sort of a walking cliche.”

I studied Erin as I mulled over that last word. “Honor…”

There was something to that.

Obviously, Hiro Tanaka valued wealth and power, but he wasn’t coming after me just because he wanted more. His motivation for destroying me was personal. It was about reputation…

Movement caught my attention; Erin and I both looked to see Chloe tear through the garden.

“NYPD is coming—”

“Oh God! I need to hit the study and my office real quick!” Erin was on her feet and already running toward the garden, not even waiting to hear the rest of what Chloe had to say. “Try to buy at least a little time!”

My bodyguard glanced at her as she flew by and then back at me. “You have ten minutes. Tops.”

I immediately fell into a brisk pace toward the house, Chloe turning to walk beside me. “What? Why?”

“Don’t know, “Chloe huffed. “Psalter told me. They have a warrant, but it’s sealed.”

“Fuck… this was Hiro. I pissed him off, and now he’s got the NYPD coming to arrest me for Rajesh’s murder.”

Or because of Ryo…

Had I let something slip on the phone? Something they could use against me?

Reaching the entrance to the garden, I nearly ran into Charity, who stood there, naked and beautiful. “Is everything okay?”

“Get dressed,” I snapped, not unkindly. “The police are on their way.

She squeaked and disappeared.

Continuing toward the house, I pulled my phone from my pocket, considering my next move. If I had ten minutes at most, then I needed to do something worthwhile. I needed to hedge against this move.

I needed someone else in my corner.

“Where’s everyone?” I asked as I scrolled through my phone.

“Natalie’s at work. Emily’s out—rehearsal, I think. Natashya is somewhere here. Bobbi and Helen are in the gym with Tara, and the rest of your staff is here, including Shea.”

“And there’s no way we can put this off?”

“Nope,” Chloe said without offering any context.

Searching through my history, I called one of the very few people who wasn’t afraid of Hiro Tanaka.

Amber Bell picked up on the second ring. “Mr. Upton?”

“A week ago, you said you could help me with Hiro. Are you still able to do that?”

“Ah,” she said, “By ‘help,’ what do you mean, precisely?”

I didn’t have time for her word games. “I don’t know! You’re the one who said it!”

“If you’re referring to our last meeting, I believe my exact words were that I was willing to offer you information in exchange for concessions.”

That sounded about right.

She went on, “If you’re desperate enough to call me, I suspect that you’re asking for more than simple information.”

“Can you get him off my back or not?”

Silence.

“Amber!”

“Perhaps, Mr. Upton,” she finally responded. “However… that will cost you.”

“Yeah… you said you wanted Carla, Ryo, Desai’s shares of VistaVision, and Maddox installed as CEO.”

I wasn’t interested in losing Ryo when he was the only real leverage that I felt like I had… the rest was negotiable.

“That was for information, Mr. Upton. What you’re asking for will cost you far more.”

My stomach sank as Chloe opened the door and ushered me into my apartment. “What do you want?”

“A concerted effort to negotiate a peace between you and Hiro can be arranged for Rajesh Desai’s shares and ten percent of your own shares.”

Recalling that Brantwood—the group Amber represented—held a whopping fifteen percent of my flagship company, I quickly did the math. With Rajesh’s shares, the difference between mine and theirs would be less than five percent in my favor.

“I can’t do that,” I said.

“You would be allowed to keep Hiro’s son and wife as insurance,” Amber went on. “I would consider losing twelve percent of your company well worth getting a monster like Hiro Tanaka off your back.”

I checked the clock on my phone—five minutes had passed.

Fuck!

I couldn’t do it, could I? VistaVision was one of the most powerful, influential, and socially significant companies in the freaking world. There was no way I could give that away to the people Amber was representing. She’d kidnapped me… tortured me.

She’d let those men loose on Natashya.

What if Roger were able to worm his way into the company somehow? He’d worked with Amber during my kidnapping, after all.

I almost flung my phone across the hall in frustration.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let her have that much of VistaVision.

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

“Very well. I urge you to think quickly. The price will only go up—”

“I said I’ll think about it,” I snarled and then hung up on her.

I immediately looked for my second source.

“Oh, Jesus Christ,” Chloe said, uncharacteristically. She rarely expressed verbal frustration.

“You got any better ideas?” I glared at her as we closed in on the stairs down and into the living room.

“Not in my job de***********ion.”

She was, of course, talking about the fact that I’d just dialed Astrid’s number. There were probably other people out there who could go toe-to-toe with Tanaka, but I didn’t know them. The Håkanssons were the only ones I knew who garnered the kind of respect from the Tanakas that suggested they were on an even playing field.

Astrid was crazy. Astrid nearly got me killed.

But Astrid wouldn’t ask me for a quarter of my shares of VistaVision.

She would ask for my kidney so she could cuddle it at night.

Unfortunately, she didn’t answer. After the fourth ring, it went to voicemail: This is Astrid Håkansson. I am not available right now. Please do not leave a voicemail. I won’t listen to it. Leave me a text, and I’ll respond as soon as I am available. Thank you.

“Are you fucking joking!? You called and texted me every day for two weeks, and the one time I call you back, you don’t answer!?”

Tempted to call her every evil name I could think of, I opted instead to hang up. Insulting someone I potentially needed a favor from was hardly a good idea.

“Not being able to reach her… that’s a blessing in disguise,” Chloe muttered as we reached the primary living room/foyer.

“Doesn’t feel like it,” I grumbled as I stalked to the middle of the living room, eyeing the elevator doors like a cornered animal feeling trapped. I didn’t have any good options.

Except… the helicopter was on the roof.

If needed, I could always run.

One of Chloe’s men approached us. “Ma’am… sir. They’re in the lobby.”

“How many of them?” Chloe asked.

“Two in uniform,” the security guard said, “Five in plain clothes.”

“Detectives?” I asked.

“Probably.”

Charity came bounding down the stairs behind us, dressed in her little black bikini with her gauzy jacket draped over her, leaving most of her body available for the world to see.

A heartbeat later, Helen and Tara appeared at the mouth of the hallway for the wing containing the gym. Helen had a light sheen of sweat, wearing a simple, baggy T-shirt that drooped lazily off one shoulder, revealing the strap of a salmon-colored sports bra underneath. Her long hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of leggings that molded perfectly over her sculpted ass and thighs. It was a version of her that few were allowed to see.

Seeing Chloe and me staring at the elevator doors, she glanced at them. “What’s going on?”

“The cops are coming,” I said.

Helen looked alarmed. “Reynolds?”

“Bet you a million bucks,” I said.

My heart was pounding.

I hadn’t murdered anyone.

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t guilty.

My sin was two floors under me, still nursing a cauterized nub where his pinkie finger used to be.

They could very easily be there for that.

Fuck… I was going to jail.

Movement caught my eye, and I glanced to see Emiko, Jessica, and Camille standing near the entrance opposite Helen and Tara. Emiko simply stood there with an unreadable expression, but she didn’t make a move. Camille was drying her hands, watching everything with mild curiosity. Jessica simply looked confused.

And then the numbers above the elevator began to display.

I glanced toward the guard, and he looked up from his tablet and nodded—they were on their way.

“I’m not sure what’s about to happen,” I said to the room at large, “but there’s no need for any of you to worry. Just hang back and let me deal with it.”

A few moments later, the elevator doors opened, and Detective Reynolds stepped into the foyer along with his other detectives and the two uniformed cops. His badge was already out, and he held it up for everyone to see.

“Mr. Upton,” he said. “We’re here for Barbara Nanford. We’ve reason to believe she may be held against her will.”

I blinked.

Wait.

What?

What the fuck?

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To Be Continued....