Sacrifice (28 page)

“
Hello?”

“
Well, my dear girl,” Simon’s high-pitched voice filled my ear. “You have been a busy.” He paused and his voice deepened. “You know what I want and you have him there with you. Far be it from me to stand in the way of true love, but I’m afraid you will have to settle with the offer I am willing to make you.”

“
And why should I negotiate with you? You’ve killed innocent people. George did nothing to you.”

“
I have never killed anyone in my life. I heard about dear George Elliot’s murder just now on the news. But this is New Orleans, and murder is a very common affair in your city. The police think George was just another poor victim of a random act of violence.”

“
I should call the police and tell them the truth. Send them right over to your suite at the Royal Orleans.”

“
But I checked out of that fine establishment right after Gerard’s demise. Do you know how hard it is to find good butlers these days? Gerard will be missed.”

I reasoned I would never get him to admit to his plans unless I went along. “What do you want, Simon?”

“
I would have thought that obvious, my dear. I want David.” He sighed into the phone. “I propose this, go back to Dallas, marry him even, and leave David to me. I promise you will never hear from me again as long as you stay out of his life.”

“
Somehow I find it hard to believe you would leave Dallas and me alone. You don’t strike me as a man who would just walk away from anyone.”

“
I will do anything if the price is right.”

“
I don’t have a price as far as David is concerned, Simon.”

“
I could make your death look like an accident, Nicci. A tragic accident and David would never know.”

“
If anything ever happened to me, David would hunt you down and kill you,” I growled into the phone.

“
Then what about your uncle, your father, or his lovely girlfriend, Betty. I could take them away from you forever, but I wouldn’t stop there. I could take out your dizzy Aunt Hattie, your family friend Val, and even that absent-minded cousin of yours, Colleen. How does that sound, Nicci?”

“
Don’t threaten me, Simon. I’ll go to Greg Caston right now and tell him you’re setting him up with those forgeries. That would be incentive enough for him to come after you.”

“
Dear Gregory would never be stupid enough to come after me. He would be the first person many would suspect if I were to meet with an untimely end.” He paused for a moment. “And what if I were to kill David, Nicci? Either give him back to me or I will make sure neither one of us gets him. I don’t care what you have to do or what lies you have to tell him. Bed a thousand men if you must to break his obsession with you, but see that he returns to me.” He hung up the phone.

I threw the cell phone to the floor and sat down on the small love seat not far from the hall entryway. I tucked my trembling hands under my legs and took in a few deep breaths.

“
Who was it?” Dallas asked as walked into the room.

I looked up into his face. “Simon. He wants David. If David doesn’t return to him, he will kill him and me. And that’s not all. He also threatened to go after my family. He knew all about Val, Aunt Hattie, Colleen, and even my father’s girlfriend, Betty.”

Dallas ran his hands over his face. “I knew he was obsessed with David, but Jesus.” He paused and stared at me. “He’s using you to get to David. He wouldn’t have contacted you unless he had a reason. Perhaps you two should consider packing up and getting the hell out of here tonight. Leave Simon to me,” he insisted.

I shook my head. “He’s never going to leave us alone. And I’m not going anywhere until I know my family is safe. We have to stay and end it.”

“
Then we need to end this quickly, before Simon has a chance to make a move on either one of you.” Dallas bent over, picked up my cell phone from the floor, and handed it to me. “Call Caston now. Tell him you have made up your mind about backing his forgeries. Set up a meeting at his place for as soon as possible.”

I went to my purse and pulled out the card Greg had given me with his cell number on it.

“
And Nicci,” Dallas spoke up behind me. “Tell Caston I’m coming to that meeting with you.”

I turned to him. “Why?”

“
Just tell Caston I have a proposal for him in addition to yours. He’s a business man; he’ll want me there to see what I have to offer.”

I started punching Greg’s number into my phone. “And what are you offering?”

“
Whatever it takes to get Simon La Roy out of all of our lives forever.”

Chapter
Nineteen

Later that evening, I was in my bedroom packing up clothes when David limped in the door. As I was cramming some jeans into the bottom of my overnight bag, David hobbled over to a chair by the bed and eased himself into the seat.

“
You should be resting,” I scolded.

He grimaced slightly as he tried to make himself comfortable. “I’ve spent the last three years resting.” He repositioned himself in the chair. “Look, Nicci, this morning when I woke up and found you gone…”

“
Let’s not discuss it now, David,” I said, avoiding his gaze. “We have more pressing problems to worry about.”

“
I think we need to talk about this. I want a life with you. I want you to trust me and know that I’m always going to be there for you. What do I have to do to prove that to you?”

I stared down at the overnight bag on the bed before me. “Trust takes time and patience, David,” I asserted.

“
We don’t have time, Nicci, and I’ve never been a very patient man. I want to know that you’re willing to give me, give us, a chance here.”

I sighed as I looked into his bruised face. “I would not be packing for a speedy getaway with you if I wasn’t willing to give us a chance, David.”

“
Are you still angry with me?”

I smiled slightly. “No. I guess last night I was more afraid than angry.”

“
Afraid of what? Me?”

“
No, us. You have to admit we have had a lot of false starts in this relationship. Every time I felt like we were going to make it, something, or someone, would came along and take you away from me. I don’t want to be hurt anymore.”

David sat back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. “That first day at Myra Chopin’s tea party, I should have walked away. I wanted to…but I didn’t.”

“
You never told me that you almost walked away,” I stated surprised by his disclosure.

He shrugged. “Sammy had pointed you out to me at the party. When I first saw you sitting at your cousin’s table, I remember thinking that what I was about to do was wrong.” He shook his head. “I’d never had that feeling before with any other target. I didn’t want to go through with Sammy’s scheme.”

“
But you did go through with it, and here we are.”

“
You’re not meant for this kind of life, Nicci. Dallas, me, hell even your uncle, are meant for all the lies and corruption. I will never forgive myself for involving you in all of this mess.”

I went over to his chair and took his face in my hands. “Hey, don’t you think for a second that I regret any of this.”

“
Despite the sacrifices you have made?” he whispered.

I shook my head. “I’ve never made any sacrifices for—”

“
There will be sacrifices, Nicci,” he interrupted. “You can’t have a life with someone unless you give up something from your past. You’ll see that, unfortunately sooner than later, because I feel that when this is all over you will have given up a great deal to be with me. I just hope you don’t wind up resenting me for it.” He turned his face away from me.

“
I could never resent you no matter what happens.”

He looked back at me. “I hope that’s true. Because if that day ever comes….”

“
That day will never come, David. No matter what happens and no matter where we end up, I want you to know that you saved me.” I paused as I tried to find the words. “I was wrong to say the things I did last night. When I walked into that kitchen today, and saw you so badly beaten, I realized how foolish I’ve been. I owe you so much. I would not be who I am if you had not brought me to my senses. Without you I would never have walked away from the life I could have had. I would never have become a writer or turned into the woman I am. Even after I thought I had lost you, when I was struggling for recovery from your death, your memory still shaped my life. And now that you’re back, I have finally found completeness. And if our remaining together calls for a little sacrifice, then so be it.”

David leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “And all this time I thought you wanted me just because of the great sex.”

I grinned at him. “That too.”

A shadow of concern darkened his features. “I want you to be careful tomorrow night. Caston is a dangerous man, Nicci. Keep your distance and don’t let him touch you. Maybe I should give you my gun?”

“
I don’t think shooting him will help.” I patted his hand. “And I don’t need a gun. Dallas will be there tomorrow night to protect me.”

“
And what if Caston wants more than you are willing to give.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
You’re going there to ask him to kill a man. Such requests usually come with a heavy price.”

“
That’s why Dallas is coming with me. He will offer Simon’s organization to Greg as an additional incentive.”

“
But it won’t end there, Nicci. Even if Caston agrees to kill Simon in exchange for all you and Dallas have to offer, eventually he will want more. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you will be indebted to Caston. Very much in the same way I’m now indebted to Carl Bordonaro. Men like Carl and Greg Caston always collect on their favors. And sometimes what they may ask of you down the road, will be more than you’re willing to give.”

“
So what are you saying? You want me to call the whole thing off?”

He shook his head. “I’m trying to explain that even if Caston agrees to your terms tomorrow night, it still won’t be over. You need to be prepared for that.”

“
I will do whatever it takes to end this, David. I have danced with the likes of Simon La Roy. I can handle whatever intrigue Greg Caston throws my way.”

“
Yeah, well, just don’t get any ideas about having a career in espionage after we’re married. You’re a writer, not a spy.”

“
I don’t want to be a spy, and I never said I was going to marry you,” I replied, jutting out my chin.

“
You’ll marry me,” he stated with a grin. “I think at this point you had better marry somebody before you end up with another fiancé. I don’t think the world could survive it.”

I noted his swollen right eye and split lip. “Well, I’m not going to marry you looking like that. Imagine our wedding pictures.”

David sighed and reached for my hand. “When we get married, there will be no wedding pictures, Nicci. There can be nothing to link Dan Goldvarg to David Alexander. The wedding I’m talking about will be quick and done by a justice of the peace. There can be no witnesses. No chance that anyone can ever find me.”

“
So how will we live the rest of our lives? Hiding from everyone?”

He let go of my hand and sat back in his chair. “We will live quietly in the country. We will maintain a low profile and keep to ourselves.”

“
But I’m a writer, David. It will be pretty damn hard for me to maintain a low profile and sell books,” I asserted.

“
You’re going to have to reconsider your career.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he raised his hand. “I’m not saying you will have to give up writing, Nicci. I’m just saying you may have to change who you are as a writer.”

A queasy feeling gripped my stomach. “I don’t understand.”

“
To avoid suspicion, you’re going to have to take on a new identity. We cannot be together if you remain Nicci Beauvoir. As long as you are David Alexander’s Jenny, we will never be completely safe from my past.”

The reality of what he was proposing washed over me like floodwaters overpowering a weakened levee. I had never considered the possibility of having to change who I was in order to be with the man I loved. I was truly comfortable as Nicci Beauvoir, and I was just beginning to establish myself as a writer. Self-awareness is a struggle plagued with the pitfalls of false introspections and gilded assumptions of who and what we really are. How was I supposed to start over and walk away from all I had ever learned about myself? Others could strip away fortune, physical ability, and fame, but in the end, we always had our identity. Who would I be if I couldn’t be me anymore?

***

Later that night, I was sitting in a chair by the door watching David sleep. He had settled into my bedroom, passing out on the bed almost as soon as his body hit the sheets. Being unable to calm down from the evening’s events, I did not curl up next to him, but instead decided to sit in a chair across the room. I watched the rise and fall of his chest as he slept and was comforted by the fact that I could look upon him at any time. But my mind was restless with worry. He had gone through so much to get back to me. How much more could his battered body endure? I got up from my chair and went over to the bed once more to check on him. I touched my hand lightly to his taped shoulder and bruised cheek. I walked to the door and decided David was all right to leave for a short while. Because what I needed more than anything at that moment was a drink.