Unleash Me, Vol. 2 (Unleash Me, Annihilate Me Series) (8 page)

“
Did Boss do
anything when West left?
”

“
He laced into
me.
 
He accused me of throwing him
under the bus, which is bullshit.
”

“
Why did he
say that?
”

“
Because I
refuse lie to anyone, Barbara.
 
Julian was excited about my book and yet Boss was making a conscious
effort to tell him nothing about the changes that were coming its way.
 
I felt that he deserved to know about
all of them.
 
I
’
m sorry if that might have
cost us a movie deal, but I won
’
t
tolerate lies of omission.
 
That
’
s just who I am.
”
 

“
You did the
right thing,
”
she
said.
 
“
Through Alex, I know West.
 
Because of your honesty, I think we
still have a good chance of getting the deal.
”

“
But how?
 
I
’
m under contract to deliver the book that Boss
wants.
 
But I can tell you this
—
after West
’
s rant, I know it
’
s not the book that
he
wants either.
”

“
We don
’
t have to worry about that
any longer.
”

“
Of course we
do.
 
I
’
m under contract.
”

She picked up her phone, and before dialing, said,
“
To a certain degree you
are.
  
But in this case, with
another editor.
 
One with a fresh
vision.
 
One with a vision that
shares yours.
”
 

I heard someone speak into the phone, and Blackwell
’
s eyebrows perked up.
 
“
Margaret,
”
she said.
 
“
Is
Boss standing outside?
 
Yes?
 
Is he looking surly?
 
Long-faced?
 
Angry?
 
Bewildered?
 
All of that?
 
Oh, good.
 
And we have security on hand?
 
Are they right outside?
 
Is Cutter part of the detail?
 
Divoon.
 
I
’
m ready for a fight.
 
And if I know this son of a bitch, I
’
m going to need Cutter and
whoever else is with him to stand right behind Boss.
 
So, please bring him in.
 
I can
’
t wait to see how this goes down.
”

She hung up the phone.

“
You
’
re going to fire him in
front of me?
”
I said.

“
What do you
think?
”

“
Shouldn
’
t I leave?
”

“
And miss the
show?
 
Come on, Lisa.
 
You write about guts on a daily
basis.
 
Now show me that you have
some of your own.
”

And with that, the door opened and Boss appeared.
 
He was wearing dark blue jeans, a white
button-front shirt, and a blue tie.
 
I
’
d never seen
him in glasses, but he was wearing them now
—
black, narrow, sleek.
 
His arms were crossed over his massive chest.
 
He glanced down at me with open
hostility, and then looked squarely at Blackwell.

A beat passed between them in which nothing was said.

And then everything took a turn for the worst.

CHAPTER SIX

“
Marco,
”
Blackwell said.
 
“
So
good of you to join us.
 
Would you
like a cocktail?
 
Perhaps a
martini?
 
I hear you enjoy your
share of them when you
’
re
on Wenn
’
s clock.
”

“
Really,
Barbara?
 
You
’
re starting there?
 
I believe I
’
ve
seen you throw back a few of your own back in the day.
”

“
True
—
you have.
 
But never to the point that I lost
business over it.
 
Or that I couldn
’
t handle what I drank
—
I don
’
t do sloppy.
 
Never have.
 
Never will.
 
Not my style.
 
For that matter, I also never would
physically threaten another person because I have anger management issues that
apparently can
’
t be
managed.
 
That
’
s something you
’
ll never pin on me,
Marco.
 
But after last night?
 
I can pin all of it on you.
”
 
She leaned back in her seat.
 
“
Unless,
of course, you
’
d like
to deny any of it.
”

“
How about if
we just deal with the facts of what happened last night?
”

“
Oh, the
facts,
”
she said with
a haughty glance tossed over at me.
 
“
We
’
re about to hear the
facts, Lisa
—
can
you imagine?
 
I, for one, can
’
t wait to hear them
…
.
”

“
First, no
business was lost due to me.
 
If
Julian West doesn
’
t
come around with an option for Ward
’
s
book, you can blame it on her.
 
West
was about to agree to option the book when this one opened her mouth and blew
it.
 
Second, I also don
’
t do sloppy.
 
You suggested that I was drunk
—
I
’
m here to tell you that I
wasn
’
t, and if you
think I was, please do us all a favor and prove it.
 
Third, I never physically threatened
anyone.
 
You
’
ve known me for years, Barbara.
 
Where in the hell did that even come
from?
”

And that was it for me.
 
I
glared up at him.
 

“
Are you
seriously going to stand there and lie in front of me?
”
I asked.
 

“
The only one
lying here is you, lady.
”

I stood up and confronted him.
 
Nobody called me a liar
—
ever.
 
I might not be as big as he was, but my
fury was larger, and in a way, that put us on an equal level.
 
I noticed Cutter and another man
stepping closer to us, and I regretted it.
 
I wanted to tell Boss off on my own without feeling as if I needed backup.
 
But that was their jobs.
 
I got it.
 
So, I sucked it up.

“
Let
’
s cut to it, cookie,
”
I said.
 
“
I
called the police on you last night for good reason.
 
There are records of that reason.
 
You slapped my clutch out of my hand and
I felt threatened by you when you did it.
 
You
’
re three
times my size, for God
’
s
sake
—
what would
you have done next?
 
Strike me?
”

“
Seriously?
”
he asked.

“
I don
’
t know you, Marco.
 
I don
’
t know what you
’
re
capable of beyond what I
’
ve
observed.
 
And after last night,
what I do know about you is that you are capable of some kind of violence.
”

He moved to speak, but I held up a finger, and cut him short.
 
“
Don
’
t lie.
 
Don
’
t do it.
 
Right now, the truth about what you did is written all over your face,
which some cultures would suggest you need to save right now.
 
We both know that you did it.
 
I reported it to the police.
 
It
’
s on record.
  
So is this
—
you
don
’
t do sloppy well,
Marco.
 
Before you lashed out at me
for not agreeing to get into your damned limousine, you were wavering on the
sidewalk.
 
You were angry and
unfocused.
 
You looked enraged and
out of it.
 
At that moment, those
three martinis were hitting you hard and having their way with you.
 
You were drunk.
”

“
I never had
three martinis, Lisa.
”

“
Oh, please
—
another lie.
 
So, how about this, Marco?
 
Because of your size and your looks, you
’
re a difficult man to forget.
 
I wonder what we
’
d hear if we asked Julian
’
s bartender if he remembers serving you those martinis
last night.
 
I think there
’
s a solid chance that he
would remember, especially since you kept ordering them back-to-back.
 
Do you want to take that chance?
 
We can certainly set up a meeting and
see what the man says.
 
But we
already know what he
’
ll
say, don
’
t we?
 
Your lies would catch up with you.
 
You
’
d lose.
 
And
you
’
d look even more
ridiculous than you do now.
”

“
Oh, my,
”
Blackwell said with
enthusiasm.
 
“
No amateur, she.
”
 
She
reached beside her for a glass that was filled with ice, popped a cube into her
mouth, and bit down hard on it with a crackling crunch.
 
“
Ice
is my popcorn, and this is the main event.
 
Please, Lisa, do go on.
 
If
nothing else, this is, after all, a festive takedown.
”

I turned to Boss.
 
“
Finally, you also lied to
Julian West, as he
’
ll
attest.
 
You tried to sell my book
to him without even once mentioning that you were radically changing it.
 
I don
’
t lie.
 
I
felt that West deserved to know the truth, even if it meant I
’
d be losing a seven-figure
option.
 
Money doesn
’
t matter that much to me,
Marco.
 
Being an honest person does,
which probably is making that thick head of yours spin right now.
 
When he learned what you had planned for
the book was when he went off on you.
 
And since he
’
s
friends with Alex, I think Julian would be happy to recount how that little
exchange between you two went down.
 
I recall that is was as ugly as it was cutting, but maybe you were too
drunk to remember.
 
I have to
wonder.
 
But if there
’
s a liar in this room, I
can assure you that it
’
s
not me.
 
It
’
s you.
”
 

“
Well,
”
Blackwell said with a
clap of her hands.
 
“
That was epic.
”

“
Whatever,
”
Boss said.
 
“
She
can
’
t prove any of
it.
”

“
Actually, I
believe that she just mapped out how she can prove all of it.
 
Not that it really matters, Marco.
 
Lisa was so upset at the end of the
night, she told everything to her boyfriend, Tank.
 
She was furious.
 
Everything was so fresh when she told
him that it came out in a torrent.
 
What she just said to you now matches exactly what she said to Tank,
whom I
’
ve spoken
with.
 
No liars on this end.
 
I
’
ve also spoken to Alex to get his take on the
situation, and a moment ago, I asked Lisa to tell everything to me as she remembered
it.
 
All of what I
’
ve heard is the same, and
I
’
m afraid none of it
is good for you, darling.
 
Alex told
me to make my best assessment of the situation, and I have.
 
You
’
re done, Boss.
 
Kaput.
 
Finished.
 
Capiche
?
”