Cherished (Adam & Ella) (13 page)

Leon relaxed in the chair, waiting. Ella shifted in hers and crossed her legs. “You mentioned Mr. Allen was interested in the manuscript, so I loaded the document onto a flash drive. That way he can read it on his computer, or print it out. And it will be much lighter to carry on the plane.”

Talking helped, but Ella fidgeted, anxious for the editor to join them. Her nerves were frayed, and the delay only made it worse. “Will he be here soon?”

Before Leon had time to answer, his phone beeped. Glancing at the display, he said, “He’s here now.”

Ella looked toward the door, but didn’t see anyone come in. Puzzled, she watched Leon stand and walk over to the side wall. With his palm, he pressed against the surface and a panel moved. With his light pressure, the panel swiveled sideways, creating an opening. Ella supposed it led to the adjoining meeting room.

The front of the panel had the same textured design as the entire wall, and when closed, would never be noticed. It seemed like an odd way for Graham Allen to enter, and she wondered why he didn’t just come through the door off the hall, just as she had. There was something in Leon’s demeanor. His professional smile was gone, replaced with a stony look. He didn’t need to put her on the defensive to get the upper hand—she was already tense. The look on his face made it worse.

Leon stood aside, letting another man enter. Ella assumed it was Graham Allen, the editor. No one else was scheduled to meet with them that she knew of. But Mr. Allen wasn’t wearing a business suit, which caught her off guard. Maybe the meeting was more informal, but then that wouldn’t explain Leon’s three-piece suit. The man stepped through the opening, looking down at the floor.

He didn’t say a word to Leon, or even look his way, just walked straight toward Ella. Her heart began to pound and her mouth felt dry. Unsure whether to stand to greet him, or stay
seating, she simply uncrossed her legs and waited. Setting her bag on the floor out of a sense of politeness, and to be ready to stand and shake the editor’s hand, she panicked for a second, thinking of the bad luck it might bring her.
It’s only a superstition
, she thought.

Frozen to her seat, Ella was riveted to the man walking toward her. He wore a short-sleeved casual shirt in a dingy white color, and baggy gray slacks. His shoes were scuffed, and she struggled to match his questionable attire with his job as an editor at a large publishing firm. There was so much she didn’t know, so much she didn’t understand.

The man’s cologne was stale, and she wondered at his bathing habits. The split second it took to assess the man she’d come to impress, seemed like protracted minutes. Everything moved in slow motion. He took one more step, stopping a couple of feet from where she sat.

Seeing him closer, she noted his gruff look. His salt-and-pepper hair was overdue for a cut. He struck her as Italian, with his pale skin and washed-out amber eyes, but even the Northern Italians got out in the sun sometimes. This man looked like a ghost, pasty white, almost frighteningly so. His broad nose, thick eyebrows, and pursed mouth made him look mean.

This can’t be right
, she thought. It was just a meeting to discuss a book, but Graham Allen looked unfriendly, even aggressive. He didn’t greet her, or offer to shake her hand. Ella was rigid, unsure how to react. The man glared at her and she pressed her back against the chair, leaning away from him. Still he said nothing.

Leon stayed a couple of steps behind, and when Mr. Allen stopped in front of Ella, he stood beside him. Glancing at Ella strangely, he looked back at Mr. Allen as if waiting for instructions. Graham Allen was clearly the superior, and Leon seemed cowed in his presence. The tone of the meeting had become uncomfortable in the extreme.

Eye to eye, Ella quickly sized up the man confronting her. His piercing look sent a tinge of fear down her spine. And there was something in his eyes, something she didn’t like at all. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t imagine where she’d seen him before. New York might as well have been a foreign country, as she’d never been outside of California before coming to Rio to help Adam.

Then she knew. The realization of who he was hit her like a blow to the head. For a second, her vision blacked out, and she blinked to restore it. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest, it was audible to her. Trembling, she clasped her hands together to regain composure. Positive the man was, who she thought he was, the horror of it made her nauseous.

The truth glared at her. She recognized him from the wedding photo in Serena’s album. Despite the fact that he’d aged considerably, the look in his eyes was the same. It was a dark look, penetrating and evil. Looking deeper into his blandly colored pupils, it struck her that he had a soulless look. He lived and breathed, but lacked the warmth that most have. The cold, unyielding, harsh attitude scared her.

Her instinct was to run, but she couldn’t find the strength to rise, fearful that her legs wouldn’t hold her. The phone in her purse probably had a tracker. She’d never asked, but knowing Adam and his penchant for security, it must. If something happened to her, Adam would find her, unless her bag with her phone inside got left behind.

Her mind raced wildly for options. Nico was just outside, and all she needed to do was yell out. He would be in the room sooner than this offensive man could grab her. But it all seemed like a dream, a horrible, terrifying dream. Hardly able to fathom what was happening, she realized with blinding clarity that Claudio, the man that had haunted her since the day she’d met Adam, was standing in front of her. Even with stringent measures, and a team of bodyguards, the evil had broken through the barricade.

Claudio spoke in a heavy, menacing tone, but Ella didn’t understand a word he said. In her daze, she recognized that he’d spoken in Portuguese. When he stopped, Leon started speaking. “He says, ‘I can see in your eyes that you know who I am. Don’t even think of screaming.’”

Her vulnerable position gave her pause, so for the moment, she listened to him. He hadn’t physically attacked her. If he made a move toward her, she would yell, and loudly.

Leon continued translating for Claudio, who said, “You will want to hear what I have to say.” Pausing for a moment, he smirked. “So, you are Ella Walker, the woman who has Adam wrapped around her finger. He always was weak.”

Ella’s blood boiled at hearing the maligning comment. She stared at him, noting that he seemed agitated, a little hyped up. Claudio shifted back and forth and clenched his fist repeatedly. She hadn’t noticed before how dilated his pupils were, but they were like black, gaping holes in his faint amber irises.

“I want you to do something for me. You are the only one who can.” He looked at her intently, the hate stabbing her.

“I would never do anything for you,” Ella said sharply, followed by Leon’s translation of her comment.

Claudio laughed. It was a hollow, mirthless laugh, laced with ridicule. “Oh, I think you will.” A cough raked his chest, and he turned away, hacking in a disgusting manner.

Watching him was strange for Ella. This poor excuse for a man had been someone she’d feared. At close range, he didn’t look like much. He was a tired, worn-out, disheveled man who sought to bully her. He was high-strung, unable to still his body, exhibiting nervous tics such as clenching his fists repeatedly.

And he probably wasn’t well. The cough sounded terrible, and she wondered what disease he suffered from. He looked back at her, and his eyes had a vacant look. Cocaine—that was what Adam had said he dealt. By the looks of it, he used it as well. That could be a problem. Ella was unfamiliar with druggies, and didn’t know what to expect. She was sure he was high. Claudio was acting very odd.

Staring her down with his look of rage, Claudio said, “Don’t worry, I’m not here to abduct you. You are a US citizen, so that would be very unwise on my part. It’s my intent to get Adam to come to his senses, not to have the US government after me.” He paced in short agitated steps in front of her.

“What do you want?” Ella demanded, hardly noticing Leon translating everything she said.

“I’m getting to that,” Claudio said. “Adam is well aware that the online gambling software belongs to me. He’s put me off long enough.”

“That software does not belong to you,” Ella said. “And furthermore, it’s going to be out of your reach anyway.”

Claudio emitted a grating laugh, which turned into uncontrolled coughing. When he settled down, Leon handed him some water and he drank it in one gulp.

“If you are referring to
Taiz Mezzanetti, I know about that. Very clever, I must admit. You’re mistaken to think you can scare me off. If you think I’m fool enough to try to wrest it from him, think again. But that does not change anything. Adam will just have to pay me my share, that’s all. It’s fine with me if he wants Taiz to profit from it, but I will keep an eye on the sales, and expect to be compensated accordingly.”

“You are insane,” Ella gasped.

“No, I don’t think so.” Claudio gave her a derisive look. “But my son might be; he’s always been different from others. However, I am his father. He has a duty to me.”

“You are no father. You’re a criminal,” Ella said.

“Sweetheart, you have no idea what you are talking about,” Claudio said, giving her a condescending look.

“Oh, yes I do,” Ella said. All the intimidation she’d felt at the onset dissolved in the heat of her anger. She was furious that Claudio had been allowed to mistreat Adam for so long. And now he was trying to manipulate her. She’d had enough, and didn’t intend to take it. Personal risk didn’t enter her mind. Only a primal fight for survival governed her actions.

“I beg to differ. As a boy, I helped Adam. He had a knack for computers, and if I hadn’t supported that, he never would have achieved what he has,” Claudio said.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am deadly serious. And now that he’s grown, he is an ungrateful son. He wants to take it all and just walk away. He’d leave me penniless and never look back.”

“You think his heart is made of stone like yours is. But you are wrong. If you were any kind of real father, he would support you willingly. But you were a source of oppression his entire life. You still are. You robbed him of all the pleasures of youth, and scarred him emotionally with your perversion,” Ella said.

“You are being overly dramatic. Adam was always sensitive in the extreme. I’m told it is a result of his brilliance. But he has painted the wrong picture for you. I encouraged him to pursue his talent.”

“Pursue his talent, that’s what you call it? Ha. You pressured a small boy to work terribly long hours in a dim room, staring at a computer screen.
And why? Because you wanted to encourage him? No. Because you wanted to profit by him.”

“You think the worst of me. But you have only heard Adam’s side of it. Do you really believe that he would be successful in his field today if it weren’t for the fact that I made him work at it. Given a choice, he’d have been off surfing the days away, or who knows what else. That’s no way to create a business.”

“For who? You? That’s all you care about. You don’t care about Adam, you never did. Or Serena. Or Fiorella. You don’t care about anyone but yourself. And now you’d have me believe that your influence was good for Adam. Your influence was never good for anyone. You hurt people, and not just emotionally. I know what you’ve done. Don’t think I don’t,” Ella said.

Claudio glared at her. His body went rigid, and his pallid skin flushed crimson. Clearly on the verge of violence, he swiped the back of his hand over his mouth, and then raked his fist through his hair. Ella knew he would have shouted were it not for her bodyguard outside the door. Screaming and yelling would bring him in the room forthwith, and Claudio knew it.

“I have a message for you to give Adam,” he said.

“And why should I?”

“Because if you care about him as you profess, you won’t want to see him hurt.”

“You would injure your own son?” The question required no reply, as Ella knew the answer before she asked.

“I want you to listen carefully. Not only would I take action against my son, I will follow through with my threats to Serena. You consider I’m less than you, and think that you can outsmart me. Well, I don’t work alone. I have friends; friends you wouldn’t dare speak to as you are speaking to me.

“Adam won’t listen. I’ve told him what I want. I made it clear the online gambling software was mine. The profit potential is huge. But despite my polite request, he proceeds to sell it to someone else.

“You, sweetie,” he said with disgust, “are the only person he will listen to. And you better start pleading with him to care a little more about his father. When you go home, and you tell him we met today, you will have his attention. Of that I am sure.”

“Why don’t
you
just meet with him then? Why come to me? Haven’t you the guts to see your son, to look him in the eyes, and feed him the lies you are feeding me?” Ella spoke sharply, pent-up frustration spilling forth.

Claudio coughed and chugged another glass of water Leon handed him. “Meet with Adam? That’s pointless. The boy won’t listen to me. He never did. He has no respect. He forces me to put pressure on him through others. He will only listen to those he cares about, and he has never cared a shred for me.”