Devil She Became (Devil's Angels Book 1) (12 page)

Harrison’s eyes widened, and he sat across from her.

“What about her?” Ava gestured to Reese. “Or is she just your pretty Barbie doll?”

“Reese, come here.” Harrison gestured to her. Reese got up and sat next to him.

“No need for introductions. I don’t care what your name is, Barbie. I don’t need to know. All you need to know about me is that my name is Ava.”

Reese stared at her in stunned silence as she noticed a curious pendant around Ava’s neck. It was a tiny vial with a red substance in it hanging from a beautiful silver chain. What was it?

Ava’s lilting voice jolted her back.

Ava addressed Harrison. “Now, I assume it is your problem we are here to take care of, correct?”

Clearing his throat, he nodded. “Yes.”

Ava smoothed her sleek black hair. “Ok. Let me tell you what I need from you. I need your name, her name, and your address.”

Harrison looked horrified. “You’re not just going to come in and k–”

Immediately, Ava jumped up and hissed, “–Don’t ever talk like that again. Don’t even say that word. If you ever say anything like that again, I will walk away and leave you and Barbie to conduct this freak show on your own. No, I am not. I just need to know basic things about her.”

Harrison immediately apologized. “I’m sorry. I… we have never met with an assassin before.”

Visibly angered, Ava started to gather her purse to leave.

She grabbed Harrison by the shoulder, “Don’t ever call me that again. I am NOT an assassin, as you put it. Are you fucking crazy talking like this? Or are you just stupid?”

Her long nails dug into his shoulder. Reese sat glued to her chair, afraid to speak.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Just please sit.” Harrison pleaded. Reese was shocked. She had never seen a woman stand up to Harrison. It was rather amusing.

Releasing her grip on Harrison, Ava sat back down.

“Now, are you going to let me talk, or are you just going to keep interrupting with idiotic questions?”

“Ok. Just tell me what you want.” Harrison, somewhat stifled, sat uncomfortably in his seat.

“What I need are details about her life. I need to know where she shops, goes to work, church, children’s schools, etc. I need to know her likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc. I need to know her medical history, medications she takes, everything. The way you will give me this information is on a piece of paper that you give to me right now. If she has a Facebook or Twitter account, I want that too. After tonight, we will never speak again. NEVER attempt to contact me after this meeting. We never met. I only exist ‘off the grid’, so to speak. I change appearances frequently, so you will never see me again.”

Reese was enthralled. She had never seen such an attractive woman who was so powerful. She was wildly turned on by this woman, and she was not at all a lesbian. Harrison, as well, had been sitting quietly, staring at Ava. His eyes dipped low to view her cleavage. Ava, while not as busty as Reese, had more than adequate cleavage. She was petite, but quite tall.
Perhaps it is the heels
, Reese thought.

“How much–” Harrison began.

Ava held up her hand. “–No questions, remember? What do you do for a living anyway?”

“I am a real estate attorney,” Harrison stated with characteristic arrogance.

Ava grimaced. “That explains why you cannot follow instructions.”

Reese’s mouth fell open again.

“Honey, I told you. Close your mouth unless you are going to blow him. Or do you plan on going down on me?”

Reese stammered. “I… I...”

“Spare me, Barbie. It was a joke. Let’s move on. Time is money. Now, Mr…”

“Grantham.”

“Grantham as in Grantham, Grantham, and Collier? The law firm downtown? Are you related to Harlan Grantham?” Ava’s eyes widened.

“Yes. That’s my practice with my younger brother and another partner. Harlan Grantham is my father.”

Reese looked at them both. “Who is Harlan Grantham?”

Ava gave her a scathing look. “You really are the dumb blonde, aren’t you? All boobs, no brains. FYI, Barbie, your boyfriend here is loaded, and I mean
loaded
. Harlan Grantham is one of Forbes’ richest men in the country. He’s a billionaire real estate mogul.”

Reese sat back in shock. “Why didn’t you tell me, Harrison?”

Harrison shrugged. “That’s my father, not me.”

“But you will inherit his money, correct?”

Harrison smiled. “Yes, along with my brother, if I don’t get divorced. Now you see why this was such a serious matter.”

“Why do you work if you have such a large inheritance coming?”

Harrison sighed. “Long story. My father expected us to work, to have a career and not just be trust fund babies.”

Ava rubbed her hands together. “That’s excellent. You are somewhat of a celebrity. That will work in our favor.”

“How?” Reese asked.

“No questions, Barbie. Believe me, I know what I am doing. So, Mr. Grantham, please write down the things I requested about her. Tell me more instead of less. Now, in terms of my payment…”

Ava reached into her purse and produced a slip of paper.

“You will wire two payments into these two accounts. One million dollars each payment. The first payment you will wire within the next month. I assume you have a Swiss bank account or other offshore accounts? This money MUST be off the books. No cash. No checks, for God’s sake.”

Reese sat back in her seat. Wow. Two million dollars. Apparently this was pocket change to the Granthams.

Harrison nodded. “No problem. I have accounts worldwide. Money is no issue here.”

“Good for you. Then we can get started. The second payment you won’t send until nine months after the job is completed.”

“How can I–”

“–Be sure I am not caught with the money? Don’t worry about it.” Ava waved her hand. “These accounts are not US based, and I have contacts worldwide that can get me what I need. The less you know, the better off you are. I have done this many times. I am not known to the authorities, so don’t worry. If you get caught, it’s because you did something stupid, not me. I am not associated with you, so don’t think you can ‘roll over’ on me. It won’t work. You and I will not speak again, or meet again, after tonight. If you think you can back out after tonight, you can’t. Tell me now if you can’t go through with this because once we leave here, it’s done.” Ava narrowed her eyes to meet Harrison’s squarely.

Harrison looked at Reese and squeezed her hand. He nodded.

“Good. We understand each other. Now, do you have children?”

“Yes, I have two.”

“I need to know their schedules. All dance classes, sports, etc.” Ava kept her gaze steady at him.

“Why?” Worry flashed across Harrison’s face.

Ava gave him a deadpan stare. “Really? You just don’t know how to listen, do you? I said no questions. But to ease your concerns, your children will not be harmed.”

Harrison took a swallow of his drink. He nodded. “Thank you,” was all he could say.

Reaching into her purse, Ava passed a piece of paper to him. “Here, start filling this out. Remember, I need to know everything. Don’t leave anything out.”

Slowly, Harrison started writing out his wife’s schedule, hobbies… everything he could think of.

“I am not sure about her Facebook or Twitter accounts. I know she has them, but not sure of her login name or anything.”

Ava gave him a bemused smile. “You are really quite stupid, you know. All I need is her name. I can find her that way.”

Harrison pulled the corners of his mouth in tightly. Reese could tell he was fuming about her comment, but he didn’t dare to argue with her.

Harrison finished the list and handed it to her. He slipped the paper into her hand as she quickly glanced over it.

“Lisa Ann Batten Grantham, age thirty-eight, one sister, parents own houses in East Hampton and the North Shore, graduated from Princeton with a degree in art history.”

Ava flicked her eyes up at him. “Art history? Who the fuck majors in art history anymore?”

Harrison shrugged. “She likes art. She likes painting and drawing.”

Ava raised her brows. “She any good?”

“She’s all right, I guess. I’m no art critic. I never really paid any attention to it.” Harrison clasped his drink in his hands.

Reese stared at him. “I like to paint too, Harrison. I guess we have more in common than I thought.” She gave a light laugh.

The table fell silent. Ava turned to her, “Honey, don’t. Just don’t. Sit there and look pretty.” With a wave of her hand, Ava dismissed her.

Reese sat back, biting her lip.
Bitch,
she thought.

Ava continued perusing the list. She made brief comments to herself, clicking her nails on the table.

“So is there any history of depression or mental illness? You didn’t mention that.”

“Don’t really know. I mean, she has her moods, you know, like PMS-type stuff. She seemed depressed when she couldn’t lose the weight after our kids were born, but I don’t think she has had any clinical depression per se.”

Ava pondered this. She may need to try a different tactic. For an allegedly brilliant man, this guy was almost imbecilic.

“Have you ever had an affair before Barbie here? Or any one-night stands?”

Harrison widened his eyes. Reese sat up, anxious to hear the answers to these latest questions.

“Tell me the truth. No bullshit, Mr. Lawyer. This is your life and Barbie’s on the line here.”

Harrison sighed deeply. He ran his hands through his hair. Clearing his throat, he spoke.

“Yes, I have had some one-night stands. You know, girls you pick up from the bar. Nothing special. I haven’t had any long-term affairs like with Reese if that’s what you mean.”

Ava sighed. She rubbed her temples. The irritation was clear in her voice. “Ok. Look. Let me break this down for you. What I need to know is her
state of mind
. How she views your marriage. Is it strong in her eyes or not? How she feels about herself. That’s what I need to know. Get it?”

“Okay, okay. Ummm… well, she is aware that I had a fling with a girl a few years ago.”

“Did she catch you? How did she find out?”

“I came home sloppy drunk; it was evident. My hair was all messed up, I had the typical lipstick on the collar, blonde hairs all over my coat, and her perfume was all over me.”

Reese turned down the corners of her mouth. Really? She didn’t want to hear this. She got up to get a drink.

Harrison caught her hand. “Where are you going?”

Reese felt her eyes burn. “Just to get another drink.”

Ava flashed her eyes at her. “Sit down, Barbie. You’re not going anywhere.”

Reese met her eyes squarely. She shuddered as Ava’s eyes penetrated into her.

Reluctantly, Reese sat down, defeated.

Ava gestured at Harrison. “Please go on.So this was a few years ago?”

“Yes.”

“What did she do about it? Did you confess? What was your story?”

Harrison felt like he was on trial. Funny, he was so used to interrogating others, but he certainly didn’t like being on the other side.

“She cried, threw things, screamed at me. Threatened to take the kids away. Threatened to take everything I had. Tell my family. You know, typical scorned wife.”

“What was the outcome?”

“I promised it didn’t mean anything. I was drunk, and it would never happen again. Told her she meant everything, and I wanted her to stay.”

“Did you do it again?”

“Obviously,” he said, grinning at Reese. “Yes, I’ve had a few short flings since then. I learned not to come home drunk with evidence all over me. Basically, I covered my ass better. I also started funneling money into accounts she doesn’t know about in case I got caught.”

“What was the outcome on her part? Did she demand you go to counseling? Did she pursue personal improvements such as lipo, botox, breast implants, etc?”

Harrison thought. “Hmm. No counseling. She did start working out with a personal trainer. She lost about ten pounds. She changed her hair and dyed it blonde for a while. It looked terrible.” He shook his head.

Reese smirked. She knew how bad that must have looked.

“She got breast implants. Those also looked terrible. She has a really slender frame and the implants looked and felt alien on her. I demanded she remove them.”

Ava sat enraptured, drinking in his words. “Was she left with scars?”

Harrison finished his drink. He nodded. “Yep. She looks pretty awful without clothes. Stretch marks too.” He grimaced at the thought.

Reese was pleased to hear this. She got perverse pleasure in hearing how unattractive his wife was. She recalled how drab she had looked at the charity ball.

“Anything else?”

“About that? No, not really.”

“What about long-term affairs? Have you ever supported another woman like you do Barbie here?”