The Other Side - J. D. Robb [108]
As they passed through the walls of their familiar home, Ted grinned at his wife. “You know, there’s something to be said for this kind of travel.”
Her smile was as bright as the sunlight. “It beats the freeway.”
“I’m not taking any calls, Joanna.” Mark never even paused at the desk of his assistant before closeting himself in his office. Once there he stared morosely at the stack of papers on his desk before picking up the phone.
“Henderson? Mark Deering here. I know. I know. You’re going to have to wait a while longer for that check. But it’ll be there before the deadline. You have my word on it.”
He paused, listened, then said dryly, “How about if I add a ten percent late fee? Will that satisfy you?”
Again he listened before saying, “All right. We’ll do an electronic deposit. As soon as I have the funds available, you’ll hear from my banker. The end of the month at the very latest.”
As soon as the call ended, he dialed again, saying almost the same thing to someone named Julian. While he promised full payment of his debt, Mark looked up as a knock sounded on the private entrance to his office. Cutting short the call, he set down the receiver and hurried across the room.
“Mr. Smith?” The man speaking wore a grease-stained mechanic’s uniform with a faded yellow company logo on the pocket. Dark hair hung to his shoulders.
“Come in.” Mark closed the door and crossed to his desk. Unlocking the drawer, he removed an envelope and handed it to the stranger.
The man counted the money quickly before pocketing it.
Mark followed the man to the closed door. “You did a good job.”
“Told you I would. I was the head mechanic in the joint.”
“I can see why. As I told you earlier, I want no further contact between us. Understood?”
“Don’t worry. For this much money, I’d cut out my own tongue.” The man patted his pocket. “You ever want me to do you another favor, you know how to reach me.”
“Yeah. I’ll keep it in mind. I may have something for you in a couple of months. In the meantime, no contact. We’ve never met.” Mark held the door while the man stepped outside, then closed and carefully locked it before returning to his desk.
Hearing the phone ring, he pushed the intercom and snarled, “I told you, Joanna. No calls.”
“I thought you’d want to take this one, Mark. It’s Christina.”
With an audible sigh of impatience he composed himself before picking up the phone. “Hello, darling.”
He listened and frowned. “How long will he be in Venice?” His hand closed into a fist. “That long? What does his schedule look like when he returns?” A moment later he broke into a wide smile. “He’ll be back the first of next month? Perfect. Why don’t you go ahead and book the date with his secretary now?” He paused before saying, “Now, now. I know you have some doubts about this, but it’s the best thing for all of us. And you won’t have the complication of fretting over all those details. We’ll have a simple ceremony in his chambers, and we can even bring along Tyler and Mrs. Mellon and Bonnie, if you’d like. I don’t want you to worry about a thing. Just remember that I love you, Christina. That’s all that matters now.”
He disconnected, rifled through his papers, and dialed again.
“Morgan? Mark Deering here. I’m calling about that little debt I owe you. You can expect a check the early part of next month.” He paused, then sat back, smiling. “Not this time, old buddy. I know you’ve heard it before, but this time you can take it to the bank. I’ve just learned that I’m about to come into some serious money.”
Ted and Vanessa stared at each other with matching looks of stunned disbelief. How was it possible that this handsome, charming man, whom they loved like a son, had another side to his personality? A