Page 98 of Beautiful Life

I smirk. “Look who’s being a negative optimist.”

“Shut up.” She tries to hide a grin. “Where do I sign and what does all this mean?”

“We’re setting you up as an LLC. The business will be taxed at your personal tax rate but will give you the flexibility to be taxed as a corporation later, if it financially benefits the company. It’s a good setup for small companies with only one or a few owners and not many employees. It also prevents you from paying taxes twice, by the company and you personally, on your income. Go through and sign everything highlighted.”

“Okay, I’m all about not paying taxes twice,” she mutters as she flips through the pages, quickly signing everything.

“Congrats, pest. You’re the proud owner of Birds of a Feather, whatever the fuck that means.”

“You’re just jealous because you’re dry and boring and I was blessed with all the creative, fun-loving genes. Don’t be bitter, Tony. Accept yourself for who you are and make the best of it.” She smiles saccharine sweet, as fake as the day is long. I can’t help but chuckle at my little sister. “Why didn’t you bring my new sister-in-law in today? This is my last week and I was having fun hanging out with her. Now my last day is going to be long and boring.”

“She insisted on staying home. I was lucky to get her here the last two days. She’s got the alarm set and said she wouldn’t go anywhere. The police have no leads other than Preston, who insists he’s not making any threats. At least I kept her from working this week.”

Paige gets up and moves to my door. “I guess. Hey, are you going to take me to lunch for my last day?”

“Sure. As long as you don’t eat half my meal.”

“It depends on what you order, but thanks. I’ll think about where I want to go.” She grins but before walking out, she turns one more time. “Tony?”

“Yeah?”

Then my little sister—who as much as she annoys me, even I can’t argue the fact that she’s beautiful—swings her long dark hair over her shoulder to look at me with her equally dark eyes. Before she says anything, her smile turns genuine. “I’m happy for you, Tone. So happy for you. But I can’t help being happier for Leigh, and that’s all you. She’s lucky and I got to watch it all happen from the start. A girl couldn’t ask for anything more than what you’ve given her.”

I pull in a breath and exhale. “Thanks. Although I feel like the lucky one.”

“You both are.” She gifts me another smile. “I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Lunch,” I affirm.

As much as Paige and I go at it, she loves her family, there’s no denying it. Almost to a fault. As far as I know she hardly dates and most of her good friends share the Carpino blood line. For an extravert, she weirdly never strays far.

I look back to my desk and leaf through my mail before getting back to work but freeze when I see another manila envelope. An envelope that looks eerily similar to the one on my doorstep Monday morning. This time my name and office address is scratched on the front with no return address.

Carefully this time so it can be brushed for prints later, I take a letter opener to slice open the top. Holding it by the edges, I shake the contents onto my desk. More pictures, the same pictures that were delivered to me last time, but today they’re slashed, cut, scraped through. I use the eraser of a pencil to move the contents around on my desk finding another note in the rubble. This one, in the same plain font as before, reads, “You can’t hide forever.”

Fucking Preston. I push off from my desk and, through a haze of rage, I storm out of my office. I pass Paige and I bite, “Call Jude. Tell him I got another letter and pictures, they’re on my desk. Do not go in there and do not touch anything until the police get there. I want it dusted for prints. Tell him to call me—I’ll be back.”

Without looking back and before Paige can respond, I pull out my phone to call Leigh and make sure she’s okay as I prepare to make a surprise visit.

*****

“Sir, you can’t go in there. He’s in a meeting. Sir, stop!” the receptionist yells on my heels, following me through the halls until I find the door with Preston Briggs name on it.

Throwing the door open, I am in fact interrupting a meeting as he has three other people sitting at the small conference table in his posh office. Ignoring the other three, I step through and look directly at Preston. “I need a word.” Turning to the other three, I add, “Alone.”

“I’m sorry, I tried to keep him from coming in,” the exasperated receptionist says from the doorway.

Preston levels his glare on me. “It’s okay. If you all would excuse me, I’ll take care of this and we can continue our business.”

The other three with the receptionist, shuffle out of the large space and pass me as Preston and I never lose eye contact. The minute I hear the door click, I start. “Leave Leigh the fuck alone.”

Preston, crossing his arms to stand up as tall as he can. “I thought I was done with this. You need to contact me through my attorneys.”

“I’m not here as Leigh’s attorney. I’m here as her husband.”

He slightly flinches but recovers quickly, barely able to cover his shock of this new information.

“That’s right,” I add. “My wife. Right about now the police are showing up at my office to dust the pictures and note for prints. Your ass is going to jail if you were stupid enough to leave any evidence behind.”

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