Page 31 of A Flower for Angus

“But he doesn’t know Poppy’s stepson like ye do,” Darro replied.

“Dad could answer questions about the area and show ye where things are if ye need some help,” Lucerne added.

“I need to turn in my rental because it’s trackable,” Vince replied. “I could always buy a bus ticket back to London and just make it look like I got on. I doubt he’d bother with me once he figures I’m not around anymore.”

Poppy looked skeptical. “Why would you bother to help? What’s in it for you?”

Vince grinned, the first one he’d shown them since he’d arrived. It actually made him attractive. “Besides the money, you mean? I do have my principles. I don’t like being misled by someone like Adrian Condoloro. He flat out lied to me to secure my services, and I don’t like that. I also don’t work for criminals and he tried to strongarm me on this last deal. I figure I owe him a black eye.”

“It’s settled then,” Darro said briskly, moving away from his desk. “Poppy, if ye would be so kind as to contact yer lawyer, please? After that, we’ll leave ye alone to call yer family. I’m sure they must be quite worried about ye right now.”

Poppy nodded and stood up. When she took Darro’s seat at the desk, she sighed heavily and dialed her lawyer’s number. Then she put the phone on speaker and waited for the overseas connection.

Mack DeNiro’s voice came frantically across the line.“Poppy, is that you?”

“Yes, Mack, it’s me.”

“Where are you? Your family is worried sick! That jackass Adrian is trying to have you declared legally dead because they found your car at the bottom of the river in Toronto with blood in it. Morgan is trying to get Adrian declared a mob contact in order to investigate him and stop him,” Mack spit out.

Poppy gave a horrified gasp. “Oh my god...why would he do that?”

“He’s filed another motion with the DA based on a technicality with Julian’s will that he thinks gives him immediate access to the inheritance his father left you.”

“What technicality?” Poppy asked, thoroughly shocked and bewildered. “I thought the will was rock solid, Mack.”

Mack sighed.“I warned Julian not to add that last private clause in the will.”

“What clause?”

“Because Julian didn’t like the fact that your daughter Andrea is married to an FBI agent, he put a stipulation in the will that if you didn’t access your inheritance within one year after the will was read, your inheritance portion would return to his son upon your death. He wanted you to be cared for, but he hated law enforcement and didn’t want Morgan to ever benefit from his money.

“Neither you nor Adrian were supposed to know that, and he was positive you would need what he left you. But my office was broken into a few weeks after Julian died, and I think Adrian was behind the break in. I think he wanted a full copy of the will hoping to find a way to break it, which he did.

“He must need that money badly, Poppy, for him to have been so obsessive about it. When you disappeared and no one knew where you were, he decided to take this opportunity to get to the money very quickly.”

“And since I’ve been living off my own savings so far, I haven’t accessed the cash Julian left me,” Poppy added.

“Exactly.”

“But Julian left him extremely well off. I know because I saw the figures and the investments,” she replied angrily. “How much money does one man need?”

“He acts like a man running scared, Poppy, and there have been rumors,” Mack replied uneasily. “Rumors about him being in debt for illegal gambling. He has markers being called in that he apparently can’t pay. If he went to his father’s mob contacts for money and they are calling in his loans, that could explain his urgency for a big payoff. All I know is that it’s a hell of a mess and you are three days short of the provision in the will. You need to access that money before it’s too late.”

Vince shot them all a thumbs up and nodded his head silently. The other’s nodded as well, but no one was saying anything to interrupt Poppy’s call.

“Maybe I should just let him have it, Mack,” Poppy said slowly, closing her eyes and pinching her nose with her free hand. “After all, I don’t really need it. I can find another way to buy some property once I don’t have to hide anymore. I can authorize you to release it to him, can’t I?”

There was silence for a moment. “Poppy...I could...but are you absolutely sure that’s what you want to do? That money belongs to you, you’ve earned it, and Julian wanted you to have it.”

“I’m tired of hiding, Mack,” Poppy replied, her voice wobbling. “This has been a nightmare that money isn’t worth living over. I’ve run halfway across the planet and he’s still coming for me. I just want it to be over. I know investments; I can rebuild without that money.

“Besides, if Adrian really is in fear for his life, I still care about him as my stepson in spite of everything. We did make a few tender memories together over the last ten years.”

“What do you mean he’s still coming for you?” Mack asked suspiciously. “Are you in immediate danger, Poppy?”

“Maybe...I don’t know for sure,” Poppy hedged, glancing over at Angus. “I’ve got people looking out for me though, and I feel safe here. Just do me a favor and contact him tomorrow to release the money. I don’t want to speak with him.”

“I still advise against it, Poppy, but if that’s what you want, give me an email where I can send you a DocuSign for authorization.”

---