Page 97 of Takedown

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“I might be home a little late tonight.” Mel leans in, and I kiss her hard on the lips. “I need a good workout.” I avoid looking at her, fearing she’ll know what I’m about to do, but she gifts me with a smile so beautiful, I forget everything else.

“Okay. I’ll make dinner unless you want to go out.” If everything goes as planned, I should be back around dinner time. If there’s any delay, I’m fucked.

“Does this mean cheapskate Mel is letting us spend money on eating out this weekend? You didn’t protest when I got us coffee. You even ordered a large.” I lift my Starbucks cup and shake it at her. “It must be some kind of miracle.” She lets out a laugh and a blush spreads across her cheeks. “Let’s stay in. We’ll go out tomorrow. Do you think there’s a chance that slutty Mel might come out and play tonight?”

She leans in close again, so close that our lips practically touch. “I think that’s pretty much a guarantee.” She gives me a feather soft kiss on the lips.

I want to deepen it, but I don’t have the time. So, I hop out of the car, walk to her side, and open her door for her. I’m double parked and don’t have time to walk her inside today. I’m on a tight, tight schedule. “I love you.” I do have time to pull her into my arms and give her one more kiss. She walks to the revolving door, waves, and disappears inside the hospital.

The instant she’s no longer in my line of vision, I jump inside my truck and drive through the busy Friday morning traffic. It takes me longer to merge onto I-93 towards Logan International Airport, but I make it and park my car in plenty of time to make my flight.

Ethan offered to send me a private plane for the forty-five-minute flight to New York, but I told him I’d get there on my own. I have no regrets until I squeeze into a middle coach seat between two very hefty older women. They both look at me as if my presence is an imposition, and the person in front of me pushes his seat all the way back, squishing my long legs.

The flight is quick, and less than one hour after taking off, the wheels hit the runway. The driver Ethan sent is standing at the luggage claim holding a sign with my name on it. Since I have no luggage, we walk out and into a warm and waiting Escalade.

So far, everything is right on schedule. I’ll meet him at his office, do what I came to do, and be on a flight back to Boston in a few hours, leaving my wife none the wiser. I close my eyes while the driver takes me to his midtown office. I’ve only been to this city a few times. I’ve always disliked New York, probably because this was where my father lived with his other family. My eyes stay shut during the entire ride to the office. I know it’s loud and congested. That’s enough for me.

The traffic is heavy from LaGuardia to midtown. It takes over forty minutes for the driver to pull in front of the sleek building. I text him that I’ve arrived, careful to only text him and not the group text that Elizabeth started the Sunday after they left Boston. Where she, Mel, and Tara text constantly. Ethan does too. So much so that I wonder when he has time to run his conglomerate. That was the first message I sent, asking when the hell any of them do any work. I’m surprised they’ve gone this long without texting, in fact.

I follow Ethan’s directions, take the elevator to the thirtieth floor and walk through the double glass doors. Once I get through, a tall man approaches, but he doesn’t get a word in before Ethan’s office door opens and the man himself walks out. He’s in complete contrast with last week’s casual attire. He’s in a bespoke suit today, and I notice he’s gotten a haircut since I saw him five days ago.

He offers me his hand and ushers me inside his posh office where I find Elizabeth and Tara. Elizabeth flies into my arms before I can utter so much as a good morning. I hug her back, and when she pulls away, I kiss her cheek. Right on cue, the tears fall, and she walks away in time for Tara to hug me.

“Well, the prodigal Bradford has finally deigned to come to the Big Apple,” the man I saw outside the door says. He offers me his hand and says, “I’m Hunter Franco, the man behind the boss. I run everything up here.”

Ethan rolls his eyes, and gestures for Hunter to leave, but he doesn’t. He turns to me and says, “You have no idea the amount of stress you caused me.”

“Excuse me?” I ask.

Tara lets out a laugh and so does Elizabeth.

“The boss has been twisting himself like a pretzel to get to you. It’s about time.” He crosses his arms, and when I turn to Ethan, he smirks at me. “You’re lucky I didn’t come find you myself.”

“Hunter has gotten too comfortable since he not only became friends with Tara, but with Tara’s sister. I can’t get away from him,” Ethan says.

“I’ll see you Sunday for the family brunch,” Hunter says to Ethan. Then he points to me and says, “And you, play nice with your brother and sister.” And with that, he walks out of the office and leaves us alone.

“I thought we were keeping this between us,” I say to Ethan.

“I knew he was keeping something from me. I’ve been watching him like a hawk,” Elizabeth says.

“I’m short on time,” I announce to the room. “Let’s do this so I can get back home before Mel finds out I’ve left the state.”

“Okay, but we’re doing lunch,” Elizabeth insists. “I’ve already made a reservation, so no arguments.” I check my watch, and it’s barely ten. The man we came to see is only a few floors down. That will give us enough time for an early lunch. I’ll get home in plenty of time, especially since I told Mel I’d be going to the gym.

“Lunch would be nice,” I tell her, and she relaxes.

“Well, I can’t do lunch today, so I’ll see you in a couple of weeks when you and Mellie come for the shower.” Tara gives me a hug and grabs her coat. Ethan walks her to the door and kisses her goodbye.

“Come find me when you two are done,” Elizabeth says to Ethan. “Unless you want me to come down there.”

“No!” I say far too loudly. Ethan narrows his eyes at me, but he doesn’t say anything. “I mean, we’ll come find you when it’s time for lunch.” That pacifies her. She hugs me again and walks out of the room.

Ethan’s blue eyes turn to me. He approaches, but I stand my ground and look into his eyes. I force myself not to look away, he looks so much like our father.

“I’m going to do the talking.” I nod in agreement. “You can’t hit him, remember?” he adds.

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