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When Dante awoke the next day, his insides felt bruised and battered. Right. I bawled like a little baby last night. But I made it up to her in bed, I hope. He blinked, yawned, noticing a small, unfamiliar, warm weight on his belly. SoSo lay curled in a ball on his stomach. Kennedy was nowhere in sight. He gently shoved the cat off, glanced at his phone screen and groaned. Noon. I have a ton of stuff to do today. More practice. Another interview. Deal with my fuckwad father. Call Marquise and tell her the deal’s off.
He and Kennedy had discussed it long into the night. They vowed to face media fallout once the scandal was out. She told him they’d meet it together, totally blowing his expectations of her running away into the wilderness. She’d encouraged him to call the rest of the band and warn them what might happen.
Giving the barest of details, Heat and Keys had laughed, gleeful, eager for any kind of association with a scandal that would make them look more bad-ass. Gia had been sympathetic, promising to be supportive when the shit-storm started. But Kennedy had blown his mind with her tender, strong support.
As she came to mind, he amended his To Do list. Make love to Kennedy whenever, wherever. His need for her grew daily, like a brilliant bonfire. Already, he couldn’t imagine her not being a part of his life. The thought of losing her sent stabs of pain through his heart. “Kennedy?” he called. “Sweetheart?” When no answer came, he rolled out of bed, snatching his phone to check for messages. Only one missed call from Ryan appeared on the screen. He thumbed Ryan’s number and waited.
“Dante. Got any time today?”
“Not much but...what’s up?”
“I’ve found something you’ll want to see. I’d rather show you then tell you.”
“Okay, I’ll make time. Let me see. It’ll have to be quick. One-thirty?”
“Perfect. Catch you then.”
Pulling a pair of sweatpants over his hips, he strode to the kitchen. Kennedy had made coffee and left a note on the kitchen island.
Had to go to work. More phone calls to make, homes to secure. Aren’t we a mess? Let’s be messy together. (smiley face, heart, smiley face)
“Man, oh, man,” he said to the cat padding into the kitchen. “Your feeder-mama is a heart melter. Little does she know, she won’t have to make phone calls to get homes for tigers. Not if I can help it.”
After coffee, cereal, a few phone calls and a shower, he headed toward Wall Street. He tried to call Kennedy but went straight to voicemail. He texted her but got no response. She’s probably busy.
Once inside Ryan’s office, Ryan got right down to facts. “Look at this, Dante.” He turned his monitor so Dante could view the screen, filled with numbers and spreadsheets.
“What am I looking at?”
“I had to do some serious digging, and I mean serious. I contacted your friend Kent to help. That guy’s skill set is almost criminal.” He let out a laugh. “But here’s what we discovered. A foreign corporation has their fingers in the pie of the tiger sanctuary.”
“Let me guess. A South African company?”
“How did you know?” Ryan asked, his eyebrows lifting.
“Long story involving my girlfriend. She works there. At the sanctuary, I mean.”
“Didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”
“A longer story. Keep going.”
“Right. This corporation has holdings in the UK as well. We found a dirty trail, in which funding comes to the sanctuary, gets skimmed, gets diverted to the UK, and gets lost along the way to South Africa. We sniffed out the trail, though, finding evidence that some of the money goes into diamond mining. Blood diamonds. Funny, but I thought that had been largely eradicated. Not so. It’s still a thriving trade in some parts.”
Dante wondered if his coffee and cereal would make a second appearance, landing on Ryan’s office floor with a splat. “I know. So what happens next?”
“An investigation. The foundation’s going to be tied up in legal crap for a while, while this is being sorted, but I’m sure justice will be served.”
“Will it be closed? My girlfriend works there. She’ll be heartbroken if she has to find homes for the tigers.”
“Probably not. More like in a state of stasis while this gets sorted.”
Dante let out a sigh. “Good. She’s passionate about them. Would you believe she works with them in such a manner that they lick her head?”
Ryan scoffed. “Is that to tenderize her?”
“No. They think of her as a surrogate mother. She says she’s always at risk of attack, reminding me they’re wild at heart, but she still persists. She wants to restore forests across the world, get breeding programs going, help get them off the endangered list.” Dante wondered if he glowed with pride when he spoke of her.
“That’s interesting,” Ryan said, nodding. “Not something I care to pursue, but to each her own.” He tapped a few keys on the keyboard and said, “I invested this much into the foundation on your behalf.”
Dante glanced at the number. “And let me guess. It disappeared.”
“Yes and no. The good news is since you’re a significant donor and the foundation is obligated to inform its donors of financial statements...and since we now know some of the deeper picture...you can press the go button on the investigation. Assuming it goes well, the money should be restored if the bad guys get caught.” He turned to Dante and smiled. “Be sure to say Ryan Nicholson and Associates were the ones who found the indiscretions. Our credibility will skyrocket, landing me a few more fat fish.”
“Absolutely. Anything you need.” Dante retrieved his wallet and pulled out a card. “Here’s the number of my lawyer. I’ll tell him to expect a call from you. Let’s get this ball rolling, stat.”
Out on the sidewalk, he tried calling Kennedy again, to tell her the news. Voicemail. Again. He left another text message and continued on his way. When his phone rang, he swiftly pulled it out of his pocket and answered, hoping it was Kennedy.
“Dante?” His mother’s voice sounded tired, strained.
Instantly on the defense, his throat tightened. “Hello, Mother,” he said in a clipped, tight voice.
“I need to apologize to you.” Her voice cracked like she might cry.
“How so. Can it wait? I’ve got an extremely busy day,” he said. Shit. I sound just like my asshole father. How many times have I heard that very phrase? “Never mind. Tell me.” He ducked into an alley for relative privacy.
“Your father lied to me.”
“Big surprise, there.”
“I’m willing to put up with his indiscretions. I’ve done it for years. It’s what he does. But he told me...he...he...”
His elegant, poised mother actually let out a long sob, twisting his heart into a strangled mess of pain.
“I didn’t know he got the girl pregnant. I didn’t know it was him who...” Her words trailed off into another sob. “My poor baby, Damien. And you, bearing the burden. I was led to believe it was you who...”
Her words disappeared into cries of pain, tearing at Dante’s soul. He pressed his hand to his mouth, trying to hold back his own tears. He’d bottled his emotions for years, and now they wanted to fly free. “Mom, stop. You’re killing me.” He listened to her cry, as errant tears slicked his face. He hung his head, pulled his ball cap low, wishing he wore his hoody, and prayed no paparazzi were in the vicinity.
“No!” His mom’s fierce voice sliced through the phone. “I won’t stop. We’re going to deal with this Dante. I’ve decided I’m finally leaving your father.”
Thank God, Dante thought. He squeezed the bridge of his nose, leaning against the dusty brick wall for support.
She sniffed. “He can pay his own debts. The Marquise can blackmail him, I don’t care. My lawyers can deal with the legalities and try to keep as much as we can out of the press. I’ll force him to pay you back.”
“No, Mom, I don’t....”
“Yes, Dante. You did it to protect me, and now I’m going to protect you. You’ve tried to hold things together. You’ve cared for your brother over the years.”
“I love him, Mom. He’s my blood.”
“I know, sweetheart, I know. But so is your father. He owes you.”
Unable or unwilling to process another moment longer, he said, “Yeah, well....look, I’ve got to run.” He scanned his mind for something meaningful to say. “I’m, uh...I’m proud of you for leaving him. You can do better. He makes me sick.” When his mother said nothing, he wondered if he shouldn’t have said anything.
“Thank you, Dante,” she finally said. “I love you.”
“Yeah, uh...I love you, too, Ma.” He choked out the words, then, hung up and worked to pull himself back together before leaving the alley. He tried calling Kennedy again. No answer. He called Gia.
“Hey, stud, what’s up?”
“My whole life’s gone nuts overnight. Fucking crazy. Can you get to my place a little earlier than the other guys? I can’t reach Kennedy, and I need a touchstone.”
“You got it, boss. See you soon.”
Gia calmed him enough to be able to step inside the studio and not chop anyone’s head off...at least for a while. As practice wore on, he found himself barking orders and snapping. He missed notes, his fingers fumbling. He kept stopping to check his phone. No texts. No missed calls.
“Fuck, Dante!” Heat exploded after being reprimanded for the thousandth time. He removed the strap around his neck and nearly threw the bass on the floor. “I’m tired of this shit. You’re a major asshole today. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Dante chewed his lip. “I can’t find Kennedy, that’s what. Someone broke into her apartment yesterday, left her a threatening note, and I can’t find her today.”
The room grew eerily silent.
Gia’s mouth hung open, eyes wide.
“Shit, man, why didn’t you tell us sooner? We could have avoided this fucked up practice,” said Keys.
“I don’t know. I thought it would keep my mind off things.”
“Is there anyone you can call?” Gia asked.
“Maybe. If there aren’t a million Jim Ballo’s in the city.”
“Do it.” Gia’s hands swished him away. “Go. We’ll work on something in peace while you take care of business.”
Grateful for her support, he smiled at her, uttered a quick thanks, and exited the studio.
He found the number of a Jim Ballo online and keyed it in, hoping it was the right guy.
“Hello?” A deep, booming voice entered his ear.
“Is this Big Jim?”
“Yes. What can I do for you?”
“It’s Dante. Dante Vega. I can’t reach Kennedy. Things okay at the sanctuary?”
“She’s not here. I thought she was with you. She told me last night she—”
“What do you mean she’s not there?”
“What I said. She didn’t show up for work today. I left my phone in the cottage. I just came to get it to see if she called.”
“Did she?”
“Haven’t checked yet. Raced to get the phone.”
“Well, check now. I’ll wait.”
A few seconds later, Jim said, “There’s a missed call.”
“Call it back.”
“It says it’s a private number.”
“Shit. No message?”
“Nope.”
Prickles of dread worked their way along his scalp and neck. “Okay. Okay. Where do you think she is?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like her to shirk her responsibilities. She hasn’t missed a day here. Not ever. I have a break coming up. I can head over to her apartment and see if she’s there.”
“Okay, great. Call me the second you know anything.”
“Got it.”
After he disconnected, he searched around for the card the police had given Kennedy, rummaging through her things. Finding it, he swiftly called.
“McGlasson, here.”
“This is Dante Vega. We met yesterday.”
“Yes, Mr. Vega, what can I do for you?”
“It’s Kennedy. She’s missing.”
“How do you know?”
“She didn’t show up for work. She left me a note saying she would be at work and she didn’t show. Jim Ballo is heading for her apartment to see if she’s there. She stayed with me last night.”
“Okay, don’t panic. And don’t jump to conclusions. Let me make a couple calls and see what we can do for you.”
Gia poked her head around the corner after he disconnected. “Find her?”
“No. She didn’t show at work. Jim said that’s unlike her.”
“Okay, since we’re getting nothing done here, let’s call practice. Your head isn’t in the game, understandably.”
“We’re supposed to do that interview with Big Rock News.”
“They’re a lesser entity.” She waved her hand back and forth. “I’ll handle it.”
SoSo sauntered around the corner, rubbing on Dante’s legs.
“Since when did you get a cat?” Gia asked, scooping the bundle of fur. “Hi, kitty. Did you bewitch the Magic Mouth?”
“It’s Kennedy’s. She moved in last night after the threat to her life.”
“That’s one way to get her to move in.”
“Don’t be cute. This is serious.” Dante’s mind whirled, wondering what to do. “I’ve got to do something...I’ll head over to the sanctuary and see if I can find anything out. Lock up for me, will you?” He glanced at SoSo. “Oh, and feed the cat. I don’t know if Kennedy fed him or what his schedule is but pour some food in his bowl, will you?” He stepped toward her and gave her a quick hug, surprising her. “And thanks for being my friend.”
“Sure, boss, anytime. Did Kennedy do this to you?” She waved her hand between her and Dante.
“Do what?” He stalked toward his keys and wallet on the stand near the front door.
“Make you all PDA and shit. You’re not known for hugging me.”
Dante paused. “Yeah. Probably.”
“Then go get her, Lone Ranger. We need that girl around.”
