Love Was Not an Option

Chapter 1 “That should cover our general business,” Nick Fontana said, surveying his employees seated along each side of the conference table. “Now on to specifics. Mark, I’m putting you with Susan on the Gardner account.” “Okay. Why?” Mark asked. Nick glanced at Susan, smiling briefly when she nodded. “Mr. Gardner seems to be more interested in her physical charms than the charms of the ad campaign she’s been working on for him.” “Damn.” Mark shook his head. “Okay. Susan, let’s get together after the meeting so I can see what you’ve come up with. Has he even come close to approving it?” “He’s being very picky.” She rolled her eyes. “With you involved, hopefully he’ll keep his mind on the project and settle on something before we all have gray hair.” Everyone laughed and they went on to discuss the progress of various other accounts before ending the weekly staff meeting, at which point Nick returned to his office suite. As soon as he entered, Brenda, his secretary and invaluable assistant, handed him three letters. “The mail was the usual,” she told him. “I dealt with most of it. These are the ones you need to sign.” She handed the letters to him, as well as several phone messages. “You get to go through your email. I did delete all the spam.” Nick chuckled. “Leaving three emails that are legit?” “Six, but who’s counting.” Taking what she’d handed him into his private office, Nick quickly read then signed the letters. The messages were all from potential new clients. He spent time talking with each of them, jotting down notes on what they were looking for, before sending the information on to one or another of his various account executives. “If they’d called them to begin with…” he grumbled. That’s what was supposed to happen, and usually did, since the website listed everyone who worked for him and what their specialties were. However, some people weren’t satisfied unless they talked directly with him, as he was the owner of Fontana Creative Advertising. With that finished, he opened his web browser and went to his email. Four of them were inquiries, which he read and passed on to whoever was best equipped to handle them. The fifth was from a regular client he dealt with personally because the man was never certain he’d made the right decisions on his ads unless Nick had seen them and could assure him they would work. The sixth one he saved until last. From the subject line, and the message, it appeared to be yet another inquiry—and it was, but not for services his ad firm offered, although the wording would have belied that if anyone other than he opened it, which Brenda had. The sender’s address and signature were what let Nick know this was one he’d have to deal in a face to face meeting, and not while he was at work. He sent back a seven word reply. ‘Tonight at the usual place at six,’ then permanently deleted the email. He wished, yet again, that the man would stop sending his messages to Nick’s business account. The man’s reasoning for that was because Nick would see them immediately, rather than when he felt like checking his private email—and Nick couldn’t convince him otherwise. Now what’s up? Of course the email hadn’t said, but Nick was quite certain he knew and tapped his fingers together pensively before getting back to work. * * * * “You’re certain?” Niko asked. “Very certain, Niko.” Niko was Nick’s other nickname, based on his real name, Nikola de la Fontaine. It was how Kasper Persson and two other men he dealt with had first come to know him. So to them, he was and always would be Niko. “Damn it,” Niko replied. “Has he threatened to reveal what he knows?” Kasper scowled. “Yes. He found out yesterday, thanks to Marta’s slip of the tongue. At least she had the good sense to tell me immediately what she’d done.” “Some slip of the tongue,” Niko muttered. “Has she been dealt with, or do you want me to take care of her, as well?” “She’s my ward, Niko! You know that. You will not do anything to her. I know, she should have been more careful, but she’s in a relationship with him. I’ve had a long, serious talk with her. It won’t happen again, I promise.” “I’ll take your word for it, although this is the second time she’s spoken out of turn.” Niko looked pointedly at Kasper. “How will she feel if he disappears?” “I was hoping you wouldn’t have to go to that extreme.” “I’ll try not to, but no promises. If he’s already made overtures to—” he c****d his head in question, “—you, I presume?” “He has. He knows I’m her guardian, so he came straight to me rather than threatening her. Thankfully, I was already aware that he knew and was able to convince him it would take me at least a day to gather the funds he asked for. Perhaps if you talk with him as well, he’ll see the error of his ways.” “I’ll give it a shot. Otherwise…” “I understand.” Niko wasn’t at all happy with the situation, but it was too late to do anything about it. He had to deal with the man, and he had no intention of ‘talking’ with him. He got the address he needed from Kasper, and then headed directly to the man’s home. He could have dealt with him where he worked, but the man was an alderman and well known to his constituents. He undoubtedly has hangers-on wherever he goes, other than when he’s at home. There it should only be his wife. Damn, Marta, how could you have been so stupid? Getting into the man’s high-rise building and from there into his very expensive condo was no problem for Niko. When he had, he settled down to wait after making certain the man’s wife was not on the premises. If she had been, Niko would have dealt with her in the same way he would if she and the man arrived home together. * * * * “Who the hell are you?” the man asked after he’d closed and locked the door, rearmed the security, and then walked into the living room of his condo. He was alone, which made one less problem Niko had to handle at the moment. “There’s a bad line from some movie that goes, ‘Your worst nightmare.’” Niko replied with a dark smile. “In this case, it’s true. Please sit down, Mr. Barlow.” “The hell I will.” Barlow frantically pulled his phone from his belt as he started toward the door. “Now, now. Why are you so afraid of me? I’m only here to talk,” Niko said. He was beside Barlow before the man could punch any buttons, easily taking the phone from him. “Sit, shut up, and behave,” Niko added when it looked as if Barlow were going to call for help. Barlow did, staring up at Niko. “You’re…You’re one of them.” “Them?” Niko lifted an eyebrow in seeming amusement. “That sounds so derogatory. You should be more polite. Right?” “Yes,” Barlow replied, shaking with fear. “Polite. I should be polite.” “Very good. Are you that desperate for campaign funds that you decided to blackmail my employer?” “No, no. I only wanted him to contribute. I swear.” “Why do I doubt that?” Niko shook his head. “How do you feel about taking a ride with me to talk with him?” “I’d…I’d rather not,” Barlow said, his voice quivering. “I thought as much. But you will anyway. I suggest we use the back door. It’s much more private. Don’t you agree?” Wordlessly, Barlow walked to the rear door of the condo, almost as if Niko was holding a gun to his head, which he wasn’t. At Niko’s gesture, he punched in the security code then opened the door. Niko gripped his arm as they made their way down a short hallway to the fire stairs and from there down twelve flights to the back door of the building. He retained his hold on Barlow’s arm until they were beside Barlow’s car. “Keys,” Niko ordered, smiling when Barlow immediately handed them to him. “Now, get in on the passenger side.” He clicked the button on the key fob to unlock the car. For a moment, he thought Barlow might balk. But he did as he was ordered, staring straight ahead. Niko got in on the other side, started the car, and drove out of the lot onto the street. “So,” Niko said in a conversational tone, “Tell me who else knows what Marta told you.” “No one,” Barlow replied. “Look at me, when you talk to me,” Niko said. Barlow did and Niko repeated his question. He received the same reply. “Very good. Now we’re going somewhere to discuss why you will never, ever repeat her words to anyone.” * * * * Nick turned on the TV the following evening, scrolling through the channels to one of the local news stations. He had to sit through two national news stories before the one he was waiting for came on. “An update to the story we’re following on the apparent disappearance of Alderman John Barlow. His car was found in a convenience store lot, several miles from his home, with the keys still in the ignition. The two clerks at the store say he didn’t enter the premises. According to the police, surveillance cameras back them up. The cameras caught the car pulling into the lot, but then it drove out of view around the side of the building. The cameras don’t show anyone matching Barlow’s appearance leaving the lot on foot or in someone else’s car.” The reporter went on to relate more about the alderman, including the fact that his wife had hurried back to the city as soon as she heard Barlow was missing. “Marta, when will you learn?” Nick said under his breath. “If you’re going to f**k around, at least make sure the guy’s not married.” He had the distinct feeling the reason she’d said what she had to Barlow was in an attempt to impress him. To let him know she was more than his piece on the side and he should take that into account and leave his wife to be with her. Kasper, you’d better have drummed it into her stupid head to keep her mouth shut from now on. If you haven’t, and it happens again, it will be the last time. He continued watching the news until the weather report was over. It was supposed to stay in the high nineties for the next few days, with no rain in the forecast. That was fine with Nick. By the time anyone found Barlow’s body at the bottom of the abandoned mineshaft, if they did, it would be a desiccated corpse. Turning off the TV, he went upstairs to change from his suit into jeans and a tank top. After fixing dinner, he took off for his nightly run.