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The Tessarae Inn |
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The Son Also Rises
CHAPTER 6 Sean-Ryan watched her for a second in the rearview mirror but then looked away quickly. He couldn’t afford to be caught staring at her. It’s just that she was not what he thought he would find. He expected the wife of Todd Manning to be beautiful but she was more than that. There was something else that set her apart. No wonder he had to finagle for weeks to finally get a chance to drive her. In the end, he had to take matters into his own hands. Miguel would probably recover. She picked up the car phone and tilted her head to the right as she dialed. Her hair seemed to fall in waves and despite her rather severe business suit she was sexy as hell. Damn sexy. But he expected that. He thought she would be sexy. He hadn’t expected her to be such a good mother. That would explain a lot. Given the choice and all. He listened and watched her interact with the daughter with such warmth and love that even he could feel it all the way in the front seat. I mean that kid was whiny as hell but you’d never know it by her mother’s patience. And the baby, the Manning prince, was treated with such tenderness and awe it was clear that he was more than the heir apparent—he was his mother’s heart. To have a mother’s love was a precious thing. He wondered if those kids would ever truly appreciate what they had. He had a mother once. A mother and a father and a younger sister and a grandmother and in one fell swoop… And she was nice. He hadn’t expected that either. When he helped her carry the baby’s things into her cousin’s house, she asked his name then introduced him to the cousin—another beauty but with dark hair and curious eyes. He told her his name was Phillip Spenser and everyone called him Spence. She seemed to like the name. And none of it seemed like a show. Just decency and respect. He glanced at the dashboard. It should happen in another minute or so. This was a good place--lots of trees and undeveloped land. She was chatting on the phone –talking business but she hadn’t bothered to close the partition. See, she was just nice…and decent. A loud popping sound careened through the car and he jerked the steering wheel to compensate for the loss in steering control then pumped the brakes and eased to the side of the road. Once they were safely stopped, he glanced back and looked her in the eye. “Seems we have a problem. I’ll see what I can do to fix it.” “My first meeting starts in fifteen minutes.” “I’m sorry, miss, but I don’t think we will be able to make it in time.” “How long will it take?” “Not sure. Don’t know what is the problem. I’ll call for a backup right now and then see what I can do to fix it in the meantime.” “Thank you. I guess I’ll make some calls and try to reschedule some things.” See. Just nice. No yelling or demands that he work miracles. He studied the engine for a few minutes. He had done a good job. No one would suspect it was sabotage. Just a simple mechanical failure. Bad timing but unavoidable. Now his only problem was figuring out how to spend some time with her before the backup limo arrived. “Do you think you can do anything?” He jerked back. Never in a million years had he expected her to get out and just walk up next to him. He composed himself and frowned as he looked at the engine. “Haven’t located the problem as of yet.” “I’m no help. I don’t know a thing about cars.” “Probably rode around in limos all your life.” She laughed and it sounded like music. “Limos! For most of my life I was lucky to be able to hitchhike.” “Sorry. I took it that you were to the manor born, so to speak.” “I don’t consider myself even living in the manor these days. It’s an attitude more than anything, I think, and I don’t care how much money I have I’ll never be part of that club. So you know what I say? Screw it.” He laughed. He actually laughed and the sound of his own voice startled him. “When is the other limo getting here?” “In about fifteen or twenty minutes. I hope you can make most of your appointments on time.” “Not a problem. I just wiped my morning schedule clean. Something was nagging at me about the rush-rush quality of everything. I decided to take this as a sign to step back and let things cool off a bit. Sometimes better decisions come if you wait.” “I guess.” He pretended to check out several things under the hood. She watched him but didn't try to interfere. He liked that too. Different. He straightened up and brushed his hands against each other. "Looks like we just get to wait. Sorry about your meetings." She shrugged. “It was just fate and she was kinder than she can be. It's a lovely day, the scenery is gorgeous and I could use the downtime. Things have been a little too hectic lately." "My life was somewhat like that back home." "Where are you from? I think I detect an accent.” “Birmingham. England. I’ve only been in the states for a few months.” “Must be the day for England. My sister-in-law has a friend’s son visiting from England. Wait. Spenser? Were you related to Princess Diana?" He laughed. See, she was damn funny. "Not bloody likely. Just a poor working stiff. Never seen the inside of a castle except the Castle Pub on Delaney Street." "I suspect a good pub beats a castle on most days." See, this is what he was talking about. She just had a way about her. She even understood the value of a good pub. "Do you miss home?” “I miss me mum but I write her when I can. And I miss the lads." "No wife or girlfriend?" "Was one. She’s gone, though, which is a mercy. So there was nothing for me at home. I was lucky to get out. I came to make my fortune in this golden land of opportunity then I’ll take care of my mum in style.” “That sounds familiar." He narrowed his eyes but then forced himself to make his facial expression more neutral. It was all right. She'd been too damn perfect up to this point anyway. He cleared his throat and then said softly, "Wanting to make a fortune is not very original, I guess." "Maybe not but I meant that I know what it feels like to want to take care of your mother. This is a good place to dream. I hope you get what you want.” He smiled at her but nothing could be further from the truth. His dream was dead. This was nothing but an extended wake before getting on with the business of living. He closed the hood of the limo and walked closer to her. “I like it here well enough, but it was hard finding work. I guess I’ll be looking again after today.” “What? Why? This was not your fault.” “I’m the last man in the queue. They will want to impress you by letting me go.” “That will not happen, Spence.” He dropped his head then looked up at her. He hoped he looked humble and grateful. Beautiful or not. Smart or not. Kind or not. The reality of the situation was that all women were pretty much the same and generally not worth a farthing of time or energy. Todd Manning’s woman was no different. ================ Why people thought meeting in a bar provided a cloak of secrecy he would never understand. But here they were in some seedy corner joint at the edge of Philly discussing his damn life and what could destroy it. Todd tapped the side of his shot glass with his finger. “You’re not giving me much here.” “I told you before that this would happen. Sean-Ryan is a slippery son of a bitch and once you cut the surveillance back there would be no real way to ever get connected like that again.” “How long have you been waiting to say that to me?” “Approximately six years, give or take a year, I surmise.” Screw you, you arrogant bastard. Then, of course, sometimes the truth hurts. Things had gone downhill so fast back then he stopped caring what happened for a while. Reckless, stupid behavior. Was his family in danger now because of bad choices he made back then? “You hire the best, Manning, then you ignore my advice. It is a frustrating business so forgive me if I indulge in enjoying a comeuppance or two.” “Do you know where he is?” “No. And there is trouble brewing from what I can gather. Cameron and he almost went to war not long ago but something put a lid on that. Still the truce seems uneasy at best. Flynn is still playing guardian to the kingdom but if Sean-Ryan does not resurface soon I get the impression that things will soon become really unstable.” “That really isn’t of any concern to me.” “Personal then. A grudge of some kind? You’ll be wise to keep a eye on your family.” “There is no way Sean-Ryan could get near my family.” “If you say so but you may be resting what you value on foolish assurances. Sean-Ryan has never had a reason to track you down.” “I haven’t exactly been hiding. Besides, there is no grudge or unfinished business. I just don’t trust the man.” “Then why the sudden concern?” “Mahoney’s son has come to stay with me.” “That is interesting. Had no idea you and Mahoney were even in contact.” “There are lots of things in this world you don’t know but this visit is nothing more than the return of a favor.” “I see. How long has the boy been with you?” “Several weeks.” “And you wait until yesterday to call me?” “What is it with you, Padgett? You lost a client or messed up or something recently?” Padgett leaned forward and stared at him with the coldest damn eyes he had ever seen short of a few. Todd knew he was not a man to be trifled with but this whole situation was putting his nerves on edge. Even so, there was nothing to be gained by backing down so he stared back at him. Finally, Padgett cleared his throat but he kept his right hand balled into a fist and rubbed it with his left hand. “Are you going to tell me what you think or what?” “We need to get one thing straight,” said Padgett. “This is business. We are not friends. I’d be careful of crossing the line if I were you.” “Yes, lets remember what this is about. I’ve already wired you the money. You need to render the service.” Padgett tightened his lips and stared at him for a few seconds. Finally, he leaned back in the chair and his face relaxed somewhat. “Sean-Ryan has little use for Mahoney. I don’t see that changing in this lifetime and I don’t see him taking any interest in the whereabouts of any of Mahoney’s kin.” “That’s the way I see it. It helps though to have an expert opinion.” “You pay me good money so I will let the sarcasm slide this once and, in fact, give you my expert opinion. I see no reason why Sean-Ryan would be interested in you or your family even with the Mahoney boy in the picture. Of that, I think you are correct.” Todd felt the breath he was holding rush out of his lungs. “Unless you’re not telling me everything or there is something else going on, Manning, I wouldn’t worry about Sean-Ryan McGill or August Moon.” Comments?
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