Page 24 of Checkmate

After I leave the room, I do a quick check on Demetrick who is pacing the floor like a mad man. I can’t help but laugh at him. I head down to the wedding area which looks exquisite with all of the flowers Anastasia requested. The line, the rows of seats, the walkway and every doorway or archway in sight is covered in some sort of flowers. The whites, soft pinks, blues, and purples give it the fairytale feel that Anastasia wanted.

I’m doing another quick run through of the reception area as the guests start to file in when my phone goes off. I answer it as soon as I see the name. “Hello.”

“I have a lead. We need to meet as soon as possible,” he tells me.

I scan the area. Everything seems in place. I hate to leave my staff to make sure everything goes smoothly, but I know Beth can handle it. The way that girl is she’ll probably be excited about it. “Meet at my place in two hours,” I tell him.

“See you then.”

I disconnect the call and head out to find Beth. I’m in upstate New York right now, so it’ll take at least an hour and a half to get back to New York City. I spot Beth making sure people are seated in the correct areas. When she spots me, she excuses herself and heads toward me. “Everything is going smoothly here.”

“Good, I just checked the reception area, and everything is perfect. I also checked on Anastasia and Demetrick and they both seem as good as can be. I actually have a favor to ask you,” I tell her.

“Of course,” she beams at me.

“My private investigator has a lead on my brother’s case, and I need to meet with him immediately,” I begin to tell her.

Beth holds up her hand. “Go. I can hold this all down.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I know how hard you’ve been working on trying to get justice for your brother, so if there’s a lead you need to know. So go, Vivianna. Everything here will be fine,” Beth tells me, before she pulls me in for a quick, tight hug.

I rush to my car and climb inside. I make a pit stop to fill up with gas and grab some much-needed junk food. I’m nervous as hell and I think the junk food is well earned at the moment. Plus, it’s kind of like my go-to comfort when I get stressed. After getting my bag of beef jerky, spicy nacho Doritos, and Cherry Coke, I climb back into my car and head for New York City. A few miles away from the gas station I connect my phone and turn on my favorite guilty pleasure playlist… all the boybands from my teen years.

The drive seems to fly by as I see the city lights in the distance. I sigh as my nerves kick up another notch. There’s no telling what lead he’s stumbled upon, and it scares me. When I opened my door two months ago to grab my takeout, the last thing I expected was to find Foster McCall, a literal ghost from my past, standing at my doorstep. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since we were caught together back in our school days. I had feared what had happened to him, but then again, his dad was in the law enforcement, so I didn’t expect my father to get too carried away.

Foster stood there, now a man, with his dark hair cut in a military style and biceps bigger than any part of my body. I was actually worried about the sleeves of his black t-shirt. His green eyes found mine and I forgot to breathe. I didn’t know how he knew where to find me or how he got up to my apartment. “Foster,” I finally say.

“Vivianna,” he replies, with a slight smile on his face. “Did you order takeout?” he asks.

“Hmm… yeah I did, but I don’t think you work for them.” I watch as he gives me a sly smile.

“Now, what makes you think that?”

I laugh a little. “Well, probably the fact that you look like you could break a human in half and the haircut, it doesn’t exactly scream delivery boy.” I watch as his smile grows.

“Smart girl.”

He’s not wrong. I am smarter than some, but the problem is now all my red flags are flying. Something is wrong. If Foster isn’t the delivery boy then what is he doing at my front door? This doesn’t make sense unless he’s working for some other family. I know his family was Irish. Maybe he’s tied into the Irish mob, and I never knew, I mean, that is possible. I want to slap myself for opening the door without looking or carrying some kind of a weapon with me. These are things I should always be doing. “What are you doing here, Foster?” I ask, no sense in beating around the bush.

He extends the bag of takeout to me. I take it slowly, watching his hands like a hawk. Once I have the bag, he holds his hands up in surrender. “I’m not here to hurt you despite the way you’re looking at me.”

“Then why are you here?”

He sighs. “Because I heard about Leo and the fact that nothing has been done about his murder. I might be able to help you, Vivianna.”

“How?” I ask, raising an eyebrow in question.

He drops his hands to his side, but they are still clearly visible for me. “I went off to a military school after we got caught back in the day. From there, I went into the military. I just got out and started my own Private Investigation company. Thanks to my family’s long background of law enforcement, and everything I’ve learned from the military, it’s actually worked out really well. Plus, I still have connections in Las Vegas. I go back home at least four times a year.”

If he is in fact a private investigator, then he could be of use to me. I mean, I didn’t even begin to come up with any ideas when it came to my brother’s murder. A little help couldn’t hurt, but I still have one question. “How did you find me?”

Foster chuckles. “It’s kind of my job.”

“Touché.” I study him a little while longer before deciding to take a chance. I open the door further. “I ordered half the restaurant, want something to eat?”

“I’ll never turn down food,” he tells me, as he slowly makes his way inside. Once inside, he lets out a low whistle. “Damn Viv, this is nice. Looks like you’ve really found your place. Although I have to admit, I was shocked to see you as Vivianna Bilotti and Giordano.”

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