Chapter 76 Chapter 76
LIANA'S POV
I stood at my home office window, my fingers casually slung over the rim of my telephone. The sun was bleeding into the late afternoon horizon, leaving long streaks of gold in the sky, but I barely noticed. My mind had been racing since Stanley and I parted ways at the restaurant the night before. The subjects that we had discussed… the dangers we had skirted around… it all rubbed at my nerves with a tenacity that I could not dispel.
Stanley had said that Dominic might be watching him. And if Dominic was suspicious of Stanley, it wasn't far fetched that I might be quietly watched as well, maybe Serena was watched too. The thought sent shivers down my spine. I jut wanted to be done and over with this Dominic scandal and move back to my normal life.
I picked up my phone and glanced at my messages. Sifting through the calls I had left unanswered and the half dozen random emails, I saw Serena's number. My thumb lingered for a moment on the screen. She was a major part of this. Infact she wasn't just part of this, she was a key link to all that was unfolding around Dominic and I am grateful to her but sometimes I feel guilty for not being able to help solve her cousins case. I was roo engrossed in mine and sometimes I felt selfish.
I clicked on her name and hit the call button. She answered on the second ring, her tone crisp but cautious. “Liana?”
"Hello," I whispered. "Do you have a minute?"
A pause, and then, "Yeah. Sure. What's up?"
I stepped away from the window, making my way across the room to my desk where a cold mug of tea had sat for a while. “I believe we need to have a conversation. The three of us- you, me, and Stanley.”
Another pause followed, this one felt heavier. It felt like she was trying to processl. “Stanley?”
"Yes."
She kept silent for a moment, and then, "So we are like a team now?"
"We are," I murmured. "He saw Stanley exiting my office a few days back. We're sure he's had someone following him, well not exactly sure but Stanley is being spied on by someone big, who else would it be? If he's going through that much trouble, then chances are someone might be secretly following you and I as well."
I listened to Serena's breath stop in hushed silence. "I wouldn't be suprise" she said, her strained voice full of suppressed emotion. "He's been quiet. Too quiet."
"Exactly. And that's why we can't relax. We must get moving before him and we must be very vigilant, be careful in your movements. Stanley and I are making plans now, but we'll need your you to stem in soon. Your voice, your intel, all that you have gathered on Elia’s case. I believe it's time that we brought it all together."
Serena's voice was little more than a whisper. "You think it's time to end it?”
I didn't hesitate. "Yes."
She paused, and then went on, "You know I am game. We just have to be smart about it, Liana. If he so much as gets a whiff of this…"
"I know, I know... That's why will meet in person. No more phone calls after this. Nothing digital."
"I agree."
I went back to the window, and I saw a black SUV drive slowly down our street in front of my apartment. My paranoia flared up for a moment. Was I really being watched too?
“I have this feeling,” I breathed. “That we’re running out of time.”
Serena exhaled. "We've been short on time for weeks. This is why we need to join heads and finally end this.”
A sly little grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. “I've missed this type of conversation.”
Serena hesitated for a second before answering in a whisper, “Me too. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to get justice”
I coughed, trying to bring the topic back to normal. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
"Nothing in the morning, but I've got things I have to do in the afternoon."
"Alright," I said, settling into my planner. "10 a.m.? I have a gallery loft in the Palmetto District. Private. I'll send you the address."
"I'll be there," she answered.
"Come alone. Come if you can, if anything looks suspicious you can stay back."
“You can trust me on that.”
Shortly after that, we hung up, and I simply stood there in the quiet of my office, phone still clutched in my hand, heart beating steadily against my side.
The storm was building. And for the first time, I was not alone to confront it.