Chapter 20 Noah
"I'm here to see Mr. Ricci."
The guard at the gate raised an eyebrow behind tinted sunglasses, not saying anything to me before turning and picking up a phone. He talked quietly for a few seconds before hanging up and pressing a button that started opening the gate.
"Follow the drive to the right. He'll be waiting for you."
I nodded and did as he said, my heart absolutely jackhammering in my chest. What I was doing was fucking crazy- I was risking my life coming here at all, much less uninvited and after everything. I was sure that Leonardo Ricci was the reason I'd ended up in the mountains in the first place; and he just might finish the job today.
I parked, seeing a tall man in a uniform waiting for me. I got out and he turned as I reached him, silently commanding me to follow him around the back of the house to what turned out to be a pool. Leonardo sat at a table covered in fruit and little pastries, smoking a cigar and reading a paper. It took everything I had to hold back my snicker at the ridiculously stereotypical image of a mob boss portrayed in movies, although I had to admit to myself that it was an impressive picture.
"Ah, Slate Pierson. What an unexpected surprise," he said with dangerous humor in his voice. "Please, take a seat."
"Thank you, Mr. Ricci. But please, call me Noah."
He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "And you are free to call me Leo. After all, we've been through so much together."
"If that's what you want to call having me kidnapped and beaten until left for dead, then you are absolutely correct. Leo," I added his shortened, familiar name like an afterthought, rife with meaning.
He stared at me, one slow blink being the only thing to change his face for a moment. It was in that moment that I realized... He had no idea what I meant.
"Well that's certainly interesting, isn't it," I mused. "It seems we are both at a bit of a disadvantage. Although, I must admit that I'm curious as to what you expected me to say when I showed up."
"Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it? Unfortunately, in our line of work, nothing is simple. Not really. Let's see if we can't figure out our mutual problem."
"By all means," I said with a wave and relaxing into my chair a bit. He might still decide to have me killed, but I was safe for the moment.
"Here's what I know. The building on 16th and Broadway, the one that you decided to have torn down, is important to me. It does still currently stand, as the project was halted in the midst of your disappearance. Do you know what that building is for, Noah?"
"It's used as a mission house, run by some nuns."
"Indeed. My little sister, Elle, happens to be a postulate with them, and that building is necessary for them to do their work. And seeing as how it's important to Elle, it is vital to me. After your plans for the building were announced to the public, I'd planned on having a little chat with you on why that particular plan was foolish. However, your guard dog was able to fend me off for a few days."
"Guard dog?"
"Your assistant. Desmond, I believe his name is."
Not for one second did I believe he wasn't completely sure about his name, along with any other details he wanted to know. Leo was the head of the Ricci mob boss, after all, and that title was long-standing with a heavy crown to bear. Knowledge was the only thing more powerful than money in his world, and he had enough of both to put him at the top of the game.
"Yes, Desmond," I responded with a smile. "He has been with me for a long while. I trust no one more." Well, almost no one. I pushed the wisp of thought of my two lovers away, knowing this was a bad time to dwell on them. "And," I continued, "I think he would enjoy his title."
The side of Leo's mouth turned up, the slight acknowledgement telling me without words that he secretly liked Desmond as well.
"Seeing how well he's been able to handle things in your absence, he is very deserving of that trust. Anyway, after a few days of trying to set up a meeting, I went to see him myself. He held himself well, but admitted to me that he hadn't heard from or seen you since the night of the announcement of the very building I was coming to see you about."
The guilt I felt inside gnawed at me, even though I knew logically it wasn't my fault I hadn't reached out to Desmond while I was missing. I hadn't remembered much of anything, after all. But it didn't stop me from feeling shitty that Desmond not only had to fend off so many people, deal with so many things, all without knowing what had happened to me.
"That night, I was kidnapped. Taken to the mountains. Beat bloody, and left there to die. I would have, if I had any worse luck. Two people found me, and were able to nurse me back to health. I stayed with them until I was able to get my memories back, as the beating I got had caused temporary amnesia. Soon after I got most of those memories back, I showed up here, and well..."
"Yes, it was quite the media frenzy. Glad to see that's died down by this point."
"You and me both." At this point, Leo motioned around the table, offering me food and drink. I picked up the glass of water near me and sipped. "Coming back, trying to get back into the swing of things, has helped me recover even more memories. Which is why I came to you. Originally, I thought you'd been behind my disappearance- seeing as how you had ties to the building I wanted to get rid of."
"Ah, so you knew?"
"I figured it out just a couple days ago. It made sense: I tread on territory that is yours, albeit unspoken, and you retaliate."
"I see."
"But," I said pausing for another sip of water, "seeing your reaction to that assumption has told me I'm incorrect."
"And now, here we are."
I nodded, pulling out the very damning letter I'd found in my desk, handing it to him. "I found this in my desk when I returned."
He read it, his face going eerily blank as he read the signature on the bottom. He looked at me, dark eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't quite place. "X. What does he have to do with this?"
My fingers tapped on the arm of my chair, nerves hitting me again as I spoke the words that I knew may make him stop being so considerate with me.
"I've been working with him on a handful of projects, and he convinced me to take on the mission home. I originally wanted to restore it, keep it going just for the sake of the building itself, but... I was a greedy bastard. He convinced me it would make me more money to tear it down and build something else. Convinced me that despite your connections, despite knowing who you are and how dangerous it is to go against you, that it would be worth it to just get it done and over with. So, I agreed. And because of that decision, I believed you'd intended to make me pay with my life."
He sat silently, thinking over my statement, tapping the letter on his knee as he thought. I waited, breath halted, for him to speak.
"It seems that we have both been played for fools, Noah." His statement surprised me, but I said nothing, figuring he wasn't done. "I will have to look into my suspicions, so I ask for a bit of patience from you. If you don't mind, I would like to get started as soon as possible. Feel free to carry on as normal, and you will hear from me soon."
I wasn't willing to push my luck any farther than I already had, so I readily agreed and stood, knowing that was the kindest dismissal I would get. "I have a copy of the letter, so if you'd like to keep it..."
"I would. Thank you."
I nodded and headed towards my car. The same guard from before let me through the gate but I barely noticed, lost in thought. Wondering if Leo had reached the same conclusion I had during our meeting, and thinking about what my next steps were outside of this particular predicament.
\-----
THREE DAYS LATER
"That's the last of what I've got on my agenda, Mr. Pierson."
I shook my head lightly with a smile. "Desmond..."
He rolled his eyes. "You should know very well by now that I'm not going to run around calling you Slate, or Noah. It's highly unprofessional."
"If you insist. Either way, thank you for helping me figure all this out. You have been the best assistant I could've asked for, even through all my fuckery before I disappeared."
"I always knew you had it in you to be less..."
"Of an asshole?" I interrupted his sentence when he trailed off.
His cheeks flushed slightly with the truth of his thoughts, but ever the professional, he cleared his throat and moved on. "All I meant was is I've always seen good in you. and you never treated me unfairly, which can be a rarity for someone in my position."
"So that means, once you've taken over here, you'll know exactly how to treat your assistant?"
He halted putting his papers away in the portfolio he always had with him, slowly looking up at me with wide eyes. "When I've what?"
"Taken over. I thought it was very obvious that's where I was going with all this. I mean, you have been part of every conversation and deal I've had in order to extricate myself from this office. You know all the ins and outs of the business, and you've shown aptitude- hence why I ask for your insight so much. It only makes sense to leave it to you."
His mouth had popped open during my little speech, the surprised "O" on his face making it hard for me to not laugh. I wanted him to know I was serious.
"I... but-I just thought..." He took a deep breath, composing himself. "I assumed you were going to sell to another business partner. I was looking for jobs elsewhere in the meantime. But this... this means so much to me."
I shrugged nonchalantly, not giving away how much feeling I had in my chest. "You've earned it by this point. And there's no one else I'd trust my business with. I know you'll do grand things, Desmond. Now, let's take care of the paperwork, yeah?"
"Sure, yes of course," He said, wonder still lacing his voice.