it?”
“Doesn’t matter what it is. Look after it. It’s sealed and I want it sealed when I get it back.”
She slid it into her bag. “OK. Where do I take it?”
“You don’t. Someone will come and pick it up. It’s a one off doing it this way. It’s perfectly safe, so don’t worry.” He smiled at her. “While you’re here, I wanted to talk to you about your father.”
She looked at him. “He’s dead. He was killed in a hunting accident several years ago.”
“Yes. Tragic, but if you play with fire, then you get burned.”
“Huh? You’ve lost me.”
PJ opened a file on his desk. “I thought I might have. I also thought it was time that someone told you the truth about him. Did you know he worked for me?”
She frowned. “That can’t be right. Dad was an accountant, nothing to do with the music industry...or bars.”
“I haven’t always worked in music and nightclubs. I made my money elsewhere. Your father was my accountant when I first started out, a working relationship that lasted until his death. He was a pretty good one too; he’d worked for my father for a few years. That is, until he got greedy and started skimming the books.” His eyes hardened and he shut the file with a resounding thud. “Then he decided to run something on the side, and got a little too arrogant. It didn’t work.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“It was my money that put you through college. He worked for me for years. You kept moving because I told him to, to go where I needed him most.”
“ What? ” Bile rose in her throat and she twisted her hands. “I thought…” Had her parents lied to her? They’d said it was the embarrassment of her illegitimate child and the shame of her being a nightclub singer. And she’d believed them...
PJ smirked. “Yes, Eleanor. Your father was as corrupt as they come. But a bent accountant has their uses. Hence, he kept working for me, and you kept moving when I needed him elsewhere. And with you singing in my clubs, I could keep tabs on you as well.”
“Oh…”
“You can go far if you do what I tell you.” His hand reached over the desk and ran up her arm. “Record deals are just the tip of the iceberg.”
She pulled her arm back, not wanting to talk about her father any longer. She needed to assimilate what she’d been told and she couldn’t do that here.
“I need some time off.” She took a deep breath. She hated lying but didn’t have much of a choice. Patrick would never go for her coming here every night, not matter how much she begged. Once had been pushing it. “Looks like I need to babysit the next few nights and as I can’t bring my sister here, then I need to stay at home with her.”
“No can do. You’ll need to find a babysitter. Hey…” he winked at her. “Maybe the boyfriend could do it. Zeke said he took her the other night. I’m sure he’d oblige.”
“I can’t ask him.”
PJ looked thoughtful for a moment, then smirked at her. “If he loves you as much as it appears he does, he’ll do anything for you. Ask him. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
****
Driving back to the safe house, Patrick glanced in the driving mirror at the two women in the back of the car. Shay was ever vigilant. Elle, on the other hand, had her eyes closed, exhausted, no doubt, by the twists and turns the day had taken. Totally understandable. He’d been pushed to the limit the last few days, without the emotional strain of Elle being thrust back into his life again.
Should he have tried harder to find her? What had happened to cause such a change in her? She only ever seemed to come to life when she sang.
He shot Shay a barely perceptible nod before he turned his attention back to the road.
Just as Nahum expected, Elle had pushed to go to the club. Just as planned, he objected then relented. He refused to believe Elle was involved in this drug ring, and the best way to clear her was to keep appearances as normal as possible
“Doesn’t matter what it is. Look after it. It’s sealed and I want it sealed when I get it back.”
She slid it into her bag. “OK. Where do I take it?”
“You don’t. Someone will come and pick it up. It’s a one off doing it this way. It’s perfectly safe, so don’t worry.” He smiled at her. “While you’re here, I wanted to talk to you about your father.”
She looked at him. “He’s dead. He was killed in a hunting accident several years ago.”
“Yes. Tragic, but if you play with fire, then you get burned.”
“Huh? You’ve lost me.”
PJ opened a file on his desk. “I thought I might have. I also thought it was time that someone told you the truth about him. Did you know he worked for me?”
She frowned. “That can’t be right. Dad was an accountant, nothing to do with the music industry...or bars.”
“I haven’t always worked in music and nightclubs. I made my money elsewhere. Your father was my accountant when I first started out, a working relationship that lasted until his death. He was a pretty good one too; he’d worked for my father for a few years. That is, until he got greedy and started skimming the books.” His eyes hardened and he shut the file with a resounding thud. “Then he decided to run something on the side, and got a little too arrogant. It didn’t work.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“It was my money that put you through college. He worked for me for years. You kept moving because I told him to, to go where I needed him most.”
“ What? ” Bile rose in her throat and she twisted her hands. “I thought…” Had her parents lied to her? They’d said it was the embarrassment of her illegitimate child and the shame of her being a nightclub singer. And she’d believed them...
PJ smirked. “Yes, Eleanor. Your father was as corrupt as they come. But a bent accountant has their uses. Hence, he kept working for me, and you kept moving when I needed him elsewhere. And with you singing in my clubs, I could keep tabs on you as well.”
“Oh…”
“You can go far if you do what I tell you.” His hand reached over the desk and ran up her arm. “Record deals are just the tip of the iceberg.”
She pulled her arm back, not wanting to talk about her father any longer. She needed to assimilate what she’d been told and she couldn’t do that here.
“I need some time off.” She took a deep breath. She hated lying but didn’t have much of a choice. Patrick would never go for her coming here every night, not matter how much she begged. Once had been pushing it. “Looks like I need to babysit the next few nights and as I can’t bring my sister here, then I need to stay at home with her.”
“No can do. You’ll need to find a babysitter. Hey…” he winked at her. “Maybe the boyfriend could do it. Zeke said he took her the other night. I’m sure he’d oblige.”
“I can’t ask him.”
PJ looked thoughtful for a moment, then smirked at her. “If he loves you as much as it appears he does, he’ll do anything for you. Ask him. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
****
Driving back to the safe house, Patrick glanced in the driving mirror at the two women in the back of the car. Shay was ever vigilant. Elle, on the other hand, had her eyes closed, exhausted, no doubt, by the twists and turns the day had taken. Totally understandable. He’d been pushed to the limit the last few days, without the emotional strain of Elle being thrust back into his life again.
Should he have tried harder to find her? What had happened to cause such a change in her? She only ever seemed to come to life when she sang.
He shot Shay a barely perceptible nod before he turned his attention back to the road.
Just as Nahum expected, Elle had pushed to go to the club. Just as planned, he objected then relented. He refused to believe Elle was involved in this drug ring, and the best way to clear her was to keep appearances as normal as possible
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