Making a dismissive gesture, Daniel smiles wanly. “My in-laws are taking care of everything for us.”
“You mean your future in-laws. Don’t claim them until you absolutely have to.”
“No,” a weighty sigh escapes Daniel’s lips as he rolls his eyes in mock despair and holds up his left hand to display the wedding band, “I’m afraid they’re already very much mine. Olivia and I were married at City Hall two weeks ago.”
Hesitant to elaborate, Daniel nonetheless continues in answer to Ian’s wordless query. “We were feeling insecure about each other’s level of commitment so we decided the only fix was to swear to a lifetime of one—no biggie.” He smiles broadly, thinking of how he’s understating the situation. “It’s made a surprising difference, a highly positive one. Plus, my father-in-law is making a huge effort to put our checkered past behind us, and bond with me, as well. That, of course, followed on the heels of a horrific confrontation between he and I, but we’ll skip the gory details of that unfortunate incident.” He looks Ian in the eye. “So you see, I’ve been busy, too.”
Chuckling in response, Ian reaches over to pat Daniel on the back. “I’m happy for you. Congratulations on your marriage. By the way, you do know it’s almost impossible to put one’s hands on a Girardi sculpture? The man’s work is untouchable.”
“Yes, I’m aware of his popularity. I’ll introduce you to him at my wedding celebration—if you’re able to make it—and you might bring it up then. He holds back some of his pieces to rework, so I know he has a few smaller ones in his UK studio.”
Ian leans back in the padded swivel chair and tries to unwind from the tension of the day. “Okay, so let’s have it. Your idea?”
Daniel makes the suggestion unemotionally—he might as well be discussing the weather. “You don’t want their blood on your hands—”
Ian interrupts, “Nor to break the law…”
Daniel shakes his head. “Provoking them to attack by merely standing up to them and then defending ourselves with mortal force is not against the law. Still, we don’t walk away with our hands clean. Here’s a better way: you mentioned the grandfather had both the Colombian and Mexican cartels after him. He had to be moving a great deal of product to get in their crosshairs. Let’s get in touch with both of those groups if we can and give them a few names of Grandpa’s friends eager to take over his business. They’ll take them all out—even the woman.” He holds up his finger to make his next point. “We must ensure, however, that Lucien is protected: annoyance that he is, he’s an innocent in this whole scenario. I wouldn’t want him injured or worse.”
Fingers pulling at his bottom lip, Ian contemplates the suggestion. “Go on. How do you propose contacting the appropriate people? I assume you don’t travel in the same circles as drug kingpins nor do I.”
“I was hoping your grandfather might point us in the right direction. After all, he must have dealt with unsavory types like that all the time. Even the lowly foot soldiers could be of massive assistance. We keep ourselves anonymous, make the suggestion attractive, provide the intel, and give a little push. It’s the best way all around.” He leans in closer to make his next point. “They want to kill you; they’re not content to hurt you financially, especially after you gave their son a beating. I want you to be very clear on that point.”
“Clear as glass. Fuck.” Ian rubs his eyes, frustrated that every option available to him will keep him awake at night. “Okay, I’ll call my grandfather. Let’s put this baby in motion.”
Nodding with grave satisfaction, Daniel rises. “I need to get some work done. You can use this office—I have another one off my bedroom suite. I’ll let our staff know you’re here. Please make yourself comfortable, Ian. Olivia will be home soon so you’ll get to meet my beautiful girl.”
“Good, I’d like to finally thank her in person for her hospitality… and I miss my own, so seeing yours will help. I especially miss Ella after reading her novel on the flight here.” He winks, grinning mischievously.
“So she is the same Ella Strong who wrote Three and a Half Weeks?”
“The same. She wrote it as a joke for her friends but it went wide without her knowledge or approval and before she knew it, it was a bestseller. They’re actually making a film of it.” He tosses his head back and laughs, knowing Daniel will see the truth behind the book.
Daniel didn’t disappoint. “I assume the antagonist is modeled after you then?”