Chapter 4 Liam
I offered to send a car to Roxy, but I needed her location. She responded by sending me the address of the motel where she was staying. The moment I received it, I pulled it up on Google Maps.
The Mountainside Resort?
It was a resort by name only.
The pool has been empty for months because the county declared it a health hazard, and the beds were lumpy and hard. Their rates were cheap, though, which sometimes attracted a rough crowd.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about my wife staying in a place like that.
Luckily, she already agreed to coming to my place after dinner. Not that I blamed her, considering where she was staying. Still, I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she finally set foot in my palace, the product of years of hard work.
Feeling optimistic, I put on the shirt that Matteo Lombardi recommended and tucked it into my black slacks, everything tailored to perfection. My shoes were polished leather loafers, and my watch was a Rolex.
Roxy can eat her heart out.
In the bathroom, I ran a wet comb through my hair and realized only too late that I would have benefited from a trim and perhaps a shave. But it was obviously too late. It was already seven o’clock in the evening, and I had to hurry outside to meet my driver.
The night air was heavy, dense with the humidity of late summer.
My driver pulled up in the black SUV. “Looking well, Mr. Murphy,” he said as he opened the door for me. I arrived at Taverna Grazia just ten minutes later. There was still some time until my seven-thirty reservation, so I indulged in some scotch at the bar.
After scanning their bottles, I gave my order to the friendly bartender. “Glenlivet 12. Neat.”
“Are you dining alone?” the bartender asked after pouring the drink.
I picked up the cut glass tumbler and examined its contents under the light. It was the perfect shade of golden amber, like the color of toasted almonds. “No. I’m meeting my wife.”
“Sounds lovely. Cheers.”
I raised the glass and took a much-needed sip.
So far, everything was going according to plan.
When half of my drink was finished, I felt a shift in the air and knew, somehow, that she was close.
The hairs on my arms rose, and the ground shifted beneath my feet.
Then, she appeared like a vision, stepping up to the hostess stand in a figure-hugging, red velvet dress that was almost vulgar to look at.
I waved for her attention and stood to greet her.
“You’re killing me,” I said, my eyes skimming down along her figure.
Roxy accepted a kiss on her cheek. “Don’t die just yet. I’ll need your services later.”
We were off to a good start.