Matchmaker - Chapter 22
Monday
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Tanner asked.
No, I wasn’t. But I was already knocking on Mr. Pruitt’s door. “I just need to get this over with.” My heart was still pounding in my chest. I was pissed at James. I was pissed at Mr. Pruitt. I was freaking pissed at everyone. I tried to take a deep breath.
“Yeah, I don’t care if I’m inconveniencing him.” Mr. Pruitt had been inconveniencing me for years. His texts had been slowly driving me insane. I could bother him for one night.
Tanner stuffed his hands in his pockets, pulled them back out, and then stuffed them in again. “You’re not at all worried that you’re about to upset a mobster?”
“I told you to wait in the car.”
“I’m not worried about my safety. I’m worried about yours. You think Richard is having you tailed. All he has to do is make the call and you’re a dead man.”
“That’s an even better reason for you to wait in the car. You don’t want to get caught up in this.”
“Do you have a freaking death wish?”
Maybe. But that didn’t mean I needed to bring anyone else down with me. “Tanner, seriously, go back to the car.”
“If I’d waited in the car when you went to see James, you two definitely would have brawled.”
“I’m not going to brawl with Mr. Pruitt.”
Tanner stared at the door. “Doesn’t mean he’s not going to brawl with you.”
“If you’re scared…”
Tanner laughed. “I’m not scared of anything.” But his eyebrows were pulled together and he was just staring straight ahead.
I knew he was lying. He wasn’t even really trying to hide it. But I didn’t get a chance to ask him about it, because the door opened.
Mr. Pruitt was standing there in a…nightgown?
I wasn’t sure how else to describe it. A long men’s shirt, perhaps?
He was also wearing some weird little cap that I couldn’t explain either.
And for just a second, all that pent up anger I had for him evaporated.
I just wanted to laugh. The man in front of me wasn’t scary.
He was wearing a nightgown and cried during the Titanic.
I was going to end this right here right now.
He cleared his throat. “Matthew.” His voice came out hoarse and strange despite the fact that he’d just cleared it. “What are you doing here at this hour?”
I wanted to ask him what the hell he was wearing. But that wasn’t why I was here. Making fun of him didn’t seem like the best approach anyway. “I need you to listen to me because I’m only going to say this once. Leave me and my friends the hell alone.”
Mr. Pruitt lowered his eyebrows and glanced at Tanner. “I don’t know who this man is. And I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
Tanner offered him his hand. “I’m Tanner Rhodes. Matt’s best friend. Nice nightshirt, by the way. Very retro of you.”
Why the hell had he told Mr. Pruitt his full name? Was he trying to get killed too?
Mr. Pruitt paused a beat too long before shaking Tanner’s hand. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression that Robert was Matthew’s best friend?”
“No, that title belongs to me,” Tanner said.
Why did everyone always want to discuss who my best friend was? This wasn’t relevant at all. “It doesn’t matter who my best friend is.” I felt stupid saying the words out loud. “I’m here to tell you that you’re done messing with my life.”
“Messing with your life? Matthew, I have no intention of hurting Tanner or…”
“Cut the crap, Mr. Pruitt. You sent Poppy to my office to threaten a child. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Mr. Pruitt sighed. “I told her to deliver a letter to you. That is all.” He shook his head. “She doesn’t love following simple directions. Now tell me, what did she say about a child?”
The nerve of this asshole. “You threatened James’ daughter. Don’t play dumb with me.”
“Ah. Well, Poppy has her own…unique set of strengths to get what she wants. She’s very good at spotting weaknesses and using them to her advantage.”
I didn’t believe him for a second. Threatening children could never be considered a strength. And me caring for my friend’s child’s safety wasn’t a weakness. Fuck him.
“Let me guess,” Mr. Pruitt said. “She also tried to seduce you?”
Who talked about their niece like that? And why was he acting like he had nothing to do with this? If he’d just wanted to send a letter, he could have sent it via FedEx. He hadn’t needed to involve Poppy. “I don’t know what delusional plans you have for me and Poppy, but I’m not playing any part.”
“It’s late, Matthew. Can we talk about this in the morning? I’m having trouble following your logic. Are you feeling quite alright?”
Son of a bitch. I wasn’t the crazy one here. He was. “I know you’re having me tailed. I know you hired hitmen to come after me…”
“Maybe Richard is right,” Tanner said. “Why don’t we come back in the morning after we’ve calmed down a bit?” He tilted his head in the direction of the elevators and gave me angry eyes. “You’re going to get yourself killed,” he mouthed silently at me.
“I’m never stepping foot back into this cursed apartment,” I said.
Mr. Pruitt sighed. “Matthew…”
“Stop texting me! Don’t send crazy people to my office with letters and threats. Don’t contact me in any way. We’re done.”
“We are not done. I’ve been asking you for years to come speak to me and the best you can do is show up in the middle of the night half lucid. This isn’t a game. You’re in danger, Matthew. I’m trying to protect you. Just like I have been for years. This is a life and death…”
“You expect me to believe that you’re worried about me?
Where were you after Brooklyn died? You never came to her grave.
You never stopped by my parents’ house to talk to me.
You never gave a shit about everything you took from me.
So don’t stand there and pretend you care now.
You don’t care about me. And I don’t give a shit about you.
So get it through your thick skull. Leave me and my friends the hell alone. “
Mr. Pruitt looked so calm. “You can’t keep blaming me for Brooklyn’s death. It wasn’t my…”
“It wasn’t your fault? You tricked her into loving you. Into trusting you. And then you murdered her.”
“Murder is such a strong word,” Tanner said with a grimace as he elbowed me in the ribcage.
“She agreed to the surgery,” Mr. Pruitt said. “She knew the risks. It was a misunderstanding at best.”
Misunderstanding? He’d murdered his daughter. “Is that how you sleep at night? Watch your back, Mr. Pruitt. Because I have resources too.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Damn right. “Enjoy one of your last nights in your own bed.”
Tanner was staring at me like I was insane. He turned to Mr. Pruitt. “He doesn’t mean that,” Tanner said. “He hasn’t been getting much sleep. If you would just call off your hitmen, maybe...”
“Come at me with whatever you have,” I added. “I’m going to fucking destroy you.”
“Watch your own back, Matthew,” Mr. Pruitt said.
“I’m not having you tailed. And you’re not in danger because of me.
Despite what you think, I’ve been protecting you for years.
And if you refuse to thank me, consider my protection revoked.
Come back to me once you’ve learned reason and an ounce of respect.
” Mr. Pruitt slammed the door in our faces.
“I know you cry during the Titanic!” I yelled at the door. “Wait until everyone finds out about that!” I laughed.
“Why are you laughing?” Tanner said. “He’s so fucking pissed. He’s definitely going to off you.”
“Good. Let him try.”
“What?”
I grabbed Tanner’s arm and pulled him away from the Pruitt’s door.
“I want him to try to kill me. You said you got the information about the hitmen illegally so it can’t be used in court.
So I’ll catch him in the act and get him sent to prison where he belongs.
Attempted murder isn’t as bad as actual murder, but he’s old.
Hopefully he’ll just rot in prison for the rest of his miserable life. ”
“Oh. Oooh. Well, that’s a good idea. Minus the fact that you might die in the process.”
“I’m not going to die. I have a plan.”
“Well…are you going to fill me in?”
It was fitting to make Tanner wait for something for once.
The only problem was that I didn’t actually have more of a plan than what I’d told him.
Seeing how angry Mr. Pruitt had gotten was what had given me the idea.
I’d dug my heels in and gone all in by throwing more insults his way.
There was no going back now. Surely Mr. Pruitt had murdered people for less.
And I needed to think of something fast or else I was an idiot.
I’d just threatened a mobster. Maybe I was an idiot.
An idea finally popped into my head. “James has prototypes of these little undetectable cameras…”
“You’re fighting with James. I doubt he’ll loan expensive prototype cameras to you right now.”
Damn, that was a good point. I’d basically told James to fuck off. “Well, Penny will let me borrow them.”
“You really think James is going to let Penny hang out with you while you guys are in a fight? He knows you have feelings for Penny. That was part of your argument.”
“Penny’s her own woman. She doesn’t need James’ permission to hang out with me.
Besides, we have plans for dinner tomorrow night.
She won’t cancel.” I think. She hated when I canceled on her.
I doubted she’d do it to me. But that really depended on what she and James were talking about right now.
She’d definitely overheard some of our conversation earlier.
Maybe James was telling her everything. The thought of Penny knowing about Brooklyn gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“A dinner date?” asked Tanner. “Nice. So you’re going to seduce Penny and then she’ll bend to your every whim?”
“No.” Maybe. No. “We’re friends. If I tell her I need the cameras, she’ll give them to me. She won’t even ask any questions.” That was a lie. Penny would definitely have a million questions about why I needed spy-grade cameras.
“Great. So you’ll get a hitman trying to kill you on film with a tiny, undetectable Hunter Tech camera. And somehow get away with the evidence and your life. That’s your big plan?”
“I’m open to suggestions.”
“Why don’t we just try to confront the hitwoman directly? Get her to confess to being hired to kill you before she actually has a chance to kill you?”
Damn, that was a much better idea. “I’ve tried to talk to her. But she always runs away. And she’s pretty fast.”
Tanner cracked his knuckles. “Not as fast as me.”
I stared at him. I’d never seen Tanner run. The closest was him hurrying to my car tonight and he was so unaware that I’d almost run him over.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m quite the athlete. I’ve been running more years than you’ve been alive.” He laughed because it made no sense. “As the saying goes.”
“I’ve never heard that saying.”
“You know what I mean. I’m fast. Much faster than you or a hitwoman.”
“If you say so.” I would have sworn I was faster than a hitwoman too. Maybe the heels on her boots were somehow powered to make her move faster or something. Or she was a retired track star.
“She shows up at your games sometimes right?” Tanner asked.
“Yeah. I think she was even at my practice today. I saw her SUV hightailing it out of the parking lot this afternoon.”
“Perfect. You get the cameras tomorrow by seducing Penny. And I’ll come to your practice on Wednesday for surveillance.
Maybe we can even corner her right away and just get it over with.
And don’t worry, I’ll wear a disguise so that no one is the wiser.
Now let’s go eat that lobster before it turns. ”
“It’s been sitting in the car for a while. Maybe we should skip the spoiled seafood and just grab some drinks.”
“You can’t toss lobster! It’s a delicacy now. It’ll be fine. Come on, we’ll go back to my place so we can reheat it and wet your whistle.”
I internally groaned. Tanner had an awesome place. But his houseboy always made me feel wildly uncomfortable.