CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“Where’s Bella?”
Mick hurried into his penthouse ready to strangle her ass if she didn’t give him the answers he needed. How could he ever help her when she was always hiding information from him? Teddy, Monk, and Nikki were rushing in too because they wanted answers as badly as Mick did.
But Bella wasn’t there.
Mick frowned. “What do you mean she’s not here?”
Big Daddy, Roz, Reno, Sal and Robby were all seated around the living room when they walked in. “She’s not here,” said Roz.
“You didn’t tell us anything about keeping Bella here,” said Big Daddy. “What’s the matter?”
“She may be involved,” Teddy said.
All of them were shocked. “Get the fuck outta here!” said Reno.
Even Roz couldn’t believe that Bella would have a hand in Duke’s abduction. She loved Duke! “Why would you think she’d do something like that? She wouldn’t do that.”
Mick knew it too, but he had to find her. “Did she say where she was going?”
“No,” said Roz. “She just left like she always does. She never says where she’s going.”
“Did somebody pick her up?”
They had no idea. “You didn’t tell us to keep an eye on her, Uncle Mick,” Sal pointed out like Big Daddy had.
Mick was so flustered he felt as if he was going to explode the same way that car did. He hurried to his office. Everybody hurried behind him.
He went behind his desk, pulled up his computer, and then pulled up the CCTV cameras for the front of his hotel. “How long ago did she leave?” he asked.
“Less than ten minutes after you left,” said Reno. “We figured she left because her sugar daddy had left.”
Mick cut a glance at Reno. “Say it again and I’ll kick your ass,” he said.
Reno was a tough guy. One of the toughest alive. But even he never mixed it up with Mick. He said nothing else.
“I thought so,” said Sal.
Mick sat down as he pulled up the monitors and traced back to where he, Monk, Teddy and Nikki left the hotel.
Then he fast-forwarded five minutes and went frame by frame until he saw Bella coming out of the lobby.
“There she is,” he said, and Roz and everybody else hurried behind Mick to get a look for themselves.
And that was when they saw a Ferrari pull up and Bella got inside. The Ferrari sped off.
Roz frowned. “Wait a minute,” she said. “Rewind that.”
Mick was already on it. Because he was thinking what Roz was thinking.
And when he rewound it, paused it, and then went in for a close up of the driver of that Ferrari, he was unable to make out any image.
The windows were too tinted and when the valet opened the car door for Bella, he blocked their view of the driver.
“Dammit!” Mick said. Then he tried another avenue.
“What?” asked Big Daddy. “What is it?”
“That looks like Kelly’s car,” Roz said.
Teddy was floored. “Kelly? Your director Kelly Cochran?”
Roz nodded nervously. “Yes. But it can’t be. Why would Kelly have anything to do with Bella?”
“Does he know her?” Teddy asked.
Roz shook her head. “Not that I know of,” she said. “What are you doing?” she asked Mick.
“Running the plate,” Mick said.
It took a minute, but the hit came back.
“Who’s the owner, Uncle Mick?” asked Sal.
Mick leaned back. Then looked at Roz. “Kelvington Cochran,” he said.
“Is that his real name, Ma?” asked Teddy.
Roz was swallowing hard. She could hardly believe it. “Yes.”
Monk frowned. “Why would your director be fooling around with Bella Caine?”
“I have no idea.”
“What’s his address, Pop?” asked Teddy.
“It’s unlisted.”
“Does he live here in New York, Roz?” Reno asked.
“He owns an apartment here, and he usually stays here during the run of any of his plays.”
“Do you know where?”
“Yes. I’ll take you to him.”
“No,” Mick said firmly as he stood up.
“But Mick,” decried Roz.
“No!” he said even angrier. “Where does he live?”
Roz was angry too, but she gave Mick the address.
Mick, Teddy, Nikki, and Monk all hurried for the exit.
“Need some help, Uncle Mick?” Reno asked.
“No,” Mick said to him. “Stay here.”
But when Mick made it out into the corridor of the penthouse, he hesitated, causing all of them to stop too.
But it was only about Roz. He saw that look in her eyes. He was always leaving her out. Always running to Bella’s aid and leaving her behind.
He knew it could be dangerous. But their marriage was already in the danger zone. And Kelly was somebody she needed to have a reckoning with too. He opened the door again. “Come on,” he said as he leaned in.
“Who? Me?” asked Reno.
“My wife,” said Mick.
Roz couldn’t believe it. Big Daddy either. “Mick, is that wise?” he asked his younger brother.
“Yes it’s wise, Charles,” said an elated Roz as she hurried to the door. Nobody was going to rain on her parade.
But Mick wasn’t playing around as he stopped her at the door. There was a time when taking her along would have been unthinkable to him. But everything had changed. “Your ass better do whatever I tell you to do.”
“I will. I always do,” Roz lied.
Mick stared at her. He could feel his big body pressing against her small body in a way nobody would ever know made Mick feel needy and clingy.
He also knew that if she ever wised up and left him, or if anything ever happened to her, that just might be the end of him.
Above all else, he had to protect her. “Let’s go,” he said.
And they all left.