“What you’ve found is a mother who would give her life for her daughter.” I ram my forefinger into his chest. “And since you know my past so well, you also know whatI’mcapable of doing.”
“Not if you want to keep your daughter out of the system after you and Nick are behind bars.”
My heart jerks against my ribs. The main reason I involved my father all those years ago was to keep Portia safe and out of the system. Just what I feared then has come tumbling down around me.
“I think I’ve made my point.” He sidesteps to the rear of the car. “Just make sure I have both your businesses in my portfolio by tomorrow, or Portia might be spending Christmas with social services.”
Graham turns and heads toward the back of the garage, and my breath saws in and out of my lungs at a furious speed. I want to pummel his smug face until my knuckles bleed, scream out every last breath in me, but instead I brace my palms against my car and suck in another deep breath.
All the calming techniques I know are of no use because that bastard just came at the most precious person in my life—Portia.
8
CHERYL
Six hours later, Nick and I enter Cipriani’s at the Wynn. It’s a favorite spot of ours, and although we don’t come as often as I would like, the maître d' greets us warmly. That coupled with the popularity of Club Wicked always assures us a premiere table and excellent service. Normally, it’s a night out of relaxation and reconnecting after a busy week—except for tonight.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t shake my earlier confrontation with Graham Pierce. I shiver at the mere thought of his threats.
“Are you cold?” Nick asks, invading my thoughts.
“No, just a chill.”
He stares at me for a second, then goes back to examining the menu. Unnecessary since we both usually get the same thing every time we come here. He starts with a dry martini; I have a glass of chardonnay, then he orders the ribeye steak, and I get the sea bass.
Nick closes his menu. “Are we getting our usual?”
“Yes, fine.” Even I could hear the clipped tone of my voice, so I add, “Sounds good.”
“Good evening.” The waiter comes over to the table. “Can I get your usual drinks?”
“That’s fine,” Nick says.
“Ahh, no, I think I’ll have a cosmopolitan tonight.”
“Very good.” The waiter nods and leaves to retrieve our order.
“Tough day?” Nick asks.
Normally, I have one glass of chardonnay, but tonight I don’t think there’s enough liquor in Vegas to wash away the fear of Graham’s threats.
“Busy.”
Nick continues to stare at me. “You’re still pissed about this morning.”
“No, no. I’m fine.” Our fight this morning was the last thing on my mind. After the unnerving scene with Graham, I almost forgot what we even fought about.
“We’ve just both been under a lot of pressure lately,” Nick continues. “After the holidays everything will go back to normal.”
“Sure, right.” I swallow hard. Nick is way too perceptive, and if I don’t get it together, he’s going to become suspicious. I don’t think I could lie if he questioned me outright, and I wouldn’t want to imagine the course of action he’d take if he knew how Graham threatened me.
Thankfully, the waiter appears with our drinks and takes our food order.
When the waiter leaves, Nick raises his glass. “Here’s to the coming of a new year.”
We clink glasses, and I take a big gulp of the icy drink, then another.
“So, how was your day?” I force a smile and hope I’mselling it. I also hope to get some information about his meeting with Graham.
