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He didn’t have to say it twice. Joy was already ready to go.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

In Montreal, Canada, the limousine drove to the back side of a shuttered glass factory and parked alongside another waiting limousine. Although they could not see any surface or air protection anywhere, they could feel it. Max, who rode shotgun beside their limo driver, called it next level security: No matter how hard they looked, they were never going to see it.

Max got out and opened the back door of the waiting limousine, checked to see who was all inside, and then he opened the back passenger side door of William’s limousine. That was when William and Joy stepped out and stepped into the waiting limousine. Max remained outside.

Inside were Arthur and Diana Davenport, and Hamilton “Hammer” Reese.

The tension in that limo was thick and heavy as William and Joy sat on one side, and Arthur, the beautiful Diana, and Hammer Reese were seated on the other side. It was the first time Joy had seen William’s lover in person. To her shock, she looked even more attractive in person.

Diana Davenport kept taking peeps at Joy as well. She felt strange seeing William’s wife in that limo. Because she was wishing it was her. She would have given anything for William to break his rule and fall in love with her. She loved Arthur, but she had always been in love with William.

But by the way William had his arm around his wife’s narrow waist, and how he had her so close against him that she was practically in his lap, it was very clear to Diana that he was in love with that young girl.

She believed this mainly because William never displayed affection so publicly before. Not ever. But also because the girl was beautiful. She had to admit she could give Diana a run for her money. And she had such flawlessly smooth brown skin. But so young. She was just sooo young! Diana didn’t think William went for that sort of thing.

Hammer didn’t think so either. He’d always seen William with women around his own age or even older. But never younger. Yet the one he chose to marry was so much younger than he? And she, like Diana, was another black chick too? Hammer never knew William to go exclusively black the way, say, a Tommy Gabrini was known for. He was known for preferring those blonde, blue-eyed snow bunny types. Either William didn’t like growing old, or this particular girl, this Joy, was something very special to him. Just from looking at her, Hammer would put his money on the special.

“First of all,” Arthur Davenport said to William, “I know you’re highly upset with me. I said some things, over the last few days, that were very disparaging of you.”

“And wrong too,” said Joy.

“And wrong, too, yes.”

“He didn’t sleep with your wife after we got married. You said we had just gotten married when the affair occurred so that you could make William look bad. But that was a lie.”

Hammer was impressed with the girl. Diana was too. Arthur, on the other hand, was annoyed with the little shit, but he nodded his head. “Yes, you’re right. I do apologize. But consider my position.”

Joy knew it was a terrible position they had put him in too. But right was still right. She didn’t take back calling out his lies.

But William needed answers that would protect Joy’s future. He was done with the past. “I’m sure you heard about that shooting in Bridell, Indiana at that restaurant, and that ambush a few days ago outside of Fort Wayne.”

Arthur and Diana both nodded. “It was awful,” said Diana. “Just awful. How’s Ed doing?”

Joy was surprised that she knew William’s driver by name, but William responded. “He’s doing well. It’s believed he’ll make a full recovery.”

“Thank God for that,” Diana said.

“Did you have anything to do with those incidences?” William asked Arthur pointblank. “Specifically the last one?”

Arthur was offended Joy could tell. Even Hammer Reese looked floored. “No!” Arthur said emphatically. “Absolutely not! What do you take me for? All these years we’ve done business, and this is what you think of me?”

Then he exhaled. “I absolutely had nothing to do with any ambushes. I’m hurt by what you and my wife did, but I’m no monster seeking to kill over it. Absolutely not.”

“You know better than that, William,” Hammer said. “So cut the bullshit.”

William wanted to tell Hammer Reese a thing or two, but Hammer was the kind of man with the kind of power that you needed in your corner. He moved on instead. “Do we know how that tape was obtained?”

Hammer nodded. “One of Diana’s opponents set it up. She had been on several talk shows flirting with the idea of running for prime minister, so he put a tail on her. When it was uncovered that she was having an affair, they bugged the hotel room the two of you often used for your dalliances. And on one of those occasions it paid off. You two met up. You two were recorded making out in that bedroom, and the tape was stored for future use. This is the future.”

William glanced at Joy when Hammer so casually mentioned their liaisons. He was certain Joy would be upset that it wasn’t just the one time the way she seemed to have believed. But to his ever-loving relief, she wasn’t. Somehow she wasn’t.

But it wasn’t that cut and dry. Joy had hoped that it had been only one time, but deep down she knew better. No woman was going to get a taste of William and not crave more. And a woman that looked like Diana Davenport, Joy already knew, got exactly what she craved. She couldn’t be bothered with worrying about the past anymore. The present had too many issues all its own. And she’d concluded that, no matter what, she trusted William. She was in it for the long haul.

“If this meeting isn’t about what happened in Indiana,” he said to Diana, “I assume it’s about your decision.”

“Yes,” Diana said. “I’ve decided that I’m staying in the race.”