Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series by Ainsley Claire (easy readers .txt) 📗

say. “He’s at Axel’s place.” I turn to him. “I’m just assuming you’re coming to my house. I totally understand if you want a night alone.”

“No, I want to stay with you tonight.”

“Then I guess we need to get Peter back to his family first.”

Jim nods.

“Jim, this trip was a real hardship.” Peter winks at me. “Nice restaurants, good hotels, and baseball.”

Jim chuckles. “I’m sure I can come up with something more strenuous for you.”

“Don’t you dare,” I say. “I’m rather fond of Peter.”

After we deposit Peter at his house, Jim turns to us. “Can we go to your place first, Mia? There have been some developments with Marco, and I’d like to talk to you both about them before you go home and see Alana and the kids.”

“Is everything okay?” Axel asks, and I can hear an edge to his voice.

“I think so, but we need to map out a plan.”

When we arrive, my house seems a bit stuffy. I open windows to get some fresh air in before I sit next to Axel on the couch.

Jim takes a seat across from us. “Marco has pled guilty to drug trafficking into the United States. He has pled out his case and will spend the next four hundred and eighty months at the federal prison in Lompoc.”

The tightness in Axel’s shoulders relaxes. “That was fast.”

Jim sits forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees. “In the sentencing memo, they took into account that he’d jumped bail in Australia and was being served with a restraining order.”

“Can he be paroled?” I ask.

“No. Federal charges don’t allow for parole, but they do allow credits for good behavior. That’s why the memos are always in months and not years.”

“He just agreed?” Axel questions.

“Seems like it. The FBI is transferring him to Lompoc in ten days. He’s very angry with Alana right now. He blames her because if they hadn’t pulled him from the line to serve him with the restraining order, they might not have searched his bag and found the drugs.”

Axel sits back and sighs. “I was the one who did that. Not Alana.”

“And he’s the one who chose to bring a brick of heroin and all those Oxy pills. He’s mad regardless, but he should be mad at himself,” Jim points out. “He’ll move his anger to you, to his parents, to anyone but himself, but we want to keep Alana and the boys protected.”

“What are you thinking?” I ask, hoping we can move toward action so Axel won’t dwell on his former friend and client.

“Alana needs to keep Nina for a while,” Jim urges.

“No problem. I think that would be great,” Axel says. “And the boys are a handful, so if it gets to be too much for her, I want someone with the same skills in her place.”

“Agreed, and I think we can reduce that burnout a bit with a schedule of seven days on and seven days off, split between Nina and another woman I’m talking to who I’d like to bring on.”

Axel nods. “That works. What else?”

“Marco knows where the kids are living right now, and he knows you have a place down south in Santa Cruz.”

“Clay told him about where they were staying,” Axel explains. “He’s six years old; he didn’t know any better.”

Jim holds up his hand. “I don’t fault Clay for saying anything, but we need to move them. Plus, a yard would be good for the boys.”

“I’m good with that. I can get them a place.”

I reach for Axel’s arm. “I think you should buy it with a shell company. That will make it harder for Marco to use public records to find her.”

“Exactly,” Jim agrees. “Fiona can help you set it up. It’s relatively easy. It takes creating multiple companies, some on-shore and others off-shore. Then you’ll just fund those accounts.”

“I defer to you and your expertise,” Axel says.

Jim pulls real estate information and photos out of a folder. “I’d like you and Alana to look at these three homes. They should meet the needs of the kids, and I know they meet our protection requirements. In each home we’d set up the home office as a hub and also a bedroom for Nina and whoever joins her working with your sister.”

“Speaking of Alana, I’m guessing she doesn’t know about Marco or the house?”

Jim shakes his head.

“Bash had mentioned they were monitoring the calls to her old phone. Has she heard from my parents recently?”

“They’ve not been in contact.”

SoBe is pacing around, so Axel stands and adjusts his dog bed, which was not squared against the windows it sits in front of. My boyfriend’s dog is a type-A. That fascinates me.

“When do you want to talk to Alana?” Axel asks as he returns to the couch.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Jim answers.

Axel looks at me.

I snake my arms around his waist so he knows I’ll support him no matter what. “I’m happy to join you, but I imagine telling your sister everything probably doesn’t require an audience.”

“That works if you’ll have a glass of bourbon waiting for me when I return.”

I kiss him on the cheek. “I’ll have dinner for you, too.”

I watch them leave. I know this will be hard on the boys, but I’m sure if anyone can do it, Alana can. She’s a good mother and will do what she has to to protect them.

I take a quick shower to wash away the yuck of sitting on a plane with all its recycled air. Then after pouring myself a glass of white wine, I look through my mail. I’m stunned to find a letter in the stack with handwriting I would recognize anywhere. Printed neatly, the return address is V. Prentis, Inmate 67086B,