Taking It All Page 16

  "Then, while I'm on the flight, I find out that the drug deal was busted up by the cops, and a goddamn gunfight broke out. Two people died, another few ended up wounded, and just about everyone got hauled into jail. I don't think anyone got out of that bust without being in cuffs or on a stretcher. Or both."

  "Jesus," said Jade, her eyes wide open as she leaned in.

  "And it's only chance that I'm sitting here right now. I looked up Anton a while back, and he's in for thirty at minimum for shooting a cop. If I were there, I'd be looking at no less than ten years, and that's if I was lucky and didn't get killed."

  "That's…incredible," said Jade.

  "It's blind, dumb luck – that's all there is to it. I should've gone down with the rest of my crew; lord knows that I'd been doing enough bad shit right along with them. But I didn't; I'm here; I'm in this apartment."

  Leon gestured to his surroundings.

  "And I want anyone who reads this article to know that. I want them to know what they risk if they get involved in the things I got involved with. When you're that age you think you're invincible, and some of those guys had to learn the hard way that they were mortals like the rest of us."

  "This is perfect," said Jade as she scratched down some notes. "I'll have to do some work on it so it doesn't come off too afterschool-special-y, but I think you could do some real good with a message like this."

  "That's what I'm hoping," said Leon. "I know that ‘stay away from drugs' isn't exactly the hippest message, but I was hoping that you'd be able to use that writerly talent of yours in order to make it go down a little more smoothly."

  "And how would you know about that?" asked Jade. "For all you know, I could be a total hack. I mean, my paychecks sure would back up that argument."

  "Because I'm currently reading the first of your two books," said Leon. "And you're good…very good. When they first pitched this idea of doing an article about me, I was a little worried about just who they might pair me with. You know, whether or not I might get some second-string talent. But after checking out the first chapter of your most recent book, all of those concerns were quickly put to rest."

  "Oh," said Jade, apparently a little surprised by the compliments. "Thank you."

  "I wouldn't be saying it if it weren't true."

  "It's just…" started Jade, "…with how things have been going for me these last few years, I've been wondering if it was stupid of me to think that I could make a career out of writing."

  "Not stupid at all," said Leon. "You've got the talent for it, without a doubt, and all you need now is the perseverance. And to believe in yourself just a little bit."

  Jade chuckled.

  "'Don't do drugs;' believe in yourself – you're starting to sound like an after-school special," she said, a wry smile on her face."

  "After a while," said Leon, "you start to realize how the advice you hear over and over again tends to be the most repeated advice for a reason."

  Jade only smiled in response, her fingertips moving up and down her glass.

  "Well," she said. "Enough about me. Let's try and get a little more of your story down on paper."

  With that, the two of them went to work. The hours passed by quickly as Jade and Leon spoke, with Jade writing down notes feverishly as Leon told his story. He went through his childhood, his experience with the gang, his move to New York, and his first few tumultuous years at Sanderson Holdings. And when he was done, and after the two of them had finished more than a few drinks, Leon made a suggestion.

  "I think that's about all for tonight," he said. "Talking about myself isn't really something that comes naturally."

  "No kidding," said Jade. "Even if I weren't writing an article about you this stuff would all be totally fascinating. You were always so coy about personal information when you and I were, you know."

  Leon nodded.

  "I was a little bit of a different man back then," said Leon. "And between taking care of my family and trying to keep my head above water, I had a lot on my mind."

  He looked out towards the balcony.

  "Care for a nightcap before I send you packing?"

  Jade smiled.

  "I'd like that."

  "Step on out there; I'll bring the drinks."

  Jade flashed another one of her killer smiles as she packed her things and rose from her seat. Once she was gone, Leon stepped over to the bar and began preparing a couple glasses of wine. As he poured the two drinks, he felt the wavering of the alcohol making its way through his system.

  Stay focused, Leon, he thought to himself. Don't get distracted.

  But he couldn't help it. Jade was…something else. He couldn't get over how she'd managed to somehow stay just as gorgeous as she had been. If anything, she was somehow more beautiful than before. Standing at the bar, he imagined what it would be like to simply stroll out onto the balcony, grab her by the hips, pull her pants down and give her what some raging, animal part of him was really craving.

  Professional relationship, he thought. And on top of that, she's probably still raw about the whole incident that caused us to break up in the first place. And I don't blame her.

  Leon took a slow breath and headed out onto the balcony. Jade stood in front of the railing, her body outlined by the city lights.

  "God, I can't believe this view," she said. "I could live out on a balcony like this."

  Leon handed her a glass of wine.

  "It's really something," he said. "I wasn't sure how I'd like New York before I moved here, and it was something of a process getting adjusted to the city, but I think it's finally grown on me."

  "Help when you're able to live up with the cloud people," she said with a smirk.

  "The what?"

  "Sorry," said Jade. "That's just my stupid nickname for the super-rich people who run this town; they live up in the clouds like this, while us normal folk toil in the dirt."

  "There's that writer's flare," said Leon.

  Jade smiled again as she sipped her drink. And as she did, it took all of Leon's restraint not to stare at those gorgeous, full lips of hers.

  "I have my moment," she said.

  The both of them said nothing for a time as they sipped their wine and looked out onto the city. The sounds of the traffic below drifted up towards them, and a low wind started and stopped.

  "This is really nice," said Leon. "You know – seeing you again."

  "It is," said Jade. "I mean, my eyes nearly bugged out of my skull when I saw that you were the person I'd be working with, but I think it's going pretty well so far."

  "I feel the same way," said Leon. "I think you and I make a pretty good team."

  The silence returned, and now the two of them faced one another, their bodies only inches apart. Leon took in a slow draw of air as he looked down at Jade, who stared up at him with willing eyes.

  Kissing her would be a terrible idea, thought Leon. Just the worst.

  But it was all he could think about.

  OK, he thought, maybe if I-

  But before he could give the matter too much thought, the front door opened. The two of them jolted into awareness, turning back towards the front door as if they'd been caught doing something that they shouldn't be.

  It was only Oliver, however, and relief washed over Leon when he realized that he'd been stopped from doing something that he absolutely shouldn't have. Leon watched as Oliver looked around the apartment for Leon, eventually coming out onto the balcony.

  "Hey, Dad," he said.

  "Hey, champ," said Leon, feeling like he'd been caught in the act. "You remember Miss Jade?"

  "Oh, hi," said Oliver, not seeming too interesting in making his greetings. "Can I have some ice cream?"

  "Um, yeah," said Leon. "Go for it."

  With that, Oliver hurried back inside and rushed to the refrigerator.

  "Kid's back," said Jade, nervously looking away, as though she'd been aware of the same sexual tension that they'd booth been awash in.


  "He is," said Leon. "Uh, I hate to admit it, but I'm a little too tipsy to drive you back. And I hate to just send you packing in an Uber; you want to just take a spare bedroom tonight?"

  "Are you kidding?" asked Jade. "Any excuse to not have to stay in that ultra-depressing apartment."

  "Perfect," said Leon. "Come with me; I'll show you where the bedroom is."

  As Leon led Jade through the house, he couldn't help but feel as though his decision to ask her to stay was less rooted in simple convenience and more that he just couldn't bear to send her away. The two of them walked down the narrow hallway leading to the east wing of the apartment, and eventually came to a small, but cozy bedroom with a lovely view that overlooked the city.

  "I hope this isn't too cramped for you," said Leon.

  Jade flashed him a sly look.

  "I don't know how many cracks I can make about my apartment I can make before you get the picture," she said with a smile.

  Leon chuckled.

  "OK, point taken," he said. "Then go ahead and get settled; I'm gonna see the little monster off to bed."

  When he left Jade alone, Leon was immediately gripped by some strange blend of relief and longing. On the one hand, he was glad that the temptation that she represented was no longer present. But on the other, he just wanted to be by her side once again, to plant on her lips the kiss that he couldn't get out of his mind.

  Leon returned to the kitchen, where Oliver sat at the bar eating his ice cream.

  Just what the hell have I gotten myself into? he wondered, thoughts of the woman he'd once loved, the woman who was now mere feet away, lingered in his mind.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jade awoke the next morning confused and out of sorts. She looked around her bedroom, wondering for a brief, groggy moment why she was in a place that was actually pleasant, and not her usual morning sight of the dumpy, rundown apartment where she lived.

  Oh, that's right, she thought, sitting up and stretching, I'm in a rich person's apartment.

  She got out of bed, took a quick shower, and threw on her clothes. Heading back out into the living room, she was greeted with the sight of Leon seated at the kitchen bar with Oliver, the two of them laughing and joking around about one thing or another.

  "Morning," said Leon, noticing Jade now in the room.

  "Morning," Jade replied, her voice still heavy with sleep.

  The apartment was bright and sunny, and Jade couldn't help but feel a little gladdened at the sight of Leon first thing in the morning. It reminded her of the times he'd stay over at her apartment during their brief fling, and how happy she always was waking up next to him.

  "There's pancakes!" said Oliver, a strange little triumphant tone to his words that Jade couldn't help but chuckle at.

  "Saturday morning tradition," said Leon.

  "Pancakes sound great to me," she said.

  Jade strolled into the kitchen past Leon and Oliver and loaded up a plate with pancakes, pouring herself a cup of fresh coffee in the process.

  "I was thinking that you and I could do a little more interview work before I dropped you back off at your place," said Leon. "How does that sound?"

  "Sounds great to me," said Jade. "The faster that you and I can get down everything you want to say, the faster I can start on the actual article."

  "Are you having a story written about you?" asked Oliver. "Does that mean you're famous?"

  "I wouldn't quite say ‘famous'," said Leon. "But there seem to be plenty of people who want to hear about your dad's life story, as weird as that is to me."

  "You don't get to accomplish as much as you have without attracting a little attention," said Jade. "People want to know just how you did it."

  "Just hard work and extremely singular focus," said Leon.

  "Oh, oh," said Jade, holding up a finger. "Save his for the interview."

  Leon let out a dry chuckle.

  "Sure," he said.

  The three of them ate their breakfast, and after Leon cleaned up he invited out onto the balcony to continue their interview. Oliver busied himself with his schoolwork in the meantime.

  "So," said Leon. "What's next on the agenda?"

  Jade went through her usual process of setting up her recorder and notepad, and the interview was soon underway. The two of them covered more of the subject of Leon's rise to the top echelons of Sanderson Holdings, and Jade couldn't help but notice that, though he kept the details vague, Leon seemed to pursue his track in the business world with the same ruthless nature that he'd brought to bear during his time in the drug game.

  "It's like you went from illegal to legal," said Jade. "But kept the same attitude."

  "Funny you should mention that," said Leon. "Because that's precisely why I was picked for the job."

  "Wait, what?" asked Jade, taken aback.

  "I'd always wondered why Mr. Delahunt had chosen me, out of any Ivy League brat that he could've had, to take under his wing. And eventually, he shared with me that when he narrowed the list down to ten promising candidates, he did a little research on his own. During this, he found out all about my…family history, as well as how, exactly, I paid my way through school."

  "That's…incredible," said Jade.

  "You can find out just about anything you want with the right private investigator," said Leon. "And it was lucky for me; he got me out of the game just in time."

  "How long did he wait before he told you this?" asked Jade.

  "Just before he died," said Leon. "He passed around three years ago; cancer."

  "I'm sorry to hear that," said Jade.

  Sitting there with Leon, learning about just how much suffering and loss he'd gone through during his life, Jade couldn't help but feel a deep sympathy for him. But she knew better than to express that; Leon had never been the type to seek out pity.

  "Tell me about Mr. Delahunt," said Jade.

  "He was my mentor, the man who saw potential in me that I never would've believed was there…"

  Leon told the story of his mentor, from their first year working together in the city, to Leon's time under the man's wing, to his last struggles with cancer. After an hour or so, Leon seemed spent.

  "I think that's good for today," said Jade.

  "Same here," said Leon. "This is all…surprisingly more difficult to talk about than I was anticipating."

  "Hopefully we won't have to dredge up your past too much longer."

  Leon looked away for a brief moment as if considering something.

  "It's difficult, sure, but it's actually a little…nice, to get all of this off my chest."

  "See?" asked Jade, reaching over and giving Leon a playful jab to the arm. "There's a reason why I kept trying to get you to open up when we were dating. I wasn't just being nosy, you know."

  "Could've fooled me," said Leon with a half-smile. "OK, let me take you home. Ready to go?"

  "Sure am," said Jade.

  They were soon off, and Jade couldn't help but look one last time over her shoulder at Leon's amazing apartment as they stepped out through the front door. She wasn't looking forward to coming home to her shoebox apartment.

  A quick drive in Leon's silver Mercedes later, they arrived at the dilapidated apartment building in Sunnyside, Queens where Jade lived. As they pulled up, Jade watched as Leon scanned the apartment building and its surroundings. He glanced at the broken windows of the building, the worn-down brick, the hoodlums lurking about, and the general unwelcoming nature of the neighborhood.

  "I don't like this," said Leon, his tone serious and stern.

  Jade knew that tone; it was the one that he took when he was about to make a decision that he didn't intend to argue.

  "Well, I don't either, but it's not like I have any other options. I mean, unless I want to live with five nineteen-year-olds in some Bushwick loft."

  "No," said Leon. "I mean that this is unacceptable for you. This is no place for a woman to live by herself."

  "Not all of us can live i
n massive penthouse apartments, you know," said Jade.

  "You can, for a little while, at least."

  "What're you talking about?" asked Jade.

  "I mean, I want you to come stay with me for a while. During this project."

  A tinge of anxiety ran through Jade's stomach.

  "I mean, I don't know," said Jade. "That doesn't sound like a good idea."

  "Why not?" asked Leon. "I've got plenty of space, and it'll be more convenient for you and me than having to trek across town to do our interviews. I think it's a great idea."

  Jade had her doubts, but they all involved her history with Leon. He made good points, but there was something about all this that just didn't sit right with her.

  "No discussion," he said. "Let's go get your things."

  Leon pulled into an open space on the side of the street in front of the apartment, and, after he checked the car alarm multiple times to make sure that it was activated, the two of them entered the building and trekked up the several flights of stairs to Jade's place. Stepping into the cramped apartment, Leon shook his head.

  "Yeah," he said. "You're definitely coming with me."

  After staying at Leon's place, the apartment seemed even smaller to Jade. She wanted to put up more of a fight about, but if she were being honest with herself, she knew that Leon was right – this was too dangerous of a neighborhood for her, and living with him temporarily would make the whole job easier.

  Leon helped her grab a few suitcases worth of things, and soon the two of them were back on the road.

  "Here's the deal," said Leon as he drove out of her neighborhood. "If you're feeling like I'm just being charitable, you can look after Oliver from time to time. Nothing too crazy – just every now and then if I have to go out during the evening."

  "That works for me," said Jade.

  Truthfully, she was a little nervous at the idea of having to watch Oliver; she never really considered herself much of a kid-person. But being able to do a little work did offset the feeling that she was being a burden.