his briefcase down.
The petite redhead startled as she looked up. A huge smile washed the surprise away. “Mr. Amatucci. He’s doing great. Tell your mama thank you for the remedy. Worked like a charm and I’ve actually gotten to sleep more than an hour at a time.”
He patted the countertop a couple times. “Great. My associate here and I have an appointment with Jerrod. Is he in by chance?”
Josie dropped her vibrant blue eyes to the screen that lit her face slightly. She tracked her gaze over the screen, nodded. “Yes. His last appointment ended just now. You should be free to go on up. Would you like me to call ahead for you?” She raised the phone.
The ass flashed her a megawatt smile. “No, thanks. We’ll just go on up. Give my love to your nonna.”
Josie smiled. “She’s still waiting for you to marry her.”
The ladies man beside me laid his hand against his heart. “She is too much woman for me. She’ll break my heart.”
Josie’s cooing laugh filled the lobby. “I’ll tell her you said so.”
“I hope you do. Bye now.”
“Bye, Mr. Amatucci.”
We headed for the bank of elevators. I waited until we were inside to start speaking. “Laying it on a little thick, yeah?”
Amatucci smiled. “Only if you’re not interested in special treatment. Like I said, most of my time here has been quite enjoyable.”
I huffed a laugh. “You guys seem pretty chummy with the law enforcement of New Trenadie. How does that work?”
He shook his head.
The elevator dinged, cutting me off before I could ask any other questions. He strode out of the car and straight through the lobby into the opposite office. Another assistant guarded this door.
I smiled when I saw it was Brian. I was looking forward to seeing how Amatucci dealt with a male assistant. This was going to be great.
“Mr. Hertman, how’s your mother?” Amatucci asked.
Fuck.
“Mr. Amatucci, welcome. She’s good. Sends her love to yours. Mr. Wright is ready for you.” Brian waved us back to his boss's sanctum.
Amatucci smirked at me as we headed down the short hallway. “Thought you had me.”
The door opened before I could say anything else. Games were forgotten as I remembered why I was here. Blackmail and threats. I didn’t take too kindly to either.
“Nico, what can I do for you today?” District Attorney Wright said, a glowing smile on his face. He rose to his feet, hand held out for a shake.
Damn. I really needed to learn Amatucci’s secrets.
Amatucci shook the proffered hand, turned to me. “This is Ryker Penn, personal friend of the family.”
I quelled the jolt of shock that ran through my body at that relationship tie-in. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a close personal friend of the Amatucci crime family. But apparently, I’d been granted the distinction anyway.
Wright stuck out his hand to me, a confused look on his face. “Mr. Penn, I’ve heard great things about you and your company.” He waved us to take seats. “What can I do for you gentlemen today?”
Well, at least now I understood why Amatucci said he would take the lead. I wondered if they played golf on the weekends.
“Mr. Penn was helping a family friend at the hospital yesterday evening. We have security evidence of such and I want it on record that he acted with my full support and permission.”
Wright’s expression froze in polite interest. “That’s great. We can always use more good Samaritans in New Trenadie. Why exactly are you coming to me with this?”
I cleared my throat, drawing Wright’s attention. “I was called very early this morning and threatened by John Cavendish, Jr. He stated that if I didn’t bribe you or the police into dropping the charges against his son, that my behavior in the hospital and the damning security footage would be leaked to the media with whispers of kidnapping.”
Wright interlocked his fingers on his desk. He looked back at Amatucci. “But you’re saying this is untrue. That the person he was taking from the hospital was not actually kidnapped. That he was helping you.”
Amatucci nodded. “Exactly. You’re aware of Willow Chase and the…incidents surrounding her divorce.”
Wright nodded, a quick dip of the chin. He set his jaw, his nostrils flaring. “And Ms. Chase was the woman who had been removed from the hospital.” He made it a statement, not a question.
Amatucci nodded again. “Exactly. We admitted her under a fake name due to issues with Dr. Errington.”
I blew out a low breath. I finally had the