Nearly a year had passed since Jasper and Phil’s deaths, and the solitary lifestyle in Crete became overbearing for Heather. She was raising her children in seclusion, but she yearned to enjoy life. Heather was still a young woman, only forty years old with an abundance of zeal and energy. So Heather began to travel to Paris and Rome on long weekends, selectively choosing the shows and parties she attended. She dressed modestly and oftentimes avoided speaking with associates she knew from years prior. However, Heather attended one show that spun her life into turmoil.
On this particular night on the nearby Greek island of Santorini, a popular Italian designer, Giancarlo, hosted an extravagant birthday gathering for his thirty-five-year-old daughter, Madelyn. The ballroom was on the water’s edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Coincidentally, Ramone and Solae attended along with hundreds of other guests from around the world. Unbeknownst to Heather, Ramone and Solae were at the bar getting drinks when Ramone spotted Heather from the other side of the hall. Ramone thought, At last, Queen Cunningham has surfaced. Ramone admired Heather’s beauty from afar. Heather was stunningly dressed in an emerald cocktail length dress with matching open-toe shoes. He turned to Solae with the two drinks in his hand.
“Solae, I need for you to leave.”
“What! Are you crazy? We just arrived. Not to mention, Madelyn and I haven’t seen each other in years.”
“Solae, you can’t ask questions now. Just go.”
“No, I’m not leaving!”
“This is important, Solae. We can’t debate on this. Just return to the hotel. I will meet you there later.”
“Why, Ramone? What’s going on?”
“Heather Cunningham is here.”
“So what?”
“She knows you. And she knows you are aware of her background.”
“Ramone, this is unfair to me. We traveled all the way here from New York for Madelyn’s party. I can’t leave now. This might be an opportunity for me to meet the right people. To open new doors.”
“Believe me. I’ll make it up to you. In ways beyond your imagination.”
Ramone kissed Solae on the forehead. She angrily left him with the drinks and went over to Madelyn to tell her she was not feeling well and returned to the hotel. Ramone now had an open gateway to approach Heather.
Heather had never met Ramone nor was she aware of his longtime animosity toward Jasper.
“Good evening,” said Ramone.
“Good evening,” Heather replied.
“I’m Ramone.”
“I’m Heather.”
“Heather, it’s a pleasure to meet you this evening.”
“How do you know Madelyn?” asked Heather.
“She’s a good friend.” Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “Would you like to sit?”
“Sure,” Heather replied. She looked at her new acquaintance. He was tall and handsome and did not wear a wedding band. She wanted to learn more about him.
“Judging from your accent, you’re American,” Heather remarked.
“No denying that. I live in New York.”
“What do you do there?”
“I am a real estate investor and developer,” he embellished.
“Are you really? Is it through your own business?”
“Yes, it is. It allows me flexibility to follow my passion.”
“Which is?”
“Charitable work and social outreach.”
“How commendable, Ramone.”
“Why thank you, Heather the Beautiful.” Heather blushed. Ramone continued, “I’m surprised I haven’t run into you before. I am in Greece occasionally.”
“Who said I was?” she replied. They laughed.
“What a laugh. What a smile. Beauty coupled with a sense of humor. It is so refreshing to see a woman with such genuine expressions. Not exactly common, particularly in this circle, Heather.”
“You’re quite a flatterer, Ramone. But please only refer to me as Heather the Beautiful.” They laughed again.
“Judging from your accent, I’d say you were Spanish.”
“Actually not. But I recently lived in Spain for quite a few years.”
“So you don’t anymore?”
“You ask a lot of questions, Ramone.”
“You are pretty mysterious, Heather the Beautiful.”
Heather and Ramone cautiously became acquainted during the evening. They danced, talked, and enjoyed the birthday formalities together. Heather became smitten by Ramone. Late in the evening, Lionel Richie’s song “Hello” played. Heather thought the song was just for them as Lionel sang, “Hello, is it me you’re looking for? I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your smile. You’re all I ever wanted, and my arms are open wide.” Heather rested her head on Ramone’s chest. He smelled alluring coupled with his muscular prowess helped to increase Heather’s desires. Ramone was becoming fond of Heather as well. She was not the type of woman he anticipated that she would be when he set out his plan. He had thought she would be embittered from her pain and inspired by greed like Jasper. But instead he had met the perfect lady who was welcoming, compassionate, and had captured his sentiments. A second slow song played, and they held each other even tighter.
The affair was almost over, and the guest of honor was thanking folks. She approached Ramone and Heather.
“Heather, you are just as stunning as ever. How are the kids?” They kissed on each cheek.
“They are all well. You have to come to Crete to visit.”
“It’s such a shame we didn’t have a chance to talk more this evening.”
“Nonsense. Tonight was your party night.”
Madelyn looked at Ramone and said, “Ramone, thank you for coming.”
“It was a wonderful affair.”
“I’m sorry Solae wasn’t feeling well and had to leave.” Heather looked confused.
Ramone replied, “Yes, indeed.”
“But I’m glad you stayed and enjoyed the party. It would have been awful flying over here for no reason.”
“It was a tremendous party.”
“Give Solae my best regards.” They kissed on each cheek.
“Happy birthday, Madelyn,” Ramone and Heather said in unison as Madelyn walked away.
“Were you here with someone else tonight?” asked Heather.
“Yes, I was. And before you frown those beautiful brown eyebrows, it was my business partner. We travel together in a business capacity. I manage her shows.”
“You failed to mention that earlier. Why?”
“How much do you want to learn about me on the first night? Everything?” Ramone teasingly asked.
Heather smiled. She was fond of Ramone. The party guests were leaving, and she did not want the night to end.
“What are you doing for the remainder of this evening?” she asked.
“I don’t have any firm plans,” he replied.
“Come to my yacht with me.”
“A beautiful woman like you would invite a man she doesn’t even know to her yacht? Certainly I can’t accept your invitation. I’ll be back in Greece in a month. We can spend more time together then.”
Heather was slightly embarrassed. Ramone was right. However, she felt safe with him. The fact that he even questioned her offer at the risk of her rescinding made her feel more inclined to be with him tonight.
“Please, do come. I don’t live on Santorini, but I have a small yacht here that is hardly used. My attendants can have it ready within an hour.”
“You’re a genuine strong beautiful woman. Qualities that are rare in most. I admire your confidence.”
The two left the ballroom and entered Heather’s limousine. Heather called ahead to the marina to prepare her yacht to sail and to have a staff person there to serve wine and cheese. As they rode in the car, Ramone teasingly kissed Heather’s cheek. She smiled at the purity of his affection.
It was windy when they arrived at the marina to board the yacht that immediately set sail along the Mediterranean Sea. Parting the slightly rough waters, they drank Beaujolais and watched the moon not quite full but shining brightly in the midnight sky. Ramone slowly licked Heather’s lips with his tongue extending down to her neck where he playfully nibbled on her soft skin. Grasping the back of her head, Ramone kissed her hard and passionately. Extremely eager, Heather greatly welcomed Ramone’s affection as she had not made love to a man since Jasper died.
After the bottle of wine had finished, Ramone escorted her to the lower level of the yacht. Heather undressed Ramone until he was completely naked. She sat on the bed and requested that he stand in front of her. Admiring the manliness of his body and savoring the moments preempting their lovemaking, Heather teasingly rubbed her hands down Ramone’s desirable physique for he had a firm, tight stomach and muscular arms that comforted her. Heather kissed his chest covered with fine short hairs and proceeded down the center of his body licking her pathway past his navel. By now, Ramone was fully erect, and she enveloped him licking and sucking as much as her mouth could engulf. His firmness in her wet mouth increased their anticipation and heated desire. As he lifted one of his legs onto the bed giving Heather farther access to continue her journey, he grabbed the hair on the back of her head moaning with pleasure. Her tongue swirled around him ever so teasingly, and her mouth increased pace providing him forceful joy. The sea was rougher, so he embraced Heather’s shoulders as she held his tight buttocks to maintain his positioning. She gently applied pressure and released, playing with him as she licked and sucked every inch of his body. Ramone shivered in elation.
Heather stood up and undressed as Ramone watched with anticipation. She squeezed and played with her breasts as she disrobed. She took off her silky panties that she first whiffed and then tossed over Ramone’s face who became even more excited by her fragrance. By now, Heather was completely naked standing in front of him face-to-face. Ramone took delight in viewing Heather rubbing his fingers slowly across her lips. His mind raced with all of the sexual acts he planned to perform on Heather’s curvaceous and sensual body that night. They simultaneously locked eyes, and Ramone repeatedly made love to Heather who seemed insatiable. Captivated with each other’s passion, each time they made love, they were hungrier than the last knowing the height of pleasure previously received.
Physically exhausted, but overwhelmingly content, Ramone and Heather finally lay side by side embracing each other. A milestone was accomplished in his plan. Ramone thought about how Jasper had once made love to the woman he was now sharing a bed. Now the dominant force, Ramone reflected on how Jasper had ravaged his wife, Solae. But he would not do the same to Heather. There was nothing to be gained. Ramone’s objectives were loftier than a physical tryst and a degrading dismissal. Heather was a great lover, and he took full pleasure in his night in Greece and the future potential she could offer. Ramone could understand how easily it would be to fall in love with this intelligent, sexy, strong woman. But he could not lose sight of his broader purpose.
The following morning, they enjoyed breakfast on the upper deck of the yacht. Ramone reiterated that he was leaving Greece that evening.
“If only I could describe how much last night meant to me,” said Heather.
“I’m sure the impact to me exceeded yours by far,” Ramone replied.
“When will you return to Greece?”
“As I mentioned at dinner last night, I’m scheduled to travel here next month.”
“Yes . . . will I see you?” Heather asked.
“Only if you allow me to share another day . . . and night . . . with you.” They smiled.
“When you return, come visit me at my home in Crete.” Heather went below deck and returned with her address and phone number. The pieces were coming together favorably for Ramone.
“I look forward to your return,” she said as she handed him the paper.
Ramone remarked, “I greatly look forward to seeing you and embracing you again.” They kissed each other good-bye.
* * *
Ramone returned to his hotel. Solae was in the lobby waiting for him with their luggage.
“Where were you last night?” Solae asked.
“I had business to take care of.” Solae knew Ramone lied, but she chose to avoid making a scene.
“I checked out the hotel for us.”
“Already? Damn, Solae, I wanted to take a shower and change.”
“Well then, perhaps you should have been back at the hotel last night. Even a phone call would have been respectful.”
“Stop the whining.”
“You were with Heather, weren’t you? You still smell like her stink sweat. How dare you insult me with that woman’s stench on your lips!”
Ramone grinded his teeth and put his nose directly in Solae’s face and used his pointer finger to tap on her cheek.
“Listen, I am working hard at trying to make a frog leap in our place in this world. Do you think that can be accomplished if you are going to question my every move? I’ve put up with enough setbacks from you, Solae. You’ve failed me on several occasions over the years. Just leave me alone so I can fulfill what I need to do . . . for us. Do you hear me?” Solae was silent. “Now come on and let me see if I can shower in the health club.”
* * *
The following month, Ramone returned to Greece to visit Heather. When he arrived at Heather’s home in Crete, the attendant Melos answered the doorbell.
“Yes, sir, may I help you?” asked Melos.
“My name is Ramone Santos. I am here to see Heather.”
“Ah yes, Mr. Santos. Ms. Cunningham is awaiting your arrival. Please come in and have a seat in the parlor.”
“Thank you.”
Melos walked to the back of the home and went outside. “Mr. Santos is here to see you,” he said to Heather.
“Escort him over,” Heather happily replied. She was anxiously anticipating Ramone’s return to Greece. The past month felt like a lifetime to her.
“Mr. Santos, Ms. Cunningham would like you to join her at the poolside.”
Ramone walked through the home following Melos amazed at the eloquence of the home. It was lavish with grandiose eighteenth-century antique furniture and he presumed original artwork.
When Ramone arrived at the poolside, he saw Heather lounging on a chair with large dark shades in a yellow sundress. There were four kids swimming in the lush pool. He concluded the children were Heather and Phil’s twin sons, Kyle and Kevin, Victoria, and Magnus.
“Hello, Heather the Beautiful.”
“You remembered my appropriate name.” They laughed and hugged.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said.
“And you. Have a seat.”
“Thank you for meeting with me today,” Ramone said.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been an unbearably long month. I missed you terribly. How have you been?” she asked.
“I’ve been well,” Ramone replied. “How have you been?”
“Impatient,” she teased like a schoolgirl. Heather had enough of the formalities that she felt was largely for the kids’ sake and wanted to be alone with Ramone.
“Ramone, you’ve come a long way. You mentioned you had important matters to discuss. Would you like to go to my office?”
“Actually, it is a beautiful day. I would rather stay outside, Ms. Cunningham.”
Heather was surprised by Ramone’s businesslike demeanor. It was a prelude for Ramone to convey his intent.
“Heather, I was quite intrigued with your husband’s trial and acquittal.”
Heather was taken aback by Ramone’s unexpected comment. “Pardon me?” she asked.
Ignoring her question, Ramone continued, “So much so that I unequivocally can state Jasper Cunningham was a murderer. He had his partners killed, he conspired on rape and assault, and assaulted and slandered my wife.”
Heather sat up. “Who are you? What do you want from me?” It now became apparent to Heather that she had made a travesty of a mistake. “Get out of my home with your lies!”
“That’s where you’re greatly mistaken, Ms. Cunningham. My remarks are far from being lies.”
“I invited you into my life . . . my home . . . my body,” Heather said with hurt and confusion.
“And I thank you for them all . . . particularly the last.”
“You made me believe you had personal affection for me,” she bitterly remarked.
“You should consider this information to be close to your heart,” Ramone coldly replied.
Heather stood up, extremely upset, and shouted, “Melos! Melos! Please escort this imposter out of my home!” However, Melos could not hear her.
“Before you do, Ms. Cunningham, I would like you to know . . . I have several close friends who are news reporters. To put it lightly, I’m very closely aligned with the European and American press.”
“Your accusations are hollow lies. No one will believe you. Everyone has read them in the past”
“I have evidence . . . convincing evidence that will further disgrace Jasper’s reputation. It is compelling to say the least. Phil thought it was when I visited him a few months before he went to Spain to visit Jasper. And Phil was pretty damn smart, wouldn’t you say?”
“So it was you. You monster!”
“I disagree. I just want to do what’s right. For the families who lost their loved ones. For Ms. Bodden.”
“You told Phil! You are the cause of the tragedy. You knew that Phil would want to take revenge on Jasper. You were only thinking about yourself.”
“I never could have predicted the extent of Phil’s actions. You should be glad your little pregnancy several years back drove Phil away and that he did not shoot YOU.”
“What the hell do you want from me?”
“Heather, do you really have to ask?”
“Is this about money? You piranha. You are extorting money from me? from my children?”
“Extortion? Like I’m the criminal? Now I’m insulted. By the way, did you and Phil get divorced before you were married Jasper? When did polygamy become legal? Are Jasper’s bank accounts legally yours? Listen, my wife deserves that money just as much as you and your bastard child.”
Heather slapped Ramone in the face and he rubbed the area. “I’ll be a gentleman this time. I suppose this is upsetting. But do that again and I will slap you back.” Ramone continued, “I know much more about you, Jasper, and Phil than you could imagine. So I suspect several things. If the information about Jasper were leaked to the press, the families of his dead partners would likely sue Jasper’s estate. Secondly, if Phil’s family learned you committed adultery, polygamy, and bore a child, they may want to start a case to disinherit you from Phil’s estate and regain custody of the twins. Then there’s the Ignacio family. It’s my understanding they intentionally have not pursued you as they believe you were not aware of Jasper’s affairs. They do not know that you are living off their money. Perhaps I may have evidence that would make them believe otherwise.”
“I ask you again . . . what the hell do you want from me?”
“Six hundred and eighty-nine million U.S. dollars.”
“That is impossible! You leech! How dare you come into my life under false pretenses to extort money from my family?”
“I’ve had enough of your name-calling. Listen, Heather, I am checking out of The Grecian tomorrow. I’m leaving this bank account number for you to transfer the funds by 3:00pm today. If the money is not in the account by that time, I will be forced to make a call to someone who will immediately seek out his money from you. Trust me, I suspect whoever comes to greet you will not enter your life as warm and lovingly as I have.”
“GET OUT OF MY HOME, YOU SAVAGE!”
Ramone rose and said, “By the way, I’m glad I experienced being with you. I see why Jasper and Phil competed for you. You truly are beautiful. It’s unfortunate that you didn’t meet me first.”
“I SAID LEAVE!”
“Is that Jasper’s boy over there?”
“MELOS!”
“It must be. The bastard looks like the bastard.” Heather threw her book at Ramone as he turned away and left the estate to head back to his hotel. Solae was waiting for him in their hotel room.
“How did it go?” Solae asked Jasper as he closed the door.
“I don’t want to be overly confident, but I think I was pretty convincing.”
“Ramone, before we left New York, I warned you that this is illegal, and there could be severe consequences for doing this.”
“Solae, how many times do I have to tell you . . . if you don’t take significant risks in life, you’ll never reap lofty rewards.”
Solae was fed up with Ramone’s clichés. She spent so many years influenced by Ramone, and now more than ever, she hated his rationalized manipulation of people’s lives and his justified infidelity. It was time to stand strong.
“I don’t want to become wealthy this way. Why couldn’t you earn your wealth through your own intelligence like other men? Like Jasper and Phil?”
Ramone was insulted. “You ingrate. I’m doing all of this for you. When your career was turned upside down because you decided to fuck Jasper, did I ever once blame you? You screwed him for peanuts. A fraction of what I stand to gain from Heather Cunningham.”
“No, Ramone. I had no choice with Jasper.”
“Everyone has a choice, Solae. You got on your knees to that man. That was your choice. You let him degrade you. Your choice. You didn’t tell me about the events. Your choice. Was it really an assault, Solae?”
“Ramone, how could you rehash those awful events. You put me out there. You pushed me into Jasper’s den. You are doing all this for yourself. I never asked you for this.”
“In spite of all that, Solae, I stayed married to you. I stood by you over the difficult years. Now I need for you to stand by me on this.”
“I’m ashamed of what our lives have become.”
“Listen, you’re weighing me down. I have to take care of business.” Ramone stormed out of the hotel room.
Several hours later, Ramone called Solae at the hotel.
“She did it! Heather transferred the money. I’m looking at getting my share . . . a cool sixty million in cash coming my way. Baby, we did it! We are on easy street. Listen, I am heading over to the designated drop-off location to receive my money. Solae, I need for you to make the call now just like we discussed this morning. Tell the person who answers the phone that it’s done and that I will meet them in thirty minutes at the agreed-upon site.” As Ramone enthusiastically drove off to collect his payment, he thought about his meetings with Antonio Ignacio immediately after returning from Madelyn’s birthday party in Greece.
Flashback: Three Weeks Prior
“I’m glad that we have finally gotten an opportunity to meet, Mr. Ignacio,” said Ramone.
“What can I do for you?” replied Antonio unimpressed.
“I would like to help you get your money back. The money that Jasper Cunningham stole from you.”
Antonio looked at Ramone skeptically. Ramone had requested the meeting in Michigan with Antonio under the pretense that he would propose a marketing plan to revive the steel business.
“What money are you referring to?
“The $689 million he stole from your organization.”
“Really? And if that were true, how do you intend to do so?”
“I think you can leave that up to me. There are several things I will need, however. I’m requesting two round-trip airplane tickets to Greece, a room at a five-star hotel, and I need for you to establish an offshore bank account in my name that could receive the money without any questions. I will earn 60 percent of what I am able to retrieve.”
Recognizing Ramone’s naïvety, Antonio clapped his hands sarcastically. “You must have me mistaken for someone else. Have a nice day, Mr. Santos.” Antonio rose and walked toward his office door.
“I understand. Discretion is paramount.” Ramone got up and handed Antonio a business card. “Check me out. Here is my number. Call me when you want to do business.”
Three days later, Antonio summoned Ramone to meet him at a neutral location in upstate New York. Although Antonio was not impressed by Ramone and knew Ramone was outside of his league, he decided to play along with Ramone’s game. Aware that he could force Ramone to provide him with the information regarding his money, he wanted to learn all that could be discovered by establishing a relationship with him.
“Mr. Santos, I’m a gambling man. I think you’re worth the risk. But of course, there’s risk on my end as well. I’ll have my financiers set up an offshore bank account. I’ll also give you the travel and hotel you request. But you can’t get 60 percent of my money.”
“Then the deal is off,” replied Ramone.
Antonio was incensed. “Do you think I will let you just walk away having any information about what belongs to me? THIS is how it’s going to be! I want to know who has my money and where that person can be found. You’ll receive 10 percent of my money in cash and not a dime more. The account will not be in your name, but instead in the name of a neutral party that I designate. Furthermore, whosoever has my money will be mine to contend with.”
“No deal. If the money is returned, that person will be left alone.” Although Ramone felt he and Solae deserved the money, he did not want Heather harmed.
The two men weighed their alternatives against their ultimate objectives. Antonio realized it was easier to agree to get Ramone to proceed. While Ramone knew that 10 percent was more money than he would ever see in his lifetime. The men shook hands.
* * *
Ramone waited at the drop-off location for Antonio Ignacio’s contact to arrive with his 10 percent share of the money that Heather transferred. Ramone waited until 4:00 pm, an additional thirty minutes over the stated time when he decided to call the contact.
“Where are you? The money was transferred,” said Ramone.
“What are you talking about? It’s too late.”
“I don’t understand. She complied with the agreement. Call off any harm to Heather Cunningham,” Ramone said.
“Did you think this was a game? You were supposed to call by 3:00 pm.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Ramone.
“The hit is called. It may have been executed already. It was scheduled for four thirty if we did not hear from you.”
“But the call was made. My wife made the call.”
“No call was made.”
“Stop the hit! Stop the hit!” exclaimed Ramone.
“Don’t be so naïve, boy. You need to stick to fashion shows.” The person on the other end of the phone hung up.
“NO! NO!” Ramone exclaimed.
Ramone called Solae bewildered.
“Solae . . . Solae. Did you make the call? Did you do as I asked?”
“What’s going on, Ramone?”
“Solae, did you make the phone call today?”
“Listen, Ramone. I had no intention of furthering your illegal scheme to extort money from that woman. No, I did not make the call.”
“SOLAE . . . NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? DEAR GOD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”
“What happened? What was that call all about?” asked Solae.
“The Ignacio family sent a sharpshooter out to kill Heather Cunningham.”
“The Ignacio family? Ramone, how did you get involved with those mobsters? What is wrong with you?”
“I need to warn her.”
“What? Are you crazy? You’ll be killed too.”
Ramone hung up the phone. Unaware of the consequences, Solae had decided not to take part in stealing money from Heather, so she did not make the phone call Ramone requested. Therefore, the contact concluded that when they did not receive Ramone’s call, Heather had not transferred the money and that she was to be killed. Ramone entered his car to drive twenty-five miles into the country to Heather’s home. As he drove along the unpaved roads, the sky became dark, and heavy rains followed. Every five minutes, lightning flashed and thunder sounded. Ignoring the weather conditions, Ramone sped down the unfamiliar country roads nearly crashing into oncoming cars.
Unbeknownst to Ramone, Antonio Ignacio had never planned to pay Ramone the money. Ignacio had already confirmed the money was in his designated account and embarked on his own plan.
There was a knock on the room door at Ramone’s hotel room. Assuming that Ramone had come to his senses, Solae walked toward the door and remarked, “Thank goodness, you decided to come back.” She opened the door and was greeted by an armed man who shot a bullet in her temple. Solae fell to the ground instantly killed. The armed man searched the hotel room for Ramone and made a call on his cell.
“Fashion boy is not here.”
The person on the other end of the phone replied, “That son of a bitch.” There was a pause. “He must be with the Cunningham woman. Find them and take them both out.”
“What if they’re with the children?
“Get rid of the children too.”
Ramone pulled up to Heather’s house and ran to the front door. He frantically rang the bell, but no one answered. He banged continuously on the door concluding the rain and thunder prevented Heather from hearing the bell. He shouted her name; however, there was still no answer. He concluded that it was too late—she already had been killed. He needed to leave the scene immediately before he would be questioned or, worse yet, implicated for murder.
As Ramone started to run back to his car completely soaked from the torrential downpour, Heather’s Mercedes Benz pulled up. She was alone and immediately spotted Ramone. Unaware of Ramone’s intent, Heather assumed he had gotten the money that she transferred and had now returned to harm her and her family. She pulled out the gun that Jasper had taught her to use and jumped out the car which was still running with the high beam headlights on.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Heather sternly asked as she pointed the gun at Ramone.
Ramone immediately raised both of his hands in the air. “I’ve come to warn you. You’ve got to leave here at once,” Ramone desperately replied.
“I gave you the money. What more do you want?”
“It’s not me. It’s them. There was a misunderstanding. Look . . . there’s no time to explain. You have to get out of here.”
Heather continued pointing the gun at Ramone in the rainstorm. “You just extorted my life from me. To make it even worse, Jasper’s money was not in the bank account! The bank representatives told me today that Jasper’s account was zeroed out months ago! I didn’t even know until today! I had to give you my own money, you bastard. My father’s life! Phil’s wealth! My family’s inheritance!”
“What? What are you talking about?” Ramone was confused but recognized time was critical. “You have to leave this place now!”
“Why on earth should I believe anything you say?”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t believe me. But you have nothing to lose.”
“You took away my children’s future. We will have to leave our place. Our life as we know it will no longer exist. Our home will be gone. You took everything!”
“I did not take everything. You are a rich woman on your own. I only took what rightfully did not belong to Jasper.”
“Didn’t you hear me? There was no money! Jasper’s account was zeroed out! I gave you all of my family’s inheritance!” she cried.
“Dear god, I didn’t mean for any harm to come to you. I just wanted the money. Listen . . . they are coming to kill you. You have to leave. Get your children now and leave!”
Heather looked at Ramone’s eyes and saw a glimmer of truth. However, she did not lower the gun. They continued to argue at the front door in the heavy rain. In the interim, a car with dark windows pulled up. There were two men sitting in the car observing the dispute from the roadside. The heavy rain and wind made it difficult for them to clearly see what was going on. Consumed in their argument, Ramone and Heather were unaware of the car.
“Take them both out,” the driver said. The man in the passenger seat rolled down his window about one inch, just enough for the barrel of his gun to peer out.
“They keep moving around. I’m not sure I can get a good shot.” He aimed at his first target when he saw the Spanish police slowly drive up to the scene. Apparently, Martha had been inside the house all the while and called the local authorities. Simultaneously, Martha came downstairs and opened the front door to let Heather inside. The kids were surrounding Martha. The police saw Heather holding the gun aimed at Ramone whose arms were still up.
Given the police were there, the car with the gunman only had time for one shot. The heavy rain and blowing trees continued to obstruct the gunman’s view.
“Fire now and let’s get out of here,” the driver said. The gunman fired wildly toward the front door of Heather’s house. The police heard the gunshot and turned and fired toward the gunman’s car as it sped away. The gunman’s bullet had successfully hit his first target. Ramone was shot and lay dead on the front steps of the Cunningham home. Heather dropped her gun and ran to hug her children in the doorway.
* * *
On a warm, sunny private beach on her native island of St. Tilly, Tracey Bodden relished the ocean breeze topless in a flesh-tone string bikini bottom. The sand sparkled like diamonds in the afternoon sun. Tracey’s large brown sunglasses could barely shelter her eyes from the glistening. Tracey’s coconut-oiled body drank in the sun rays as she breathed a sigh of vengeance. The sliding glass door of the beach house opened. A handsome tall Latin gentleman walked toward Tracey carrying two glasses of mango juice with light rum on ice. He extended a glass to Tracey.
“Thanks, Antonio.” She took a sip, and they kissed each other deeply.
After the trial had ended, Tracey returned to work at Dale, Walton & Pierce Investment Bank. Her fellow partners were confident in her integrity and had no evidence of her malfeasance. However, Jasper’s accusations about Tracey during the trial were correct. As his investment banker, she knew the whereabouts of all his finances, including the Ignacio money. Tracey deliberately chose not to reveal this during the trial because she knew the authorities would seize the bank account. What benefit would that do? she thought at the time. She kept track of where Jasper had placed the money in El Bank de Spana waiting for her move. With Jasper’s haste in leaving the United States and his company folding, he had never removed Tracey’s authorization over the account.
Tracey waited patiently for over a year. When she believed the dust of the trial had finally settled, Tracey transferred $600 million to an offshore account in Bermuda. She immediately fled to the island of St. Tilly, believing Jasper would conclude that she was responsible and track her down. But Tracey was unaware that Jasper had been killed. The missing money went unnoticed until Heather attempted to withdraw it for Ramone’s extortion. When Heather learned the account was empty, she transferred her own wealth to Antonio’s account to meet Ramone’s demands. To date, Antonio is unaware that Tracey has the original money Jasper embezzled from him over the years.
Tracey had met Antonio through Jasper early on in their relationship during 2003. Antonio pursued Tracey, and she had simultaneous ongoing love affairs with both men. However, while Tracey thought she was in the running with two prospective husbands, neither Jasper nor Antonio truly wanted a future with her. She was solely viewed as a mistress, only to be used as means of pleasure and an enabler. Unbeknownst to Tracey, she was Antonio’s way of gaining information regarding Jasper’s financial affairs. Similar to other men in Tracey’s life, Antonio deceived Tracey with empty promises and hope.
Life on St. Tilly Island, however, was lonesome; and she yearned for Antonio’s unique attention, his eloquent, uninhibited, mysterious presence. She wanted his strong, powerful manliness by her side. Therefore, contrary to her best judgment, Tracey contacted Antonio a few months after she arrived on St. Tilly Island. Initially, Antonio ignored her calls since he had little use for Tracey in his life once Jasper was gone. But like many powerful men, Antonio was motivated by maintaining a relationship with someone who may be beneficial in his future endeavors, particularly with an investment banker who he could also enjoy sexually. Therefore, he decided to appease her for pleasure and potential advantages.
“I’m leaving my wife this time, Tracey.”
“How many times have you said those words? You’re only fooling yourself, Antonio.”
“You’ve been very patient. You’ve withstood more than you should have over these years.”
“Yes, who would have thought?” Tracey took off her sunglasses and sternly looked at Antonio. “You caused me a lot of pain. I made tremendous sacrifices.”
“Tracey, there was a time when I was uncertain whether or not you were conspiring with Jasper against me. I should have known better. I’ve apologized to you before, and I’ll say it again. I’m sorry. The idiot that my nephew brought to your apartment on that awful night paid with his life. Now that my money was returned to me, we can put this all behind us. Come here.” Tracey stood up and entered Antonio’s open arms; the sun’s reflection of his wedding band hit her eyes as he kissed her mouth hungrily.
As she stood in Antonio’s embrace, Tracey finally recognized that she had to maintain a powerful upper hand with the men in her life to be physically, emotionally, and financially protected. Antonio loosened the ties to her string bikini bottom and moved his hands and lips all over her body, caressing her bareness while she looked over his muscular shoulder at the blue Caribbean Sea. Surrendering herself to Antonio, he laid her down on the white sand and entered her body. However, Tracey was numb to Antonio and instead felt defiled from the maze of desperate deception.