Recourse 2 (The Arrangement) by Amy Silva Page A

back from the window. “Is it true they still have no idea who is backing him?”

    Chase tightened his lips, “His lawyers are protecting his money source like it’s Fort Knox. There are some rumors of a large benefactor from overseas.” He lifted his hand up and shook his finger. “All I know is this guy was working a desk job in London ten years ago, and now he’s worth a fortune.”

    “May be he won the British version of the power ball.” I said trying to lighten the mood.

    “He can win it five times in a row, he can’t have any of my pie. Matrox will change the world forever.”

    “Almost here.” Amy pointed to the lights shining through the wall of carefully trimmed bushes. The evening clouds above were illuminated in soft yellow tones of the commotion on the other side.

    The road veered left and became a long circular driveway. The large stone fountain in the middle was carved with mermaids who held up the spewing vases. My eyebrows crawled up as I looked over the line of cars outside straight off the pages of luxury magazines. Black, red, white, the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys glossed in the mansion lights. The excited couples dressed in long black dresses and sharp tuxedos flocked towards the majestic, golden leafed front doors. My eyes turned into saucers as my mouth dropped when I took at the mansion. Five stories of light brown brick with blue castle peaks and impressive columns to each side of the main entrance glass work that stretched all the way to the third floor and shined bright from the lights inside. It easily took up a city block. The giant, half rounded glass windows on the first and second floors lit up in the night with the golden shine. The ball rooms stretched for what seemed like forever as the giant chandeliers illuminated the people animatedly chattering inside. Hundreds of them, they contributed to the buzzing and the accompanying sounds of glasses ringing to various toasts. The murmur was helped along by the soft music that came from the orchestra somewhere inside.

    We parked the car by the front and emerged with polite smiles already plastered across our faces. They were immediately returned by the passers-by as we walked towards the party.

    “Oh, I almost forgot.” Chase squeezed our arms as he walked in between Amy and I. “I have a little present for you girls when we get back.”

    We raised our eyebrows in unison and studied his smirking face as he avoided our eyes and looked straight ahead. A smile ghost of a smile ran across his lips, “No hints, but you will love it. Make sure to save energy for later.”

CHAPTER 2

    Amy and I were all smiles and bored out of our minds. She found a moment to escape the dozens of people who came over to congratulate her on her husband’s success while causally mentioning they would be thrilled to do lunch or dinner. I was at awe at this woman. She was just the right amounts of gracious, polite, kind and deadly stunning. Her movement was delicate yet supplemented by the cat like instincts as she moved around the room. I felt more like a farm girl as I tried to keep up and find things to say. “A designer. Yes, from New York. No, not the fashion kind. Nothing that you would know. It is true that company spent $20,000 on a logo that looked like a stick figure playing with himself.”

    The thick black maze of astronomically expensive tailored decadence buzzed around us in the night. Amy twisted her body and turned and quickly ducked as her widened eyes met mine just below my face.

    “Crap, I just saw Loushen!” she whispered. “Did he see us?”

    My eyes scanned the room behind her. “What does he look like?”

    “At your eleven. Tall and thin with caved in cheeks, big nose, and ruffled black hair. Red butterfly.”

    “I see him.” I nodded. “He isn’t looking over here.”

    “Good,” she exhaled and gave me a playful grin, “Let’s escape while we still can.”

    She took my left hand and crept by me,