CHAPTER 66
"Are you ok Angel?" Gideon says to Eva as he carefully lifts himself off her and holds his hand out to her to help her up. She nods and assures him she is unhurt. She grasps his hand and he helps her to her feet, then she glances at me and making eye contact gives me a brave and slightly defiant smile which immediately reassures me. I look and see Christian doing the same thing whilst fussing over Ana.
"I'm fine Christian" Ana says as she brushes a shaky hand down her dress to smooth it.
Both Eva and Ana look in our direction and along with Ireland come closer to see how Christopher is doing.
"Has someone called the paramedics?" Christian asks.
"They're on their way" Jason says as he appears from nowhere and crouches beside me pulling off his tie.
"Here Christopher, let me see" he says calmly. I release my hold on Christopher's arm and help Jason remove his jacket, so we can see the extent of the damage to it.
"Hold still" Jason says calmly and Christopher nods, he is clearly in pain as his face is pale and has a sheen of sweat covering it.
A wave of relief goes through us as we see that Christopher was correct and the bullet didn't actually go in his arm. It just caught him a glancing blow on its way past. Jason looks up and I realise he is searching for where the bullet possibly went.
"Your arm is a bit of a mess but not as bad as it could've been" I say as Jason quickly wraps his tie around Christopher's arm as a bandage.
When that is done Jason stands and examines a pillar just behind us and runs his finger down it and then looks at another. He moves towards it and calling to Angus he points at it.
Angus joins him and pulling a bag and small knife out of his pocket proceeds to photograph the bullet in the pillar before skilfully extracting it and dropping it into the bag.
I frown as that could be construed as treading on the toes of law enforcement when they come to examine the scene but as the NYPD flood the room a tall distinguished looking man strides forward and making a beeline for Angus smiles at him. They exchange words and Angus points to the pillar before pulling out his phone and tapping on the screen. The other man pulls his phone from his pocket and nods as he also accepts the bag containing the bullet.
"Excuse me sir, if you could step aside". I realise I am being spoken to and I pull my attention away from Angus and Jason as I turn towards the new voice which spoke to me.
I see a paramedic and I quickly move away from Christopher to let them tend to him, whilst giving them what information I have from my observations of his wound. The paramedics nod in understanding as they take over, and I take another step away from them to give them space. As I do so I feel a hand on my arm.
"Is… is he really going to be ok?" a small voice stammers.
I turn and see Ireland who is pale and has tears in her eyes as she looks up at me. I see she is also trembling violently and I realise she is in shock. I take off my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders and wrapping my arm around her I nod.
"He'll be fine, it's just a graze. The paramedics will take him to the hospital and get him patched up and he will be as good as new" I say as I rub my hand rhythmically up and down her arm.
This seems to reassure her and the trembling starts to lessen.
"Ireland". I turn and Gideon has joined us and is looking down at his little sister anxiously.
"I'm ok… are you?" she asks him and he smiles kindly at her.
"I'm fine, and thank you for defending me tonight although I dread to think what the media will make of your little outburst. With a bit of luck though, the other events will overshadow it and keep their attention".
Ireland looks surprised, "You're not trying to shield her are you? I won't let you shield her if the media rips her apart for what she did, because she deserves everything she gets after what she did to you. I hope the media heard what I said and dig into it as she deserves everything she gets after the way she has treated you like shit all these years".
I listen and the way Ireland is rambling and repeating herself makes me realise it is the shock talking and she still isn't herself.
Gideon sighs, "I get that, but there are ways to go about things Ireland" he says gently.
I see Ireland think for a moment "So… could you be in trouble for having the evidence that implicates her and not passing it on?" she asks after a moment.
Gideon shakes his head, "No, I'll be fine" he reassures her.
oooOOOooo
The next morning…
(EVA)
"Hey sis! Have you seen the news websites and the TV news? It's full of what happened last night with Landon. I've also had Elliot on the phone in a state checking Christian and I were ok, has he called you yet? He said the media in Seattle are also going into meltdown over it".
I sigh and rub my eyes; I was awakened this morning by my phone ringing and I had spent about 10 minutes reassuring Elliot that we were all fine, and that had just been the start as my phone has also been pinging incessantly with news notifications, telling me the events of last night have pretty much blown up the internet. I knew that it would be bad but nothing quite prepared me for just how bad it really is.
"Yes, I've spoken to El, he called me earlier and as for the news reports I've seen them. We've also got a large contingent of reporters and photographers outside the penthouse, what about you are they camped outside your apartment as well?" I ask.
"Yep" Ana replies simply. "In other news, how's Christopher?" she adds after a moment.
"He's fine, it was just a graze as dad suspected and he got patched up. His arm is still obviously a bit sore but it was nothing serious. Ireland is here with us as Christopher was at the hospital, she came home with us and stayed here for the night. I think it all got to her a bit more than she is letting on but she was a hero in my eyes for the way she took down Elizabeth".
I hear a small snort of laughter, "I know, I don't think Elizabeth knew what to do when Ireland laid into her but I don't think that will be the last we hear of it. The media are too focussed on Landon going postal at the moment but it won't be long before they dig into the other shit that went down as too much was said and too many people heard it – which was Ireland's intention" Ana says.
I nod in agreement although Ana can't see me, "I agree, when the media start sniffing round asking questions it won't be long before someone mentions it" I say.
I hear a voice in the background and realise Christian is there and speaking to Ana.
"Eva, put the TV on channel 7" Ana says.
I pick up the remote control and switch on the TV and turn to channel seven. There I see a reporter standing outside the hotel. I roll my eyes and shake my head, why on earth do they think that is a good idea? It all happened last night it's not as if anyone is still there.
I turn up the volume and listen.
"…a number of witnesses have reported that Ryan Landon appeared from nowhere and stormed into the function room where the Crossroads charity gala was being held. He was heard to yell that he was going to kill Christian Grey and Gideon Cross for what he perceived as the two billionaire businessmen's role in financially ruining him.
Landon has held a long standing and public grudge against Gideon Cross for the actions of his late father whose Ponzi Scheme decimated the Landon fortune amassed by his father Eric. In recent times a series of unwise business decisions put Landon's own company LanCorp in financial difficulty and Grey Enterprise Holdings as the primary shareholder stepped in to try and rescue the company. However, things were worse than it appeared and GEH had no alternative but to cut their losses and liquidate the company. It seems that the link between the Grey and Cross families made Landon believe that Grey liquidated his company deliberately to help his brother-in-law Gideon Cross maintain his company's dominance, with Cross Industries new recently released GenTen game console which was in direct competition with LanCorp's PhaseOne system. The release of which had been rumoured to be imminent but which then had been inexplicably postponed. We can't help but wonder if the financial situation at LanCorp was so desperate that the company was on the verge of collapse and was unable to launch the new system".
I continue to watch and hear the anchor in the studio ask a number of questions relating to the fact that Landon had a gun and that Christopher was shot which the reporter answers vaguely and they also question how Landon managed to get in at all when he was clearly armed. Then the anchor moves to another reporter who is standing outside the police precinct, where it is believed Landon is being held.
I don't want to hear anymore and I turn off the TV.
"Landon isn't being portrayed in a very positive way" I say carefully.
I hear Ana let out a derisive snort at that, "No, and to be honest it's no more than he deserves. He let his stupid grudge rule his life. Geoffrey Cross is long gone and yet he still seemed to believe that Gideon had to pay for what his father did. It's stupid, Gideon was five years old when Geoffrey died how on earth can he be held accountable for his father's actions?" she says.
I sigh, "I know, it was like Landon was completely blinkered. El was right about him though, his hatred was just eating him away and it had seriously warped him. He was just obsessed with getting one over on Gideon and it completely consumed him and the fact Gideon always came out on top no matter what he did to try and needle him just made him worse and the obsession greater".
"Yes" Ana replies, "Christian said he was shocked at how LanCorp was even still functioning. His finances were a complete mess. If GEH hadn't taken the action they did the company would've folded anyway in the immediate future".
I go to respond but pause as I hear raised voices in the hallway. "Listen Ana, I have to go" I say quickly and after we say our goodbyes I go to investigate. I open the door and see my father toe to toe with Gideon and he is scowling fiercely. Gideon looks a picture of calmness with his corporate impassive mask firmly in place but I can tell by the set of his shoulders, his ramrod stiff back and slightly clenched fists that he isn't as calm as he is trying to portray.
"What's going on?" I ask as I look at my dad and then my husband questioningly.
"Your husband is trying to pack me off back to California out of the way" my dad blurts out as he waves his hand in Gideon's direction.
Gideon sighs and rubs his forehead with his fingers, "Victor I am doing no such thing. I am trying to protect your privacy and maintain your anonymity. If the media discover who you are your life will be dissected and you will be hounded which won't be good for you or your career as a police officer. I am simply saying that I want to get you out of New York as soon as possible before the media make the inevitable link to Eva. At the moment they are assuming you were anonymous extra hired security, as your actions last night gave them no reason to think otherwise and as such they have simply dismissed you. The introduction that Ireland made seems to have been overlooked in light of everything else that happened and I want to keep it that way – for your sake".
I see immediately what Gideon is trying to do and I step forward to try and placate my father.
"Dad, he's only trying to help and he's not trying to get rid of you. Ray went through hell when it all came out that he was Ana's dad when she got with Christian and they still hound him now when stuff happens. I bet any money he has a horde of reporters outside his door this morning looking for comment on last night's events. I don't want that kind of intrusion for you, and neither does Gideon – especially as you are a cop, as if the media show too much of an interest in you it could seriously affect your job and put you and your colleagues at risk… I nearly lost you once when you were shot, I don't want anything else to happen to you just because some stupid reporter wanted a fucking story". I pause for his response, I know I am blatantly manipulating him by saying that but I don't care, I don't want those vultures messing up his life.
My dad pauses and listens and I see the scowl slowly vanish as he thinks about what I have said.
He turns to Gideon once more, "Alright I'll play it your way but you will keep me informed and in the loop of everything that happens?" he asks and Gideon nods.
"That goes without saying" he says simply.
I step forward and wrap my arms around my dad, "I know you don't want to go right now and if I'm honest I don't want you to go either, but that is selfish of me because the longer you stay in New York the more likely it is that who you are will come out. You've seen the crowd of reporters outside, imagine that outside your precinct?" I say and my dad nods.
"With that in mind how will I get out of here?" he asks.
Gideon thinks for a moment, "They believe you are hired security so if you were to leave with Raul and Angus there would be no reaction to it. I'll also get Angus to call in a few more of our security guys to add more credibility to their assumptions. That would be happening anyway with the number of media currently outside".
An hour later and my dad leaves the apartment accompanied by a number of security operatives on Gideon's payroll. As Gideon predicted, the media take notice of this but don't go into a frenzy as they know they will get no information from any of these men and basically just let them go without too much of a fuss. It is a different story when Gideon and I try and leave, Angus is with us and the reporters all surge forward on mass to try and get some sort of comment from us. We face the media gauntlet again when we reach Christian and Ana's apartment and are ushered inside.
"Did your dad get off ok?" Ana asks as she hugs me tightly.
I nod, "We said our goodbyes at the apartment and then managed to get him out. He text me a short while ago saying that he was about to take off and would call me when he arrived back in California".
"How's Ireland?" Ana asks next and I smile.
"She's ok now that she is convinced Christopher is going to be fine. She's gone back to his apartment and I think they are just having a quiet day keeping to themselves".
Ana acknowledges that with a nod but doesn't say anything else. She is silent for a moment and then she speaks again, "Hmm, I'm not sure what repercussions Ireland's little outburst last night will have on Christopher's position at Vidal Records, as he works there for his father and now that there is clearly tension there now that they are fully aware of all the facts" she says.
I realise she has a valid point, but before I can answer Gideon speaks up.
"I am the primary share holder of Vidal Records, so Christopher's position there is safe. I have spoken to him this morning as he expressed a similar concern after what went down. I have told him that if his father starts acting unreasonably towards him with regard to Vidal Records, he is to inform me immediately. However, I don't think Chris is that petty. He had no issues coming to me begging for help when the company was in danger of folding and was willing for me to save the company from going under despite what he thought of me on a personal level. As far as he is concerned Vidal Records is business and everything else is personal so therefore not relevant. He has always been good at compartmentalising like that and we have always been civil when discussing Vidal Records, probably because he knows I hold all the cards there but it will be useful in this instance, but I am also aware that previously he had his own son on side now he has not and so things could be different and if they are I will deal with it" he says calmly.
Ana nods, "When he showed up the other day at your office and when I spoke with him afterwards, he struck me as though all he is concerned about is public perception and how he looks and what people think of him. That was his main concern that Ireland knew the truth and he realised the truth made him and Elizabeth look bad, so having said that, I don't think he will jeopardise that by being an asshole towards Christopher at work as I am guessing he is hoping that this business with Landon will eradicate all the other stuff that was said last night and I think he will still try and get his biological children back onside somehow".
Gideon nods, "I don't doubt that for one second, Ireland has assured me she is done with both of them but as Christopher works alongside his father… I would be a fool not to consider the possibility that he is going to backtrack on his support towards me".
I wrap my arms around Gideon and squeeze him tightly my anger starting to bubble under the surface, at Gideon's easy acceptance that his fledgling relationship with his brother could come to an end. But Ana shakes her head.
"I don't think he will Gideon" she says carefully, "To begin with, Ireland is living with him now so she would give him hell if he flipped and I honestly believe he wants a relationship with you. Plus, last night when he was shot, yes Elizabeth and Chris came over the picture of concern but it didn't take much for them to retreat again when Ireland laid into them and told them that what had happened to Christopher was Elizabeth's fault – they really couldn't get away quick enough and just left him".
Gideon nods again, as he thinks about that, "Well, there is no point in surmising what will happen as I'm sure everything will become clear within the next few days, but it is always prudent to look at every eventuality and be prepared for it".