a/n Hey everyone! After a mostly internal debate, the voices convinced me to keep going with the story (kidding, sort of, lol). Also, thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites after the last update! That definitely encouraged me to continue! Please review, and comment or PM with any ideas or points of confusion!
Wednesday morning Aria arrived at Umbrella Publishing a few minutes late. Fully expecting Jillian to tear her head off, she tentatively opened the door and crept towards her desk. Sophia waved good morning. "Don't worry," she said. "Jillian is in an early meeting. Her door was closed when I got here."
"Oh, thank god," Aria was relieved. Jillian had been particularly ferocious this week, what with Ezra's arrest and the loss of what was supposed to be another best seller. Aria looked around, not seeing Liam anywhere. "Where's Liam?" she asked Sophia. "I saw his car parked across the street. He never drives here."
"Oh, uhm," Sophia stuttered. "I believe he is with Jillian." Sophia was acutely aware of a tension between Aria and Liam, a tension so subtle, so below-the-surface, that even they weren't aware of it. She was afraid of what would happen if Liam were to get preferential treatment from Jillian as a result of Ezra's arrest. She wouldn't be able to pick sides in an argument.
"I wonder what they're talking about?" Aria queried innocently enough.
"It might have something to do with Ezra," Sophia suggested lightly. She was the only one in the office besides Liam that knew the true extent of Aria's relationship with Ezra. Most of the office knew he was her high school English teacher, a good many believed the rumors she was involved with Ezra during high school, but no one knew of the abuse.
"Oh, right, I heard he was released on bail yesterday," Aria replied. "They're probably trying to figure out how to get the advance back. Quarter of a million bail is hefty." The thought of Ezra roaming free made her apprehensive, but at least he was required to wear an ankle bracelet so he couldn't cause too much trouble. Right?
"I know, isn't it crazy his girlfriend is still by his side?" Sophia mused. In fact, Maggie knew quite a bit about the Fitzgerald Theater Company and their long involvement with human trafficking. The girl just chose to look the other way because Ezra played it off like his family was actually helping people escape their 3rd world hell. Besides, the money was fantastic.
"She's quite a gold digger, from what I've heard," Aria said. "With the amount of money Ezra supposedly had hidden in off-shore accounts it'd be easy to look the other way."
At that moment, Jillian's door opened and the intimidating woman stepped outside and called for Aria. Sophia and Aria could see Liam and some other guy in a tailored suit sitting behind her. Liam looked dumbfounded.
"Oh shit," Aria thought, having no idea why she was being called into a closed-office meeting. She glanced at Sophia, who looked at her apologetically, before standing up slowly. "Do I need to bring anything?" she nervously asked Jillian.
"Nope," her boss replied curtly. "Just your brain. I hope you had your Wheaties this morning," she added with the hint of a conspiratorial grin. She held the door open for Aria then shut it gently.
"This is Don Puzo, and of course you know Liam," Jillian pointed to the Italian in the Armani suit. He stood and offered his hand to Aria.
"Good morning, sir," Aria replied shyly. Her small hand was lost in the massive grip of Puzo.
"It's a pleasure," Don replied. "I heard about your unfortunate involvement with that Fitzgerald boy, the one who pathetically tried to hide behind the name Fitz," he shook his head amusedly. "I'd like to make you an offer."
Wide-eyed, Aria turned to Liam. "What did you tell them?"
"Oh don't worry about Liam," Puzo cut in. "I've got eyes and ears up and down the east coast. All your friend here did was corroborate my suspicions and stand up for your reputation."
"Don's family history and involvement with the Fitzgeralds goes back generations," Jillian spoke surprisingly softly. "Your involvement with Ezra only scratches the surface of his family's sordid history."
"Ezra's grandfather killed my father 2 decades ago. Made it look like an accident, but everyone knows Declan did it," Puzo scowled as he recalled the "accident" at his father Alfredo's top-secret nuclear research facility in Duchess County, NY.
"What Mr. Puzo came to offer is an opportunity," Jillian spoke again. "He'd like to cover the advance we gave to Ezra. In return he'd like to hear your story about being involved with Ezra."
Don's scowl was replaced by a soft smile. "I think there's a very good book you've got."
"But I haven't got a book. I'm an editorial assistant, not an author," Aria was stunned. The temperature of the room seemed to rise at least 10 degrees.
"Like I said, I've got eyes and ears up and down the east coast. The style of writing you adopted after Ezra's abuse speaks volumes. I'm fully confident you can write a best-seller that will make at least twice the amount as the Fitzgerald boy's book. I can fill you in on his family's past, and offer you protection from him. The boy was released on bail, and without a doubt I believe he will be after you sooner than later," Don explained.
"Liam will be assigned as your editor. I do not want this getting out to the rest of the team, so you two will have to keep it quiet. For now at least," Jillian added.
"Uhm, wow," Aria was bewildered. "How do you know about my writing?" The only person other than Liam she'd shared her writing with was her old roommate Iris who'd suggested she keep it to herself. Iris had spent a month-long stint in a place called The Preserve during her junior year of high school and knew the danger of sharing dark, semi-delusional or paranoid writing. They'd labelled her a paranoid schitizophrenic with psychosis. Iris lived through unimaginable Hell, having had a sociopathic serial killer roommate while she was there.
Don Puzo just brought his two index fingers up to tap the side of his eyes, indicating his omniscient knowledge. This was certainly not what Aria expected to walk into this morning.
"Well, can I at least talk to my boyfriend about it first?" she asked.
Jillian raised her eyebrows and glanced at Liam. "N-n-not me," Liam stuttered when he realized what Jillian was implying.
"Of course you can tell Jason," Puzo injected. "He'll be a larger part of the story than you think."
"How do you know…." Aria trailed off, as again the Don just brought his two index fingers up to tap the side of his eyes.
"Well, you don't have to answer right now," Don said sensing Aria's hesitation. He read the situation well enough to know he should not to come on too strong, but he also knew he would not be leaving Boston without convincing the girl to write the book. He'd even let her believe it was her own choice. "I leave for New York tonight. I'd like to have your answer by then." He stood up to leave, pulled a sizeable stack of $100 bills out and set it in the middle of the table. Jillian stood and walked Puzo to the front door, leaving Aria and Liam behind to discuss the proposition.
"Uhm, did we just get asked to join the Mafia or something?" Aria asked as soon as it felt safe to let out the breath she'd been holding.
"The Don's serious Aria," Liam spoke. "This is an amazing opportunity. I think we should do it."
"I don't know if I have it in me," Aria felt overwhelmed with the whirlwind of the last few months. Having to relive the nightmare that was her relationship with Ezra was draining. She didn't know if she could go through it all again and share it with the world.
"You're stronger than you think," Liam told her sincerely. "Just think about it."
With that, the pair walked out of the office and towards their empty desks.
During her lunch break, Aria walked down the block to meet up with Jason; the book proposition was weighing on her heavily and though she knew Jason was practically drowning in start-up duties for the Boston Carisimi expansion, she needed to see him.
"Hey sweetheart," Jason said as he kissed Aria softly on her cheek. "What's up?" Jason could hear the restrained tears when she'd called him an hour ago. All she could say was that she needed to see him. Jason figured it had something to do with Ezra, maybe the bastard had gone so far as to start harassing her the moment he was out on bail. Jason seethed with anger when he thought about it.
"Hey Jase, I got offered an opportunity to write a book this morning," she nonchalantly dropped the bomb in his lap.
Jason's eyes got wide and he wrapped his small girlfriend in a bear hug. "That's fantastic! Do you know what you want to write about?"
Aria relished the feeling of Jason's strong arms around her. Taking a deep breath, she lit the fuse. "It's supposed to be about Ezra. How I got involved with him and knew the true monster behind the fame."
"Oh," Jason's eyes got wider and his jaw dropped. "How did this come about?"
"I got to work this morning, and Liam was with Jillian and some guy from New York City named Don Puzo. The guy claimed he knew a lot about the skeletons in Ezra's family's closet."
"Ezra must be related to the Fitzgeralds that have the 'theater company' in New York," Jason mused, mostly to himself. "Fitz is laughingly not a far cry from Fitzgerald." Jason knew the Fitzgerald Theater Company was one of the biggest rackets in the city, one that somehow managed to evade the RICO laws. The name Puzo also sounded alarm bells, but Jason chose not to dwell on it.
"Yeah, well Don put 5 grand in cash on the table before he left the meeting. I'm supposed to let him know by the end of the day if I want to do it," Aria spoke nervously. "I don't know if I can handle reliving that, and share with the world what it was like."
Jason felt his stomach drop. He could see Aria's trepidation, could feel her anxiety. The book proposition, the money involved, the Italian business man she'd described, all hit Jason like a ton of bricks. Choosing his words carefully, Jason spoke with quiet reserve. "You can do anything you put your mind to Aria. I will support you in whatever you decide."
"I was hoping you'd be able to sway my decision," Aria mumbled. Part of her was really afraid of writing the book, but part of her was excited to show the world what made the famous author tick. Jason paused.
"I think you should do it," Jason said quite frankly and with conviction. Though the thought of his girlfriend having to relive the hell Ezra put her through almost broke his heart, he'd learned the best way to conquer one's demons is to face them head-on. It was a terrifying thing to do, but that's how he'd gotten through his darkest moments. No matter what, they were in this together. "The entire world needs to know what a monster Ezra is. I am here for you every step of the way."
They ordered sandwiches and soda from the Deli, and sat at a table by the window. Jason told Aria about the meeting he'd managed to score with the mayor of Boston later that afternoon. "I can't believe I got in with the guy so quickly."
"Why wouldn't you? The Carisimi group in New York has really taken off and you're an international philanthropist," Aria stated proudly, happy for the change in discussion.
"The meeting is not until 4 pm, and it is in Center City, so I will not likely get back out to this area until after 6. Would you mind taking the bus home? I don't want you to wait around, especially if no one is going to be in the office."
"Not at all," Aria replied. "Liam drove this morning, so I can ask him to take me home if that's ok."
"Sounds great," I'll pick up food on my way home. Jason told his girlfriend. He had no animosity towards Liam, and couldn't think of a less-threatening coworker for Aria. Not that he was jealous or anything.
As soon as Aria walked back into the building that housed Umbrella Publishing, Jillian called her into her office. "Have you thought about Don Puzo's offer?"
"I have barely been able to stop thinking about it," Aria replied. "I just spoke to Jason about it, and I think I want to do it."
"Please, Aria," Jillian cut her down a notch. "I need more resolve. The Don is a big-hearted guy, but he can be intimidating. I need to know you are in this 100%."
"Only if Liam is in," Aria haggled with her boss.
"I guarantee you he is in," Jillian said, waving Liam in as he returned from lunch. Then turning her attention towards the door, she said, "Aria's in."
Liam broke out into a huge grin and hugged his coworker. "That's fantastic!"
"Now, now, this needs to stay professional. That means no more sleeping together," Jillian looked at her two junior editors sternly.
"Aria's boyfriend is back from Ethiopia and free from the leech he picked up there, so I am living solo again," Liam told their boss.
Jillian looked at them quizzically. "It's a long story," Aria began, "but this guy I dated for a few months went to Ethiopia with the Peace Corps and returned with some clingy chick who cheated on him with Ezra. That's actually the nicest thing Ezra's done for me since I was in high school."
Liam couldn't help but snicker at Aria's sarcasm and poetic description of the situation. This book was going to be a hell of a lot of fun.
"Great," Jillian told them. "I'll call Don and let him know the good news. He's probably going to want to take you two out to discuss some terms before he leaves for New York."
Aria looked tentatively at Liam. He grinned from ear to ear, which made Aria feel more confident. They walked back to their desks, objects of quizzical stares from their cube-mates. Everyone knew about the disaster surrounding Ezra Fitz, and the litigation to have the advance returned. No one had any idea what had transpired between him and Aria or that closed-door meeting with the Italian businessman.
Don Puzo pulled out Aria's chair in the small, dimly-lit café he'd arranged to meet Aria and Liam at. It smelled robustly of espresso and cigar smoke. A waiter appeared immediately with a tray of cannolis, 3 cups of espresso and a bottle of Congac. Aria took a small sip of the espresso, trying not to wince.
"I'm glad you've decided to write the book," the Don smiled. "However, I don't want a single word of this getting out to the public. I've also arranged for protection," the Don assured. "Discretely of course."
"What sort of protection do we need?" Aria began to second-guess her decision already.
"Oh nothing to be too worried about. The Fitzgerald boy is dangerous, but my men will make certain he does not get within 100 yards of you. Of course, there'll be other Fitzgerald soldiers moving in soon that will have to be taken care of," the Don made a gruesome face as he said "Fitzgerald soldiers." Their organization was laughable in comparison to the Don's own family.
Liam glanced stone-faced at Aria, hoping to assuage her fear. Unfortunately Aria picked up on his fear which added to hers. The Don reached out with his meaty hands and squeezed their shoulders in reassurance. "Neither of you has anything to worry about."
"Will we have to move?" Aria managed to squeak out.
The Don laughed heartily. "Oh no, dear, this is not witness protection. Far more effective protection than that. Doing anything out of the ordinary will only arouse suspicion. You two will continue to commute as usual to Umbrella Publishing, working in your cubicles as usual and spending time outside of work as you had working on Ezra's book. No one will know Ezra's book got dropped. I've already made that clear with the media."
Aria looked at him stunned. She lifted her espresso cup to find it empty, though she couldn't recall having drank it. The meeting had grown so intense she was oblivious to the pure, dark roast espresso, and Aria was not one to drink any kind of black coffee.
"Well," the Don noticed her empty cup and called their waiter over. He arrived with three snifters and poured a healthy dose of cognac for each at the table. "Now that the protection is covered, let's get to business," the Don continued after a long sip of cognac. He leaned back and pulled a cigar from inside his jacket, offering one to Aria and Liam. Aria shook her head no but Liam accepted. The Don cut the tips and lit both cigars at once.
"How would you like the book to proceed?" the Don asked Aria. "I was thinking instead of strict chronological order, you could begin in the middle. Then as you proceed mixing in flashbacks. I will of course help with flashbacks from before your time. I think if we mix some old Fitzgerald history in with your memories we can operate from a position of surrealism. That sort of writing is far more powerful than strictly chronological story-telling."
"I agree," Aria began as the brandy warmed her throat and loosened her vocal chords. "The whole situation was very surreal to me, and I can't possibly imagine laying it out in chronological order."
"I think that's a great idea," Liam piped in. "
Meanwhile, the mayor of Boston welcomed Jason warmly into his office. There was a small woman with red hair and red eyes sitting on a couch.
"Jason, so good to see you," the mayor shook his hand firmly with a hi of a smile that was punctuated by the lady's sad eyes. "I'd like you to meet Elizabeth," he waved his arm to the woman.
Jason walked over to Elizabeth and took her hand softly in his, squeezing gently with reassurance as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Jason DiLaurentis of the Carisimi Group," he said. Silence held the stage for a long beat.
The mayor cut back in, as Elizabeth was evidently too overwhelmed to speak. "We were just discussing Elizabeth's daughter Casey. Casey was a student at Boston Central, and two weeks ago she took her own life," the mayor spoke grimly. "Elizabeth is very interested in a middle and high school program that will enable adolescents to stand up for themselves in the face of adversity."
"My daughter was molested by her stepbrother Ashe for three years," Elizabeth spoke with a soft anger. "My ex-husband Brent and I shared joint custody of Casey and her two brothers Phil and Michael. Their step brother was a year older than Casey, was an only child and apparently his father had walked out on him when he was 2 years old. Ashe was about 6 inches taller than his mother at only 14. Had no real role model growing up, as if that is an excuse for what he did." Elizabeth scoffed and rolled her eyes angrily.
Jason smiled gently at the woman and squeezed her hand encouragingly as she began to shake. "Casey never told me anything about it. Phil mentioned to me that Casey and Ashe got along very well, almost too well he joked. Whenever she got home from her dad's house Casey seemed happy and bubbly, I always assumed it was because her stepmother took her shopping frequently. I felt that Casey preferred Edie's taste in clothing because I wasn't fashionable enough." Elizabeth began to cry. "Though maybe it was just to over-compensate for how she felt after being touched by Ashe. She didn't want anyone to know about it.
"I had no idea what really went on at their house. I heard rumors that Casey and Ashe had a bit of a romance going on, but Casey denied that. She said they were just friends, and it creeped her out to think of Ashe as anything more than that. I wish I had taken the rumors more seriously and approached her father about it, maybe I could have prevented her death?"
"You shouldn't blame yourself," Jason consoled her. "It sounds like Casey was a very strong girl, but one can only take so much bullying and abuse. My sister and her friends were bullied incessantly in high school by anonymous stalkers. I know one of them attempted suicide at least once."
Elizabeth smiled sadly. "I know my case is far from isolated. Teenage suicide has been on the rise in recent years. The cyber-world likely plays a large part in that. I'd like to use Casey's story to help open dialogue and reduce teenage suicide."
After Jason left the meeting, he called Aria immediately. Listening to the story of Casey and the abuse she'd kept hidden for years struck a chord. Knowing Ezra was out of jail make him even more scared for Aria.
"Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" she asked as she excused herself from the table. "How did the meeting go?"
"It was intense," he replied. "How would you feel about going out tonight rather than eating take-out? I was thinking maybe that new Japanese fusion restaurant. The one that has vegan sushi?"
"Uhm, yeah, that sounds good," Aria said slowly, wondering how much longer she'd be. It was nearing 6 pm, and she'd been with Liam and the Don for a good 3 hours. "I'm still meeting with Don Puzo, but I can hop on the bus and meet you. Do you think we need a reservation?"
"I'll call and make a reservation for 7:30," he replied. "Where are you guys? I'll come meet you so you don't have to travel alone." Jason was very upset by the meeting he'd just gotten out of. Elizabeth had gone into details of Casey's suicide, and though he felt guilty and somewhat selfish about it, he could only think of Aria. What would he do if the whole Ezra thing got that far out of hand for her? Jason didn't want to let Aria out of his sight, and especially didn't want her to be travelling through the city by herself at night. Aria gave him the name of the café, and Jason arrived within 30 minutes. Aria was astonished to see Jason walk in and warmly greet Mr. Don Puzo as "Uncle Vito."
Ezra had been picked up outside Boston the previous Sunday afternoon when he arrived at the residence he shared with his girlfriend Maggie, their son Malcom and unborn child. Of course Ezra had bought a house with all the money he had from the first book as well as extra-lawful activities. He wanted to be close enough to the city that public transportation was freely available, but secluded enough to not have nosy neighbors. Maggie picked out a place in some Boston suburb that felt like Rosewood. The Rosewood of Massachusetts, the Rose-Mass, if you will.
FBI agents had surrounded their house and swarmed on the family as they stepped out of Ezra's BMW. Maggie looked on flabbergasted as Ezra denied any association with the Fitzgerald Theater Company Little Tykes League. Maggie quickly ushered Malcom into his bedroom and told him to stay put. Everything was just a misunderstanding. After returning outside, all Maggie could see was Ezra being shoved forcefully into the FBI van.
"No, don't! He's not what you think he is! He doesn't even associate with his family anymore!" Maggie screamed hysterically. It was all for naught, however. The FBI agents closed Ezra in the car and drove away.
Three days later, after calling Ezra's brother Wesley, Maggie had the money to bail Ezra out. He left the precinct with an ankle monitor, but Ezra knew enough well-meaning ex-felons that he could get out of it without a problem. In fact, Wesley had arranged for their family lawyer to meet them at Ezra's house to discuss the situation. From there, Ezra was sure he'd experience no hindrance from the child's play ankle monitor…