“You know, I think you were right about needing this,” Teddy Bear said, hoisting his now-empty glass. “But I’m also pretty sure you were right about me needing a ride home.”

  “Got you covered,” I said appreciating the grace with which he’d taken the story.

  “So, um, about me going to Japan,” he said as we walked back to the party, “If you think it isn’t going to, well, cramp your style or cause friction with Emmy, I’m still down to go. I can’t speak Japanese like Andy might, but I could use the excuse to get outta town for a bit.”

  “Emmy’d be fine with it,” I assured him. “Let me talk to the people over there to make sure it’s cool if I bring one more.”

  “One more? How many people are you planning on bringing?”

  “That’s another delicate topic. I want to bring enough muscle that they take me seriously, but not so much that it looks like a power play. I’d like to bring six of my heavies, but that’s probably too many, especially if I’m also bringing you and my translator. So, realistically, that means three heavies, plus you, the translator, and me,” I said.

  “Heavies?” Teddy Bear asked.

  “The cream of my death squad crop,” I said with a dismissive shrug.

  “Um…” Teddy Bear said.

  “I’m just kidding. But they are hard-hitting bodyguards,” I assured him.

  “Makes sense you might want ‘em,” Teddy Bear admitted. “I can buy my own tickets, if that makes a difference,” Teddy Bear said.

  “No, that won’t be necessary. You’d fly with us- unless you want to arrive or leave early,” I added.

  “Like I said, I’m on hiatus right now so I’m free as a bird until February,” Teddy Bear assured me.

  “Alright,” I said. “The plan is to fly into Chubu and take a train to Iga. Your best bet is an easy-to-maneuver carry-on bag,” I explained. “We can buy anything we need or forget, so don’t overpack,” I told him.

  “This is gonna be cool,” Teddy Bear said with a grin.

  “Where did you guys go?” Darius asked when we pulled up to the bar to exchange our empty glasses for full ones.

  “Leah’s got some business to take care of in Japan, and I invited myself along,” Teddy Bear replied, looking a bit smug.

  “Man, the way Andy talks about that place makes me want to go, too,” Darius said accepting a fresh drink from Rodney, the bartender with a few too many facial piercings.

  “Leah said she wanted Andy to come, but you guys are going to the playoffs this year,” Teddy Bear said.

  “Yeah, we think we can maybe go all the way,” Darius confirmed. “We’re looking good.”

  “You guys have been kicking’ it this season,” Teddy Bear said, raising his glass in a salute.

  “Gotta make the bonuses,” Darius replied, clinking his glass against Teddy Bear’s.

  Leaving the two of them talking about the Rams’ chances to make it to the Super Bowl, I went to find Emmy to tell her that Teddy Bear might come with me to Japan.

  Asking around, I was told she was down in the wine cellar, which in fact was where she turned out to be.

  “This is from my family’s vineyards in southwestern France,” she was explaining to a small group down there with her. “We have been growing wine grapes for over a thousand years on our land-”

  “I’m sorry, did you say your family has been making wine for over a thousand years?” asked Geoff’s wife Linda, surprised.

  “Yes, that is correct,” Emmy replied. “Our lands are in the Bordeaux region, and the vineyards were already well established when we were given the grant by Guillaume le Grand for my ancestor’s aid in keeping peace in the Aquitaine court.”

  The small group gathered there in the wine cellar had no idea how to respond to that- they stood there for a long moment trying to process the idea that their host’s family has been French nobility for fifty generations or so, through however many wars, revolutions, changes in empire, plagues… A thousand years is a whole lot of history.

  “I’ve heard the phrase ‘old money’ plenty,” Linda said, “But that’s ancient money”

  “My grandmother’s side of the family-“ Emmy started to say, but then changed her mind and simply said, “Their history is much older than that.”

  “That’s hard for me to wrap my brain around,” Solange admitted, still holding the bottle of wine that Emmy had handed her. “My grandma, she really got into the whole genealogy thing and traced the family back, like two hundred years, and that’s a lot.”

  “It is much harder to try to piece a family tree backwards like that than it is to keep good records all along,” Emmy said with a laugh. “My ancestors have been keeping careful track for a very, very long time, and handing the records down. That is how I know that one of my great uncles many times removed killed the last of the Maghreb kings in Marrakesh in 1269 in the Western calendar, and another was involved in the sack of Constantinople. We have birth and life records for a very, very long time in our family archives.”

  “That is mind-blowing,” Stephen said. “Why isn’t this better known?”

  “One of the main keys to our success over the years,” Emmy said, “is staying out of the limelight. We have been careful to not draw too much attention.” Then, to change the subject, she said, “But that is old and dusty history. It is boring. I would much rather talk about this vintage- I was ten years old when these grapes were harvested. I remember visiting our family lands that summer and it was exceptionally hot and dry, after a very wet spring. The grapes were so large and sweet! I ate so many of them that my hair turned purple!”

  “Seriously?” Solange asked.

  “No, I am joking. My hair did not turn purple, but my clothes did,” Emmy said with a laugh. “My favorite blouse was so stained that my nanny gave up trying to clean it and instead soaked it in grape juice so the color would be consistent.”

  “That must have been amazing to grow up on an estate in southern France like that,” Linda said.

  “Oh, I did not grow up there,” Emmy replied with a shrug. “I grew up in Paris. I only visited the ancestral lands with my parents in the summers. It is very a typical thing for French people to visit the villages they came from in the summers,” Emmy explained. “To be completely honest, I mostly resented going down there. The chateau is very, very old, and I thought it smelled musty. The only things to do there were to play in the fields or vineyards, and the children my age in the village were- in retrospect it is obvious, but I did not understand it at the time- wary of playing with the rich Parisian kid. I was an outsider to them, even if my family insisted otherwise.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Linda said.

  “So let us open a few of these bottles to enjoy a taste of my childhood!” Emmy suggested, taking the bottle back from Solange to cut the foil and uncork the wine.

  Recognizing that this wasn’t the right time to talk about Japan, I declined any wine for myself and went to see if I could find my other driving buddies.

  Since I was near the garage, I figured that would be a good place to start. If I didn’t find them there, my next stop would be the driving sim rig, then maybe the rec room by the lagoon pool.

  The old joke that you always find a thing in the last place you look proved to be true once again. Stein, Geoff and Teddy Bear were with a few other guys in the rec room. They were engaged in some sort of billiards competition that had rules that weren’t immediately obvious to me, but seemed to involve them each taking a turn at missing a shot and then having to take a slug of tequila.

  “Hey, Leah, come join us!” called out Mitchell, the actor I’d found in the hot tub at our housewarming party.

  “I’m not sure I’ve had enough to drink to even understand what it is you guys are even playing,” I said, watching Andy line up a shot there was no way he had any hope of making.

  “There’s an easy cure for that,” Stein said.

  “Yeah, no, not tonight,” I replied. “Losing one’s lunch at one’s own party is a bit declassé.”

  “I’m pretty sure Linda’s gonna have to drive us home tonight,” Geoff admitted.

  “Where are the girls?” I asked.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Last I saw they were hanging out with your sister and her friend in her room, watching TV,” he replied. “Music videos, from what I could tell.”

  “That’s cool,” I said. “As long as they’re having a good time.”

  “They love coming over here,” Geoff said. “They really do.”

  “It’s too bad it was too cold for them to swim today.”

  “I think they managed to survive the disappointment,” Geoff said, taking the cue that was handed to him for his turn.

  Steve K had just completely whiffed on his impossible shot, so he dutifully accepted a pour of tequila (not the good stuff, I was happy to note) and tossed it down.

  “I’m gettin’ kinda worried,” he said to Stein, who was holding the bottle.

  “Why’s that?” Stein asked.

  “This shit ain’t burnin’ my throat anymore,” Steve K told him. “I’m thinkin’ that’s a sign.”

  “It’s a sign you’re gonna have to call an Uber, that’s for sure,” Stein laughed.

  “I was gonna have to do that anyway- that’s how I got here tonight,” Steve K replied.

  “Wise move, my man,” Stein said, nodding. “I think I’m gonna have to come back tomorrow to pick my car up. I don’t think driving home is on my agenda, either.”

  “You got that sweet orange McLaren, right? Steve K asked. “That is one dope-ass ride.”

  “I like it,” Stein replied, but was distracted by having to pour a shot for Teddy Bear, who was looking decidedly wobbly.

  “Hey,” I said to the group. “We have a couple of guest bedrooms and plenty of couches, so if going home doesn’t seem like an option, you can crash here. All I ask is that if you really need to puke, please use one of the many toilets available.”

  “And if you don’t, she’ll break you in half,” Stein said with a smirk.

  “That is a thing I have been known to do,” I admitted, getting a laugh from mostly everybody. They’d all seen the videos, after all.

  “Man, don’t even joke about that shit,” Aaron Brown cautioned, leaning back against one of the pinball machines. “It ain’t like everybody don’t know, but bein’, um, casual about it… People died, man.”

  “Those assholes deserved every bit of it,” Andy said, getting riled up. “They killed Angela and made Emmy miscarriage her baby. They got what they deserved.”

  “Homes, I ain’t sayin’ they didn’t deserve it, believe me,” Aaron protested, waving his hands. “What I’m saying is that it’s serious shit, and shouldn’t nobody be joking about it.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Andy said, calming down. “But seriously, fuck those guys. Getting their heads twisted off was the least they deserved.”

  “Nobody denyin’ that,” Aaron said, taking his turn at the pool table.

  “So this is where y’all been hiding!” Darius said as he led his cousin into the rec room. Taking note of the atmosphere, he asked, “What did I miss?”

  “Nothing important,” Teddy Bear told him. “But I think you’re up next,” he added, handing his pool cue to Darius.

  “Wait a minute,” Darius said, looking at the shot that Aaron had just missed. “This doesn’t look like y’all’re playing eight ball.”

  Bored, I left to go check on the kids. I took the door that lead to the base of the office tower, just in case the girls were using the sim rig, but they weren’t up there, so I continued on down the world’s longest residential hallway and into the living room. Passing through the kitchen I grabbed a couple of the macaroons that Tiny had made that morning, then headed downstairs to Tiffany’s room.

  Tiffany greeted me with a smile and a hug when I knocked on her door.

  “You guys all doing O.K.?” I asked, looking around the room at the various teen and pre-teen girls.

  “We’re watching the livestream of the Los Angeles Downfall show,” Madison informed me, and I could see that yes, that was what was on the TV.

  “Every single one of you saw that show live,” I said. “Why are you watching a recording of it?”

  “It slaps!” Eileen declared. “Ginnie and me, Mom lets us watch it when we ask nice and have done our homework.”

  “Well, I guess that’s good,” I said, amused.

  “Lee, watching it again simply reminds us that we aren’t making up false memories, and that the concert really was that phenomenal,” Tiffany said in her recently adopted overly erudite speaking style.

  “Yeah!” Eileen agreed.

  Rolling my eyes, I made my exit, pleased that the girls were all doing just fine.

  Back in the kitchen to grab a couple more macaroons, I was talking to Jeremy when a few of the people that had been down in the wine cellar wandered in, looking for something to snack on.

  “Did you know Emmy’s family is over a thousand years old?” Solange asked me, her eyes wide.

  “It’s a lot older than that,” I replied. “That’s just how long they’ve owned that particular piece of land.”

  “That is so mind-blowing!” she said.

  “When you say her family is older than that,” Stephen said, munching on a delicious coconut cookie of his own, “How old are we talking?”

  “There are family records that talk about fighting against the Romans, from what I understand,” I replied.

  “So at least two thousand years? How can they possibly keep track all that time?” Stephen asked, stunned.

  “The family archives are guarded so closely you can’t even begin to imagine,” I said.

  “This is, um,” he said, glancing at Solange, then giving me a questioning look. When I nodded it was O.K., he continued. “This is about Emmy’s being, um, Night Children, right?”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “Her family has been a really big deal for just about as long as written history even exists. She hinted at her grandmother’s side of the family? They rose to prominence in freaking Assyria. And yes, they have the records to back up that claim, from what I’ve been told. This matters beyond just about anything to them.”

  “Syria? Like, in the Middle East?” Solange asked, her forehead wrinkled in puzzlement.

  “Yeah, but way back,” Stephen told her, doing a good job of hiding his condescension.

  “Be nice,” I cautioned him when Solange turned back to the counter to grab some more celery sticks.

  “I am nice,” Stephen protested, as we watched Solange head back to the living room.

  “It’s funny hearing Teddy Bear talk about doing sex scenes with her,” he said once she’d gotten out of hearing range. “He makes it sound hilariously unappealing, at the same time he admits she’s a hot piece, naked and rubbing up against him.”

  “She is a hot piece,” I agreed, “Especially now she’s let herself go more natural. But from what I understand, it isn’t the fact that she’s naked and rubbing up against him that’s the problem. It’s the cameraman, the sound guy, and twenty-seven other crew members there in the room with them.”

  “I can’t even imagine what that would be like. It’s gotta be even worse for the porn guys,” Stephen said, still looking off in the direction Solange had taken.

  “Maybe not,” I said. “Those people have to have some kind of serious exhibitionist streaks, right? So it might be what it takes for them to rise to the occasion, so to speak.”

  “You’re probably right,” Stephen admitted with a chuckle. Then, changing the topic, he asked, “What’s this about Teddy Bear going with you to Japan?”

  “I mentioned that I have some business there to take care of coming up, and he said his show’s on hiatus and he liked Japan. One thing led to another, and next thing you know he’s inviting himself along and…” I said with a shrug.

  “What is he gonna do while you’re having your business meetings?”

  “Who knows? Soak in a hot springs bath or something. Maybe eat ramen or watch crazy game shows on TV. He knows that he’s on his own while I’m tied up with what I need to do.”

  “Fair enough. He’s a big boy,” Stephen admitted. “So, you’re opening a branch office in Tokyo? It seems like real estate is a terrible business to get into in Japan.”

  Laughing, I said, “That’s the second time I’ve heard that tonight. No, not real estate, but hospitality. Some locals want to bring me in as an investor and advisor on some tourist attractions. I made some good contacts there when Emmy was on tour.”

  “Are you going alone? I mean, besides Teddy Bear?”

  “No, I’m taking a translator and three or four others,” I told Stephen.

  Stephen gave me a look, then said, “Hey, I’m dry, and it looks like you are, too. Let’s tank up,” he said, tilting his head out towards the deck and the bar.

  “Sure, why not? I can still walk,” I said, following him out.

  Once we got our drinks, Stephen led me to the deck’s railing, not far from where I’d talked to Teddy Bear.

  “Do you have any cash on you?” Stephen asked. “Even just a dollar will do.”

  Puzzled, I stuffed my hand in my pockets somewhat performatively, since I knew for sure I had no money on me. Shaking my head, I asked what it was he wanted.

  “It’s alright. Promise me you’ll pay me a dollar tomorrow. I’ll shoot you my Venmo and you can pay me when you get around to it,” he said.

  “And why would I do that?”

  “To put me on retainer,” he answered. “I’m a lawyer, Leah. If you’re my client, there is no legal way to compel me to share any conversation we might have to any court of law.”

  “Got it,” I said, nodding. I pulled my phone out and sent him a dollar, with the note that it was for his professional services.

  Once he got the alert that the money had been zapped to his account, he said, “Attorney/client privilege activated!”

  “My guess is that we just went through this little game so we can talk about things that might, well, not be completely legal?”

  “And of course, in my capacity as your representation, I will counsel you against taking any actions that might not meet the restrictions and limitations set by law,” Stephen agreed.

  I chuckled. “You know, Stephanie is a huge movie buff and when we were together we watched a lot of her favorite films. She wanted to share the movies that she loved with me. Does she do that with you?”

  “Yeah, she does,” Stephen said with a smile. “Just last night we watched Rio Bravo.”

  “One of the movies she made me watch with her had Bob Hoskins and Mickey Rourke. I think it might have been Liam Neeson’s first film, too. Anyway, Mickey Rourke plays an IRA hit man, right? Well, he wants out of the life, so he agrees to do a hit for this gangster, but Bob Hoskins, who plays a priest, sees him. So Mickey Rourke goes to confessional and tells the priest he has sinned- he killed a man, and the tells the priest he saw it happen. Bob Hoskins gets really mad, but realizes that Mickey Rourke has effectively silenced him as a witness.”

  “A prayer for the dying,” Stephen replied with a chuckle. “Yeah, she made me watch that one, too.”

  “So is that what’s just happened here? Now that you’re my lawyer you can’t be compelled to testify against me, so I can tell you anything?” I asked.

  Taking a sip of his gin and tonic, Stephen nodded.

  “Well, I have nothing I really want to tell you, so that leads me to the conclusion that there’s something you want to ask me, and want an honest answer to.” I said.

  “Way back when, you told me to Google you, and I found those stories about you being a killer. At the time it was easy to laugh off, but… Well, I’ve watched the videos, Leah. Anybody with eyes can see that, well…”

  “It wasn’t my first rodeo?”

  “Exactly,” Stephen agreed.

  “It wasn’t my second rodeo, either,” I told him. “I’ve been in a fair number of rodeos.”

  “It shows,” Stephen said. “I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but your moves in that video- it looked as if you’d had plenty of practice, um, killing people. That isn’t something most real estate investors can claim.”

  “Are you asking what my head count actually is?”

  “No, that isn’t something I need to know, or even want to know, actually,” Stephen said, leaning against the rail. “I think I’ve gotten to know you reasonably well, Leah. Obviously there are parts of your life I’m not privy to, and your rodeos count in that category. But, um, you’re clearly a very, very talented rodeo rider…”

  “I’m going to tell you something that I probably shouldn’t, but like you said, it stays between us,” I said, and before Stephen could protest that he didn’t need to know it, I said, “I was approached by a representative of the English Intelligence services. He wants to use me as an asset, which is neither here nor there, but he introduced me to their, um, hand to hand combat instructor. This guy wanted to see me in action, so he had me spar with a guy he claimed was one of their best.”

  Stephen didn’t say anything, just took another sip of his G & T.

  “It was just a training spar, right? Not a real fight to the death, but in any case I cleaned this guy’s clock. If it had really been knives-out, he’d have been dead in seconds.”

  “Why did you tell me this?” Stephen asked.

  “I guess what I’m getting at is that I seem to have a gift,” I said, turning to look through the trees at the lights of Hollywood down below. “As it turns out, I’m really, really good at getting in close and doing it to others before they can do it to me.”

  “I watched the videos,” Stephen confirmed. “It’s obvious you’re really good at it.”