Charming Grace by Deborah Smith Page B

Except she was right about the screw ups and Stone’s dwindling confidence if I couldn’t handle Grace. I couldn’t afford to lose this job. I was putting a lot of fat paychecks in the bank and keeping the door open so Armand would have something worth staying straight for when he got out of prison. And okay, yeah, I didn’t want to lose Stone, Kanda, and their kids, either.
    I caved. “I apologize. I’m working on the problem with Mrs. Vance and I’ll keep her under control.”
    “Don’t give me any stoic attitude, you oversized asshole.”
    “Nothing personal.”
    “Why am I wasting my time trying to explain things to a mouth-breather like you? All right, listen up, you swamp thing: This film is my brother’s ticket to real dramatic respectability. He wants it to be a success. He wants to be taken seriously by the critics. He deserves to be taken seriously! And so do I!”
    “I know this movie is important to Stone,” I said. “I’ll take care of the situation.”
    “You better!” She leaned in, stabbing her muscular manicure at me. “Quit being a pussy! Intimidate Grace Vance! Scare the shit out of her! Do whatever you have to do to make her back off! Because I’m not going to let some screwed-up pampered bitch with a martyr syndrome ruin this film for us.” She froze. Then, “You get that look off your face. Don’t you threaten me that way.”
    Threaten her? I’d never hurt a woman in my life, never even looked at a woman with an intent to hurt her. Neither had Armand. Gigi Noleene’s po-but-proud sons held doors for women, paid for dinner dates, spoke respectfully, and carried spare condoms in their wallets. We were the Sir Walter Raleighs of career criminals. Even where Diamond Senterra was concerned.
    So I just said, “You got a bone to pick with me? Bien . But you want to do harm to Grace Vance? Non . You best keep that nonsense to yourself.”
    “ What did you say to me ?”
    “I said,” leaning toward her a little, and lowering my voice, “Stone wouldn’t like your attitude. Don’t make me get him involved.”
    Her face paled a little under custom-mixed Beverly Hills make-up. “Are you trying to intimidate me ? You think that just because my brother is good-hearted enough to hire you back every time I convince him to fire you that he listens to what you say?”
    I wasn’t stupid. I just shrugged.
    Diamond sputtered like an old engine on a bass boat. “Don’t fuck with me, Boone. I’ve protected my brother from ‘yes men’ and stooges and show business parasites for twenty years. I’ve helped build his career and I’ve faced down every power-hungry fucker in the movie industry to take care of our family business. I’m not letting him coddle a half-wit incompetent bodyguard who can’t even keep him from being photographed by the goddamned Enquirer in the middle of the goddamned woods. You take care of him or I’ll take care of you .”
    She stomped off to the house. Nothing jiggled except her hair. The woman was hard.
    I walked back up front. My shoulders itched as if I’d been flailed with switches. The sky settled down on my shoulders. Bluff or no bluff, she was Stone’s sister and I wasn’t. Stone was a family man. If push came to shove, I’d get the shove.
    The tourists had wandered off. I thought about the little boy who hadn’t gotten a chance to get Stone’s autograph, and that made my mood worse. Tex and Mojo stood there on the lawn looking at me the way dogs look at what’s left of the leader of the pack after he’s been run over by a dump truck.
    “Got his ass chewed,” Tex whispered to Mojo, loudly.
    “All the way up to his chin,” Mojo squeaked. “Man, you put out bad karma or something. She goes ape-shit around you. I don’t get it.”
    “Just my natural charm.”
    “Why do you take it, man?”
    “In the big scheme of things, she’s small.”
    I said nothing else, but Tex looked at Mojo and elaborated for me. Tex was always doing that,