Disclaimer: These characters belong to Lauren Weisberger and 20th Century Fox.  No infringement is intended or profit made from this work. I'm just borrowing them for a bit and I promise to put them back when I'm finished. Whether or not they'll ever be the same again is anybody's guess.

Chapter 18

The next morning was hectic as expected. Andy’s aide got her showered and dressed in record time and she was downstairs eating with Miranda and the twins when the Sachses called to thank everyone and say goodbye. Caroline and Cassidy promised to call Cincinnati with news of the team selections that night and Miranda was even gracious in accepting their heartfelt thanks.

When the phone call had ended and the twins dispatched back upstairs to pack their school bags, Miranda finally heaved a sigh of relief. Andy grinned and grabbed her hand.

“Thank you for being so nice to my parents. I know my mother can be a royal pain in the ass, but I promise you they’ll be much less of a problem in the future because of this past weekend. You were terrific and so were the girls. Thank you for everything. And I understand the sigh:  Nobody will be happier than I will when they get on the plane this morning.”

Miranda smiled and sipped her coffee. “What are your plans once you get your parents headed home?”

“Don’t really have any. I’m not cleared to go back to the office until tomorrow and only for a couple of hours a day until they take out the stitches next Monday. So I was planning a long afternoon reading and cleaning up my email.”

“Would your medical clearance extend to joining me for lunch?”

“I’d love to, but it’s not going to look good if somebody gets a cell phone shot of you cutting my meat for me and calls Page Six. Leslie will collapse if there’s another explosion in the blogs.”

“Nonsense. Leslie will deal with whatever the fallout may be. However, I was thinking of a place that may minimize the difficulties. Moreover, I’ll bring Nigel along. How does that sound?”

“That sounds wonderful. Where did you have in mind?”

“Marbella on East 33^rd. It’s a tapas restaurant; everything is small portions so it’s mostly finger food or doesn’t need to be eaten with a knife and fork. You’ll be able to eat your own food and if you can’t there will be several of us to help out.”

Andy’s grin was all the answer Miranda needed and the first thing she did on arriving at the office was to summon Nigel to invite him. Then, with a slightly wicked gleam in her eye, she called Emily into the office and extended the invitation to her as well. Might as well get her office staff used to seeing Andréa and her together. When a stunned Emily stammered her agreement, Miranda instructed her to make the reservation and confirm it with Andréa and Roy.

Andy, for her part, was delighted to pick up her parents from the hotel and ride with them back to Teterboro. As much as she had enjoyed parts of their visit, she very much needed to get some semblance of normalcy back into her life and that meant shipping them back to Cincinnati on schedule. Besides, everyone needed some time to get used to the changes the events of the last week had brought. Distance and a change in perspective would greatly benefit all of them.

She was heading back into the city when her cell phone rang and the Caller ID display showed Caroline’s number. When Andy answered, her right ear was deafened by the sound of her name being screamed.

“Andy! We made the team! We made the team!”

“That’s great, honey! I knew you guys could do it. I am totally proud of both of you. Have you told your mom yet?”

“Cass has her on her phone right now. She’s kind of excited too.”

“I’m sure she is. So when’s your first practice?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. Coach is handing out the practice schedule and the games schedule in a couple of minutes.”

“Make sure you bring them home.  We’ll go over them tonight. The sooner your mom and I can add your games to our schedule planners the bigger the chance we’ll make all your games. Can I give Doug and Lily the good news?”

“No, they’re our next calls. We want to tell them. Oh, hang on; Cassidy wants to talk to you.”

Andy waited a moment while cell phones were exchanged and then gave her congratulations to Cassidy as well. After listening to a blow-by-blow account of the posting of the team roster, she was informed that everyone would be dining out that evening. The twins had already managed to talk Miranda into dinner at their favorite burger place. Jackson Hole Burgers had several locations around the city and one was fairly close to the townhouse. The menu had items to please both kids and their parents and the atmosphere was decidedly relaxed. Andy agreed it would be great fun and managed to get both girls to turn their focus back to school for the rest of the day. Their exuberance left her laughing and she ended the call as the car pulled up to the restaurant.

Their lunch was peaceful and for the first time since the attempted kidnapping, the paparazzi seemed to be leaving them alone. Nigel and Emily had been close enough to hear part of the twins’ phone call to Miranda and were glad that the previous week’s events had ended happily. Andy then informed Miranda that Jen Ramsay had told her on Wednesday that it was a good bet that the twins would make the team.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I wouldn’t have worried so much.”

“Well, things got a little busy right after she told me and it kind of slipped my mind after I got shot. Do you have the pendants ready?”

“Yes. Tiffany finished them on Friday and I had them messengered over to the house late Friday afternoon. Mrs. Grant brought them in quietly and hid them in my desk drawer. They turned out quite nicely.”

“What pendants?” inquired Nigel.

“When Andréa became convinced the girls would make the team, she bought sterling lacrosse stick pendants for them. We sent the pendants to Tiffany, had them added to a pair of their dogtag necklaces and then had the tags engraved with the girls’ initials, ‘Dalton Lacrosse’ and the year.”

“I got one when I made the varsity team and I wanted to give the girls something to recognize the hard work they put in to make the squad. It was Miranda’s idea to add the Tiffany dogtags and have them engraved. This is something they worked hard for and they deserve something special for it.”

Andy was given the location of the signature light blue boxes in Miranda’s desk just in case Miranda was delayed and had to meet everyone else for dinner. Andy couldn’t resist a wry comment about how easily Miranda had given in to the twins’ request for a celebratory dinner out. Miranda merely shrugged and quoted Andy back to herself.

“I thought their hard work deserved a reward as well. Dinner at their favorite burger place was little enough.”

The rest of the meal was spent discussing the girls and how the kidnapping was affecting them. Andy related Caroline’s panicked search for her and the fact the only last night had the twins slept in their own rooms again. The upcoming counseling session was also discussed in depth and everyone agreed it to be necessary for both the girls. Andy surprised Nigel and Emily by commenting that she was looking forward to being able to talk with someone about the events as well. Not that she would require serious counseling; she had nearly been killed thwarting the kidnapping. But that she would so readily admit to needing it.

When Andy returned to the townhouse, she booted up her laptop and logged into the wireless network. Dealing with nearly a week’s worth of email took her the better part of an hour and she finished the task by sending a reminder to her boss that she would be coming into the office half days beginning the next day.

Shutting her laptop down, she debated between watching television or reading. Figuring that if she fell asleep on the sofa at least she wouldn’t wake with a cramp, she settled on the couch in the sitting room with her book, something to drink and Patricia snoozing on the floor next to her. Despite her best intentions, sleep quickly overcame her.

Mrs. Grant disturbed her briefly around 3:00 pm with her afternoon pain meds and Andy enjoyed a two-hour nap before the front door crashed open and the twins thundered into the sitting room shouting her name.  She swung into a sitting position just as Cassidy and Caroline exploded through the door and threw their arms around her. Patricia, realizing her favorite humans were home, bounded about the room adding a couple of celebratory barks and some slobbery kisses into the mix.

Andy finally got them calmed enough for conversation. “So, I take it you’re still happy about making the team?”

The girls launched into a recap of the coach’s instructions and a detailed blow-by-blow of the posting of the roster. When Andy reminded them that they were only going to have to repeat everything for their mother they just grinned.

“So? We don’t mind telling it again.” Andy just laughed and sent them upstairs to change out of school clothes and get a start on homework before they left for dinner.

Miranda arrived home shortly after 6:00 pm and by 6:30 everyone was in casual clothes and headed to the restaurant. Both Caroline and Cassidy were thrilled with their lacrosse pendants and promptly put them on, vowing never to remove them.

“Yes, well, I’m sure you can accessorize around them with your wedding dresses,” Miranda commented dryly.

Back at the townhouse, Andy and the girls called Cincinnati to report on team selections. While the twins recounted their day for the third time, Andy walked over to where Miranda was frowning at her laptop.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just received an email from the District Attorney’s office. They’ve scheduled a meeting between the Joint Task Force on Gangs, the detectives assigned to our case and the leaders of the gang the kidnappers belonged to.”

“When? Are you going to have time to go?”

“It’s Thursday morning. The worst possible time for me, but we’ll just have to juggle things. I will not miss this meeting. Do you wish to go too?”

“No thanks! I’m just fine never meeting any of those guys again. You go and tell me what happened.”

“I’m going to take it as a good sign that they’re willing to meet with us. This might be the first step toward feeling secure again; toward getting back to normal.”

Andy dropped a quick kiss on the top of Miranda’s head and returned to rescue her parents from the twins. Their phone call ended shortly with continued promises to keep the Sachses up to speed with their season. As soon as they hung up the phone, they headed back upstairs to finish homework.

Andy and Miranda used the time until the Book arrived in exploring various ways to make out without damaging Andy’s shoulder further. By the time Andy went upstairs to leave Miranda working in peace, both of them were smiling broadly and trying hard not to contemplate exactly how long six weeks could be.

Andy stuck her head in to check on the twins and stayed to offer advice on essays for English class. When homework was finished, she talked both Caroline and Cassidy into getting ready for bed. By the time Miranda came upstairs to do the same, the twins and Andy were watching Anne Hathaway take another comic pratfall in The Princess Diaries.

The grownups tucked the children in bed shortly thereafter and Andy joined Miranda downstairs in the office to read while Miranda finished working on the Book. This time, Miranda suggested they sleep in her room and once again, Andy fell asleep with the warmth and softness of Miranda pressed against her. It had been only three days but Andy was already wondering how she’d ever managed to fall asleep without the woman in her arms.

The next morning Miranda dropped the girls off at school and headed to the office while Andy went back to the hospital for a follow-up exam on her surgical incisions. The physicians examined their handiwork, checked for any signs of infection and redressed her shoulder. She made an appointment for the following Monday to have the sutures removed. She was officially cleared to work half days until then and the moment she left the hospital, demanded to be driven to the Mirror offices. She gave the paper a follow-up interview, completed cleaning up her email and left to return home around 1:00 pm.

Not surprisingly, she fell sound asleep reading in the downstairs office only to be awakened by Cassidy and Caroline bursting in to relate all the details of their first practice. Miranda was delayed at the office and didn’t get home until halfway through dinner, but listened attentively to a repeat account of their day.

Wednesday afternoon’s session with the trauma counselors went well. Caroline and Cassidy bonded well with two younger therapists and Andy got on well with the senior counselor. After the initial meetings, it was decided that Caroline would come twice a week for the next few weeks and that Cassidy would come once a week. Andy scheduled twice-weekly session during the afternoons knowing she had the assurances of her editor that she could go to counseling whenever necessary. Everyone returned to the townhouse with the first glimmers of hope that the nightmare was over and that they might begin to resume their normal lives.

Miranda had difficulty falling asleep Wednesday evening. She and Andy talked quietly for nearly an hour before she finally admitted to being fearful of the outcome of the next day’s meeting. Andy offered to go with her but Miranda replied that it wasn’t necessary. The officers of the Task Force had already informed her that too many outsiders at the meeting would result in nothing but posturing on the part of the bangers. Once they started saving face, nothing substantive would be learned. So she had been advised to come alone and particularly not to bring the twins or Andy. Their presence could very well push the bangers to cop an attitude and negate any meaningful talks.

It wasn’t until she explained all of that to Andy that she felt the knot of tension within her begin to ease. To her surprise, Andy understood completely and suggested that Miranda come straight home after the meeting and the two of them attend lacrosse practice and then bring the twins home. For reasons that she didn’t fully understand but embraced eagerly, the idea made her relax and once she had agreed to it, she was able to burrow a touch closer to Andréa and fall asleep.

Thursday morning seemed endless to Miranda, but she focused on finishing everything that needed to her attention before their departure for London the following day. Emily managed yet another scheduling miracle and Miranda met with every department for one last time before London. By 12:30 pm, she was in the car with Roy and her escorts, headed uptown.

The Joint Task Force had scheduled the meeting in a precinct house on what was determined to be neutral territory:  an upstairs conference room at the 26^th Precinct in Morningside Heights. Miranda’s townhouse was in the 19^th Precinct, Washington Heights was in the 34^th, and the kidnapping in the Central Park Precinct, so this was an acceptable compromise for all parties. Roy helped Miranda out of the Mercedes just as a cab with the two ADAs assigned to the case pulled up and the three of them entered the building together. Lieutenant Simms met them at the main desk and escorted them upstairs to the conference room.

Simms introduced Miranda to the men seated around the table from the Joint Task Force on Gangs and finally to a group of young Hispanic men seated across from them.

“And this is Jorge Santiago of Washington Heights and some of his… associates.”

Miranda extended her hand to Santiago across the table. “How do you do, Mr. Santiago? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

For his part, Santiago was amazed that a woman like Miranda Priestly would be so polite to him. But courtly manners were a deeply ingrained part of his heritage and he rose and took her hand.

“I am very pleased to meet you, Señora Priestly. You little one… she is unharmed? And her sister as well?”

“The girls are as good as can be expected under the circumstances, Mr. Santiago. Thank you for asking.”

Simms cleared his throat and opened the meeting by giving a chronology of the events from eight days ago. When he finished, the senior officer of the Task Force read the rap sheets for both of the suspects and when completed, began a detailed description of the tattoos both men had that had had identified them as members of Dedo Malvado.

“Both Gutierrez and Reyes have the reversed cross tats on their right arms. Just like all the rest of you do, I’m sure.”

“What are you implying, Detective Malloy?” asked Santiago quietly.

“I’m not implying anything, Santiago. I’m telling you flat out: the guys who pulled this worked for you. And we want to know who ordered it. Is kidnap for ransom going to be a new cottage industry for you mopes?”

“You think we would attack helpless children? That we are so evil we would savage innocents?”

“Why not? You don’t seem to have any qualms about using them as drug runners and lookouts. Or selling drugs to them for that matter. And it’s not as if that community center wasn’t your private recruiting station. Maybe now that it’s gone the kids in Washington Heights stand a chance to escape the likes of you.”

“That ‘recruiting station’ you refer to had a food bank for the old ones and a day care for the families in our neighborhood. It was a safe spot for the pequeños after school. It was the hub of our neighborhood.”

Miranda’s quiet voice cut into the exchange. “And something happened to it?”

“Si, Señora. It burned down last month when the furnace exploded. It was a very old building and the weather was very cold. The furnace could not keep up.”

“Was anyone injured in the fire?”

“No, Señora. Thanks to God the fire happened at night.”

“We’ve had tips that the fire was started by your competitors from farther uptown who wanted a foothold in Washington Heights,” commented one of the other task force officers.

“That’s a lie!” snarled Santiago, “The Fire Department investigated and found a gas leak in the furnace piping. Your own investigators said it was an accident! That fire had nothing to do with us and you know it. You spread these lies to disrespect us.”

One of the ADAs coughed quietly and began to recap the charges pending against the alleged kidnappers. When she finished, Simms addressed Santiago again.

“Jorge, were Gutierrez and Reyes members of your organization?”

“Si, I believe they were, although I did not know them personally.”

“What the hell kind of an answer is that?” growled Malloy.

“The best kind you’re going to get, pendejo!”

“Let’s just everybody calm down. We’re not here to air old gripes. We need to know if there’s any chance – any chance at all – that Gutierrez and Reyes were moonlighting for somebody else. We need to determine if there’s an on-going threat to Mrs. Priestly’s family. You say you didn’t have anything to do with the kidnapping attempt; were those two capable of coming up with this plan on their own or did they have outside help?”

Santiago hesitated a moment as he thought. “If they did have help it did not come from us. We had nothing to do with this. We do not threaten little ones.”

“So why do you think those two tried to snatch Caroline Priestly?”

Santiago exchanged a loaded glance with one of his lieutenants. “Gutierrez and Reyes had recently incurred some business losses. We had given them several advances and had requested repayment of those advances. Perhaps the kidnapping was their way to acquire the capital they needed to do so.”

“And what would have happened to them if they hadn’t come up with the ‘capital’ they needed? A quick bullet behind the ear?”

Santiago ignored the pointed jibe. “They would have lost their positions and been reassigned to less critical duties until they had made good on the money they owed.”

“And if they repaid the money?”

“They would have kept their jobs or perhaps even moved up the ladder.”

“So basically, if they wanted to avoid winding up dead in an alley they needed to come up with cash fast.”

Again, Santiago refused to rise to the bait. “They needed to repay their debts. But they did not choose to do it in this way because of us. This plan was theirs and theirs alone. We do not endanger los inocentes.”

“And we’re supposed to believe you… why?” cut in Malloy again.

Santiago turned to Miranda. “Señora, you are la jefa of a large magazine, si? You command many employees, yes? Do you know all their names?”

“No, Mr. Santiago, I do not.”

“Yet you expect them to do their jobs, yes? So that your magazine is published every month. What if some did not do their jobs? What would happen then?”

“Other employees would have to assume their duties. Perhaps permanently.”

“Exactamente! Just as I would have done. Our jobs are not so different, I think. Both of us rely on others doing their jobs well. These two pendejos – they did not do their jobs. And rather than behave like men of substance, they chose to get the money they needed in a way that was deshonroso. Jefa, never would I allow an attack on niños inocentes.”

Miranda stared levelly at him for a long moment. “I understand what you’re saying. But I need to know if they had help. Surely, you can understand that I have to be certain no further threat exists to my family. Could they have had outside help?”

Santiago returned the direct gaze. “It is possible, Señora. I cannot say for sure that they had no help in their plans; but it did not come from us. I will inquire in our community to see if anyone knows anything else. But know this for certain: we did not attack your daughters.”

Miranda nodded decisively and stood. “I believe you, Mr. Santiago. And I thank you for your honesty.” She slid her business card across the table to the young man opposite her. “Please let me know what you discover.”

To everyone’s surprise, Santiago rose and took the card.  “Si, Señora. I will do so.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Santiago. Thank you for taking this meeting and for your concern for my daughters.” She extended her hand.

Astonishing everyone at the table except perhaps Miranda, he gently took it and brushed his lips on the back of it. The gesture was oddly chivalrous from the young gang banger.

“The pleasure was mine, Jefa. You have my word that your little ones have nothing to fear from us.”

The two exchanged another long look before Miranda murmured “Thank you, Santiago,” and swept from the room.