by Wood, Vivian
“Daddy,” she says, crossing her arms.
“Hello Rachel.” His gaze flits over me and he sneers. “I don’t think you need him to be here, do you?”
Rachel looks back at me, smiling nervously. She takes my hand. “Yes, Daddy. I do think that Grayson needs to be here. He has every right to hear whatever you have to say.”
Mr. Black glowers at us. I want to wipe that look off his face with my fists, but I don’t think that will solve anything. I move closer to Rachel, as if I can protect her by my very proximity.
Mr. Black looks at Rachel. “Very well. You’re looking… rather unwell. I don’t suppose that means you are ready to come home? Your office at Civicore is still awaiting you.”
She flushes. “I’m fine.”
“Your hair is unkempt. Your makeup is a wreck.” He looks circumspect. “Seattle hasn’t treated you very kindly, my dear.”
My hands clench into fists. It’s all I can do to keep my voice level. “Do you have something else to say? Because we aren’t interested in hearing your review of how Rachel looks, honestly.”
Mr. Black favors me with a glance, squinting for a moment. He turns to one of the other men. “Get the papers ready.”
Rachel moves a little closer to me. I unclench my fists and put my arm around her. That simple move gives us both much-needed comfort and support. Mr. Black turns back to face us.
“Do you talk?” Mr. Black asks me.
I give him a cold little smile. “I do.”
“Well, from what I can tell you aren’t stupid, so I will dispense with the small talk and get to the facts. You are a piece of worthless garbage. And you, Rachel, are foolish for even wasting your time out here. You two are purposely being defiant, which I don’t like.” He narrows his eyes at us. “I’m assuming that you don’t like the idea of fracking for some reason—”
I shift forward, menacing. No one talks to Rachel like that. Ever. Period.
“You have some fucking nerve,” I growl at him.
Rachel tenses up, almost crackling with her need to interrupt. “First off, you don’t get to call anyone garbage. Let’s not pretend that you didn’t get everything that you have handed down to you from your father. And second, fracking causes earthquakes and poisons the water table, to start with.”
Mr. Black rolls his eyes. “That isn’t proven.”
I grip Rachel’s hand a little tighter, glaring at him. In this moment, I realize that I hate Rachel’s father. Not just Civicore, not just all the things that he stands for.
I hate him. In his designer suit and his expensive watch… you would never expect someone like him to be evil. But he is. Greedy, possessive, and evil.
Rachel’s whole body practically hums with her disapproval but she keeps her mouth shut.
Her father leans back in the chair, which squeaks awkwardly. He pulls a face.
“There are three ways I feel like this can play out.” He purses his lips. “One, I can take my daughter back to New York and buy the rights to drill all around the Olympic Peninsula.”
“I’m not going back with you,” Rachel warns.
He smiles at her like a cat at a mouse he intends to eat. “Nobody said that you would go easy. But you’ll go if I want you to go.”
“Don’t threaten Rachel,” I rumble in warning.
He gives me a bored look. “Two! You resist me. I cut off her inheritance. It may take a few months for Rachel to realize that you aren’t made of much, but when she’s hungry enough she’ll come back home. In the meantime, I will spend my considerably vast fortune on buying the rights to drill. Same result, more painful process.”
Rachel crosses her arms. “You’re not listening. I don’t want your money. I just want to be left alone.”
Mr. Black pushes himself up to a standing position. “Then you will love option three. In the third scenario, I leave. I don’t drill out west. You get a portion of your money. Enough to live on for a lifetime, if you’re smart.”
“What’s the catch?” I ask. “There is always a catch.”
Rachel looks at me gratefully. “There really always is.”
He reaches behind himself. One of the lawyers pushes a thick stack of papers into his hand. He presents them to Rachel, setting them on top of Nate’s desk. “Voilà. You just sign these documents and your problems just… disappear.”
Rachel gives her father a long look before she picks up the sheaf of paper. At the top, I catch the document’s headline. Dissolution of Trust and Annuity. She flips a few pages, and I see Formation of New Trust.
He is no doubt offering Rachel something fishy. I mean, that is why he’s trying to bribe her. Otherwise none of this makes sense.
“What is this? What deals are you making?” I ask, looking up at Mr. Black.
He narrows his gaze on my face. “You don’t get to talk. Just because Rachel wants you to be here does not mean you get to ask any questions.”
“Daddy,” Rachel takes him to task. “Be civil. Besides, Grayson is right. I’ve been raised better than to sign some documents without even knowing what they are.”
Mr. Black scoffs. “I don’t think you are in any position to argue with me, darling. You sign the papers. I fly back to New York. End of discussion.”
She pages through it with a frown. “What about the fracking? You said that Civicore has had interest here for years. Do you have a plan to stop the drilling?”
He sighs, sitting back down. “When you were coming over here, did you see all the men standing outside?”
Rachel sighs. “Yes.”
“One of them is a very powerful senator who is going to push through legislation. Or, for a small amount of money, he can be convinced that fracking would be bad business for the state of Washington.” Her father shrugs. “Either way, it doesn’t make much difference to me. I just thought that I could save you the trouble of having to realize what life is really like without money.”
If it were me, I would just thrust the documents back at him and be done with the whole thing. But it’s not me. Rachel’s fingers grip the papers hard. She looks at me for a moment, then exhales.
“I will need a little while to think,” she says, looking at Mr. Black.
He scowls. “Think about what? I’m offering you everything you want. All you have to do is put your signature on some forms.”
“She said she needs to think about it,” I growl.
Rachel shoots me an appreciative look. Mr. Black crosses his arms. “The deal is only good for twelve hours. After that, I will press forward with the fracking plan. I’ll be back tomorrow morning and I am leaving with signed paperwork.” He smiles, showing his perfectly white teeth. “Or else.”
With that, he stands up and pushes past us. The lawyers file out after him, leaving me with Rachel and Nate. Nate clears his throat.
“I don’t really have any say in the matter, but you obviously know my vote already.”
I glare at him but he just shrugs. Rachel sighs.
“I know I should’ve just signed. I just… I can’t help but feel as though my father didn’t need to come all the way out here. He just came to get some forms signed? It makes me wonder what these really are.” She waves the sheaf of papers.
“Well… we should start by reading them,” I suggest. Then I pause. “Do you know anyone who is in the know in your family’s business? Anyone who might be able to tell us what’s going on with the trusts and stuff?”
She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth. “Mmm… maybe. I can call Sarah and see what she knows. She usually acts as assistant to my mother when I’m not around.” Her shoulders fall. “I hadn’t thought of this until just now, but my failure to return to Manhattan probably affected her badly.”
I wish that I could smooth the worry from her brow, but I can’t. All I can do is take her hand as I lead her out of Nate’s office. All the while, Mr. Black’s words ring in my head.
Piece of garbage.
You don’t get to talk.
Imagine listening to that every fucking day of your impressionable youth. I don’t know how Rachel ended up being a functional person. Gritting my teeth, I steer Rachel toward the cabin.
Chapter Forty-One
Rachel
Dissolution of Trust and Annuity. Division of Assets Agreement. Formation of New Trust.
I flip through the pages of the stack of papers before me, frowning. Just what is my father up to, exactly?
Reading the legalese in these documents seems impossible. If only I had become a lawyer instead of an environmental engineer. I find one paragraph that indicates that a trust should be dissolved, then another contrary one that establishes a new trust fund.
There is something rotten in the state of Denmark. I just can’t put my finger on it.
Setting the papers aside, I look up at Grayson. “I need to find a phone charger. The one I had with me in the forest is long gone.”
He scratches his neck. “Oh, I actually grabbed a couple last night. Let’s see…”
He pulls out a couple of chargers from underneath the bed. I’m impressed that he remembered, honestly.
“The white one,” I say, beckoning. “Let me just plug the phone in…”
While I seek the plug on the wall beside the bed, Grayson stands up. “It’s still not dark yet, so I think I’m going to go through the equipment shed. I’ll try to replace any of our stuff that I can find. Anything I can’t replace I should be able to order.”
I look up at him with a smile. “Okay. I’ll be right here.”
He catches me off guard with a long, slow kiss that is full of need. When it’s over, I look up at him, biting my lip.
“I’ll be back soon,” he promises.
For the first time in a long time, I have no doubt about that. “Okay.”
He leaves and I go back to plugging my phone in. Then I go back to looking at the papers. After a few minutes of letting it charge on its own, I’m able to turn the phone on.
My phone makes a hundred tiny noises, little chimes and bells to let me know that my absence has been noticed. Looking at all those notifications, I feel strange. Like I’ve already severed my connection with my old life and now I’m creeping back into that role for one final time.
Making a face at myself, I try to video call Sarah. Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself for her not answering. But she does. She’s somewhere outside, the sky around her already dark. Somehow I forgot about the time zone change.
“Rachel?” she asks, looking disgruntled.
“Yeah! Hey. Sorry about the time, I just forgot about the difference.”
Her expression is bitter. “I guess you didn’t get my messages, then?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Sorry.”
She rolls her eyes. “You missed like… everything. And I do mean everything.”
Inhaling for a long second, I prepare myself. “How about you give me the highlights?”
Sarah chuckles. “Okay. Well, to start, your dad was all but fired from Civicore. It was pretty hush hush, but there were whispers about financial improprieties and pension accounts.”
I’m almost too surprised to hold the phone. “What?”
“Oh yes. Your father was forced to resign from the board and from Civicore.” She purses her lips. “I don’t work for the family anymore, either.”
My mouth opens, but no words come out right away. I’m just stunned. “What? Why?”
“Because you’re persona non grata over here. Your father is getting rid of everything that relates to you. Your penthouse, your cars. All the photos of you that were in their houses have been removed. I’m surprised that your phone works, honestly.”
“What? In the last week?” My head spins.
“No. Your penthouse went up for sale as soon as you left. I guess your parents needed a cash buyer because of some cash flow issues, or whatever. That’s what your mom said when she let me go.” She pulls a face. “They had me sign another nondisclosure agreement and made a big stink about how it’s legally binding… but in my opinion, if anyone with any authority asks me any questions, I think I should answer.”
“Sarah, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
She shrugs. “It’s cool. The second they let me go, I called a headhunter. Within the week, I had already found a new position.”
I bite my lip. “My father has showed up here with a bunch of papers for me to sign. Stuff about dissolving my trust and forming a new one.”
“Ha! Your dad is a shark, honey. The only reason he’s out there is because he smells blood. And by blood, I mean money.” She frowns. “Your grandparents probably set up a trust fund just for you. I am guessing that that’s why your father is sniffing around. He needs money and he’ll do whatever he can to get it.”
Hearing Sarah spill all of these details feels illicit, like we are doing something wrong. But more than that, I feel angry with my father.
How in the world he turned the tables from his having a big problem to me bearing the brunt of it, I don’t know. But it’s pretty screwed up, honestly.
That idea that he needs money hadn’t occurred to me, but in hindsight it seems kind of obvious. “Oh, duh. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”
Sarah sighs. “I wouldn’t sign anything if I were you. And I would be careful. Your father… he’s facing down people from the SEC, the IRS, and angry Civicore employees. The fact that he hasn’t been indicted…”
“Wait, what?”
“Uh, yeah. He’s allegedly done tons of stuff that is straight up theft. When people figure it out, he’s done. All his wealthy friends will abandon him. Lawyers will bleed him dry of what little he has left. You’re better off where you are, away from all the hubbub.”
Stunned silence follows that, because what else am I supposed to say?
On Sarah’s end, someone says something off camera. “Hey, Rach. I have to go. Can I call you later?”
“Of course.” I wrinkle my nose. “I’m so sorry that you’ve been caught up in all of this, Sarah.”
“It’s okay. I landed on my feet. You should see the professional football player I’m working for… he is hottttt…” She fans herself. “Anyway, I have to run. Catch you soon.”
“Bye…”
I hang up the phone, awestruck. Sarah just dumped a metric ton of crap at my feet. I have to sift through the remnants and figure out what is useful to me, I guess.
Grayson comes barreling into the cabin, his arms full of stuff. “Hey, I found two backpacks and a few tarps…”
I look up at him, my expression confused. “What?”
He nods at my phone. “Did you get who you meant to call?”
Nodding, I scrunch up my face. “Yeah.”
He dumps the tarps and backpacks down on the floor. “And?”
I draw my legs up under my body so I’m sitting cross legged. “Sarah said that my father was forced to resign from Civicore. Apparently there have been some… what did she call it… financial improprieties, I think. Anyway, long story short, it looks like my father got caught with his hand in the company cookie jar.”
Grayson stills for a second, then slowly comes over and sits down beside me on the bed. “That sounds serious.”
I nod. “Yeah, Sarah made it sound like he’s living on borrowed time. Between the FEC and the IRS, my family is kind of screwed. She made it sound like… like my trust fund might be one of the only pots of money left.”
Understanding flares immediately in his eyes. “Ahh. That’s why your dad came out here. He’s backed into a corner and he can’t see any way out except for your trust fund.”
Catching my lower lip between my teeth, I sigh. “Yeah. Is it… is it bad that I’m just thinking about letting him have it? I mean, if my mother and father need it, all they had to do was to ask…”
I watch his face as he thinks about it. “Far be it for me to tell you what to do with your money, Rachel. I don’t care if you have nothing to your name.”
<
br /> My whole being softens, just hearing that. I take his hand, lacing our fingers together. “Of course. I know that.”
He smiles a little. “But I can’t help wondering… would it really help them? Or would you just be floating their lifestyle for a few months’ time? And… I mean, your dad can’t pay off the people at the FEC, presumably. They are going to charge him with whatever he did.”
That hits me like a load of bricks. My father will likely go to jail, if what Sarah said is true.
“Oh my god,” I breathe. “He must be really desperate to come out here to me.”
Grayson squeezes my hand. “He’s trying to pick your pockets, just the same as he did the employees of Civicore. He hasn’t learned a damn thing.”
“True. So what, then?” I wonder aloud. “Do I just… do nothing?”
He shrugs. “It sounds like at least half of what your father threatened is just baseless. The only thing I’m worried about is the fracking on the Olympic Peninsula. If we could have some kind of leverage with the company…”
A lightbulb goes on for me. “Blackmail,” I whisper.
He looks puzzled. “What?”
“Civicore is going to be in a tailspin, trying to assure the public and its own employees that it is distancing itself from the Black family.”
I can see him trying to keep up. “…okay…”
“So we get some proof of his threats to the Olympic Park… even better if we get the state senator on record saying the same thing. Then we turn that evidence over to the media.”
His eyes widen. “You think?”
Nodding, I elaborate. “Civicore will be too embarrassed to ever think about going through with drilling out here.”
“Not to mention the fact that there will no doubt be a public outcry against a senator living in your father’s pocket. Can’t imagine that will go over well here or in D.C.”
I nod slowly.
“Yes. That will be the end for them. I just…” Reaching out, I wrap an arm around his neck. I look him dead in the eyes. “I can’t do it on my own. Will you help me?”