Chapter Thirty-Three
KANDY
Cane didn’t hesitate. I remembered him telling me repeatedly that if he ever saw Buck again, he wouldn’t hold back. I was certain that in that moment, nothing but rage had consumed and swallowed him whole.
Cane took the first swing, and with one punch to the face, Buck stumbled backward, his back slamming into one of the pillars. I couldn’t fight the scream that crawled out of my throat as I watched Cane tackle Buck to the ground. Both of them rolled down the stairs with loud thuds, and then footsteps sounded behind me.
“What the hell is going on!” Lora yelled, pushing past me and rushing to the door.
“Wait—Lora!” I ran after her, but she came to an abrupt halt on her own, watching her brother and the man who was supposed to be a father to her, fighting on the grass. Lora’s entire body froze up, and she literally looked like she was staring at a ghost.
“Should I call the cops?” I asked, panicked.
But Lora didn’t answer.
“Lora!” I wailed.
“Kandy, Lora! What’s wrong?” I looked back, and Miss Cane was rushing our way. She saw Cane and Buck tussling on the walkway, just as Buck rolled on top of him and delivered a mean, solid punch to his face. “Oh my God,” she gasped. She rushed down the steps, going right to them, trying to break it up, almost like she had done this many, many times before. Buck ended up swinging his arm back to push her off, but he ended up hitting her right in the mouth, making her bleed.
Lora finally broke out of her frozen state, gasping as Miss Cane hit the ground with a loud, broken moan. Cane saw it happen—saw the arm of the man he hated swing back and hit his mother—and I don’t think I’d ever seen him get so angry. He shoved Buck off of him and then climbed on top of him, pinning his arms down with his knees and punching his face repeatedly.
“You. Stupid. Mother. Fucker!” Cane roared, still punching.
“Cane! Stop!” his mom yelled, still on the ground, holding her hand out.
I didn’t know what else to do, so I went inside and grabbed my phone. When I rushed back out, about to dial 9-1-1, Lora glared at me. “No, Kandy! Hang it up!” she shouted, and I frowned at her, but she frowned even deeper. I lowered the phone, feeling defeated. Cane was down there, literally fighting like this was life or death, and all I could do was stand there and wait until it was over. I went down the steps to help Lora bring Miss Cane to a stand instead.
“Fuck, Mom! He hit you hard! Your lip is split!” Lora cried out.
A loud grunt sounded in front of us, and Buck shoved Cane off somehow. Cane landed on his back, and Buck was about to return several of the punches Cane had delivered, but then Miss Cane screamed, “Stop this! Now!”
I cupped my mouth, looking Cane all over. He was a bloody mess, but most if it was Buck’s. His knuckles were covered with red, the letters for RISE slathered with his father’s blood.
“How the hell did you find out where we lived?” Cane rasped, shoulders hiked, like he was ready to attack all over again.
Buck smiled, a bloody smile that made my skin crawl. He spat the blood out and said, “Boy, you think you were hard to fucking find?”
“Fuck you,” Cane spat.
Buck looked at Miss Cane and then Lora. “Hey, pretty girls.” His smile was sharp and slick, and Lora glared hard at him, nostrils flaring, while Miss Cane physically cringed.
“You’ve got one second to get the fuck off my property before I end your ass,” Cane growled.
“Oh, boy!” Buck cackled. “Oh, shit! So you get yo’ self a little bit of money, and think you runnin’ shit now! Is that it?”
Cane didn’t waver. “You were stupid for coming here.”
“Oh…you know why I’m here.” He slapped his palm with the back of his other hand. “I need my fucking money, not the shit you put in my commissary, but all of it. That company is mine! I named it! It’s mine!”
“Nothing is yours, so back the fuck off!”
Buck sneered, using the back of his hand to swipe the blood off his mouth. “I bet you’d like to know that I got myself a nice lawyer. Yep. I told her my story, and she’s agreed to help me file a suit against yo’ little company if you don’t start payin’ up.”
Cane glared hard at Buck. “You can make all the threats you want about suing me, but it won’t fucking work and you know it. You don’t have shit to back you up, and even if you did, it would be bullshit.”
Buck laughed even louder, and my ears rang. “Look at you! Thinkin’ you done dropped some balls now!” Buck turned toward us, but his eyes focused on me. “I’ve been watching all of y’all. Especially that little young girl right there.” He pointed directly at me and my eyes widened. “I see her when she goes to school and when she gets home. Seen her come to your office a few times too. You came out one day and was all over her. I figured she must’ve been important to ya.”
Oh my God.
“Funny thing is, she looked real familiar too. I couldn’t place it for a while, but then I woke up one night, and remembered that cop that arrested me. I kept thinkin’ about something he told me when they took me in. He kept saying something like how I was a piece of shit to hit my own kids and girlfriend.” He smirked. “He went on about how he had a daughter of his own and would never lay a hand on his princess—somethin’ like that—so when I got out, I looked into him. Found out his name was sir Derek Jennings. Found out he had a little daughter, and then saw his little daughter was livin’ with you. She must suck your dick real good, huh? There ain’t nothin’ like young pussy—”
Cane had clearly had enough. He lunged forward, wrapping his hands around Buck’s throat. We all gasped.
“Keep talking,” he seethed, squeezing his throat tighter. “I fucking dare you to say another goddamn word about her.” He squeezed more as Buck clawed at his hands.
“Cane!” Lora yelled, but Cane didn’t look back. He kept his hands locked around Buck’s throat, refusing to let up.
So I tried. I took a step forward and called his name, my tears on the verge of falling. “Cane, stop! Don’t let him get to you! This is what he wants!”
He looked through the corner of his eye briefly, and with each passing second, he let up a little more. Buck dragged in a breath and then shoved Cane away by the chest. “Remind me to tell my lawyer that you attacked me first,” Buck wheezed.
“Remind me to tell my lawyer that you went against your fucking restraining order.”
Buck smiled, looking at Miss Cane and Lora. “You mean against those two bitches over there? Don’t nobody want them anymore. They don’t have shit I need, and I’m sure your mama’s pussy ain’t what it used to be. But you got what I want.” He cracked a grin, and Miss Cane dropped her head. He was such an inconsiderate bastard. Now I could see why Cane hated him so much. “So this is how this is gone work. If I don’t get five million of what you got, I’ll hit up my lawyer and tell her to file my suit. And trust me, boy, I’ll make it real ugly. I’ll make everyone wonder why they bothered workin’ with a thief like you in the first place.”
Cane’s jaw flexed, fists clenching again.
“You give me my five mill, and I’ll be out your hair. It’s that simple. And to be clear, I only came here to let you know how dead fucking serious I am. Restraining orders don’t mean shit to me. All they’ll do is give me a warnin’.” He spat on the ground, and it almost landed on Cane’s shoe.
Cane grimaced as Buck walked backward. “What do you say I come back in two days? That’ll give you some time to get that money arranged.”
“You won’t come back to this house,” Cane snarled through clenched teeth. “And it won’t be in two days. You’ll meet me at my office. You’ll be there on Thursday, five days from now. You don’t show up, it’s your fucking loss, because if you come here again, I won’t just beat your ass.” He took a step closer to him. “I’ll end you.”
Buck howled with laughter, clapping his hands. “You are a fucking riot! You kno
w that? I ain’t never realized how funny you was!” Cane’s nostrils flared and reddened, and Buck held his hands up, smirking. “Thursday at five for my five mill.”
Buck finally turned, laughing one more time before walking away. He climbed into an old, dark green pickup truck and pulled off, tires screeching, but of course he didn’t go peacefully. On his way out, he stuck a middle finger out the window and laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.
Cane watched until he could no longer see him, and then he turned toward us. He pushed Lora away from Miss Cane and grabbed Miss Cane’s wrist, practically dragging her up the stoop and into the house.
“Cane! Stop!” Lora yelled. I rushed after them, shutting the door behind me. When I rounded the corner, Cane had Miss Cane’s upper arms locked in his hands and forced her to sit down, then he crouched down on one knee. “Give me your goddamn phone,” he demanded.
“W-what? Why?” she asked.
“Give it to me! Now!” he barked, and she flinched but dug into her back pocket, handing it to him.
“If I go through this phone, I won’t find any random fucking numbers or text messages from him, will I?”
Miss Cane looked from him to Lora nervously.
“Will I, Ma?” His voice was louder and she put her attention back on him. She didn’t answer, so he turned the screen on and handed the phone to her. “Unlock it.”
“Cane, I didn’t get in touch with Buck, I swear!” she cried.
“So why are you so afraid to open your fucking phone?”
“Cane, ease up, all right?” Lora interrupted.
Cane stood up straight, facing Lora. “No, Lora, I’m not going to ease up! We fucking told her not to get in touch with him, but she did it any fucking way!”
“How do you even know she did? Buck could have easily found us! You’re not invisible, Cane! It was a whole nine months since the last time we heard anything about him, and you’re the one who fired the investigator who was watching him. And you heard him! He was watching Kandy! He could have followed her here one day and saw the house!”
I shivered at the thought, folding my arms and closing my eyes.
Cane turned toward Miss Cane again, but Miss Cane was already standing. She handed her unlocked phone to him, and Cane snatched it away. He scrolled through it maniacally, and when he locked in on something, he turned the phone back around so she could see the screen and asked, “Who’s number is this?”
Miss Cane’s throat bobbed as she studied the number.
“Whose number is it, Ma!” He roared, and she flinched again, squeezing her eyes shut. Two tears slid down her cheeks, and my heart literally felt like it’d been squeezed when I saw them.
“It’s Andy’s,” she confessed.
Lora and Cane stared at her, confused.
“Who the hell is Andy?” Lora asked.
Miss Cane looked between her kids briefly before dropping her eyes. “He’s a guy I met when I was going to the meetings.”
After that confession, Cane’s eyes expanded, his hostility rapidly transforming to regret.
“I met him a little over a year ago,” she sniffled. “At first, it wasn’t anything. We just met at the meetings, talked over coffee and donuts, but then he found me on Facebook. We started chatting on there, and then eventually we swapped numbers.” She bit back her tears. “I told you I would never do that to you again, Cane, and I meant that. I haven’t spoken to Buck since that promise I made you while I was in rehab.” Her voice was thick. “He is just as dead to me as he is to you! I’ve learned my lesson, all right? And I love my kids! I love you two to death, and I made a promise to both of you that I was here! I have been here ever since I got out, and I am not going anywhere. Yes, some days were harder than others, but seeing you two so happy pushed me through it because I didn’t want to be the one who did something selfish to ruin everything again.”
“Fuck, Ma,” Cane groaned, swiping his hands over his face. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were seeing somebody?”
“Because I wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet. I’m still getting to know him.”
“Shit.” He handed her phone back, then pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry,” he murmured over her shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she cooed, rubbing his back. “It’s all right, son. I understand.” She pulled back, holding his shoulders. “But you and I both know you don’t owe him a thing. You worked your butt off for that company.”
“I know, but what other choice do I have? I’m finally in good standing with my investors and other businesses around the world. If he starts running his mouth—which he will—I know it will make me look bad, and I’ll lose money again. I can’t afford it a second time.”
“He doesn’t need five million. That’s too much money, Q,” Lora muttered.
“I know, which is why he won’t be getting that much from me.”
“So…what are you going to do?” Lora asked, arms folding, a slight dip in her brow line.
Cane scratched the back of his head. “I’ve been thinking about what I was going to do for a while. I knew he’d come, and I prepared myself for it, that’s why I let the investigator go.” He looked from Lora to me, and then to Lora again. “I have a plan…but in order for it to work, there are a few calls Kandy and I need to make first.”
“Me?” I asked, pressing a hand to my chest.
“Yes,” he said, locking on my eyes. “It has to be you.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
CANE
I had Cora cancel every meeting I had that upcoming Thursday, then I sent her home early because I knew shit would get ugly, and I didn’t want her to be around for it. She’d dealt with enough of my family drama and was a great secretary whose loyalties I’d never doubted.
With a hand pressed to my chin, I watched the clock tick on the wall. On my desk was a manila envelope with Buck’s name on it.
Five minutes till. He would be arriving soon.
And sure enough, he did.
I heard the elevator chime, and from my seat, with my door wide open, I watched the elevator doors draw apart. I didn’t bother sitting up higher or standing to usher him in, or to shake his lawyer’s hand. I remained where I was, watching him walk, a thick woman trailing behind him. He came my way, a stupid smirk on his face. When he entered my office, he looked all around him before focusing on me.
“Got my money?” he asked, dropping down in the seat on the opposite side of my desk.
The woman sat beside him, and I looked her over. “Who is she supposed to be?”
“Leverage,” Buck stated. “She’s a good lawyer too.”
“Oh, really?” I dropped my hand and straightened my back, glaring at the woman. “I think she’s a pretty dumb lawyer to bother representing you.”
“Excuse me, but that is very inappropriate,” she shot back.
“No, I don’t think it is. What is your name?”
“Cathy Walker, General Practice.”
I crossed my fingers on top of my desk. “Okay, Miss Walker, let me ask you something. Did he tell you that he used to abuse me, my sister, and my mom every single day, either physically or mentally?”
She looked nervous, glancing through the corner of her eye at him before focusing on me again. “No, Mr. Cane, he did not.”
“Of course he didn’t. And did he ever tell you that he tried to rape my baby sister—his own daughter—when she was only twelve years old?”
All the color drained from her face. She sat up higher in her chair, and Buck shook his head, a small smile on his lips. Although he was smiling, I could see the darkness swirling in his eyes. He wanted to hit me. I wanted him to try it, show her that he was a worthless, hotheaded piece of shit.
“T-that is not why we’re here, Mr. Cane.” Miss Walker laid a folder on my desk that she’d been holding. She flipped through the paperwork, and when she found what she was looking for, she took it out and read over it. “We are here because according to
Mr. Hunter, you stole Tempt, the name of your company, from him. And according to Mr. Hunter, he knew the man that made the wine and had come up with an agreement with him to set up an operation to sell it.”
“Bullshit,” I spat. “You really wanna know how it happened? Buck came outside, threatened me, and said the word ‘tempt.’ That’s it.”
“Yes, but he claims to have been there, helping you work on your business plan. He claims that you said you would include him, but that you never did. And when he went to prison, you built the business and then filled his commissary a few years later because you felt guilty.”
I shook my head, scoffing, and just as I was about to defend myself, the elevator chimed, and the doors drew open again. When I saw who it was, I decided to keep my mouth shut. I sat back and smiled, folding my arms over my chest.
Three good people came into my office: Mindy Jennings, lawyer; Joey Moretti, a damn good winemaker; and Derek Jennings, a damn good cop. The same cop that arrested my mother’s piece of shit sperm donor and tossed his ass in jail.
“Sorry we’re late,” Mindy huffed, stepping up to my side. “Joey’s flight was a little delayed.” She placed a few folders down, and I bobbed my head at Joey, who smiled and nodded back. Joey looked like a nice version of Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. He still had his slick black hair, but his fashion sense wasn’t like Robert De Niro when he played Vito—Joey still wore those godawful Hawaiian shirts he loved to buy from thrift stores.
I looked at Derek, who only came because he didn’t want Mindy coming along with a man like Buck in the room, and also because Kandy asked him to. I knew he wouldn’t have come otherwise. He gave me a slight nod, and I looked forward.
Buck sat up higher in his chair with a frown. “What the hell is this?” he snapped.
“This? Oh, just leverage.” I folded my arms, and Mindy took out her cellphone, setting up the recorder. When she hit play, she called for Joey.
“Let’s get straight to the point. Joey Moretti, may I ask if you have any connections or ties to Buck Hunter?”
The Cane Series: A Complete Forbidden Romance Series (4-Book Set) Page 73