Somehow, I wasn’t shocked how quickly he brought up my past. I met his cool gaze.
“No, pretty near impossible. I haven’t been in prison for some time, though. But there hasn’t been a need to learn, and I have no intention of buying a car for myself, so I haven’t bothered.”
“You haven’t bothered,” he repeated. “I assume you have no problem letting my daughter play chauffeur.” His tone said it all.
You’re a lazy, good-for-nothing loser.
Becca joined us. “I like to drive, Dad. You know that. Reid’s right—in Toronto, it’s easier to walk or take the subway. That’s why I sold my car. Parking alone would break me,” she informed him, trying to lighten the air. “If I could even find a place to park the car, that is.”
It didn’t work, and things went from bad to worse. Every chance he got, he took a dig at me. He’d ask snide questions about my upbringing. My record. The work I did “playing with computers.” Becca jumped in and defended me every time, but it did no good. By the end of the afternoon, I’d been on the defensive nonstop, and my head ached from being so tense. All I wanted was to go back to the hotel and get away from her father. Luckily, we were having dinner with Richard and his family, so we had an excuse not to be there for the entire evening.
Before we could leave, he shifted in his chair. “Becca, I forgot. I need some cream for my coffee later. Could you run to the shop downstairs and get me a small container? Have them charge it to my account.”
She glanced my way, nervous. I tilted my chin, letting her know I was fine. I knew what was about to happen, and I figured we might as well get it over with.
I wasn’t wrong.
As soon as she was out the door, he turned to me.
“I don’t like your kind, boy.”
“My kind?” I asked, despite knowing exactly what he was saying.
“I checked you out. You stole millions of dollars. You’re nothing but a thief. A liar and a thief. I don’t know how you hoodwinked the people you’re working for, but they’ll figure it out soon enough.”
I remained calm. “Is that right?”
“Yes. I’m sure you’re somehow ripping them off too. They’ll get wise to you.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do they know about your background?”
“Every sordid detail.”
That seemed to shock him. I leaned forward, keeping my voice level. “Listen, Mr. Holden, I get it. You don’t think I’m good enough for your daughter. You hate ex-cons. Becca told me your feelings on that subject. But, sir, you’re wrong. I was a kid. I made a stupid mistake, and I paid the price. I learned my lesson.”
“Really.” His retort was dry and filled with contempt. “In my experience, that is rare.”
“Maybe. But for me, it’s true. I have a new life. Good people in it. The best one is your daughter. I love her, and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that or the opportunities I’ve been given.”
He grunted.
“Maybe if you gave me a chance, let me tell you my story, you’d see I wasn’t the lowlife you’ve decided I must be.” I met his baleful glare. “Do you really think your daughter would fall in love with someone as undeserving as you seem to think I am?”
“I think you’ve fooled her and a lot of other people. Leopards don’t change their spots, boy. I’ve seen it too often. It’s only a matter of time before you fall back on your old habits.”
I barked out a laugh, fed up. “Listen to yourself. You sound like some bad TV cop. I’m not a criminal.”
“Your record says different.”
“My record shows I made a mistake, went to prison, served my time, and have lived within the law since then. It doesn’t tell you the why or the person I am now. I have a good job and a future. One which contains your daughter, I might add. I’d wanted us to get along for her sake, but you’re making it difficult.”
“I have no desire to get along with you. You’re a phase. She’ll get over you soon enough, boy.”
I stood, tired of the conversation and knowing we were only going to go around in circles. I refused to let him know how his words rankled, that they struck a chord of worry within me. I was apprehensive Becca would find someone better, more worthy of her. But right now, I was tired of his disparaging attitude and lack of compassion. Given the kind person I knew Becca to be, I found it difficult to believe the man in front of me had raised her.
“My name is Reid, not boy. I’m sorry you feel that way.” I shook my head. “Becca wanted us to find some common ground and maybe be friends.”
“We have nothing in common.”
I stared at him, upset at his arrogance and knowing there was nothing I could do to change it. At least, not today.
“Yes, Mr. Holden, we do. We both love Becca. I came here because she wanted me to meet you. It’s important to her. You may want to think about that.”
I turned and left the room.
I ran a hand over my face, taking a long sip of beer. “Jesus, Richard. He’s a piece of work. How the hell is he Becca’s dad?”
Richard chuckled as he placed the steak on the grill, the delicious smell immediately hitting me. I was starving.
“He’s pushing you hard.”
“No shit.”
“He’s testing you.”
“Well, I fucking failed. I don’t know what to do.”
The sound of laughter drifted over, and I looked toward the noise. Becca was in the pool with Gracie, Katy sitting on the edge with Heather, trailing her toes in the cool water. She cooed and giggled while Gracie clapped her hands in delight.
Becca had accepted my explanation that I was heading to the car to give her a few moments alone with her dad when I bumped into her in the hall. She hadn’t said anything in the car, even when we stopped for flowers and wine. We already had gifts for the little ones we had brought from Toronto.
Richard and Katy had been welcoming, and I’d had a swim and a couple of beers, so I was more relaxed than I had been all day. I was helping Richard cook dinner—in other words, bitching at him about Gerald Holden and the stick up his ass when it came to me.
Richard shut the lid, letting the steaks cook. He indicated Becca. “If she’s as important to you as you say, you keep your mouth shut, and you piss him the fuck off by going back tomorrow. You kill him with kindness.”
“And what does that get me besides more insults?”
“It shows Becca you’re trying. Gerry is using your prison record to get under your skin. He’s terrified of you.”
My beer bottle froze on its way to my mouth. “What?”
He shrugged. “He told Katy he had hoped Becca would go to Toronto and decide the big-city life wasn’t for her then come back to Victoria. I think that was why he didn’t put up a fuss when she decided to go. But it hasn’t worked out that way. She loves Toronto, the office—and you. Not much incentive to leave that behind. And he’s decided you’re the main cause.”
I drained my beer and set it on the table. “Becca’s decision, not mine.”
“I know. And I agree he’s being an ass. A total dick. So show him up and go there tomorrow guns blazing. Be funny. Ask him a thousand and one questions. Make him talk.”
“And when that doesn’t work?”
“You tried. I’ll invent some horrible emergency and get Mad Dog to call you, and you can spend the rest of the weekend working.”
I laughed. “I might take you up on that.” We were spending the day with her father tomorrow and had plans the day after to play tourist around the city so Becca could show me all the places she loved. Sunday, there was a family barbeque at the residence, and Richard, Katy, and the girls were joining us.
“I only have to make it through tomorrow without losing my temper again or being rude,” I mused out loud.
Richard flipped the steaks and grinned. “You made it through four years of prison without pissing anyone off enough they shanked you. This should be a walk in the park.”
I burst out laughing. “I wasn’t i
n maximum security. No one got shanked.”
He lifted one shoulder, teasing. “But the possibility—what street cred it gives you that you survived.”
“Not with Mr. Holden.”
“Another tip.” He smirked. “Stop with the Mr. Holden shit. Call him Gerry. Don’t give him the edge. He’s her father. Not yours. Respectful, not beholden.”
“Weid!” Gracie called. “Weid, come in da pool!”
“You’re being paged.” Richard laughed. “I suggest you join her.”
“Do I have time?”
“Yep. I’ll add the lobster and shrimp soon. Katy has everything in the pool house, and we’re eating out here, casual. You can come to the table in your suit.”
“Okay, then.” I hurried to the pool and performed a huge cannonball that made Gracie laugh loudly. Thankfully, watching her and Becca together made me forget what I would face tomorrow.
I was good with that.
Reid
ON THE WAY back to the hotel, Becca glanced my way. “Feel like some ice cream? My treat.”
I grinned at her, feeling lazy. I was relaxed, having enjoyed the evening with Richard and his family. “Sure, BB. Ice cream sounds good.”
We pulled into a parking lot. The place was busy, the line long. I stood behind Becca, and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her to my chest. “What’s good?”
“The triple threat.”
I read the sign. “Wow. Caramel, chocolate, and marshmallow with three scoops of ice cream? Are you going to eat that all by yourself?”
She giggled. “No, usually Katy and I would share it. We’d come here sometimes and leave Richard with the girls. Especially if she was pissed with him and needed to vent.”
“They seem very happy.”
“Oh, they are. But Richard can be a handful. And all couples need time apart. Sometimes it was just an excuse for ice cream.”
I kissed her head. “I got it.”
When we got to the window, I ordered, and Becca used her debit card. The girl behind the window shook her head. “Sorry, it didn’t go through.”
Becca frowned. “That’s odd.”
“Try again.” The girl handed her the machine.
“No, it declined.”
“I’m sorry. We’ve had some issues today. A squirrel ate through some wires, and they did a temporary repair, but things haven’t worked well all afternoon.”
Laughing, I pulled a twenty from my pocket. “Squirrels. Great.”
We sat down, and Becca huffed. “I wanted to treat you.”
I took a huge bite of the sweet mixture and swallowed it. “God, this is good. You can treat tomorrow. Maybe the wires will be fixed.”
She chuckled. “Okay.”
We ate, watching people around us, and enjoyed the warm evening.
“You know,” Becca began, “I’m not sure if I’m more embarrassed or impressed about what happened today.”
I grimaced, swallowing more ice cream. “Sorry?”
She sighed and put down her spoon. Resting her chin on her hand, she studied me. “I’m aware what an ass my father was today, Reid. I can’t apologize enough for him.”
I didn’t deny her statement. “It’s not your place to apologize.”
“Hardly a fun weekend for you, though. I wanted it to be great.”
I finished the ice cream, wiped my hands, then threaded our fingers together. “It is. We’re together. We had an awesome evening with your friends, and tomorrow, I’ll try really hard to get your dad to approve of me.”
She looked wistful. “He’s gotten worse. He’s so grumpy. And you kept your cool and never rose to the bait.”
Remembering Richard’s words earlier, I decided to give her dad the benefit of the doubt. “He wants what is best for you, BB. I’m not what he had in mind. Give it a little time.”
“That’s very generous of you since he rode your ass all day.”
“And he might tomorrow. But we’ll get through it, and we have a couple of days to have some fun.”
“Why are you being so nice about this?”
“Because I love you.”
Our eyes locked across the table. Her gaze lowered to my mouth and her tongue peeked out, running over her bottom lip. “Reid?”
“Yeah, BB?”
“I want to go and have some fun right now.”
I stood. “Let’s go.”
Gerald wasn’t happy to see me return the next day. Becca had the whole day planned with things she wanted the three of us to do. He wasn’t enthused about any of them. I took Richard’s advice and kept trying to engage with him. I asked him about Becca as a child. Commented on various pictures he had around the room. Asked to see more of them. I even inquired about his career as a police officer. Anything to make him talk. After lunch, he announced he needed to rest for a while, and I was grateful when he shut his eyes, feigning sleep. I was so exhausted, I needed a nap myself—only I wouldn’t be faking. He made being nice damn hard work.
Becca’s phone rang, and she looked at the screen. “Oh, it’s Maddox.”
She answered and spoke quietly. Her face paled, and she asked him to repeat himself. She looked at me, panic written on her face as she listened. “I don’t understand, but I’ll check into it right away,” she said. “I don’t know what to say, except I’m sorry. I’ll get it cleared up and bring you the money next week.”
Money?
She hung up and looked at me, confused. “Maddox says my rent check bounced. He thought it was strange and wanted me to know.”
“What?”
Becca tapped on her phone screen, her face even whiter when she looked up. “Reid, my bank account balance shows I’m overdrawn, and my credit card is maxed out! Oh my God, what’s going on?”
I dug into my knapsack, and pulled out my laptop. I had her sign in to her banking site, and she scanned her accounts.
“It’s all gone,” she whispered. “All my bills that I pay at mid-month automatically—they’re all being rejected. My checking account is overdrawn, my savings are gone, and my credit card is to the limit.”
I held out her phone. “Call them now.”
Two hours later, Becca hung up from yet another call. “They’ve put a freeze on everything. They say it will take time, but I should get most of the charges reversed.”
“What about your money?” her father asked.
She shrugged. “Someone withdrew it all. Somehow, they got a hold of my information and made a duplicate debit card. They got it to override the daily limit and drained everything.” Her watery eyes widened. “Last night—that’s why my debit card didn’t work.”
“Yeah. Someone was stealing your money.” I cursed under my breath.
Gerald sniffed. “Sound familiar, Reid?”
I ignored his comment. I knew he was trying to get a rise out of me, and that didn’t matter to me right now.
“Okay, Becca. What else did they say?”
She shrugged. “That they’re working on it and will be in touch. All my cards have been canceled, and new ones will be issued.”
I shook my head. “They can be doing more.”
Becca frowned. “He mentioned I should check and make sure my other online profiles hadn’t been touched or hacked.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
Gerald spoke up. “I called a friend in the fraud department. They’re going to check into that for me.”
Becca sighed. “Thanks, Dad.”
“I can do it faster,” I insisted.
“Illegally, you mean?” he asked, his tone smug.
“Faster,” I retorted.
Becca glanced at me, uncomfortable. “Why don’t we see what they come up with and go from there?”
“Because they could be using your information to procure other credit cards and racking up debt in your name. If they got your banking information, they got everything they need, Becca.”
“They’ll get on it right away. I’m sure they’ll call soon, Rebecca,” her
father insisted.
I shook my head. “We’re not talking about some kid who took your card. This can happen in an instant with the technology they have access to. Let me do this, Becca.”
She hesitated.
Gerald spoke. “Why don’t we let the proper channels handle it? I’m sure Reid here is overreacting.” He paused. “Maybe he is looking for any excuse to get back to his old habits.” He cocked his head. “Maybe somehow he caused this mess.”
Becca pushed away from the table, her hands clenched tightly in fists. “Dad, stop it! Reid had nothing to do with this. He’s trying to help, which is more than you’re doing with your not-so-subtle digs at his character. Leave it alone!”
He laughed, the sound forced. “Oh, I’m only teasing, Rebecca. Reid can handle it, can’t you, boy?”
I swallowed my reply.
“It’s not funny,” she insisted.
“No, it’s not, Rebecca.” Her father sighed. “Let’s leave it to the law-abiding professionals to handle it. Someone will call me soon.”
Becca sat down, not meeting my eyes.
“Okay.”
An hour later, my patience had reached its limit. There was very little I could do trapped inside her father’s place. He didn’t own a computer, and the internet was shitty. The link I had was slow and dropped constantly. I had a hot spot from my phone, but I needed a strong connection and some major machinery. Becca had fallen silent, constantly worrying her lip and wringing her hands, then glancing at her phone, only to remember she had turned it off.
The phone rang, and her father listened for several minutes, speaking in a low tone I couldn’t hear. He hung up and smiled at Becca.
“They’re going to get to the bottom of it, honey.”
She sagged in relief.
“First thing after the weekend, they’ll be looking into it and doing the right thing. In the meantime, I can give you some cash to tide you over.” He glanced my way, distaste on his face. “Do I need to call the hotel and pay the bill?”
“I am paying for the hotel bill, and I don’t require your help.” I stood, grabbed my laptop, and shoved it into my bag.
“Where are you going?”
Reid: Vested Interest #4 Page 20