“That was crazy, Patrick. You should have just gone to Dad.”
“Don’t I know that now.” He sighed with regret. “Instead, I dawdled and allowed things to get worse. I couldn’t pay the loan back, so they charged me an additional grand a day for every day I kept them waiting. So, I went to a bigger fish. Alessandro Salvatore. He didn’t hesitate to help me because he knew the power I had at my fingertips. Real estate is always a big deal with people like him. He cleared the loan, and all I had to owe him was a favor.”
God, this was so bizarre. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Patrick lost the money and then took a loan and then took another loan from basically the devil and owed a favor.
It numbed me as I realized what the favor was.
“So, he manipulated you into creating this fake project for the New Town Complex?”
Patrick nodded, but there was regret in his eyes. “I kind of thought he’d want me to sell him property cheaper or do something like work for him for the rest of my life for free. I never imagined that. He has a billion dollars he needed to disappear like yesterday. Off grid, off the records. He needs it in the system, so building luxury apartments was the way forward. He’d put the deposits down on fifteen apartments and then invest the rest of the money in the project. It was simple, so very simple. Then you came along and messed things up. I should have known you would do that. Because you always do something.”
“Damn, if you knew that, why’d you guys get my ass back from Europe?”
“That was Dad. That was him. He wanted you in on it. It was a test for you, to see how well we could work together before he retires.”
“That turned out great, right?”
“It will because I’m going to kill you. But first you’ll sign. I don’t want any more delays.”
Wow, he’d seriously thought about this.
“What if I decide not to sign?”
“Then you watch your girlfriend die, and you can follow.”
“Patrick!” Dad cried, running up the boardwalk to both of us. He had the same maddened look on his face as Patrick, but his seemed from the shock of seeing us standing like this. Patrick holding a gun to me, ready to kill me.
“Son, no, don’t do it. This is your brother.” Dad held up his hands and stopped paces away from us. He looked from me to Patrick, and a tear ran down his cheek.
“I have to,” Patrick winced.
“No, you don’t. You don’t have to do anything. Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll help you. Tell me,” Dad pleaded.
“It’s too late for help. I’m in too deep.”
Sirens sounded in the background and got closer. Then blue and red flashing lights surrounded us, bathing us in its color.
“Drop your weapon now!” boomed a voice from a loudspeaker.
I looked over to the police cars that had gathered and the cops filing out of each one, guns in hand, ready to shoot at the first sign of trouble.
It was only when Patrick saw that, that he lowered his gun and looked from Dad to me, shaking his head.
He dropped the gun and held up his hands.
I spared him no pity or time. My head snapped to the warehouse at the end of the dock with the fish on the gate. I’d seen it earlier, but now I knew Billie was inside. Billie was still inside with Salvatore.
Billie
At the sound of police sirens, the gunshots stopped. One more bullet in the door would have sent it flying, and he would have come in here.
I’d crouched in the corner, crying. Pressing myself into the wall and crying. Crying harder as images of all the ways this man could kill me flooded my mind.
The image that had gripped me most was my head being chopped off and left in a dumpster.
I could just imagine how much that would hurt. A soul-wrenching hurt, and then I’d be no more.
It had been so vivid in my mind, and then I heard the sirens.
Alessandro cursed, and then footsteps echoed.
Lots of footsteps sounded at once, then shouts, then gunshots. More gunshots.
God. What did it mean?
Had someone died?
Footsteps sounded louder at the door, and then someone kicked it in.
A large officer, built like a tank, came inside and moved toward me.
“Miss Harrington?” He leaned down to me, but I was crying and shaking so much I couldn’t respond.
I couldn’t respond or do anything besides nod my head.
He rested a large hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. I got you. You don’t have to worry about that guy anymore.”
A dark feeling in my gut told me that meant Alessandro was dead.
The gunshots, the sounds of a shuffle. It was all there, evidence that someone had lost.
The officer helped me get up, and as we walked down the corridor, I looked away when I saw Alessandro’s lifeless body crumpled on the floor. I didn’t want to see properly or at all.
It was funny. He was a very bad man, but I still felt bad that he’d died.
The feeling left me, however, as we emerged into the cool night and I saw Chad running toward me.
Without thinking, I left the officer’s side and hurtled myself into Chad’s arms.
He held me close, tight, with that possession I loved. He held me like I was his, and I was. I was always his.
And it looked like this nightmare was over.
Chad
“You okay?” Dad asked, breaking into my thoughts.
I sat before Dad and rested my hands in my lap.
It was weird not seeing Patrick with his smug expression opposite me.
It was weird being the only one in a meeting with Dad.
“Not really. I’ve seen better days. These past few days have been particularly bad.” It was hard to get over the fact that my brother had nearly killed me.
That showdown happened just over a week ago, and I’d taken time off to cool down. Get over my shock of what happened.
“Same here. I wanted to talk to you, but I wanted to give you space to process what happened.”
Processing what had happened would take a very long time because the problem stemmed back further than what took place recently. There was more to the occurrence than that.
So much more.
It was Dad’s infinite tolerance for Patrick that had landed us in this mess.
It made you different when you placed no value on the people you hurt. It was Patrick who took company money because he thought he could and replace it without a problem. But Dad was the one who gave him access to it, like everything. I didn’t have such privileges. I was treated like an employee, not like a trusted family member. Not the way grandfather had treated me.
I knew Dad had wanted to see me, but I’d put off meeting him because I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to talk to him and have to air out the issues that got me. I didn’t want to talk about work or our lives.
I didn’t want to address the fact that I knew Dad had always favored Patrick over me, and that it hurt me.
“Son, I’m retiring at the end of the year, and I want you to have the company. Take over business. You can start now.” He nodded.
I would have been ecstatic to hear him say that once upon a time.
Not today though.
“No. I don’t want it.” I shook my head at him. “In fact, I wanted to see you at some point to talk about me leaving.”
Dad looked hurt and sad to hear that.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Dad, Arnauds is not me. This place that the company has become is not me. You allowed Patrick to tarnish our name. You wouldn’t listen to me when I disagreed with the project. You, too, saw me as a thorn in your side because I was messing up Patrick’s plans. Now, you want me to take over because Patrick’s in prison.”
I gave him a hardened stare.
It was true, all that I said was true, and there was more.
During the course of Patrick’s investigation, it was found th
at he not only assisted in illegal money laundering activities. He also committed security fraud and used client money for personal use. Patrick stole, Patrick lied, and Patrick nearly killed. Right now, he was locked away in prison on several charges and would stay away for a very long time.
The Mafia infiltrated Arnauds. Who can we trust these days…?
That was the headline that got me the most.
Because… it was true.
Plans for the project had been cancelled, and I’d arranged a letter of apology to be issued to the residents of the estate and the complex.
The whole thing, however, got me thinking.
It got me thinking that I couldn’t do this anymore.
“You’re right. You’re right, and I’m ashamed,” Dad confessed. He brought his hands together and bit the inside of his lip.
“So, you agree. Finally.”
“I agree. But I’m agreeing because I need to show you how I feel. I never meant for it to look the way it did. Patrick and I are so similar.”
“Because you both lie and cheat?” I threw back.
He nodded slowly. “I guess.”
“I don’t want to be part of a company that’s built on liars and cheats.”
“Then take it and make it better. Make it like it used to be.”
“I’ll think about it. In the meantime, there is something I want.” This was the part that all this had taught me. It taught me that I could make a difference. On my own. I didn’t need to be part of the company. I didn’t need to prove myself to anyone or grovel at my father’s feet for acceptance.
“What?”
“I want to buy the New Town Complex.” I’d thought long and hard about it over the last few days.
Dad narrowed his eyes at me. “You want to buy it? But we own it collectively.”
“Exactly. I want to buy you out. So it will belong to me.”
“What exactly will you do with it?”
“For the estate, I’ll gift the residents who’ve been with us the longest their apartments.” That was the first thing I thought I’d do.
“Gift as in give it to them?”
I nodded. “Dad, some of those people have been paying rent to us for decades. They’re elderly now, and there’s no opportunity for them to buy a home and do what you would with a home of their own.”
I’d looked into it and found that seventy percent of the residents were over sixty-five. Then there were residents like Billy’s mom who were in their late fifties and suffered health problems or struggled financially. People like that would have been the ones who would have struggled if Patrick’s plan had gone ahead. There were other people to consider, but I wanted to change things up. Fix the place, refurbish it for the existing community.
“Wow,” Dad mused and rested his head on his hand. “What else?” He actually looked interested to hear.
“I’ll donate the shelter and the nursery too. The tenants who pay for the buildings deserve it.” I’d thought about a lot. There was more, but that was my starting point.
“How about this? We make a trade.”
I raised my brows wondering what I could possibly have that he’d want.
“How about I gift the complex to you if you truly consider taking over the business.”
I pulled in a slow, steady breath, contemplating the offer.
I kind of wanted out of the business entirely, but… maybe there was no harm in thinking about taking it, like I’d agreed earlier.
“Okay. I will truly think about it, but I get to still turn that part of the offer down, right?”
He nodded. “Yes, you do. It’s not a stipulation of acceptance. It’s just something I’m hoping for.”
Good, I didn’t want to be tied in. I nodded acknowledgment.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll have the transfer of ownership drawn up straight away.”
“Thanks again.” Well, this was my start, and it was great that I would be home instead of jetting off to work in another country. I’d save my escapes for all the adventures I planned to experience with Billie.
“Son, I’m sorry. I truly am. I hope we can rebuild our relationship.”
That was something I would have to think about too, but I wouldn’t be the one to tell my father no when he was trying.
“Me too.”
With that I left, and as I stepped outside, hope filled my heart for the first time in a long time.
Hope and love.
Billie.
I smiled at the thought of her and probably looked like an idiot hyped up on love as I walked down the path to the carpark.
I couldn’t help it.
The whole damn thing with Patrick was terrible. I’d never forget it. Not ever.
But she was the good that came out of a bad situation. She was the silver lining on the cloud that had covered my life for so long I didn’t realize
darkness had filled my soul. She was the only one who had been able to reach me. She’d reached the person I aspired to be and reminded me of what I wanted from life.
Most of all, she’d filled me with new life. New chances of new possibilities, and I couldn’t wait to be with her.
She was my only. My everything. My girl forever.
I loved her.
I absolutely loved her, and that was the very best thing that had ever happened to me.
Billie
I slipped my arms around Chad’s neck and gazed lovingly into his eyes.
I would always marvel at the way I got lost in him. So lost I didn’t even think about the fact that a few months ago, I was kidnapped and held at gunpoint.
Kidnapped and held at gunpoint.
Sometimes it didn’t feel like it really happened to me. It felt like it happened to someone else. Definitely not me.
It was very traumatic.
However, the good in my life helped balance it out.
Chad and I had been together now for three months.
It was Monday, our anniversary day.
Yes, the man had christened Mondays our day. It didn’t matter what was going on in the world or how busy our lives were. Monday was our day. Come Monday, we’d celebrate.
The man had even taken me to Paris for a long weekend, just like he’d promised.
Every day was an adventure with him, and most days I woke up with excitement at the prospect of what he’d do.
Tonight, we’d stayed in for a feast he’d cooked up. We’d stayed in at his place, which was basically my place.
It dawned on me yesterday when I went to see Zoila that except for a few pairs of boots and a jacket, everything I owned was at Chad’s. Everything was here, and I couldn’t remember moving half the stuff in.
Zoila laughed at me as the realization hit me. I was so wrapped up in him that I didn’t notice what he’d been doing to me.
Now, as we swayed to the sweet soulful voice of Billie Holiday in his bedroom, I noticed a new wardrobe.
That hadn’t been there earlier today.
“Chad.” I giggled.
“Yes, baby.” He pressed his nose to mine.
“When did you go furniture shopping?” I knew what the little devil was trying to do, but I would feign innocence for as long as I could.
“Last week.”
“The wardrobe came today?”
He spun me around to the beat of the song, and I laughed.
“It did. It’s anniversary day. I figured we could get something extra for your clothes.”
“And my wardrobe at my apartment wasn’t suitable? I noticed there was nothing left inside.” I gave him a pointed look.
“Oh, that. I stopped by the other day because I thought you might need a few things. Here.” He gave me a coy smile. He’d been trying covertly to move me in for weeks.
“Here? I wouldn’t want you to think that I was trying to move in or something. That would be wrong of me, and it might freak you out,” I teased.
“Oh, Billie, I know you wouldn’t do such a thing and frighte
n me.” He laughed. “It’s all good, trust me. The few things you have here won’t take up much space.”
And yet the wardrobe took up most of the wall. He’d previously hung paintings on that wall. Now, the wardrobe, beautiful as it was, changed the look of his room. It no longer had a less-is-more look.
Or that bachelor-lives-here feel. It looked like I’d walked into a room that belonged to a couple.
“I don’t know what to say to you.”
We stopped dancing, and he cupped my face.
“Just say yes. That’s all I want.”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“Great, so here’s a heads-up. In a few anniversaries from now, I’m going to ask you to move in with me.”
“Even though I’m already moved in?”
“This is the prep. So, now you can make a list of things you need to do, like change your address at the doctors and bank.”
I started to laugh again and stopped mid-sway so I could face him and talk to him properly.
“Chad, you seriously want me to move in with you?” Move in and live in this beautiful home with him. My heart swelled within my chest.
“I want you to be everywhere I am, and I want to be everywhere you are.”
I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him.
“I will say yes when you ask me. Does anything else happen in a few anniversaries from now?”
“Yes plenty, there was something else though that I did earlier, and I was going to tell you but we got side tracked.”
“What did you do Chad?”
“The other day I saw this amazing house just down the road from us and there were lilies in the garden. Like the lilies your mom has in the kitchen. You know the ones I mean right?”
This guy… I didn’t know what he was up to but I was listening.
“Yes, the one’s she tries to maintain and said would look so lovely in an actual garden.”
“Yes those very ones, and I couldn’t have agreed more. So, I bought the place for the lilies. I took them to their new home this morning and I told your mom she had to go too because who would take care of the lilies right? Plus they would miss her.”
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