Miles shook his head. “I’m doing what I can but I have to be careful, too. If the DEA discover me poking around in your systems, especially now, they’re going to think I’m trying to hide something. Aside from what that might do to my own company, it wouldn’t be a good look for the family if we’re not seen to be doing the right thing from the outset.”
Sebastian sighed. “You’re right. We’ll have to issue some kind of preemptive announcement—make it abundantly clear that we’re innocent and that we’re assisting the DEA in any way we can.”
“What’s this?” Ava asked as she joined them in the breakfast room. “Of course we’re innocent. As to assisting the DEA—”
“Mom, we will be assisting them inasmuch as we’re capable. They’ve decided to file charges.” Sebastian quickly filled her in on the details. “To be obstructive would only make everything worse.”
“Of course it would,” she said, coming to stand by her firstborn and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I—”
His mom halted what she was going to say as Chloe came into the room.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Miles watched as Chloe halted in her steps and looked at each of them in turn. It was obvious she could feel the tension in the air.
“I think I might have my breakfast on the patio, today,” she announced with a forced smile.
“Thank you, Chloe,” Ava said graciously. “The boys and I have some business to discuss.”
“Of course,” Chloe replied brightly. She made up a bowl of cereal and milk and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the sideboard. “Let me know if you need me,” she directed at Miles.
He nodded in response. He wished, more than anything, that he could join her outside in the morning air. Summer mornings like this had always been his favorites when he still lived at home.
“We won’t be long,” he said firmly, letting his mother and brother know that he wasn’t about to be dragged into a day-long discussion about the whys and wherefores of what they were going to do next.
After Chloe had left the room, he faced them both. “Look, there’s nothing more I can do from here. I can support you just as well from my office in Chicago. I think Chloe and I should head back. Today, if possible.”
“No, please reconsider,” Ava pleaded. “Zeke and Reagan’s engagement party is tomorrow night. At least stay until then. You know Zeke would appreciate it, and it’s vital we continue to show a united front as a family.”
And there it was, his mother’s not-so-subtle form of pressure when it came to family obligations. With everything that had been happening, Miles had forgotten about his cousin’s recent engagement.
“I’ll speak with Chloe and let you know what we decide.”
“Surely you can answer for the girl.”
Miles pinned his mother with a look. “I wouldn’t be so presumptuous. She was kind enough to travel here with me, and I will be courteous enough to check with her about our plans for our departure home.”
“This is your home.”
“It might have been once, Mom, but it isn’t anymore. I made another life for myself in Chicago a long while ago. One you’re actually welcome to see if you’d come to visit. I have a guest room for you, should you ever decide to do that. We’re quite civilized up there, you know—hot and cold running water and all that. We even have theaters.”
He smiled to soften his words but he could see his words had struck the right chord. His mom was too used to calling the shots with her kids the way she called the shots in business. There were times in the past when they’d all wanted a bit more motherly compassion from her. Thankfully, they’d had that from their aunt Piper, who was nineteen years Ava’s junior. Piper had been raised by Ava after their parents died and was far more maternal than her older sister. But Ava’s stubborn belief that the fact Miles had made a new life for himself away from the family was merely a temporary aberration drove him crazy. Would she ever accept he was an adult capable of making his own choices?
“Maybe I’ll visit when things settle here a little,” Ava hedged.
“And if things don’t settle?” Sebastian asked bluntly.
“Let’s not borrow trouble. We’re a strong family and we have powerful connections. Don’t ever discount that. We’ll get through this, and we’ll be even better than before.”
Miles could only hope she was right. Wishing for it was one thing, but with the writing on the wall and no way to conduct their own investigation without drawing unwelcome attention to their activities, he had the feeling she was clutching at straws.
* * *
Miles finally extricated himself from the meeting with Ava and his brothers and went outside to find Chloe. He was relieved to see she was still out on the patio by the pool. He plonked himself down on the chair beside her and sighed heavily.
“Everything okay?” she asked, reaching out to put her hand on his arm.
Beneath her touch he felt himself begin to calm. He was learning to appreciate that about her. Her touch could do so many things to him and for him. Incite his senses or soothe them, as she was doing now.
“Yes and no.”
“Care to explain?”
“Yes, because I’m with you now. No, because my family is facing a truckload of trouble.”
“To do with the fire?”
“Among other things.” He shook his head. He didn’t want to discuss it but understood that Chloe might be curious, and he didn’t want to shut her out completely. “This is going to be made public at some stage, but for now I can’t tell you more than this. The WinJet plant won’t be operating for a while. The investigation has led to it being frozen until certain factors have either been proven or otherwise.”
Chloe looked shocked. “But what about the staff? The customers?”
“Exactly. We have a lot to work out.” He realized he’d used the word “we” and immediately amended it. “At least my mom and brothers do. As to the rest of us, we’re needed for support. Mom asked if we can stay on to attend my cousin Zeke’s engagement party tomorrow night—show a strong family front and all that. I’m happy to do whatever you prefer. We can head home right now, or stay a few extra days.”
“Miles, you know I’ll do whatever makes you happy.”
He smiled at her response. “And you do it very well.”
She slapped him lightly on the shoulder. “That wasn’t what I meant. Look, if you need to be with your family, then we’ll stay. Family is important. Everything, really. Sometimes you do things you’d rather not have to do, just to keep them happy. Which reminds me, I need to report in to my mom.”
That was a strange choice of words, Miles thought as Chloe rose and left to make the call. And there’d been an odd undertone to her voice. Maybe it was wistfulness, but his spider senses suggested there was more to it. Miles shook his head slightly to rid himself of the sensation. Clearly, he’d been around his family too long already—he was beginning to see discord in everything and Chloe had nothing to do with it, did she?
Eleven
Chloe made her way slowly upstairs. She wasn’t looking forward to making that call. Her mom had been so excited when she’d learned that Chloe was going to Royal with Miles so she could get closer to the Wingates and find the leverage she needed to really do them some harm. By the way things were going, though, they didn’t need any help in that regard.
She’d heard far more than she was meant to this morning, thanks to an untied shoelace that she’d attended to before entering the breakfast room. Sebastian’s words about the DEA and the company asset freeze had been shocking. Chloe hated seeing the strain on Miles, too. This entire issue had ballooned beyond everyone’s imagination.
But were they innocent? It was hard to tell. Surely, with the volume of drugs involved they must have known something. And the DEA—they weren’t in the habit of laying charges withou
t a solid basis for doing so. Someone in the family had to know something and that would make them just as heartless as she’d always thought they all were. And, as much as she was drawn to Miles and as much as she didn’t want it to be true, maybe he was exceptionally good at lying and projecting a false facade. Heaven only knew his father had been—after all, her father had trusted Trent Wingate implicitly. Maybe the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree at all.
A deep ache started in her chest at the thought. She was on the verge of giving her heart to the man, despite her initial intentions. And he’d confounded her at every turn. He’d been solicitous, kind and the type of lover women usually only read about in novels. She didn’t want to believe that he was complicit in this in any way. But, she reminded herself, the second his family had crooked a finger, he’d come running to help.
Of course, that didn’t tell her anything other than the fact that he was essentially a good man, one part of her argued. Or maybe it told her that he needed to be here to cover his bases regarding his own involvement in whatever was going on. So, what was she to do? Her mom expected her to take action and Chloe had the contact details of the reporter at the paper. All she had to do was send a text or an email to him about what she’d overheard this morning and the Wingate’s privacy would be blown wide-open before they had a chance to do damage control.
She picked her phone up from inside her handbag and stared at the blank screen. All her life she’d been bitter about this family, but flawed as they were, were they any different to her own, or any other family? Sure, they had more money than most—a lot more, and much of it amassed on the misery of others—but did she have the right to stomp all over them and expose this latest scandal to the press?
Chloe jumped and nearly dropped her phone as the screen lit up with her mother’s face and her mom’s special ringtone split the air.
“Hi, Momma,” she said, accepting the call. “I was just going to call you.”
“Since you hadn’t called me, I thought I’d better phone you and check in.”
There was no doubting the unhappiness in her mom’s voice.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe hastened to say. “It’s been...busy here.”
“I wish I could say the same. Here it’s still the same old, same old. I got my utilities bill today. I don’t know how I’m going to settle it or how much longer I’m going to be able to support myself.”
The ache that had started in Chloe’s chest earlier hardened into a painful knot. She knew her mother’s financial position better than anyone.
“We’ll find a way, Momma. I promise.” She thought about the credit card she kept only for emergencies and which she’d painstakingly just paid off. “And you know you can live with me if you can’t afford your apartment anymore.”
Her mom sighed. “I’ll manage, just like I always have. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about it. How are things in Texas? Has Royal changed much?”
“I guess it must have, Momma, because I haven’t seen anyone I recognize yet. But then again, I was so young when we left.”
Her mom sighed down the line. “It was wrong what they did to us, Chloe. So wrong. We deserved so much better. Your father deserved so much better.”
And with those words Chloe knew she had to do something, even if it wasn’t directly. She could give her mom the ammunition. Loretta then just needed to aim and send it in the right direction. Her mom had lost everything she’d ever held dear, aside from Chloe. Now she had the power to actually give her something back that might bring joy back into her life even if it destroyed the untried bond that was growing between her and Miles.
“Momma, I’m going to tell you something I learned today. Something about the Wingates.”
“You are?”
For the first time in a long time, Loretta Fitzgerald sounded thoroughly animated. Chloe swallowed against the bitter taste in her mouth.
“Yes, I am. But I want you to think carefully about what you want to do with this knowledge. This could change things for the Wingates forever.”
“The way they changed everything for us?”
Chloe closed her eyes against the sting of tears that suddenly burned there. “Yes.”
She repeated what she’d overheard this morning. At the end of the line, her mother gasped.
“So why aren’t you giving that information to the reporter that you told me about?”
“Because it’s not my fight anymore, Momma. I’m handing it over to you. I can’t do it. I’m too close...” Her voice trailed off as her throat thickened, making it hard to speak.
Understanding began to filter through her distress. She’d said it wasn’t her fight anymore, but maybe it never had been. And it certainly didn’t need to be now. Especially not when she realized her feelings for Miles were genuine. She’d passed the baton to her mom, what Loretta did with it was entirely up to her. For herself, Chloe would explain everything to Miles when they got back home to Chicago and then she’d accept the consequences of her actions. She could only hope that he could see what had driven her to do this—and forgive her all the same.
“Chloe, I warned you about getting hurt. Those people are ruthless.”
“No, Momma. They’re just people. Yes, Trent Wingate let Daddy down when he most needed support. But he’s gone now.”
“You’re falling in love with that Miles Wingate, aren’t you?” There was a definite accusatory tone in her mother’s voice. “What about me? What about what they owe me?”
“I’ve given you the information you need to take your revenge, if you’re prepared to go through with it. But I’m not doing it, Momma. I can’t. It’s just not right.” Tears were flowing down Chloe’s cheeks now. She couldn’t take anymore. “I’m hanging up now. I’ll be home by the end of next week. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’ll have to be, won’t it,” her mother answered snippily.
“Don’t be angry with me, please.”
“I’m not angry—just disappointed. We’ve talked about this for so long. You’ve been just as determined as I was to take revenge if the opportunity came along.”
“I know, and that’s my cross to bear. Look, I have to go. I’ll talk when I can.”
She ended the call and threw her phone on the bed before going through to the adjoining bathroom and washing her face. Man, she looked a wreck. Every one of the emotions tumbling through her—sorrow, regret, guilt—was evident in the blue eyes staring back at her. Chloe started as Miles’s reflection appeared next to hers.
“What’s wrong?”
Chloe scrambled for a valid reason to be standing in the bathroom, crying. “Mom had some bad news.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry. Do you need to go her? I can arrange it for you.”
He was already sliding his phone out of his pocket, but she turned and put a hand on his to stop him.
“No, it can wait until we’re back.”
“Are you sure? I can book a ticket back to Chicago for you right now. You only have to say the word.”
“Please, don’t. I’m staying with you, okay? Besides, there’s nothing she can do right now.”
Nothing except destroy the growing hope Chloe had for a future with Miles.
* * *
Miles watched from near the bar as Chloe chatted with Beth and Cam. He could barely take his eyes off her. She was wearing the same beaded black dress she’d worn to the blues evening, and it brought back some darn potent memories right now. He wondered just how long they’d have to stay here before they could slip away and create some new ones. There was a faint smile pulling at his lips as he contemplated just what those memories would entail.
“Penny for them?”
Miles straightened and held his hand out to his cousin Zeke. The son of Ava’s late brother, Robert, and his also deceased African American wife, Nina, Zeke and his brother, Luke, were both tall, ha
ndsome men who embraced their biracial heritage with pride and confidence. Zeke was the Vice President of Marketing at Wingate Enterprises, and he’d been none too pleased about the revelations in the family meeting Sebastian called late yesterday afternoon. He had his work cut out for him trying to find a way to put a positive spin on the company going forward.
Despite the fact this was a family celebration and the guests were supposed to be family friends, there’d been murmurs and finger-pointing about what had happened with the fire at the jet plant already and he could feel the divide beginning to grow. It wouldn’t be long before the asset freeze was being bandied about, too.
“I was contemplating the job you have ahead of you, spin-doctoring Winjet out of this mess,” Miles said with genuine sympathy.
“We have our work cut out for us,” Zeke said with a heartfelt sigh. “But we’ll get through it. Maybe not exactly unscathed, but hopefully close to it.”
Despite the positivity in his cousin’s words, Miles couldn’t help but feel things were beginning to teeter on the edge of a dangerous precipice. But then he gave himself a mental shake. They were here to keep up appearances and to celebrate Zeke’s engagement to Reagan. He needed to chill out a bit. His eyes tracked across the room, back to Chloe.
Zeke turned to follow Miles’s gaze.
“She’s pretty. Luke and I were surprised you risked bringing her home to meet us.”
“Risked?” Miles asked with a raised brow.
“Well, you know what Aunt Ava’s like. Has she checked Chloe’s pedigree and breeding options yet?”
Miles laughed out loud, earning inquisitive looks from many of the people milling around them. “No, but there’s still time. We’re staying on an extra few days.”
“Well, good luck, cuz. If she’s worth it, look after her.”
“Oh, I plan to, for as long as she’ll let me.”
Across the room, Chloe had begun to work her way over toward him and Zeke. A few people smiled or nodded to her, but there were equally as many who turned their backs. Watching it made Miles’s hackles rise. Chloe was his guest. Under normal circumstances, that meant she should be welcomed with open arms, but with everything that was going on, she was being treated by some as a rank outsider.
Black Sheep Heir Page 11