by Meghan March
As I sat across from him, the waitress swooped in and poured me a cup as well. When she disappeared, Heath slid his phone across the table toward me.
“We got a problem.”
I expected to be staring down at information relating to my dad’s case, but instead I saw a picture of Ari on the screen, walking out of a restaurant with another guy’s arm around her shoulders. I’d put money on that asshole being her ex. The gossip rag that had posted the pic had captioned it Reclusive Tech CEOs Vacation in New Orleans.
What the hell?
“He’s here?”
Heath shook his head. “No. Old picture. She definitely never brought him home. I’m guessing this is Carlos’s last attempt to keep her by forcing the issue in the press.”
My hands clenched into fists. “They’re done. Ari was clear about that. Obviously, someone needs to make it even clearer to this asshole.”
I looked up at Heath in time to catch the satisfaction flashing across his features.
“If he comes here, there’s no way I’ll let him get close to her.” He leaned back in his chair and held my gaze. “If she wasn’t living in Cali, I would’ve told her she’d be better off dating you.”
If I had a mirror, I was sure my face would be the picture of dumbstruck. “What did you say?”
“When we were in school, I knew she was crazy about you. We all did. You never let on that you knew, which made me respect you even more. Some guys would’ve taken advantage and tried to hook up with her because they knew she’d be an easy lay.”
“I never would’ve—”
Heath held up a hand. “I know. But we’re not in high school anymore. She’s not my virgin little sister. We both know I have no say in what she does with her life. But I’m just throwing it out there because I know she’s never totally gotten over that crush, and I know you’re too good of a guy to make a move behind my back.”
Guilt formed a fist in my chest, wrapping around my lungs, and I had to come clean.
“I kissed her last night.” I left out the rest for obvious reasons.
Instead of his features twisting with anger or betrayal, Heath smiled. “Fucking finally. All I’m going to say is this, and then we’re never going to talk about what happens between you and my sister ever again. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, the best man I know. You fuck her over like that asshole did, and I’ll deal with you shotgun-and-shovel style. You guys try it out and it doesn’t work for whatever reason, I’m not gonna hold it against you. If it does work out, I’ll welcome you as a brother with open arms, because you’ve already been one my whole life. That’s my way of saying you’ve got my blessing for whatever you decide.”
With each word Heath spoke, the fist loosened its hold a little more. When he finished, all I could do was shake my head in amazement.
“It would be the understatement of the year to say this went how I was planning.”
Heath chuckled as he shrugged. “I know I was an asshole in high school about anyone who looked twice at her. I’d like to think I’ve grown up a little since then. Besides, if I could pick a guy for her then or now, it would be you.”
I appreciated his vote of confidence. “I don’t know what’s going to happen—”
He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I know, and that’s why I’m backing away and not worrying about either of you when it comes to that. But,” he pointed down at the picture on his phone screen, “I am worrying about this. Now people know she’s in town, and although she’s not a celebrity, I don’t like the level of visibility it gives her. Ari keeps a low profile for lots of reasons, but most of all because of the incident she doesn’t think I know about.”
It was clear Heath kept closer tabs on his sister than she knew, based on his comment and the pictures he’d produced. If I were in his shoes, I would too.
“What can I do?”
“I was hoping you were going to ask that.” Heath’s smile widened. “I was thinking you should pull your head out of your ass and stay at her place instead of at whatever cheap hotel you probably picked.”
He knew me well. When I didn’t shoot down the idea, he continued.
“She could use an extra set of eyes, and this wouldn’t feel like she was crushed by security. Just the fact that she made her guy leave her alone last night scared the shit out of me.”
His words made me wonder if there was another threat Ari hadn’t told me about, but he didn’t elaborate.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
He reached for his coffee. “She’s my little sister. I might be cool with the thought of you dating, but I still get to worry about her. I’d move Dad into the mansion, but he won’t even leave my den after the scene at the restaurant yesterday. I got my hands full. Do me a solid.”
I thought of how Ari and I had left things last night. “I can’t just show up with a bag and move in.”
“Don’t see why not. I’m sure you’ll figure out something that works. You’re smart.”
The waitress returned to take our orders, and we both ordered the same thing we had every time we sat in this very same booth.
“Some things don’t change,” Heath said as she walked away with our orders. Omelet for me, and eggs Benedict for him.
“Yeah, except you’re the one sitting there with a badge and I’m not.” The hint of bitterness that crept into my tone was unavoidable.
Heath’s easy smile faded. “I know. And that’s straight fucked up.”
“You hear any more on the investigation?”
Lines bracketed the corners of my friend’s mouth. “You know I could lose my badge for saying anything to you.”
“So all those years of friendship you talked about meant nothing?”
Was it fair for me to play on his loyalties? Maybe not, but I’d do whatever it took to get to the bottom of what happened with my dad. It didn’t feel right. Something was off in a big way.
“I don’t know much except what’s going on in IA, but the whole department has been talking about the case and no one knows what the fuck happened. The wiring and triggering device weren’t what they would’ve expected your dad to use.”
“What do you mean?”
“He knew military demolition but old-school style. This was new school. Sophisticated shit. Unless your dad kept up with technology as it advanced, it looks like someone else might have wired it. If they did, it was like they went out of their way to make it clear he didn’t do it.”
A shaft of hope jabbed into my chest. “So you’re saying he’s going to be cleared? And if he didn’t do it, who did? What was the motive?”
Heath held up a hand. “Slow down a second. The only thing they’re saying is that he might not have done the wiring. Forensic accountants are going through all your parents’ finances to see if your dad might have paid someone else to wire it. The timing of everything seems way too convenient.”
Typical of the department not to look at every possibility. They weren’t searching for a reason to clear him; they were digging for a reason to pin this all on him so they could close the case as fast as possible.
I knew exactly what I’d have to do in order to clear my dad—figure out what actually happened and bring in irrefutable evidence to support it.
“Think about it. Why would he pay someone to wire the house when he could’ve done it himself? And let’s get real, there’s no way in hell he would’ve done it himself either with my mom coming and going. He never would’ve put her at risk like that. You can’t tell me you believe it.”
Heath jammed a hand into his hair. “You know I don’t want to believe any of it, but we gotta look at all the angles. He was a lifelong cop looking at sitting in a cell for a long damn time after they arrested him. None of us would want to go through that. He wouldn’t have been the first cop to . . . take another way out.”
My jaw clenched at the suggestion. “I don’t believe it. Leave my mom homeless so he could avoid being arrested? It d
oesn’t make sense. If he wanted to end it all, he could’ve walked out of the house with a gun in hand and gone out old-fashioned suicide by cop.” It turned my gut to say it, but it was the truth.
“Your old man was stubborn, there’s no doubt about that. Look, let us do our job. If there’s any evidence to the contrary, it’ll come to light.”
“Yeah, because you can tell me with a straight face that’s really what the department wants.”
Heath’s expression darkened. “We’re not all dirty cops. Some are still in this to protect and serve. You know that.”
“I know.”
“Did you know Ari might be sticking around longer than she’d planned?”
The trajectory of my thoughts did a one-eighty. “Really?”
“She said she’s not going anywhere until we sort out all this stuff going on with Dad, no matter how long it takes.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. As much as I’m glad she’ll be around longer, the reason sucks for you both.”
“Getting old’s a bitch, that’s for sure. I’m hoping for the best, but from what I’ve been seeing the last week, he’s going downhill fast.”
“If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
“Appreciate it. Best thing you can do is keep an eye on Ari.”
The waitress delivered our orders, and the rest of breakfast passed with the same easy camaraderie Heath and I had always had. But as we ate, my mind kept bouncing between two different thoughts.
What the hell actually happened with my dad, and how long would I have with Ari?
18
Ariel
“Ha! I still got it!” I jumped up from the chair and did a little dance around the office where I’d set up shop in the house. I didn’t care that Erik and Esme could see me shaking my groove thang through the live video stream.
“You’ve definitely got something . . .”
My tweaks to the security system had rendered it impenetrable once again, and my top team of internal hackers, along with Esme and Erik, had failed miserably.
“What I don’t understand is why you won’t take one of the hundreds of offers we get for you to do this for other companies? Do you have any idea how much money you could make?”
“She’s already got plenty of money. Why would she want to go work for someone else and follow their rules, even if it were on a contract basis?” Esme pointed out.
“This is something I do for my personal satisfaction, not for money.”
“But . . .”
“No buts. On to the next subject.”
“Speaking of butts . . . did Mr. Hot Former Cop grow a pair and talk to your brother today to get permission to bang you?”
Esme’s question sent a wave of heat up my cheeks. “We’re not talking about that either.”
Heath texted me this morning to tell me that he and Rhett were having breakfast at ten. A glance at the clock showed that it was now noon and I’d received no updates. Not that I was expecting one, or, you know, Rhett to show up with a giant bouquet of flowers and toss rose petals all over my floor as he led me to bed.
Actually, that would be creepy, despite what I thought when I was eighteen. Officially scratching that one off the fantasy list.
But what if we took that next step and it didn’t come anywhere close to living up to what I’d imagined? I’d expended an undisclosed amount of brain power on how it could be between Rhett and me, and the more I thought about it, the more I was terrified of the possibility of disappointment.
“Uh-oh. I recognize that face. I don’t see it often, but that’s the face of hesitation. Maybe even second thoughts,” Esme whispered.
It took all the adult willpower in my body not to flip off the screen. Both Erik and Esme read me too easily.
“What if . . . what if something happens and . . .” I pressed my lips together, not even wanting to put my fears out in the universe.
“What if it’s not as good as you’ve always hoped it would be?” Esme suggested.
“You think you’ve built this guy up to have a Jack-in-the-beanstalk-level magic cock, and he might just have regular beans?” Erik asked.
Neither waited for me to respond, opting instead to discuss it amongst themselves.
“He can’t suck,” Esme said. “I’ve seen pictures of that guy, and he looks like the real deal.”
Erik speared her with a skeptical look. “Oh, and your track record with identifying winners is so good?”
“Shut up. That was one internet dating experience gone bad. It’s not like—”
I hit the End button on the screen and wondered how long it would take them to realize I’d hung up on them.
I gave it three, two, one . . .
They popped up onscreen again.
“Hey, not fair.”
“Moving on now.”
After knocking out a long list of items I needed to discuss with Erik and Esme, I clicked out of the video conference and looked at the time. Two more hours had passed, and still no word from Rhett or Heath.
Okay, I’m just pathetic. I’ve got plenty of things to do to keep me busy, and none of them involve mooning over Rhett Hennessy.
Years ago, I’d spent way too much time up in my tiny room, staring out the window at the Hennessys’ driveway and front yard, hoping for a glimpse of Rhett coming or going from school or practice or . . . ugh, on dates. Instead of studying and preparing to rock my future life, I’d make up stories about how Rhett would scale the chimney and sneak in through my window and tell me he couldn’t live without me. Followed by him carrying me out of my childhood bedroom and down the stairs without getting shot by my dad.
Needless to say, that had never happened. What did happen was watching Rhett bring his senior prom date, Valerie Hebert, to his parents’ house after picking her up so his mom could take pictures of them in front of the blooming magnolia tree out front. The day before, Valerie had spent a good twenty minutes preening in the girls’ locker room after PE, smiling smugly about how Rhett Hennessy was going to try to hit a home run after prom, and she was thinking about letting him.
She still had that smug look on her face before he led her to the passenger side door of his dad’s classic Corvette and helped her inside.
I’d been near tears and ready to give up my hopes and dreams about all things Rhett Hennessy at the thought of them together in some hotel room, when the long skirt of her pink princess dress had touched the exhaust pipe running under the door. It melted instantly, ruining her perfect look and causing a bloodcurdling scream to echo through the neighborhood.
Now, I hadn’t been rejoicing at any girl’s dream prom getting ruined, but from the way she’d lit into Rhett in front of his entire family, and the way he’d looked skyward as if searching for patience and had accidentally met my gaze through the panes of my bedroom window . . . I knew that he wasn’t going to be scoring any runs that night, and I’d felt marginally better.
Then I’d let myself daydream about what it would be like for Rhett to show up and take me to my senior prom.
Spoiler alert—he hadn’t.
I’d gone with Donny Jenkins, who’d tried to shove his hand up my dress as I walked out to his car. I had to tell him my brother was the top shooter from his academy class and would happily put holes in him if he tried it again. Donny had left me in the parking lot, and I’d had to get a ride home with all the girls who’d gone stag. I’d never heard from him again.
Maybe I should have said something similar to Carlos . . .
To this day, I wondered if Donny had crapped his pants as he’d run to his mom’s Suburban and torn out of the parking lot. I’d never thought about him since.
Ah . . . trips down memory lane. So not useful.
I stood up, stretched my arms behind my back, and shook out my wrists to prevent carpal tunnel. Then I walked into the kitchen to dig up some food before I got back to work.
Waiting on Rhett Hennessy was like hoping your hair wouldn’t frizz up in the Louisiana
humidity—pointless and frustrating.
With a bowl of stir fry in front of me, I went back to work, determined to knock out everything on my to-do list before I let my mind wander in the direction of Rhett Hennessy again. Since my track record of being able to stop thinking about him was so great.
Resolute, I shoved in my earbuds and crunched into a piece of broccoli as I opened the document I needed to review to decide whether to invest in a new start-up. They had an app that they claimed would become as addictive as Facebook and Instagram.
I’ve got an empire to build. Watch out, world.
* * *
I’d lost track of time while being wildly productive, electing to invest a couple hundred thousand dollars in the first start-up and another half million in another company. Reviewing other people’s business plans and proposals always made me proud of what I’d accomplished. Had I taken a different path, I would have been applying to people for angel financing, giving up over half of my equity stake just for a shot at making it.
Instead, I’d taken a big risk that could have blown up in my face. I cashed out my college tuition account and used that instead of fake money during the day-trading portion of my finance class. I was either going to be a dropout or a success, and luckily, I’d learned I had a solid gut instinct and could recognize patterns. I’d tripled my money, paid my next semester’s tuition, and used the profit to hire a couple of friends to help develop my first successful apps.
My phone lit up, its vibrations carrying through the table to get my attention.
* * *
Unknown Number: Your plane ticket home is in your email. We’ll be discussing the situation you raised last night in person.
* * *
I’d blocked Carlos’s number on my phone, so while it didn’t surprise me he was texting me from another number, it pissed me off.