by Krista Lakes
“Yes. The longer I let it go, the more successful we were because of the extra money, the more ashamed I was of it.” He sighed. “When the blackmail started, they only wanted a little bit of money. When you have a billion dollars, a hundred grand is pocket change.”
I nodded. It was strange how keeping a ten thousand dollar bet quiet was worth hundreds of thousands, but money was no object to Leo now. It was no longer about the amount, but what had happened and making sure that people weren't hurt by it. It wasn't just me that would be furious. That money had been Gabe and Bastian's.
I took a deep breath. I didn't know what to think, though I could feel the fury building in my stomach. I closed my eyes, trying to center myself.
“What about the slush fund?” I asked. “You said that it was related to the blackmail? Are you using it to pay the blackmail?”
“I promise you, I had nothing to do with the slush fund's missing money,” he said quickly. “But I can't tell you more on the radio. I need to talk to you in person.”
“Okay.” I opened my eyes and looked around. Murdoch had his arms crossed and was pretending to sleep in the driver's seat while Elijah leaned nonchalantly against a pylon, managing to look relaxed and deadly at the same time. “Well, I'm here by your boat with just these two scary men watching me. I'm not happy about what you just told me, Leo. But, I'll be here.”
Leo revved the engine. “I'm coming back in. Will you give the headset back to Murdoch?”
“Leo, be careful,” I blurted out. I knew he would be, but I needed to say it.
“I'll go slow,” he promised. I could hear the promise in his voice and I knew he meant it. Or at least, he meant slow for him. “Charlotte?”
“Yes?”
“I didn't take that money.” He paused, and I heard the boat engine rev again. “I think I know who did though.”
“You can tell me when you get here,” I told him. “Just get here.”
“One more thing,” Leo said. “I love you, Charlotte. I have for a long time.”
I smiled without thinking, wishing that he didn't melt me so easily. I was angry, but he was on that dangerous boat that I hated. The boat that only added to my nightmares of being left alone. I didn't want my last words to him to be those of anger. “I love you, too, Leo.”
With a lump in my throat the size of Texas, I pulled off the headset and handed it back to Murdoch.
“Okay, boss.” Murdoch picked up a tablet from the passenger seat and tapped it twice. “Computer says you're lagging slightly on the right. Be sure to compensate.”
I put my hands on the side of the boat, trying to keep my thoughts from spinning so wildly in my head. Leo was on his way back and he had an idea of who took the money.
Blackmail. I hated the word.
I took a deep breath. This was a lot to process. The man I loved had done a terrible thing. Granted, he wasn't an ax-murderer, but he had done something worth blackmailing over. I hated the way my stomach clenched when I thought of how he had kept this a secret all these years. Yet, the guilt of that decision had eaten away at him for the past five years to the point where he thought he didn't deserve me.
I hit the side of the boat with the palm of my hand, needing to vent the frustration. How could Leo have done this? He had been perfect until now.
I knew the answer, but I still needed to ask the question. He had done it to make his friends enough money to start their business. It was done with the best intentions. He had saved us, even if he had risked everything to do it.
I hated the shades of gray that left me. What he had done was wrong, but had created the right outcome. He had made all our lives better because of his arrogance. If he had just told us all from the beginning, none of this would have happened.
I had to wonder, would Bastian and Gabe have signed off on the bet if Leo had just asked? I wasn't sure. It was possible. Bastian and Gabe were risk-takers. There was a chance that Leo could have done it with their blessing. I wasn't sure if that lessened his guilt or not.
Not really, I decided. He should have asked. He should have told us instead of calling it a loan. Just because I understood why he did it didn't mean I agreed with him.
And now he was being blackmailed. And the slush fund was still an issue.
What if they were connected? Whoever knew this secret of Leo's would have to be close to him, maybe even close enough to access his money. I knew we gave limited access to secretaries and assistants when we had big projects or big clients to woo.
Could one of them still have access?
I shook my head. That didn't make any sense. The accountants were too careful and the passwords changed too often. It had to just be a coincidence. With the app coming out, someone must have just forgotten to mention a big dinner or an emergency flight to the accountants. It honestly wasn't that much money in relation to what billionaires could spend, so it had to just be some sort of oversight.
I sighed and looked over at Murdoch. He was frowning at the tablet and telling Leo something about one of his engines. I hoped Leo got here soon. Maybe, once I could talk to him in person, I would feel better. Maybe I wouldn't feel so lied to.
“Mr. Westbrook?” Murdoch's concerned tone caught my attention. “Leo?”
“What's going on?” I asked, the pit of my stomach suddenly falling. Cold dread swept over me. Something bad had just happened.
“Leo!” Murdoch shouted into the headset. He shook his head and looked at me. “The radio just went dead. It's probably just a glitch in the system. It should be back up in a minute.” He held out his hand to stop me, but the flicker of terror deep in his eyes told me the truth.
“Leo...” I whispered. Cold dread filled me and I shivered in the tropical heat, getting goosebumps up and down my arms. Something bad had happened to him. I prayed it was just my imagination getting the better of me, but deep in my heart, I knew.
He had crashed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The sun slow lifted her radiant head out of the dark ocean, sending light to cast out the shadows of night. I knew it would be warmer soon, but I was still cold with dread. I hugged my arms around me tighter, watching the rays of light bounce off the water and shimmer with hope. Maybe with the dawn they would find him.
I stared out at the water, watching the waves and trying really hard not to think of sharks.
The coast guard will find him, I told myself, repeating like a mantra. If I said it enough times, it had to be true. They would find him, sitting there grinning in his boat, totally fine- just with a dead battery. Not scattered across the ocean with the debris of his shattered boat.
He wouldn't leave me alone. He wouldn't. Leo loved me. He wouldn't do the thing I feared most in the world. He wouldn't leave me, especially not after telling me what he had done.
I needed to talk to him. I needed to tell him that I forgave him. This empty, hollow, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach was terrible and all I knew was that I wanted him safe. I didn't care what he had done anymore. I just wanted him back with me.
I closed my eyes, the sun now to bright to look at. I was so tired. After Leo's radio signal stopped, Murdoch immediately called the coast guard. I'd spent the rest of the night pacing the docks, waiting for a boat to find him. Unfortunately, Speed Demon was a very fast boat. There was a lot of territory to search.
I could hear the conversation of the command center over the sound of the water. It was still quiet on the docks with just the sea birds starting to cry that the day was here, so it was hard not to hear the searchers' conversations. Their words floated through my mind. I didn't want to understand the depth of their meaning, because nothing they said gave me hope.
“He was only going fifty knots, and the water was smooth...”
“We found the GPS transponder. It appears to have broken off and gotten caught in the current. It'll take some time to find him...”
“If he crashed going sixty-five miles per hour, that's still a hard crash...”
> “He's an experienced captain, perhaps he bailed out in time...”
I thought again of asking Murdoch for the keys to the Silver Lightning, but I knew it wouldn't help. I wasn't trained and I'd just get in the way of the coast guard. They had asked me to stay here, to be a point of contact if they did find him. I couldn't just take a boat I didn't know how to drive out into the ocean with no idea what I was doing. Then they'd just have two people to look for. As much as I hated it, I had to stay on land. Even as useless as I felt, it was where I needed to be.
I turned away from the voices. I just wanted to wake up and find this was all a dream. A horrible, terrible nightmare of a dream. I wanted to just wake up in Leo's bed and find it was yesterday. No blackmail, no missing money, no fight, no crash.
“Here,” Murdoch said softly. I opened my eyes to see him holding out a blanket. I stared at it without moving and so he unfolded and carefully wrapped it around my shoulders. “You're shivering. You look exhausted. Go to the Silver Lightning and lay down. I'll come get you as soon as there's any word.”
“But...” I turned to look back at the command center the coast guard had set up to centralize the search. I didn't want to leave. What if something happened? I needed to be here.
I looked up into Murdoch's eyes, expecting to find hardness and anger. Instead, I found big brown eyes that were warm and gentle. There was a hardness to his face, but a deep well of kindness bubbled deep within his dark eyes. I'd always seen him as cold and intimidating, but in this morning sun, he had a warmth I hadn't expected. Especially from someone who bet all of our friends that Leo and I would never be a couple.
“He would want me to take care of you,” Murdoch said quietly, putting his hands on my shoulders and gently steering me away and toward the Silver Lightning. “You need to rest.”
“Okay,” I relented, letting my feet move without thinking. Everything in my brain was foggy and distant from trying not to think and worry, yet still failing. I moved on autopilot because if I thought about what was happening, I would break down.
I couldn't break down yet. Not until I knew for sure.
“Do you know why I bet that the two of you would never get together?” Murdoch asked after a moment. The sounds of the command center were fading to the gentle bumps and splashes of boats tied to a dock.
I shook my head. “No.” Something deep in my chest started to ache.
“It's because I have to win,” Murdoch stated. “I'm an ex gambler- that's how Leo found me. I used to work security at some rather disreputable gambling establishments. I was in a bad place until Leo got me a real job and out of gambling. He saved me.”
“I didn't know that,” I said, fighting against the lump in my throat. I wondered just how many others Leo had saved that I didn't know about. Knowing that Leo had helped him out of a terrible position suddenly made Murdoch's unwavering loyalty make more sense, but not why he wouldn't want me in Leo's life.
“He's a good man.” Murdoch looked at me, his eyes telling me that he believed it far more than words could. “That's why you were my last bet. I bet that you and Leo would never be a couple.”
My stomach clenched. He didn't think I was good for Leo.
“Why don't you want us together?” I asked, tightening the blanket around my shoulders and looking anxiously for Elijah. Suddenly, being alone with Murdoch didn't seem like such a good idea.
“I do want you together. You make him happy, and he deserves some happiness,” Murdoch replied. “But, you see, I have to win.”
We'd reached the boat. I clutched at the blanket and turned to face him, doing my best to be brave. I didn't think he would hurt me, but he was loyal to Leo, not me.
“I don't understand,” I said. “How can you want him to be happy with me, but bet that we'd never be together?”
“I made the bet, because if you didn't end up together, I'd win some money. I would win something. But money would just be a consolation prize,” he explained. He smiled, the planes of his face warming into something that was no longer frightening. “But, the two of you together and in love? That's real winning. It's better than money.”
“So, you bet that we would never fall in love, even though you really did want us to?” I frowned trying to figure it out. It was a little backward, but I could follow the logic. If he won the bet, he would be sad but rich. If he lost the bet, he'd be happy but poor. Either way, he won in some fashion.
“Yes,” Murdoch replied. He put his hand gently on my shoulder. “You should know, that as far as I'm concerned, I won. I got the outcome that I wanted.”
The world didn't seem quiet so cold and frightening for a moment. If people like Murdoch were rooting for us, how could anything bad happen? Leo had to be safe. “Thank you, Murdoch.”
He nodded and offered me his hand to get into the boat. I climbed aboard and settled into the passenger seat, wrapping the blanket around me. For a moment, I considered starting up the boat and searching anyway, but I was so tired I could barely see straight. At this point, I'd be more likely to run him over than find him. Murdoch waited until I was settled before nodding.
“I'll let Elijah know you're here, and I'll come get you as soon as there's any updates,” he promised. He smiled at me fondly. “I know it's hard, but try and get some rest. We'll find him.”
I yawned, my jaws cracking with the size of it. The sun was so warm now, and this seat was surprisingly comfortable... maybe if I just closed my eyes for a moment, it would all just go away...
Chapter Twenty-Six
Charlotte...
Leo's voice hovered on the morning light, caressing me with warmth and feelings of home.
“Leo?” I whispered, blinking my eyes against the light and waking from sleep. Was he here? Was he safe?
I rubbed my eyes to find myself alone. No one was there, not even Murdoch or Eli. Just me, alone and dreaming in a boat.
I stifled a sigh and forced the tears back. I hadn't cried yet and I wasn't about to now. Crying didn't solve anything. Crying was for when things were finished and safe. Crying was for when there was nothing else to do. I wasn't finished yet. Leo wasn't finished yet. So I wasn't crying yet.
I looked down at my watch to see a little more than an hour had passed. There had to be some sort of update by now, but I expected that Murdoch was trying to let me sleep. It was a sweet gesture, but I needed to know where the man I loved was, even if they weren't sure.
I stood up and stretched my arms overhead, hearing a disturbing number of pops and crunches in my shoulders. The chair was not designed for sleeping in, but I at least felt a little more refreshed than I had an hour ago.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I had completely forgotten about it. I turned on the screen to see several worried messages from Bastian and Gabe, some work emails that could wait until later, and a game notification. I put it back in my pocket with a sigh. I hadn't been expecting a text message from Leo with his exact geographical coordinates, but I had hoped he had tried to contact me that way.
I jumped out of the boat and walked along the dock. Now that it was daylight, there was far more activity. Men in uniform buzzed around looking important the closer I got to the command center, but nothing seemed to have changed. The sky was the same hopeful shade of blue that it always was and the dark waves rolled in just the same. The same level of determination and activity, with no big smiles or bright eyes told me that there was nothing new.
I stopped and just stood there. What would I do without Leo? What would any of us do? My heart was slowly breaking, being squeezed in a vice with every second I didn't know where he was. I didn't know how long my heart would survive before it shattered.
I turned from the command center, thinking I would go find Murdoch, when I saw a boat was coming in. It was one of the coast guard vessels, but something about it drew my attention. I stared out at it, shadowing my eyes from the sun and wishing it was just a little bit closer.
Someone was standing at the bow of the ship. S
omeone with unruly brown hair and broad shoulders.
My heart knew before my eyes. It was Leo.
I ran to the edge of the dock, thinking of jumping off and swimming to the ship just to have those extra few moments with him, but I stayed put and just wished for wings.
Leo was alive.
All my anger disappeared in a breath. I didn't have time to be angry any more. Just time for loving him and having that man in my life. I wasn't going to let one stupid mistake five years ago ruin everything. Not when he was everything to me.
The big boat lumbered in far too slowly for my taste, and apparently for Leo's as well. Long before the boat was tied down or even fully finished stopping, he was jumping from the side of the boat and onto the dock.
I ran to him, throwing my arms around him and holding onto him for dear life. He pulled me into him, kissing my hair. I breathed in the scent of him, mixed with ocean and sweat, but taking every inch of him in with my senses to know he was really here and this wasn't a dream.
“Charlotte,” he whispered, pressing his lips against mine and making sure I was real, too. He was firm and real, and clinging to me as strongly as I clung to him.
That's when I started to cry.
“I thought I lost you,” I sobbed, tears running down my cheeks. Tears of relief mingled with tears of stress and concern. He was alive. He hadn't left me. We still had our whole future in front of us. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I'll live. I thought I lost you,” he replied. His eyes went to my tears and he frowned, wincing at the motion. There was a large cut over his eye that was no longer bleeding, but looked painful. He put his hand to my cheek and wiped them away with the rough pad of his thumb. “I've never seen you cry before.”
I sniffled, and wiped the tears with the back of my hand, embarrassed. I wished I could be a little stronger. People were starting to stare at the rescued man and his bawling girlfriend. Leo was fine. He was the one who had just survived a boat crash, and if the myriad of cuts and bruises were any indication, he had far more reason to be upset than I did. He was alive and safe. There was no need for tears, yet I couldn't stop them.