“Do you mind if I bum one of those off you?” A male voice asked.
Andre turned toward the tall light skinned man sitting at the table next to him. The man’s face was vaguely familiar, but Andre couldn’t place where he knew him from. He tossed over the pack and watched as the man pulled out a cigarette.
“Thanks. I’m trying to quit, but not doing too well.”
“I quit years ago,” Andre replied.
“Not doing to good then, huh?”
Andre tossed over his lighter. “Not quite.”
The man lit his cigarette, closed his eyes and grinned. “Just like going home.”
Andre nodded and took a drag of his own. He missed Mikayla. She should be at his condo by now, and hopefully the bouquet of flowers and the chocolates he’d ordered had arrived. He’d call her later and let her know he’d hired a masseuse to come over in the morning.
“You’re Andre Caldwell.”
He glanced back at the man. Took another good look at him. The guy had features a woman would consider handsome, his grey button up shirt and black pants were simple, but had the cut and fit of tailoring. But Andre still didn’t know why he looked familiar.
“Why do you want to know?”
The man sat forward and rested his arms on the wire table. He motioned to Andre with the hand holding the cigarette. “Because, you’re the man I want to run my company.”
Andre shifted in his seat until he faced the guy. “I’m not looking for a job.”
“You don’t have to be looking to find the right opportunity.” The guy rested the cigarette on the table and reached out his hand. “I’m Steve Harden, owner of Harden Composting.”
The light bulb of recognition flashed. Steve Harden submitted a proposal for C.E.S. to fund the startup of an indoor composting facility. Andre was interested in learning more about how to make money in that little explored market in the Southeast. He’d checked the former biology professor’s research on potential streams for organics and understood how funding Steve could benefit C.E.S. and him.
Of course, Curtis had been staunchly against the idea. Regardless of how much money they could have potentially made, Curtis disagreed with any idea he didn’t come up with.
“You started the indoor composting.”
Steve took a drag off his cigarette, then sat back in his chair. “After C.E.S. turned me down, I sought seed money to start on my own. No need to be a subset of a larger conglomeration when I can branch out. I secured a federal research grant, and some money from a few foundations to start my first facility in North Carolina. Now I’m ready to branch out to other locations.”
“Why do you need me?”
“I’m not a businessman. The success of my first facility is great, but I’m not afraid to admit trying to run two is above my head. I’d rather be running the facility itself, making sure things are working the way they should. I need someone like you to help my business grow.”
Andre slowly leaned forward. “Tell me what you’ve got going.”
Several hours later, Andre shook Steve’s hand and walked back to the hotel a bounce in his step. Though he’d made no promises, from what he learned, taking over as the C.E.O. for Harden Composting was just the challenge he needed. Taking the position would mean a significant pay cut short term, but the opportunity had the potential to pay off in the long run. There were plenty of opportunities to expand the marketing and sales for the material. His dad would try to buy them out if he left, but he could handle that when the time came. As soon as Isaac finished with his investigation into Charity, he’d have him investigate Steve. If it all panned out, Andre would make the move.
When he made it back to the hotel suite, he knocked on Isaac’s bedroom door and got no answer except for the murmur of voices. No telling what, or who, his brother had gotten into. Pushing aside thoughts of his brother, Andre pulled out his phone to call Mikayla. There were two missed calls from her and one from Angelica. Ignoring the voice messages from Angelica, he called Mikayla. He couldn’t wait to share the good news, and hear the sound of her voice.
CHAPTER 34
After lounging for nearly an hour in the luxury of Andre’s large tub, Mikayla finally pulled herself out of the lavish bubble bath. She’d nearly burst with delight when she’d entered the condo to find four dozen roses and a huge basket filled with scented bath accessories. A much needed bright spot in a disappointing day.
Humming softly, she wrapped up in his navy bathrobe and pulled the lapels up to her nose to breathe in his scent. Warm desire spread through her as the soft material brushed against her naked body. The end of the week couldn’t come soon enough.
The bedroom door was closed, but the sound of the front door opening and closing made her stiffen. She glanced around for something to defend herself with, and then laughed at herself for being foolish. It was probably Jonathan checking on her.
Still, she picked up the solid glass ashtray next to the bed and her cell phone from the dresser before walking out.
“Hello?” she called. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest as she walked down the hall to the living area. After entering the room, she stopped. Andre’s father stood without the slightest hint of surprise.
He slowly pulled off a navy suit jacket and glared. “I can see the appeal, but you’re no match for Angelica’s beauty.”
Her fist clenched around the lapels of the robe. She hadn’t expected her next meeting with Andre’s dad to go well, but also didn’t expect insults. “How did you know I was here?”
“There isn’t a step my son takes that I don’t know about.”
“What do you want?”
The sick chuckle he let out spread unease across her skin. Dark eyes that were similar to Andre’s raked over her body from head to toe. “Got a little fire, too. Do you let that out when you’re screwing my son? Is that why he’s willing to walk away from the family for you?” He stalked toward her. “I won’t let him.”
Clammy sweat covered every inch of Mikayla’s body after his thorough inspection. But she didn’t back away. “Andre’s a grown man. I don’t make him do anything.”
“No need to be coy with me, girl. Angelica wasn’t afraid to brag on her bedroom powers of persuasion.”
He stopped in front of her, wrinkling his nose as if she were trash. Her throat threatened to close up. She didn’t know much about Curtis except that he was a ruthless businessman and could hold a grudge for years. Though she’d never heard of him being violent, she was thankful Andre and Jonathan knew she was here just in case something happened.
“I asked why you’re here,” she said in a tight voice.
“Simple. Leave my son alone.”
She raised her chin. “That’s up to him.”
“You think this thing between you two is going to last?” He laughed, the same full on laugh Andre gave when she mentioned Ryan marrying Angelica. The similarity sent a chill down her spine. “He did a good job convincing you he’s in love. You’re not the first woman not worth the socks on my feet who’s tried to weasel her way in. Andre always chooses his family.”
“Andre is ten times better than you.”
“Really?” Curtis asked with a sly grin on his face. “He wasn’t better than me when we worked together to blackmail Senator Leventis.”
Mikayla gasped, her hand lost its grip, and the ashtray hit the floor with a thud. “What?”
Curtis raised an eyebrow. Full lips curled into an evil smile on what would be a handsome face. “I’m taking it you didn’t know about that.”
“He said he was trying to stop you from hurting me.”
“Oh…you must mean his small stance against destroying your contract with the school district and community development office down there.” He gave her a patronizing look, even patted her shoulder as if he cared. “Andre put on a good show, but in the end, he chose what’s best for the company.”
She jerked away from Curtis. “How is this possibly good for your company?” Her h
ands trembled, and she clenched the ends of the robe.
“We have plans to expand our landfill gas program and need Dalmtix to locate where we can provide it to them. The landfill in Hartsville wasn’t the ideal place. That was the reason for the senator’s blackmail. Going after the district and community development office was simply to ruin my brother’s plans. Cost him a few million dollars.”
“At my expense.”
He shrugged. “You don’t matter.”
She sucked in a breath. “I do matter.”
“Maybe to your dad and for some reason to my brother…but he did tend to always take in strays.” Curtis walked away picking up his jacket and draping it over his arm. “But to me and my son, you don’t. In fact, Angelica is on her way to Kansas City right now to be with him.”
“Angelica is in Vegas with Ryan.”
“The marriage ploy was our effort to get Andre back in line. She called and gave him one last chance to get her back before marrying Ryan. Her last text to me said everything was a success. I booked her a flight to Kansas City before coming over here. To take out the trash.”
Mikayla trembled. Curtis’ words singed her body and blow torched her heart. Andre had betrayed her. Every time she mentioned Dalmtrix, he would say things would work out. When he was working behind her back to make sure, they didn’t.
Her phone rang. She eyed Curtis and he chuckled. “Answer it. Might as well hear it from him.”
“He invited me here.” All of her pain spilled out in those words. She didn’t want to believe Curtis’s nasty, hateful lies.
“That was before knowing he could get her back.” His eyes turned cold. “Answer the phone.”
Pulling the phone from the robe pocket her arm felt like lead. Andre smiled up at her, a picture of him beside the pool in Miami filled the screen. Her stomach heaved. His lies. His betrayal. His love. All poison.
“Hello,” she couldn’t force their usual greeting from her lips.
“I’ve got something to tell you.” He said in a rush.
Tears welled in her eyes. She squeezed them shut. She would not cry. “Let me guess, Angelica called.”
There was a pause that hurt her more than his dad’s words ever could. “How did you know?”
“Your dad is here. He’s told me a lot of things. Things you insisted I didn’t need to know. Like blackmailing Senator Leventis and trying to ruin my chance to salvage the deal by getting back at your uncle and Ryan.”
“Mikayla, listen—”
“First tell me if it’s true. Is it all true?”
“It is, but you’ve got to understand—”
“I understand perfectly. I can’t trust you…and you don’t love me. Goodbye, Andre.” She ended the call. Tears streamed down her face. With her eyes closed, she couldn’t see him, but she felt Curtis standing in front of her.
The humiliation of this betrayal was larger than any she’d ever known. At least Ryan’s betrayal had been spontaneously stupid. This was deliberate and meant to hurt her.
She opened her eyes to Curtis’s satisfied smirk. “Are you happy now?”
He slipped on his coat. “Actually, I’m ecstatic. This isn’t a hotel. Get out before noon tomorrow.”
He walked away and slammed the door behind him. She flinched. A sob clawed its way up her throat. This pain warranted tears. This pain left her hollow and broken.
*
Rage surged through Andre’s body. He dialed Mikayla’s number right after she hung up. The call went straight to voicemail. He dialed his dad’s number and no surprise Curtis’s phone went straight to voicemail too. He never should have invited Mikayla to the condo when he wasn’t there. He knew Curtis would strike eventually, but never expected him to approach Mikayla directly.
He dialed both numbers again. Same response.
“Shit.” His tone was lethal and he lunged off the bed. He’d leave a note for Isaac and take the jet back home.
He wrenched open the bedroom door. Across the shared living space, a woman marched out of Isaac’s room.
“You sorry bastard! Don’t ever call me again!”
Isaac rushed to the door of his room and yelled back. “I damn sure won’t. I need a woman who knows what she’s doing.”
“To hell with you.” She spun on her heels and stormed out.
Andre frowned. Women yelling at his brother was nothing new. Isaac yelling back was another story. Andre rushed over.
Isaac turned to him. He swayed on his feet and blinked several times. The smell of alcohol filled the space. Panic increased Andre’s heartbeat. His brother never drank to excess, and he damn sure never raised his voice.
“What the hell was that?” Andre asked.
“What? That?” Isaac pointed in the direction the woman had taken. “That was a mistake.”
“Is it the type of mistake that’s going to involve the police?”
Isaac blew air between his lips. Andre cringed at the foul smell. “Nah…Allison’s just mad because I didn’t want her.”
Isaac swayed again and Andre caught him before he fell over. He helped his brother into the bedroom. Mini liquor bottles were spread out over the floor. That explained the alcohol, but not the why. He dragged Isaac into the bed.
“Sounds like more than that,” Andre said, dropping his brother on the bed.
Isaac groaned and draped his arm over his eyes. “I couldn’t…I tried, but ever since…” A humorless laugh escaped his brother. “It’s all her fault.”
Andre stiffened. “Who?”
Isaac leaned up on his arms, gave Andre a look that said he’d spoken too much. “I’m good now. Just going to fall asleep.” He fell back on the pillows.
Andre wanted to know what the hell was going on but didn’t have time for his brother’s drama. He’d figure it out after he fixed things with Mikayla.
“I’ve got to get back to South Carolina. Dad’s done something to Mikayla, and I need to go put him in his place. Can you handle things tomorrow?”
“Yeah…sure…” Isaac jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. The sound of his brother’s retching soon followed.
Damn! He could still leave. If Isaac’s drunken stunt ruined the deal in Kansas City tomorrow, then it wasn’t his problem.
He pulled out his phone and called Mikayla.
Voicemail.
Shit!
His brother threw up again. Andre rubbed his nose as a headache roared to life. He couldn’t leave Isaac like this. He didn’t give a damn about his dad, but he did care about Isaac. For Isaac to get this drunk something was up. His conscious would never recover if he left and something happened. Something bad.
He pulled out his cell phone, he’d call Jonathan. Maybe his friend could go over and catch Mikayla before she left.
Voicemail.
Fuck! What was the point of cell phones if people don’t answer them?
Isaac retched, then groaned. Andre shook his head and went to check on his brother. How could things get so bad, so quickly?
CHAPTER 35
Andre didn’t leave Kansas City until late the next day. He’d alternated between worry over his brother getting so drunk and annoyance at the delay it caused. Isaac wouldn’t say exactly what made him get so drunk. He’d get to the bottom of that later.
He’d tried calling Mikayla repeatedly, but she never answered. He hoped she listened to his voice messages as he attempted to explain. By the time he reached Jonathan and asked him to try and catch her, she was gone. Instead of asking him to go after her, Andre decided it would be better to talk to her in person. He didn’t try calling his dad again. He’d handle Curtis in person.
During the flight home, Ted forwarded him the first bit of information he could pull on Charity York. More than enough dirt for his uncle to stop her threats. He debated going to Mikayla first but chose to handle Curtis.
Andre landed in Greenville and went straight to his dad’s home. He burst through the door and the butler crossing the entryway jumped at the sud
den intrusion.
“Where is he?” Andre bit out.
“On the upstairs balcony,” the man said in a shaky voice.
Andre took the stairs two at a time. He marched across the hall and pushed open the glass doors leading to the balcony that spanned the entire second floor of the house.
His dad glanced up from the magazine he was reading. Slowly, Curtis set the magazine on the table next to his chair. “I’d expected you sooner.”
Anger and frustration pulsed inside of Andre so strong he thought his skin would burst. He wanted to yell, scream, and even fight his dad for what he’d done. That was exactly what Curtis would want.
Andre took a deep breath, and then squared his shoulders. “Isaac got sick, so I stood in to make a good impression with the stakeholders in Kansas City. C.E.S. stands ready to expand. He’s gone to Dallas to do the same there.”
Curtis stood and walked over with a confident smile on his face. “I knew you would come around.”
Andre stepped back before his dad could pat him on the shoulder. “I let him go to Dallas on his own. I came to resign in person.”
The smile on Curtis’s face quickly turned to a dark scowl. “You can’t resign.”
“I can, and I am. I’ve given up too much of myself to watch your dream succeed.”
“This isn’t just my dream. It’s for you and your brother. I built this company for my sons to carry on.”
“No, you built this company as a slap in the face to your brother. You’ve raised me and Isaac to follow you completely or not at all. You claim, all you want is loyalty, but you’re not loyal. What you did to Mikayla was the last straw.”
Curtis scoffed. He turned away from Andre with a look of disgust and paced to the edge of the balcony. “You don’t need that woman. She’s not worth being on your arm.”
“The money you made, doesn’t erase the fact that our family started with nothing except the land grandpa won from cheating in a card game.”
Show Me How to Love (Caldwell Family Book 1) Page 24