I see Randy on the other side of the gym, and he looks more like a punching bag to me than the three I just passed. I could pick up a dumbbell and do some real damage to his face, but I’m not looking for life in prison. I’m loaded with emotions I don’t want to deal with, though, and shoving him around seems like a good outlet right now.
“I didn’t touch her,” Randy says, preemptively trying to thwart my rage. It’s not enough.
My hand is clenching around the collar of his gym shirt as I yank him up from the weight bench. “Don’t ever fucking go near her again.”
“Whatever,” he chokes out, his hands up so I can’t misconstrue any motion for a provocation. “I don’t get why you’re so angry. You’re the one who figured out how to get her out.”
“She’s not going anywhere.” I loosen my grip on his neck as a crowd starts to gather.
“I don’t get you,” Randy says.
“She’s not worth it, Dalton,” Paul says as he crosses the gym to where we are. “Are you really willing to risk everything for her?”
“Are you?” I growl. Losing Cannington will hurt. He’s the bridge to where I want to take my company. He could also be a wall between me and anyone in his circle.
“Just be a team player,” Paul says, looking like he may slap a hand to my back but suddenly thinks better of it. Good call. “You call her and the sister; you tell her you want to talk. Then you give them this.” He hands me an envelope and winks.
“What the hell is this?” I ask, shoving it back in his direction.
“I wouldn’t give it back if I were you. It’s the golden ticket out of this situation.” His devious smile gets a little bigger as he steps away. The room clears quickly, and I can tell everyone else must already know what I’m holding. “I get the lure of fresh pussy, but you need to wake up now and do the right thing.”
Curiosity isn’t enough to get me to open it, but worry for Penny is. I stride out of the gym. No way will I open it with an audience.
My mind runs through a hundred possibilities. Blackmail. They’ve found something so devious on Kylie or Penny that it will compel them to give up. Or they’ve found exactly what they wanted in the lease, and they’re moving forward.
Two separate documents slide from the large envelope into my hand. One is a manifesto with a snap shot of Ziggy paper-clipped to the front. There is a laundry list of accusations against him, including tax fraud and evasion, misrepresentation of financial condition, illicit transactions designed to evade regulatory oversight. Apparently someone has dug into Ziggy’s unconventional business practices and put together enough anomalies to launch an investigation. With one call he could be pulled in, questioned, and charged with a litany of crimes.
My blood boils as I consider the lengths these bastards have gone to. I assume the other sheet is more strong-arming blackmail. But I’m wrong. It’s a contract from the company Kylie works for. She’s already the CFO but this document is an offer. A legally binding document that says if she is willing to take up full and permanent residence in the penthouse suite of a building across town, a highly coveted location, they would make her an equal stockholder to the CEO, along with a few other key promises anyone would be crazy to turn down. The note attached says: sign this and the other goes away.
If Kylie moves out and takes all the significant perks being offered, Ziggy will be in the clear. They’ll bury this information and move on. It should be a no-brainer. What woman wouldn’t want to improve her own career and protect her father at the same time? Yet something tells me it won’t be quite so cut and dried in her mind.
I head for the lobby, the envelope clutched tight in my hand. Pulling my cell phone out, I dial Penny’s number and expect voicemail. There’s no chance in hell she’ll want to talk to me.
There’s no time to find out as I come face-to-face with Penny and a woman I can only assume is Kylie. We collide and the envelope and documents tumble to the floor, landing by Penny’s sneaker. I watch her forehead crease with confusion and then morph just as suddenly into anger.
“You just can’t stay out of this, can you?” Penny asks as she scoops up the documents and shoves them hard into my chest. “I don’t want you involved.”
“Too late,” I growl. “I know how to take Paul Winslow down.”
“You do?” Kylie looks up from reading over the contract that details her potential raise and career improvements.
“I do. And I’m all in on this. They won’t drive you out, Kylie. I’ll make damn sure of that.”
Kylie looks from me to her sister and back. “Penny, we should at least hear him out.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Penny
“I did not think they would go this far.” Kylie sighs, propping her hands on her hips and staring out.
“What are those papers?” I ask.
“It’s their next move,” Kylie answers as she spins and heads for the wet bar. The ting of ice cubes feels deafening as I wait for either of them to explain.
“I thought you said this was a nonissue? They stole the lease and they wouldn’t be able to use it?”
“They can’t,” Kylie says as though the truth is obvious, striding over to Dalton and taking the papers. “It’s why they needed another option. It says a lot that they feel they need vinegar and honey here.”
“What are you talking about?” My voice is a few octaves higher than normal as I pace the room.
“They are offering me a promotion and a leap forward in my career or threatening me with having Dad prosecuted for all his nonsense. They’d never throw in the promotion if they thought I’d cave to the threat. My reputation precedes me here.”
“Prosecuted?” I gasp, looking desperately at Dalton for some kind of reassurance. I hate myself for wanting or needing it. I hate him for not being able to give it to me right now. But the thought of my dad in jail makes my stomach churn.
“Dad is a small fish.” Kylie shrugs as though this is all no big deal. “He wouldn’t exactly show up on the FBI white-collar crime radar, but if these guys put the wheels in motion there is enough there for Dad to get in trouble. He’s played fast and loose with his business for decades. It’s a plausible threat but misguided. If they knew anything about me they’d realize that play wouldn’t work.”
“You can’t let Dad go to jail over this apartment.” Kylie just rolls her eyes.
“Penny, it’s like you don’t know me at all. Dad’s not going anywhere. Besides, Dalton says he has a plan.”
“I do?” Dalton asks, then says, “I do.”
“Although I’d love to know why.” Kylie swirls the amber drink around in her glass.
“Excuse me?” Dalton looks rattled, which isn’t like him at all.
“My sister told me everything,” she says, raising a challenging brow at Dalton. “So I know all the sordid details. I’m asking you, where you stand right now?”
Dalton’s eyes slide away from Kylie and to me. His face falters. “I stand here. With the two of you.”
I shake my head. “You don’t have to, Dalton. I know you don’t get involved.”
Dalton reaches for my hand, but I step back from him. “That used to be who I was.”
I blink quickly. “I want to believe that, but I can’t. Not yet.”
“That’s okay. We’ll talk after we fix this.”
“Good,” Kylie says, cutting off any chance at a warmer moment between Dalton and me.
“Your father is in some serious trouble if you don’t meet their terms.” Dalton flashes his cocky smile. “But I’m reasonably certain Winslow doesn’t want his father to know he’s fucking his stepmother. Daddies don’t like to share.”
“Oh, my God, that’s awesome. Do you have proof?” Kylie leans forward.
On his phone, Dalton brings up a photo of them in a compromising position. “This one is my favorite.”
Kylie laughs. “Welcome to the family, Dalton.”
My jaw drops open. Dalton and I don’t have a
commitment to each other, and even if we did I haven’t forgiven him yet.
Kylie asks, “How about the others?”
“I’m compiling shit on them as we speak. We also have Luther Green on our side, although that might be because he finds this amusing.”
The smug smile on Kylie’s face reflects the one on Dalton’s. “I’ll take my raise, my title, and my apartment here. They can take my foot in their asses. Tell them those are my terms.”
“Kylie,” I squeak out, my blood pressure thudding dangerously high. “You can’t take that gamble with Dad. These men are dead serious.”
“So am I. They want to blackmail me? Not going to happen. I don’t negotiate with people who have as much to lose as I do. I have the support of Christen Brockton who owns this place. I have as many connections in business as they do. Plus we have something they don’t.”
“Vaginas?” I ask, desperate for a little levity before my heart explodes from all this pressure.
Kylie laughs.
Dalton is still watching me as if waiting to see a sign that I’m softening.
“We have your friend, Dalton.”
I swallow hard. Is he my friend? Is he more? I don’t know where we go from here. I meet Dalton’s gaze and ask, “Do you believe in friendship?”
He touches my cheek gently. “I do now. That and so much more.”
“Together we will crush these bastards,” Kylie says.
“Your sister is a little crazy,” Dalton whispers as he leans into me. His cologne fills my nose, and I’m instantly transported back to the last time he held me in his arms. Back when everything felt hopeful and possible.
“She’s my sister.” I shrug, eyeing him closely. “You’re the nut who pledged your friendship to her willingly. Crazy might be contagious.”
Okay, maybe I’m beginning to forgive him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Dalton
“Can we talk?” I ask the next day at the door to her apartment, trying with all my power not to sound like a lame-ass fool who’s hung up on some woman. Because sadly, that’s exactly what I am.
“Sure.” Penny is fidgeting with her simple gold chain necklace as she stares off into space.
Last night hadn’t been about us. Kylie drilled me for the names of every tenant involved. She turned her wall into a serial-killer-style collage of information. Push pins and diagrams. Notes about people’s secrets and rumors that might hold some truth she could exploit. She headed back to her office, and I left because Penny had looked exhausted.
“There’s something you should know,” I start, searching for the right words the way someone looks for an unfamiliar light switch in a dark room. “Something I should have told you.”
“Oh, God, not more,” Penny says, her eyes rounding with fear.
“I love you,” I blurt out. She doesn’t throw herself into my arms the way I imagined she would.
She rubs her hands over her face. “Love involves trust, Dalton. You could have asked me for a copy of Kylie’s lease. I would have given it to you.” There’s a crack to her voice that tears through me.
“No, you wouldn’t have.” I’m desperately grasping for straws, trying to justify my actions. “You wanted to protect your sister, and there is no way you would have handed that over.”
“You’re wrong,” Penny says coolly. She drops the chain from her nervous fingers and stands. “I never would’ve taken you to see my father and let you into my life if I thought I couldn’t trust you.”
“I don’t know what to say here,” I stammer, knowing I’ve completely messed things up with her, but hoping there is something left to salvage. “I told you. I love you.”
“You think you do.” She sighs, not looking angry but disappointed. “I don’t doubt that you feel good when we’re together. I’m sure you might even want to be around me more.”
“I do.”
“But that isn’t love. That’s lust. It’s not love. Love is . . .”
I watch Penny searching for an explanation the way a person in a foreign land might ask directions. She opens her mouth, nearly says something, then stops again. “I can’t do this, Dalton. I can’t teach you anymore.”
“Because you love me?” I ask, not prepared for how desperate I am for her to say yes.
“I do,” Penny admits, looking defeated. “But I can’t change you. I can’t save you.”
“This from the eternal optimist?”
“I’m an optimist.” Penny laughs. “But I’m not a fool. You need to figure this love thing out on your own first. Then give me a call.”
“Do I have to travel the world and go on silent meditation retreats in India?” I laugh but it’s only to keep my shit together. Penny is not wrong. But it doesn’t make this any easier.
“You have to figure out what’s most important to you. Falling in love with me does you no good if you only care about being a bachelor in this apartment. If we work out, we probably won’t live here. Have you thought of that?”
I hadn’t. “We’ll figure it out,” I admit, dropping my eyes to avoid her gaze.
“I don’t have to. I know what I want, Dalton. You need to decide what you want.”
I thought saying I loved her said it all. I have no idea what else she wants from me. “What do you want, Penny?”
“Help my sister,” Penny pleads. “Stick around. Be as loyal and as honest as you think people should be.”
I frown. “Is this a test? I don’t know if I like that.”
“Then go find someone in the bar.” Penny leans in and touches my cheek, sending shock waves to my heart. A new destination for shock waves if I’m being honest. “Because, yes, this is a test and those are my terms.”
Staring straight into her beautiful eyes, I submit with a mumble, “Okay.”
She doesn’t say she believes me. She doesn’t try to lighten my burden. But there is a tender little smile on her face that gives me hope.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Penny
“You’re being kind of tough on him,” Kylie says as we stroll into the lobby bar and order drinks. She’s making an appearance down here, dying for someone to confront her. That is when Kylie shines, when she’s backed into a corner. So far, no one has given her any trouble, and she looks disappointed.
“I’m not, trust me. Dalton is all sorts of selfish. He thinks about work and his career before any living human. He’s all about money and great Scotch.”
“I’m waiting for you to get to the bad part,” Kylie remarks stone-faced. “The last few guys you’ve dated have been hippie-dippie aimless men. You need someone who can help you get to the next level. He’ll dote on you and take you to fancy places. Why not enjoy it?”
“Because I love him, Kylie. And there is no way he’s capable of loving me back. How could he be? He’s exactly like—” I cut the sentence short, but it’s too late. She knows what I was about to say, and for a second she looks wounded. But she’s quick to dust herself off.
“He’s just like me?” Kylie laughs. “And what? I’m incapable of loving someone?”
“I didn’t mean that. It’s about loving someone more than you love the life you have. The things you have.”
“You don’t think I love you?” Kylie challenges, and my heart sinks.
“I’m sorry,” I sputter out. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
“You never need me,” Kylie says. “If you’d asked me for anything, I would’ve given my last breath to make sure you got it. Somehow you always seem to land on your feet, and when I try to help you out, you don’t want me to.”
“It’s not that.” I squirm trying to articulate the very tricky rules she and I have set up in our relationship over the years. The path we’ve blazed to get here wasn’t made in one day; I can’t imagine we’ll sort it out that fast. “When you offer help, it’s always an effort to try to get me to be more like you or Mom. It’s never the help I need.”
“Then why don’t you tell me what you d
o need?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug.
“See, that’s not my problem. Or Mom’s,” Kylie protests, swirling her little plastic straw in her drink.
“Okay, I need to know you will love me no matter how I turn out,” I grind out through gritted teeth. “I need to know I’m as important to you as this apartment.”
Kylie’s expression sobers. “You know you are.”
“No, no I don’t.”
Kylie crosses the space between us and puts her arms around me. “Whenever I feel lost, you’re the one I call. You’re the only one I can relax around, put down my guard around. I knew I could rely on you to keep the apartment for me because I trust you like I trust no one else.”
I hug her so tight it hurts.
When we finally step back, she says, “Now, let’s talk about Dalton. Give Dalton another shot. I think you might be right. He and I are a lot alike. Which means he is used to being in control. That man is stupid in love with you. That’s a huge risk for him. You, Penny, you can fall head over heels and love with your whole heart. People like Dalton and me, it’s harder than you can ever imagine. If he’s gone out on a limb to love you, don’t leave him hanging there.”
I tell her what I asked him to do to prove his love for me.
Kylie nods in approval. “You know, you’re not the pushover you think you are.”
“Hey, Penny,” Ben says as he strolls up to our table and nods at Kylie and me. “You must be the sister?”
“Got a problem with that?” Kylie asks with a fierce look in her eye. “I’m the sister. I’m the woman who moved into your precious little man cave.”
“Easy,” I say, touching her arm gently. “This is Ben. He’s on our team.”
“I am?” Ben asks, looking surprised then pleased. “I am.”
“Hey,” Kylie says, ignoring Ben now. “You can’t just add people to our team. What do we even know about this Ben guy?”
Insatiable Bachelor (Bachelor Tower Series, Book 1) Page 15