by Roze, Robyn
She grabbed a crystal flute and poured some of the luxury sparkly. Brought the tiny bubbles to her lips and scanned the morgue-like room. Everything she’d hoped for: shock and awe. And she’d only begun to have her fun.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He moved closer to her, menace radiating from his pores. “Get out!” The barked order made her ears ring, made her think if Satan existed, he’d sound like Parker at that moment. Parker’s face had colored a shade of red she’d never seen on a human. Her eyes flicked to the top of his head, checked for horns, and then she tipped back more bubbly.
“I’m the majority stockholder now. Board meetings will only take place with me in attendance.” Her focus shifted to the cowed group behind them. “And I will be appointing a new board, immediately.” Blusters and indignation erupted all around. They’d finally found their voices.
“You have no right!”
“I have every right, Parker. And I intend on exercising every last one of them.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “And you will not drag JAMESCO through any protracted legal sideshow when I remove you too.”
The discord among the group grew louder. She stepped away from Parker.
“You’ve all had your last ride on the gravy train.” She made deliberate, pointed eye contact with each of them. “No more trips to Mirabel for you, Brian—with your mistress.” She crossed her arms over her chest while she decided who to crucify next. They looked nervous, beads of perspiration, shifty eyes, and twitchy fingers loosening collars, soon to be nooses. She could smell their fear. And she liked it. She liked it a lot.
“The cost of higher education has certainly gotten out of control. Wouldn’t you say, Gordon?” He seemed to shrink when she zeroed in on him. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to find another way to fund Lucy’s Ivy League tuition. JAMESCO is not in the business of student loans.”
Oh, she could go on and on. The conflicts of interest and collusion were staggering in scope and audacity. She had to love Dan Walsh, give credit where credit was due. The man could dig up shit like a pig sniffing out truffles. Combine his skills with her ability to access the company records, and they were a white-collar-crime-fighting duo blockbusters were made of. She owed him big for this.
She glanced back at Parker. “I’m certain when our largest creditors required the appointment of this board, in lieu of calling our loans and creating a financial tailspin, this is not what they envisioned. Nor did our father. He clearly exercised poor judgment in giving you his proxy.” She returned her judgment to the sour, mumbling group. “I’m happy to keep going down the list of fraudulent offenses, gentleman. Would you like me to continue?”
Once again, their shoes seemed incredibly interesting.
“I will be tallying up all of the kickbacks, payoffs, gifts, perks, and whatever else you called them as you laughed all the way to the bank, at the expense of my family’s business. All with the complicity and full knowledge of my contemptible brother.”
If they were alone right now, he’d rip her from limb to limb. Savagery was rife on his face, boiling and bubbling under his expensive wool suit. She could feel it, smell it.
Kat shifted her attention back to the newly discredited, former board of directors. “Get your checkbooks out, boys. I want my money back. All of it—with interest. And if you think for one second you’re going to jerk me around on this, think again.” She stepped closer, and they moved back, like a herd of sheep. “Every last one of you has failed in your fiduciary responsibilities to JAMESCO. I have all the proof I need to sue every one of your asses right out of your silk tighty-whities.” Her hands hooked at her hips. “So, fellas, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I’m game for either.”
“You won’t get away this!” Parker bellowed behind her.
She spun around. “How prophetic—for you!”
She approached him with cool, patient deliberation, like a circling shark deciding when to burst through the surface, prey trapped in its bloody jaws. Then her axis shifted. And she felt everything. Saw everything. Past and present occupied the same cramped space, vibrant and loud. Crime scene photos, newspaper clippings, journal entries, psych reports. Family dinners, manipulations, lies, secrets. Death-bed confessions. Electricity zipped and pinged across her scalp and body, as all her senses became hyperaware, pinpointed on this one person, this one point in time.
The longtime adversaries faced off, mere inches separating them, pulling them closer to taking the other over the edge. Their malice combined into a force neither of them were likely to rein in.
“I have a message for you … from our father.” Parker blinked at the unexpected statement, and Kat glimpsed the flash behind the killer’s mask of a young boy desperate for his father’s approval. “Your life is about to change. You need to prepare for that. You need to be ready.”
His face twisted in confusion and disappointment.
One corner of her mouth turned up with sinister intent. “I also have a message for you, Parker.” Kat leaned in for his ears only, whispered his judgment slowly, no doubt as to its meaning or the gravity of his sentence. “I know what you did.” He stiffened and braced himself under the weight of her caustic words. “And I will make you pay.” She gripped him, her breath burned next to his ear. “Both of you.”
She pulled back and swept her eyes over his shocked features, relishing the recognition on his face, now pale and fearful.
“Make sure your mother knows.”
He stumbled back. Eyed her as if she were a ghost from the past.
A corpse from a grave.
But she wasn’t fooled. His disorientation, his short-term confusion, was already melting away. She could see the cold steel of his surly armor reassembling, the chill in his black eyes, recalculating.
His eyes darted to the dumbstruck suits in the far corner and then back to her. “You can’t remove me. The bylaws require a vote. You’ll never get a quorum.”
Before she could respond, a familiar voice piped in. “She’s got my vote.” All heads turned. Kyle rested casually up against a far wall behind the other occupants. “I’ve heard all I need to hear.” His eyes flicked to the shamed directors, and then to Parker. “You’re done.”
Kat wanted to kiss him, tell him how sorry she was and how much she needed him.
“You and I need to talk before you make a decision of that magnitude.” Parker’s tone sounded like a veiled threat, but Kyle didn’t back down.
He pushed off the wall, the bottom of his tailored navy jacket draped over his pocketed hands. He came to stand nose to nose with his older, dangerous brother. “You and I don’t need to talk about anything. I’ve made my decision.” He jabbed his finger at Parker’s chest. “Deal with it.” Kyle did not waver or flinch under the heavy hostility rolling off Parker.
The now-ousted leader glowered at Kat, a look that warned, I’m not done with you, and then he bumped past Kyle. The board scrambled after him.
“Parker!” Kat called out. He stopped, fists clenched, back expanding in deep breaths, but he didn’t turn around. “You might want to watch Channel 2 tonight. They’re running a story I think you’ll be interested in.” His shoulders dropped. Then he made his disgraced exit.
She smiled in triumph, but Kat knew better than to think this was over. This was only the beginning of a long, hard road ahead. Her smile faded when Kyle walked past her to leave.
She grabbed his arm to stop him. “Kyle, thank you so much. I—”
He held up his hand but wouldn’t look at her. “I’ll help with the transition, any cleanup with the troubled properties, that sort of thing. But then I’m out. I’m done.” He paused, focusing straight ahead. “With all of you.”
The finality in his words, his dead tone, hit her like a punch to the gut.
Her hand dropped from his arm and fell limp at her side as he walked away from her. The door clicked shut behind him in a singular, punitive goodbye.
She remained rooted to her spot w
ith a growing rage and bitterness swelling inside her as she stood alone with no frame of reference for any of the madness, a tempest that had been coming for her ever since her father died. Ever since she’d stepped into that cramped storage unit, when her life had turned a corner she hadn’t seen coming.
Her eyes roamed the empty space as if looking for a clue to make sense out of the madness. Or better yet, a door to step through to make the crazy all go away. Then, when the mounting pressure in her chest became unbearable, she released a purging scream. Her hands clamped down on her mouth, eyes slammed shut as hot breath warmed her palms.
She refocused and regained her self-control, mostly.
Her eyes opened and flicked to the refrigerator. She stalked over to it and pulled out the remaining bottles of Cristal and summarily smashed them one after the other on the tiled floor all the while cursing her father, cursing her family, and cursing her life.
Tantrum officially over, she straightened her posture and her dress, and slipped unruly tendrils behind her ears. She surveyed the wreckage and made a mental note to have the manager charge Parker triple for his mess with hefty tips to the cleanup staff. She sidestepped the broken glass, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door.
Headed for whatever hell awaited her next.
“Jesus! You look like you’ve been through the wringer!”
Kat’s attention jerked in the direction of the familiar deep voice halting her midstride on her march through the hotel lobby. A warm, wide grin split her face. Almost a year had passed since she’d seen him close up, smelled his aftershave. And damn, the man looked good. The zing of chemistry ricocheting between them reminded her of why she’d had to cut the cord.
She parked her hands on her hips, the twinkle back in her eyes. “And you sound like a man who knows he won’t be getting laid.”
He shook his finger at her, head cocked as he cut between plush seats to reach her. Arms wide in invitation, they hugged, and then separated.
“Rough times.” His face was genuine with concern, his voice soft with sympathy.
She sighed, shook her head, and looked away. “Just when I think it can’t get any rougher, I find out I’m wrong, again.”
He nodded in understanding and gave her shoulder a squeeze of support.
“Hey, you said some guy named Manny would be following me around today.” She folded her arms and eyed him doubtfully.
His large hand rounded his square jaw and hid the divot in his chin.
“Well, another assignment came up, so I’m filling in for him.” He gave her a sidelong glance.
“Really? The head honcho picking up a shift on a simple babysitting assignment … because no one else is available,” she said, her voice thick with sarcasm. His lips pressed together to stop the spread of an obvious smile. “Boy, business must be really good if you’re that short-staffed. Or has your charming personality scared them all away?”
“Oh, you have not changed a bit.” His brown eyes dropped down to take her all in, then settled back on her eyes. “You’re still a ball-buster.”
“Well, it could be your lucky day, Walsh. I made quota upstairs with all the balls I just busted. So I may cut you some slack,” she tilted her chin down, “but don’t test me.”
He chuckled. “Duly noted.” His face lit with delight. “Hey, remember that great little hole in the wall not too far from here? They had the juiciest pulled pork and creamiest coleslaw this side of the island.” He waited for her to catch up.
Kat took the trip down memory lane, younger days, tighter wallets, less complicated times. “Yeah, Greg’s Grub. Lexington, right?”
He seemed pleased she remembered. “Why don’t you let me take you there? It’ll give us some time to catch up.”
She watched him with suspicion. “Would Manny have taken me there?”
“Hell no! I’d fire his ass for dining with a client on my dime.”
She nodded as an old friend who knew all the inside jokes. “Are you paying?”
“Of course! It’d be my treat.”
“And your ‘treat’ won’t end up on Tucker’s invoice, right? I mean surely you wouldn’t take his money for this job and charge him for taking me out to eat, would you?”
His hand thumped flat against his chest. “Oh, now that hurts, Kat. That really stings that you think so little of me.” His head turned away, most likely to hide his guilty grin.
“A big tough guy like you will get over it, I’m sure.” He brought his handsome face back to her with a failed attempt at indignation. “Here’s how it’s going to happen, Walsh. Lucky for you, or maybe not, I am starving. So, we’re going to that hole in the wall, with two conditions. One: I will pay for anything I order. And two: You will pay for anything you order, with your dime, not Tucker’s. And by the way, while we’re there, we’re going to discuss exactly what you’re charging him. Because whatever it is, I’m sure it’s too much.”
****
Dan loaded his seasoned potato wedge with sweet barbecue sauce and then tossed it down the hatch. “Well, in my experience, the board is always a good place to start when I’m looking for dirt. I just happened to hit the mother lode this time, thanks to your dickhead brother.” He jabbed another wedge into the sauce. “Jesus, does that guy deal with anybody other than dirtbags?”
Kat filled their glasses with more iced tea from the pitcher left at the table of their corner booth.
“He needed rubber stamps so he could appease creditors, and you and I both know money can buy a shitload of those.” She added some sugar and gave her tea a stir. “I can only imagine what else I’m going to find. I’m actually interviewing a couple of firms to do the forensic work. I don’t have time to do it all myself. I have my own company to think about.” She set the long spoon on the table and brought the tangy drink to her lips.
“Correction, Kat.” He held up two fingers. “You have two companies to think about now.”
She licked her lips and pushed the nearly empty plate away.
“I never wanted it, any of it.” Sadness gnawed at the edges. “It’s already cost me too much.” Her thoughts drifted to Kyle.
“Then you’re going to have to make it pay off.” He gave her a weak smile. “Cassie doing okay holding down the fort?”
“Yeah, she’s doing great. Tough as nails. We’ve had some issues with clients and a distributor here and there. I don’t have any proof, but my gut tells me Parker’s causing trouble. Anyway, between Cassie and our sales reps, it’s been ironed out. But after today, I’m not sure what to expect next.”
She followed Dan’s gaze as he scanned the cozy restaurant. The man always worked, which had a lot to do with why their no-strings arrangement had been successful for all those years. They’d both been unrepentant workaholics.
“Is it Parker you need protection from?” His focus swung back to her.
“I don’t think I need protection. That’s Tucker’s idea. After the bombshell I intentionally dropped on Parker today, I think I’m actually safer than I was before. He needs to find out what I know now, and how. And even more importantly, he needs to find out if anyone else knows. After he sees the news tonight, it’ll be obvious it’s gone beyond just shutting me up to get what he wants.” She relaxed against the red pleather booth. “Even if he could get JAMESCO back, in his deluded fantasy world, it’s going to be tough to run it from a prison cell.”
Dan’s expression shifted to that of a man connecting the dots. “Are we still talking about the board he bought and paid for? Or something else?” He folded his arms, planted his elbows on the table, and stretched toward her.
Kat bit at her lip. Tucker knew everything about what she’d discovered in Queens, but no one else did. She hadn’t meant to tell Dan, not yet, but his expression conveyed he’d read her. Even after not seeing him for so long, they’d fallen right back into their easy rhythm. Theirs was an uncomplicated bond they’d had for so many years, until he’d wanted to complicate it, and she’d shut him out.<
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“Kat? Do you think he had something to do with your mother’s murder?” She remained silent. “I never liked that fucker, you know that. Never liked the way he looked at you.”
“Tucker noticed too.”
“He’s not right in the head, Kat. If you think he’s responsible, you need to go to the police with whatever you have.”
“I’m going to, I already told you that.” Dan shook his head in disagreement and pushed back to rest against the seat, arms crossed. “I know what I’m doing, Dan. And I’m doing it my way.”
His features tightened. “Of course you are. You always did. No matter what anyone said … or felt …” He pointed his judgment at her, clearly wanting to say more.
“Is that a criticism of the present? Or the past?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he regarded her as if he were comparing a before-and-after picture in his head.
“What the hell are you doing with a horse rancher from Montana, anyway? I mean, really? Seriously, Kat, come on. Are you just killing time with this guy?”
She snorted, flabbergasted. “You mean like I did with you?” His jaw ticked. “Tucker isn’t paying you to dredge up our past. And if you’ve been killing time thinking I’d change my mind at some point, well, you’ve been wasting time.” His eyes swung out over the heads bobbing in conversation and the servers balancing wide trays of food.
“Did you suddenly learn how to share the road?” His voice sounded cynical as he continued to search the premises, always multitasking.
“Excuse me?”
He gulped down the rest of his drink and then crunched ice like he had a grudge against it. “Never mind.” He picked up his phone and checked for messages. “So, where to next?” His finger tapped and scrolled. No eye contact.
“I think it’d be best if you had Manny or someone else pick up the rest of your shift.”