by C. M. Owens
"Bummer. We'll drink one for you. See you soon." The line goes dead, and I frown.
That's the fifth call I've had today from people wanting to do something, but none of them have even offered to come out here. No one cares. The only person who did give a damn is the person I shoved away.
Dad is pacing the halls, looking as though he has spent a week in his suit instead of one hellacious day. I've never seen him cry until today, and he disappeared for an hour to do so. For the first time in my life, my father is a human instead of an untouchable god.
Mom is in the lobby, rescheduling all of Dad's appointments instead of letting his secretaries do it. I'm sure she just wants to feel useful. Tag is sitting quietly in the corner, and Aunt Melanie is with Mom, trying to be helpful as well.
If it wasn't so damn selfish, I'd call Raya right now and beg her to come be with me, because I need her. But after what I did, I don't deserve her here right now.
Just when I've resigned myself to the fact things can't possibly get any worse, Courtney walks in carrying a bouquet of flowers, her smile not going well with my attitude.
"Hey. I just heard. You look exhausted," she says while coming to set the flowers on the windowsill.
I have no desire to see her, let alone talk to her. So I look away. It's sad that my enemy is the only one here when I need someone.
Tag stands up from the corner and walks out, eyeing Courtney like she's the devil's pet. After being here for most of the day, I'm already a little irritable.
But the cold bitch in the room isn't here because she cares. Courtney is here because she thinks I'm weak and vulnerable enough to fall into her arms. She's wrong. And she thought Raya was an opportunist.
Fuck my life. I wish Raya was here right now.
I drop my head to my hands, wishing I could scream at the top of my lungs. Courtney comes to stand beside me, propping her hand on my shoulder. Just as I'm about to shrug her off, Wren says one word that shifts my world on its axis.
"Raya."
My head snaps up as the rest of me goes immobile. Staring into the eyes of the girl I crushed, I feel more relief than I deserve. She's here. She came. For me.
Our eyes lock, and we hold each other's gaze when no words come. I want to wrap her up and tell her I'm sorry, and then let her be here for me while I fall apart, but it all seems so selfish. Then again, screw it. If she'll be here with me, I'll be a selfish ass, and I'll spend forever making it up to her.
Then her eyes flick to Courtney, and that cold glaze comes back, darkening her blue eyes as she fights off a wave of hurt. Shit. This has to look bad. Surely she doesn't think I'm with Courtney.
Her eyes come back to rest on mine, but that uncertainty she had is gone. She's found her resolve, and I don't think it's one I can live with. She turns to leave when I fail to form words, but that's the fire I need lit under my ass to do something.
"Raya, wait," I say, jumping up and slinging Courtney's hand off me.
She turns with tears in her eyes. "I—"
Loud yelling interrupts what she was going to say, and I step by her, making sure to get as close as possible, and I let my hand run down her arm, hoping that's enough to keep her here until I figure out what's going on.
"You can't be serious," Dad yells, pointing his finger accusingly in the face of Leonard Mars.
What the hell is going on? And who is the woman with dark blond hair that is beside him? She looks older, holding an air of refined elegance, but I have no idea what she's doing here. Now's not the time for drama. What's Leonard up to?
I make my way toward him as I hear the most preposterous allegation ever.
"He's married, Paul. Henrietta is Thomas's wife, and she has control of the vineyard right now. I'm sorry, Paul. I really am," Leonard says, seeming exhausted.
Married? Control of the vineyard? What the hell?!
Dad lets a string of curses fly, and my jaw ticks as my teeth grind together. This is crazy. I was already close to losing it. The calm that Raya gave me has vanished.
"He'd never do that!" I snap, pointing back toward my granddad's room. "My grandfather only ever loved one woman. He hasn't even dated anyone since my grandmother died, let alone got married. This is bullshit."
They can't convince me that he suddenly changed his mind about dating after all these years. He swore he could only ever love one woman the way he did my grandmother, and that it wouldn't be fair to any woman who came after her. Now they're claiming he's married?
The woman doesn't even flinch. Her supposed husband is lying in a hospital bed and this is the first time she's shown up? Not likely.
"It's true, Kade," Leonard says, sounding exasperated. "I was there six months ago when they went to the courthouse. So was Harry. We both served as witnesses. Thomas didn't want you to know. I'm sorry. And he had me nullify his will, which now leaves everything to Henrietta. I know this is hard, but it's true.
"With him in an induced coma, he's unable to handle his estate. Essentially, since she's deeded everything, she has almost the same rights as someone with power of attorney. The vineyard is hers, the winery is hers, and the farm is hers."
This is all crazy. Power of attorney? The vineyard is hers? It's not possible.
"That's bullshit, because my father just had his will redone not long ago. My lawyers handled it because I felt it was too important to leave in your hands," Dad barks. "Kade is the only one who is supposed to get anything. She has no rights, and she'd better stay the hell off my father's property."
He had his will redone just for me?
"Do you have the will?" Leonard asks, seeming a little pale.
"No. My father kept it, but I'm sure my lawyers can send you a copy real damn soon," Dad growls, before walking away.
I follow, desperate to get some answers. At least this part of the problem is solved. But is Granddad really married? How could he do this without telling me?
"This is Paul Colton, and I need a copy of my father's will sent to my email now... Yes ... I don't give a damn how busy you are ... Fine. Two hours. That's all you have."
He hangs up as Henrietta and Leonard make an exit, and I watch her dab tears away. Shit. She's crying? Is this real?
I look around, needing to find Raya as Dad makes a few other phone calls. But she's gone. My heart sinks to the ground as I stare around me at the vacancy. I shouldn't expect her to be here when I need her, but I thought... Well, it doesn't matter. I don't deserve her to give a damn right now.
Besides, now we have more drama to deal with than I thought possible. I don't know how many more blows I can handle. Thank God there's a will keeping her away from that vineyard.
Chapter Fifteen
"The fucking servers crashed, and now they can't retrieve the will," Dad growls, muttering a few curses afterwards.
"What?" I ask, my thoughts all over the place.
"The servers crashed," he repeats. "They've lost the will, and the physical copies are missing as well. How the hell is this possible?"
I might as well lie down and let an army stomp on me. My life just keeps getting crushed. I've abstained from calling Raya, but I'm getting weaker. She's the only person who would understand right now.
Since we left the hospital, Dad has been working nonstop on this, but nothing can legally be done without that will. Fuck my life.
Dad continues to stay on his phone as I pace back and forth around his house, wishing I could do something. I should be at the hospital with Granddad instead of worrying about this. But I refuse to let his life's work fall into the hands of some random woman who can't be anything more than a gold digger.
The doorbell rings about two hours later, and Gerard, my dad's butler, walks by us briskly to answer it. I'm sifting through a mound of meaningless legal jargon when Brody Sparks walks in. His eyes meet mine briefly before turning to find my father.
"Agent Sparks," my dad says, sounding relieved. "I was surprised to get your call."
He called? Why?
Brody's eyes meet mine momentarily again, and then he gives his attention back to my father.
"Raya filled me in on the basics. I'm running a sting, but I need you to help me find a way in. You said you had some clients going there? Can you get them to change the meeting so we can take it?" he asks, making my stomach tighten.
"Who's we?" I ask, not hiding the anger lacing my tone.
He turns back to me and shrugs. "I have a team. Ray Drivel is one of them. He can bring down a con quicker than anyone, because he's that damn good. I'm here to help. He'll go it alone if I don't act fast, and that wouldn't be good. He'd end up back in prison."
He's hiding something, but I have no idea what it could possibly be.
"Why would her father help us?" I ask, but my dad frowns as though it's a stupid question. Even now he manages to look disappointed in me. What'd I say wrong?
Brody looks just as disappointed in me.
"Because his daughter asked him for help, and he'd do absolutely anything in this world for her. Including going back to prison to save her boyfriend's vineyard. Considering I worked my ass off to get him out of there so he could be a father again, I'd like to keep him out. So, I need details. Anything at all I can use that I can't find online."
"Marlone is a wine connoisseur," I say quickly, still trying to understand why Raya is getting her father to help. "You'll need to know a lot about the vineyard if you're planning to pass as him, though I can't imagine how you'll pull that off. You look nothing like him."
Brody's smirk agitates me. "I don't, but Ray Drivel is one hell of a master of disguise. He'll play the part. And the wine portion won't help. By the time I get home, Ray will know more about wines than you do. I told you, he's good. Which is why I need him outside the prison. If he goes back in, they won't let him work with me anymore."
Raya sent him to help us. After the shit I put her through without so much as an apology, she sent help.
"I need to call Raya," I murmur as I stand, but Brody shakes his head.
"You think a phone call is the best course of action?" Dad asks, looking at me with disappointed eyes again.
"I'd like to see her. I wasn't going to do all this on the phone, but I need her to let me come to her."
Brody shakes his head, waving me off. "She doesn't know I'm telling you this. I'm pretty sure she'd flip out on me if she did. Just wait until after you get your vineyard back, and then call. I'd rather her not know I told you anything. I should have kept this between Paul and me."
If I wouldn't go to jail for bitch slapping a federal agent, I might do it right now.
"Just wait," Dad says, sighing when he sees the defiance in my eyes. "For me? We need this to run smoothly."
"I'd rather have Raya than the vineyard," I say, surprising everyone in the room, including myself.
Dad smiles, and for the first time ever, I see a glimmer of pride.
"Then wait until you've thought things through. Wait until she doesn't think you're calling her because of the vineyard. It'll seem more sincere when you go after her with nothing at stake. Don't you think?" Brody asks, his eyes trained on me.
He's right. If I called right now, it'd look like I was sucking up. Considering how we left things, Raya would have the right to believe the worst in me. Just like I believed the worst in her.
"Fine," I say through clenched teeth. "But I want to know the second this is wrapped up."
Brody snorts as he follows my father to the bar. "You're welcome," he says under his breath.
It's hard to be appreciative when all I can think about is Raya. I'm sick of all the games.
Chapter Sixteen
"You can't call her right now!" Dad yells, chasing me around the room as I try to dial Raya, feeling my heart beating in panic.
"No one told me she'd be a part of this, or I would never have allowed it. This is insane! She's not a professional!"
I'm tackled to the ground after being blindsided by Tag, and Wren joins him to wrestle my phone out of my hands. It takes both of them to pin me as my dad takes the phone and exhales in relief.
"Just stop!" Tag yells, but I don't. In fact, I buck harder to free myself so I can beg Raya not to do this.
"It's fucking dangerous, you assholes! These psychos could be armed! I have to call and stop her."
"It's too late, Kade! Dammit," Dad groans, dropping to a chair. "I didn't know she'd be doing this, or I would have stopped it myself."
Two federal agents stand in the living room, looking on with mild amusement, and I snap on them.
"You let a civilian go in there? What the hell were you thinking?"
One of the guys laughs. Laughs!
"Raya Capperton has more skills than you're giving her credit for. I'm damn glad that she's not in the game. Our hands would be full if she put her talents to use. She's there to locate the will, since she's familiar with the grounds. Ray is the distraction. Brody is an excellent agent, and he's good at not looking like an agent. Even though Ms. Capperton apparently pegged him early on. Like I said, though, she's good. Really good."
I struggle harder to get out from under them, but Wren and Tag combined are too damn strong.
"You're going to have to hold him until this is over," Dad says, looking as exasperated as possible.
"I'm kicking all of your asses after I get up. You'd better hope nothing happens to her!"
"It should be over soon," one of the agents says with a grin, seeming to really enjoy this damn show I'm putting on.
They waited until it was almost over to tell me Raya's life is in jeopardy. No wonder that slimy prick didn't want me calling her.
A phone rings, and I look over just as one of the agents answers it. He walks away, and I hear him laughing from the foyer, the echo of his amusement only grating on my nerves.
These dickheads need to learn appropriate times to laugh. His words are too muffled to understand, and I curse the jerks holding me down.
After a few minutes pass, he walks back in, putting his phone away.
"Told you it'd be over soon. Raya found the will, and three men and one woman are being cuffed. They only encountered a few problems, but Brody handled them. One being the fact that the notorious Ray Drivel was in the process of being arrested by one of the local detectives who wasn't aware of his involvement with the FBI."
"Raya's okay?" I ask, my voice cracking.
He clears his throat and nods. I'm not so sure I like the look that crosses over his eyes, but she's okay. Thank God.
"Let me up! I need to call her!"
Wren and Tag both release me at the same time, and I shove them both, forcing them to thud to the ground just as Dad tosses me my phone. I'm dialing her the second I catch it, and my stomach swells with anticipation.
Fucking voicemail.
"She's not answering," I growl. "Are you sure she's okay?" I bark, looking at the agent, who still wears an unaffected grin.
"Perfectly fine. She may be getting questioned right now. We should go. We were only here in case things didn't go well. We didn't want your family unprotected."
My stomach sinks. They thought these guys were that dangerous, but they let her go in there?
Tag has my arms wrapped behind me, holding me at a painful angle as the two agents leave. How did he know what I was about to do?
"No sense in going to jail. You'd never get to talk to her then," he whispers as they leave.
Once the door shuts, he drops his hold on me, and I start dialing her again. The same disappointment greets me in the form of a recorded voice, but this time I leave a message.
"Raya, please call me as soon as you get this. I need to know you're safe."
I start to tell her more, but it's not meant for a message. This is meant to be done in person.
"Where are you going?" Wren calls as I reach the door.
"To talk to the only friend Raya has. I need to find her."
Ember is useless. Utterly, and completely useless. She screwed someone in Ra
ya's bed, but she's too loyal to tell me where Raya lives or works. Damn it.
Pulling up in her mother's driveway is already hard enough. Seeing the Cavalier that promises her brother is home... that's fucking terrifying.
The door to the trailer opens before I even step out, and Josh's menacing eyes meet mine. Something tells me he'll pull the trigger on my balls this time, and he won't worry about witnesses.
"You've got stones showing up here," he says, already making a reference to my balls. Damn.
"I need to find her, and no one feels like answering my calls."
He rolls his eyes as he walks toward me, shutting the door behind him.
"No one is thrilled with the fact Raya ran her first con because of you. That shit is like crack to that family. Her mother is worried to death that Raya will get hooked. She's the only one—and I do mean the only one—who has lived her life on the right side of the law. She broke all her rules to save your sorry ass after you judged her. After you judged her wrong, I should say. The thing you condemned her for saved your sorry ass, and until you, she had never done anything other than whip some of our asses at cards and pool. Big step. That's too big of a step. She cracked a safe. She had a gun held to her head. And she—"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" I roar, interrupting him as my body starts to shake. A gun to her fucking head? Christ!
He tilts his head, studying me for a second. "You didn't know? I assumed the feds would have filled you in. Ray called us to fill us in, and then he hung up when we all threatened to kill him. Raya's living with him right now. I assumed you knew."
Raya's living with her father. That's a start.
"If I had known she’d had a gun to her head, I would have flipped out. Was she hurt? They kept swearing to me that she was fine, and I can't get her to answer my calls."
He crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes still trained on me as though he's searching for me to falter and give him a reason to strike.
"She's fine. Nothing happened. Brody got there in plenty of time," he says slowly, seeming distracted. "You really do care about her, don't you?" he finally asks, even though my chest is aching from the vicious beat of my heart after hearing Raya was held at gunpoint. I need a minute.