by Cherry Adair
“Did you know that your father and mine were once partners?”
"Not until last year," Nick admitted, his gaze intense as he leaned forward to listen to her. “It was a long time ago.”
“Yes,” Peri acknowledged. “But with long reaching repercussions. Our fathers had a falling out around the time I was born and their financial agreement fell apart. Or so Rydell was led to believe. My father had another partner/investor, a Frenchman named Antoine Baillargeon. What Rydell didn’t discover until a couple of years ago, was that Baillargeon had been subsidizing our father for years, pouring multi-millions of pounds into the failing salvage company. The Euro had gone up in value, interest compounded, and Rydell was unaware of the loan until after old man Baillargeon died and his heirs demanded repayment.
"It didn't matter that the debt belonged to our father. Case Enterprises is Rydell’s company, and he takes his responsibilities as seriously as a heart attack. While all that was happening, you guys kept trying to horn in on his salvages, or taking him to court, or- pissed him off in some way.
Intentionally, I might add. If he defaulted on that balloon payment, you had the right of first refusal. If my brother lost, you'd conveniently own Case Enterprises.”
Teal looked from brother to brother. “That didn’t happen.”
“No," Peri said. "Because Ry and Addison got back together, and they actually got a finder's fee for discovering stolen artwork, so they were able to make that payment." They'd been divorced, mourning the death of their first child, Rydell's ship had been hijacked. She snapped her mouth shut. They didn't need to know any of his personal business.
Nick's gentle smile confused her. Maybe it was just a trick of the light. “I remember reading about that. The thief tried to smuggle stolen paintings on his ship, right? Quite the finder's fee as I recall. Sounds like your brother's a sensible, responsible guy.”
“He's always been my rock."
"Where are your parents?" Bria asked gently.
"Dead."
"So you only have the one brother?" Bria seemed to have forgotten her tea as she cast Peri a sympathetic look. "No other family?"
"I had another brother. Adam."
"He died of leukemia six years ago," Jonah told them.
"And you know this how?" Logan demanded, swiveling his head to look at his brother.
"My Callie was married to Adam Case."
"Fucking hell," Logan muttered. "Are you all keeping damned secrets? You didn't mention Callie was a Case. I thought her last name was West?"
"Maiden name." Jonah shrugged. "Not my secret to share."
Logan glared at Nick. "What's your excuse?"
"Same answer."
"Hell. I'm not done with either of you." He turned his attention to her, annoyance clear in his expression. "Question to you is; How the hell is this tale of woe our fault?"
Peri scowled right back at him. “Ry faced adversity from the moment Dad walked out on us. He emotionally supported our mother, practically raised Adam and myself, brought in Callie from her abusive parents who lived next door, financially and emotionally supported Adam after he was diagnosed, and supported Callie after Adam died.”
“Jonah’s Callie?” Zane looked from Peri to Jonah.
“Our Callie," she said tightly.
Jonah's lips tightened. "The same Callie sent by your conniving brother to spy on me, you mean?"
Nick shot him an amused glance. "The woman you forgave, and love with all your heart, right, bro?"
"Fuck you."
"Then what happened, Persephone?" Nick asked.
"In all that time, your father did nothing to help his partner and best friend. Not. A. Damn. Thing. He let him sink like a rock."
"Tell us about Rydell." Nick leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees.
"When he got the business back in the black, when he'd found a little freaking happiness, Ry’s baby daughter died. His wife divorced him, and she took his brand-new ship in the settlement. On top of all that, his ship Sea Dragon was hijacked and eventually destroyed.”
Zane shrugged. “A crap hand, but nothing to do with us.”
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. None of this was any of their business, they didn't need to know ninety-nine percent of any of this. They were the last people on the planet who needed to know how badly loneliness had strangled her as a child and well into her teens. How this vendetta had given her the strength to keep going.
People. Walked. Away.
Always.
She'd figured that one out early and well.
She was always prepared to walk first, and she handled it just fine.
"Tell us about your father," Nick said.
There'd been a lot of yelling and slamming of doors. Peri shrugged. “When he split, and left us behind in London, he ran Case Enterprises from an apartment in Boston. Your father cleaned him out financially, screwed him over a big salvage in the Sea of Japan, leaving him with nothing but his ship."
"News to me," Logan said. "We heard it was the other way around."
Acid burned her stomach. "Daniel Cutter was a liar, a thief, a drunk and a womanizer!"
"No shit," Jonah muttered under his breath.
"Whoa! All true. Yeah, he was. No secret." Nick addressed Zane, who'd half risen from his chair, his face flushed, his eyes flashing blue fire. "Two sides to every story, right? Let's hear Persephone out, and we can take it from there."
"Dad took his dive boat, what was left in the joint bank account, and my Mom’s broken heart with him. A year later he committed suicide without leaving so much as a note." She shook her head on an exhale. "None of this is relevant, this has nothing to do with anything."
"No. We're interested. Aren't we?" Nick demanded of his brothers. "Keep going, Persephone. This is all relevant. Hearing about your family, your life, helps us get to know you."
Too damn late to get to know her now. The only thing holding her hostage was the weather. She was a captive confessor now. What had she expected? That they'd take her at face value? Of course not. "My Mom fell apart." There was no need to tell them that her mother had pretty much ignored her for as long as Peri could remember. It was Ry and Adam who'd stroked her back when she was bullied at school. It was Callie who'd helped pick out her first school clothes, with Ry and Adam tagging along to supervise.
It was Ry who'd gone to PTA meetings, Ry who'd bought all her Girl Scout cookies- Adam who'd run her paper route- the year she'd fallen off her skateboard and broken her leg. "At fifteen Ry held all of us together." By taking the ship left to him, and going out to look for a freaking wreck to salvage. At sixteen! What had the Cutters been doing at sixteen? Been tucked into their nice safe, warm beds by their loving mother? "With all that responsibility, he had to grow up fast-"
Feeling uncharacteristically fragile, Peri couldn't prevent skimming a glance toward the door, searching for one more glimpse of Finn. He was long gone. The dreadful weight of his absence was so heavy she was almost incapable of interacting with these people who didn't care for her either. The heaviness on her chest felt unbearable and made breathing difficult.
Lacing her cold fingers together in her lap, she no longer felt invincible. It was as though finally acknowledging her lies had stripped her of her hard outer shell leaving nothing but a soft squishy center for others to stomp on. Without Finn there, she was dying a death of a thousand cuts, with nowhere to run and no one to turn to.
Squaring her shoulders Peri sat up straighter, locking her spine. She had to get a grip. But right now she was incapable of doing much more than take whatever they threw at her. Desperation to be alone ate at her hard-won composure. She was damned if she'd cry, but she needed not to be 'on'.
"You’ve seen for yourself who we are," Nick told her. "I think if your brother sat down and had a real conversation with us, he'd discover we have a lot more in common than our mutual hatred for each other’s father-"
"I have no plans to sit down with that bastard," Zane interrupted. "He's
as culpable as she i-"
"Surprise!"
As one, everyone turned to face the door.
"Callie!" Sister of her heart. After a stunned pause—the taking of a step that wasn't there—Peri jumped up and flew across the room and into her sisters-in-law's arms. She buried her face against Callie's dark hair for a moment as her closed throat tightened even more, and her eyes smarted.
Looking puzzled, dark hair whipped by the wind and sea spray, Callie took Peri's face between her hands. "Peri what are you doing h-"
"Calista West, soon to be Cutter, love of my life!" Jonah closed the gap, took Peri's shoulder and moved her out of the way so he could engulf his fiancé in his arms. Callie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
After several moments while everyone looked their way, Jonah broke the kiss and cupped her cheek. The way he looked at her friend made Peri's heartache and the tears she'd been struggling to hold at bay burned her lids like acid.
"I just spoke to you an hour ago," Jonah told Callie, his face showing his love for her. He brushed her cheek with his fingertips, as if to convince himself she was really here and not a figment of his imagination. "All that wedding talk, and you forgot to mention that you're here!"
"I wanted to surprise you." Her face glowed. She released him to hug everyone else in turn, as they elbowed their way to get to her, laughing and talking over each other. "I decided I didn't want to wait three weeks. I called to fake you out as I was about to board the rental chopper at the airport. The pilot required a ginormous bribe to fly me in this weather. I think he prayed with his eyes closed most of the way. I risked life and limb to get here, and I want to get married today. I brought a priest. . . I think he's somewhere puking right now." Her smile lit up the room as she waved in the general direction of the interior of the ship.
Nick said, “I’m not sure this is the best—”
Jonah shot his brother a none too subtle shut-the-hell-up-glare, then turned back to his bride-to-be. "Sweetheart, to get that ring on your finger, at last, I'd marry you anywhere, anyhow, anytime. Hell yes, let’s do it now. Here or Stormchaser?"
"The storm isn't abating, I'm afraid." A tall man in his mid-fifties stood in the background. "For those of you I haven’t met, I'm Walker Goodman, Mr. Gallagher's PA. He had to take a call and asked me to relay several messages. You're all welcome to remain on board until the weather clears tomorrow at approximately three a.am. We'll be pulling up anchor on Blackstar soon thereafter, as Mr. Gallagher has a business meeting scheduled in Hong Kong regarding a merger and has decided to take Blackstar. Any discussions you might have concerning the salvage should be made through Hachirō Okabe in our New York office, as Mr. Gallagher will be tied up with merger negotiations for quite some time." He paused to let that sink in.
"Since congratulations are in order, I offer mine, and, because I couldn’t help but hear the conversation as I approached, I’d like to offer the services of Mr. Gallaher's staff to facilitate a wedding while you wait for the winds to die down?"
Was there a message for her? Finn's guy didn't- not once- make eye contact with her. That was his message. Loud and clear.
"Perfect." Callie spread her arms. "Ladies?" Bria and Teal linked arms with her as she turned her head. "Peri? Come on."
Peri forced a smile. Everywhere from her hair follicles, to her toenails, hurt. "Right behind you," she told Callie, infusing the words with as much excitement and happiness as humanly possible, when she’d never felt more like crawling into a hole and pulling it in after herself. Before following Callie out of the room, she glanced at Logan, Nick, Jonah and Zane.
Their ice blue eyes cut through her with looks of disapproval. She was tempted to stay and take her conversation with the Cutters to some sort of conclusion, but Nick gave her a solid headshake. “We’ve heard enough for now. This is Jonah and Callie’s time. We’ll finish our business after the wedding.”
Peri wondered exactly where he thought that meeting was going to happen. They were all being evicted from Finn's ship at three the next morning.
Bright late-afternoon sunlight streamed into Peri’s cabin, where Callie was changing for her impromptu wedding. While her sister-in-law's joy was apparent in her smile, Peri couldn’t help but wonder if it was selfish of her to be sad that Callie was only going to be a Case for another hour. Heavy-hearted, she also realized this would be the last time she'd be in this room. Onboard this ship.
Teal had opted to go back to "help" the guys. Doing what, Peri didn't really care. She suspected the mechanic wasn't much of a girl's girl. Blackstar was sure to be a madhouse as everyone raced around prepping for the unexpected wedding while the weather tethered them all inside for the duration. The high winds buffeted the wave-splattered windows, and foaming water sluiced over the decks.
Peri would've loved some time alone with Callie, but Bria was there as her sister-in-law got ready. All three women squeezed into the small bathroom while Callie did her make-up.
This was Callie's day, and Peri wasn't going to ruin her happiness by allowing her own unhappiness to show.
Finn was clearly furious if he was willing to literally pull up anchor and leave just to avoid her. Hard to reconcile that cold-eyed man with the human furnace who'd had his tongue in her mouth, and his hand on her breast just hours ago.
The house phone rang in the other room.
No second chances. She didn't need to be hit over the head with a freaking anchor. She got it. Loud and clear. Happy for the distraction, she went into the bedroom to answer it. After a moment, she poked her head back into the bathroom. Since Bria was handing Callie brushes as if she was a surgical nurse and Callie the surgeon, Peri remained in the doorway. "That was Finn's P.A. He says it's still too windy to be outside. Solarium okay?"
"Sure. Wherever. I'd get married right here in the bathroom if that's what it takes."
"Where's your dress, Callie?" Bria asked as she handed a big fluffy brush to the bride-to-be. "I'm sure it needs to be pressed."
Callie glanced from Bria to Peri and back again. "Probably. Would you mind? I left my carryall on the sofa in the living room. Thanks, Bria."
When Bria left, Peri slipped back into the bathroom. There were no more makeup brushes to pass. She propped a hip on the other end of the sink. Callie, an accomplished Marine Archaeologist, would be a big help to the Cutters, Peri knew. She'd been a big help to Ry who'd paid for that fancy degree.
Damn it, Persephone, stop being a bitch. Look at that shining, happy, in-love face. How could you possibly be mad at Callie just because your heart’s been ripped out?
Throat burning with everything she wanted to share, she touched a finger to Callie's dark curls. "This reminds me of when you helped me dress for my junior prom, remember?"
"Fourteen and already a knockout." Callie said. "And that dress. . ." Her smile grew wider at the memory of Peri's skintight, strapless black evening gown.
"I thought I was so cool and sophisticated with my updo, Juicy Tube ultra-shiny lip gloss and smoky eyes. I looked like a hooker, didn't I?"
"Not at all." Callie smoothed a strand of hair behind Peri's ear. "Your brothers just didn't recognize a goth fairy princess when they saw one. I knew you'd grow into a rare beauty, Persephone. You've far surpassed the dreams we had for you. Your amazing house- which I'm determined to see soon. This mind-boggling salvage which will keep all of us busy 24/7, and make us all very, very rich, for the rest of our natural lives. You've done so well. And all on your own. You're a remarkable woman. I'm so proud of you, Magma."
Not if you knew what I've been doing. Peri closed her eyes. 'Thank you, but today is all about you. You'll have plenty of time to come to my house. We're going to remain anchored right here for the foreseeable future."
"I'd better bone up on my Spanish, then."
"You speaking Italian will help with that. Your hair looks cute shorter. Are you happy, Cal? No doubts or second thoughts this time?"
"Not a one." Callie took her hand a
nd brought it to her cheek. "I don't even understand why I balked before. Jonah is the only m-"
"Man you've ever loved. I understand. Adam was a boy. You were a nurse, not a wife. I think he'd be pleased to see you this happy, Callie." Callie had been more nurse than wife for the six years she'd been married to Adam, and she'd done it without complaint. Adam had been dead for more than six years. It was time she found happiness.
Callie's eyes swam with tears. "You think?"
Her friend had had a shitty childhood, been accepted by the Case family, and married Adam knowing he was dying from leukemia. She was a freaking saint. "Without a doubt." Peri blinked the sting from her dry eyes. God, her chest hurt as if she'd been punched in the heart. "Did you call Ry?" she asked quietly. "Do he and Addy know about this?"
"Of course. Called right before I left the airport. He said they'd try their best to get here."
Peri's eyes went wide. "Seriously? Does he know all the Cutters are here?"
Callie shrugged. "I didn't know they were here when I called him. All I cared about was that Jonah was here."
Bria came to the door, a white dress draped over her arm. "There must be an iron somewhere."
Peri though a moment. "Closet, I think."
"Eccellente." She disappeared. A door opened and closed, the latch on the built-in ironing board snapped and Bria raised her voice to be heard from the other room. "I would love to do your hair, Callie. Let me iron this while you finish your makeup, and we'll do something simple and elegant and knock Jonah's socks off. Not that he'll care if you come out with your head shaved. I've never seen a man more besotted."
Callie smiled. "That focused passion is a Cutter family trait. That's part of the reason we love them so much, right?"
Had Callie already forgotten the boy who'd taken care of her, treated her as family, paid for her education and loved her unconditionally? "Rydell is like that, too."
Callie smiled. "God, he is that. Wouldn't it be-" She shook her head. "Yeah, no."
Peri almost snorted. Yeah, no was right. There'd be no happily blended families. Tough on Callie to be in the middle of the feud.