I close my eyes and let the powerful punch of this information hit me fully. Pain oozes from my heart through my veins and out every pore. Disgust coats my nerve endings as I tighten my hands and try my damnedest to control the urge to go ballistic and destroy this hotel room in a blind rage.
I want to hurt him.
I want to smash his face in so many times he’ll never model again.
I want him dead.
I’ve never wanted a person dead before. Never had enough hate in my heart to wish death upon someone. Even Kayla. Sure, I might wish her an STD, or a punishment equally fair to how she broke my heart, but never death.
I wish Johan Karr would fall off the face of the earth and never be heard from again. Disappear so he will never be able to hurt the woman I love, or anyone else for that matter, again.
Those tears she shed over him on our call tonight were torturous enough. Now to find out she’s going to pay this pig $50 million for pictures he wasn’t supposed to have taken and another whatever amount to keep him from lying through his teeth in a tell-all book? It’s not right. The world cannot possibly be this lopsided in doling out justice.
“Parker . . . Parker, are you there? Did you hear me?”
I shake off the image of Johan, handcuffed behind his back, being led into a jail cell wearing an orange jumpsuit. If only . . .
“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” I clear my throat and take a deep breath.
“I said, I’m going to have her call you tomorrow, but I’ll be here with her. I won’t leave her side.”
“Thank you, Tracey. You’re a good friend.”
“After all that’s happened . . . I’m trying to be. Sky deserves to be happy, and she’s changed since she met you. She’s different. There’s a lightness in her steps, an excitement in her eyes all the time. Especially when she’s talking to you or about you. I haven’t seen her this happy since before her parents died. You’ve done that for her.”
“Yeah, well, she’s opened my eyes to a lot of new things too.” One being falling in love. Not something I ever had a hope of finding again, but I wouldn’t admit that to Sky’s friend. No, those truths are all for my girl. “Take care of her.”
“I will. When are you planning to come home? I know she mentioned something about a baseball game. Was all giddy about going to one with you. Would likely take her mind off this garbage, if only for a few hours.”
I smile at the idea of enjoying a baseball game with my woman. Eating hot dogs, yelling at umpires, kissing for the kiss cam, sharing something I love with someone I love. Nothing sounds better.
“Not sure when I’ll be home. Hopefully in a few more days. However, if Sky needs me, I’ll head out and leave Roy to handle the rest of the job.” Usually what I said would be accurate, but this time, I don’t mean it. I’ll have to call in Bo. Royce is 100 percent off his rocker on this one and can’t see the forest through the trees. Maybe I should call Bo, get his opinion on what to do in the meantime.
“All right, well, it’s close to two in the morning here. I need to get some shut-eye if I’m going to be any use to Sky in the morning.”
“Thanks again, Tracey. For being there when I can’t.”
“Parker, I don’t want to be rude when I say this, but she was mine first. She’ll always be mine in some way.” Her voice takes on a twinge of humor, but I can’t help reading through it to the fact that she considers Sky more important than just a friend.
“I know you’re her family, Tracey. And I know you feel responsible for not doing more when she lost her will to act and you thought you pushed her to her breaking point. I think you learned a little more of what was most important during the experience. Now you’re stronger for it. And besides, if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met the love of my life.”
Tracey gasps. “I knew it. You’re in love with my best friend.”
“Not going to answer one way or another, because the first time I tell my woman I love her will not be through her best friend. Got it?”
“Loud and clear. Lips sealed. But, Parker?”
I sigh. “Yes, Tracey.”
“You hurt her, and I’ll kill you. She’s been hurt enough by people claiming to love her, and she’s about to undergo a new battle with another one. She wouldn’t survive being hurt by you. Especially now.”
I close my eyes and let the statement seep deep into my bones. “I know, and I don’t intend on hurting her. Have her call me in the morning, okay?”
“Sure will. Good night.”
“Good night, Tracey.”
With the end of this shit day, I pull off my clothes and fall into bed. Hopefully Wendy will provide more information about what this Johan character is up to. There has to be a reason he’s going after his ex for such a large sum of money. None of it makes sense. He leaves her alone for two years and then—whammo—decides to threaten her reputation and livelihood? Why did he wait a couple of years? It would have made more sense to go after her when they were still linked. Now, it seems desperate.
A man doesn’t go after a woman from his past unless he’s being backed into a corner.
It makes me wonder, Who’s doing the pushing, and what do they have on him?
6
To: Peaches
From: Parker Ellis
You okay? Call me when you’re free.
I pinch my lips and read the text again. I’ve already tried to call once with no answer. She probably woke up and jetted to the set. I know they’re close to wrapping this film, and the director was going to do as many reshoots as possible with the little time they had allotted. Still, it doesn’t calm the worry swirling around my mind like a vortex, sucking up all the energy in its wake.
A twisting sensation fills my gut as I make my way into Renner Financial Services. As much as I want to be on the next plane to New York, there’s still a job to be done. Before I left the hotel, I checked Royce’s room. He didn’t answer, leading me to believe he’d already left for RFS.
As I make my way to Rochelle’s office, my phone buzzes.
I stop in my tracks and grin at the display. I have no idea how she did it, but at some point, Wendy accessed my phone and changed her name in my directory from her given name to the title of her choosing. The smile on my face also digs into my heart, making me feel a moment’s reprieve from the heaviness of the past twenty-four hours.
From: World’s Greatest Assistant
To: Parker Ellis
Compiling information. Was at it all night. Will have more tonight. Lots more. Someone has been a very bad boy . . .
I read and reread the text. A bad boy. That could mean anything, but knowing Wendy, she means Johan Karr has some skeletons in his closet, and she’s unearthing them. I smile, knowing whatever she’s found could very well help my woman not have to pay a red cent. God willing.
Pushing through the door to Rochelle’s office, I spy her sitting at her desk, head back, laughing openly at something Royce must have said. A smug grin sits on his face as I enter the fray.
He dips his chin in greeting, not showing any hint of the battle we had last night; however, I know it’s not fully resolved, simply held back for the sake of our client and business relations. The last thing I would ever want is bad blood between me and one of my brothers, especially over a woman. I’ve got to find a way to fix what I’ve broken.
“Good morning, Mr. Ellis.”
“Morning, Ms. Renner . . . Royce.” I focus my gaze on the client. “I trust you slept well?”
She smirks. “Not as well as I could have if someone here hadn’t turned down my offer of dinner and drinks.”
I slide my gaze back to Royce. He turned her down last night? I don’t have time to fully digest her comment before he cuts in.
“Yeah, well, family needed me, and as sweet as the thought of having dinner with you is . . . when family calls, I answer.” His response digs a hole into the meaty muscle of my heart, right where he intended the blow to fall.
Rochell
e clucks her tongue. “Pity. We could have had a little more fun before I zero in on one of the delectable specimens Parker has set up for me.”
A dark shadow passes behind Royce’s eyes before he blinks it away and is all business. I want to call Rochelle out on her bullshit, but Royce reminded me last night that it isn’t my business. Made it very clear I need to back off.
“Yes, well, we can’t always have fun, now can we. There’s also work to be done.” Royce’s irritated tone cannot be denied. “Speaking of, I worked with Keehan to narrow down the list of potential employees who may be stealing from you. I added one more to the list you may not like, but it has to be considered . . .”
I’m proud of him for tossing her a grenade. The woman needs to see she’s playing with fire. Curious, I walk over to her desk to see the name he added. I’d already gotten the list from Keehan and had Wendy working on it.
While Rochelle reads it, I note her entire body goes ramrod straight, and she pushes back from her desk until her fingertips are barely holding on to the glass edge.
“It’s not possible.” Her voice is tight, irritated.
I scan the list and note the single familiar name scrawled on the bottom in Royce’s penmanship. Damn it all to hell. The single name has me working hard to put myself in check. He’s trying to push her, and it’s not cool. I tilt back my head and sigh at the sky.
Fuck.
This will not go over well, and worse, I have to wonder if Royce is suggesting it to get Keehan out of the running as a possible man for Rochelle. Only he doesn’t know we already went there, at Keehan’s insistence.
As I shake my head and assess the way Rochelle is shooting daggers at Royce, it’s hard for me to swallow against the thought that Roy might be putting his desire for the client over the truth staring us all in the face. Keehan Williams is in love with Rochelle. He’d never in a million years steal from the woman he’s devoted his life to. The problem is, Royce is too blinded by lust and the thought of his own picket fences to see the truth staring him in the face.
“Brother . . . ,” I say in a harsh whisper.
“Had to be said. There’s one man in this entire company with full access to everything and the ability to cover his tracks completely.” If I didn’t know him better, I’d swear he’s gloating.
Rochelle shakes her head, her crimson lips compressed into a thin, flat line. “Not possible.”
“Chellie, it’s very possible,” Royce encourages.
She continues to push herself back before she stands and faces us both. Rochelle crosses her arms over one another and cocks out a hip. “No. It. Isn’t.”
Royce’s facial expression softens, making him look less imposing in his dark-gray suit. “Just because you’re friends doesn’t mean he couldn’t hurt you. He has the means and ability, Chellie . . . I’ve seen it before. Too many times, in fact.”
Rochelle huffs obstinately, blatantly not appreciating where Royce is taking this conversation. “He’s the one who brought the concern to my attention. Why would he do that if he were stealing from me?” Rochelle grinds out through clenched teeth, anger coating every last word.
I’m about to tell her that’s a very good point when Royce leans against the desk, resting the flat of his palms on the glass surface. “To throw you off the scent.”
She lifts her hand in a “stop” gesture. “No more. I will not hear any further suggestion that Keehan could be stealing from me. It’s simply not possible.”
“No, it isn’t. I’d never hurt you or what I helped you build.” Keehan projects his thundering voice into the conversation from where he stands, having just entered the office.
Perfect timing, Keehan.
Royce stands up and places his hands in his pockets. “It had to be said. No offense, brother, but it’s our job to make sure she has all the evidence,” he states mechanically.
Keehan shakes his head. “I’m not your brother, I’m your client’s veteran employee and longtime friend. If you were doing your job, you’d have already scoured my bank accounts, which I gave to your partner yesterday, looking for additional money.”
Jesus, this situation is deteriorating quickly. My desire to protect Royce and his suggestion is overpowering.
Royce’s eyes shift up so his gaze meets mine. “Park?”
I nod. “Keehan mentioned his concerns, and I asked Wendy to run the names of the employees on your list and run their financial histories for the last two years. He had me include his own for the record. Full disclosure. Wendy emailed them last night before I called her about the other thing.” I allude to the Johan issue, having no desire to share my personal dealings with our clients.
Royce nods. “I wish you had mentioned that to me.” His statement is accusatory and uncalled for.
“Was planning to this morning. Emailed over Wendy’s findings to the three of you not an hour ago when I had a chance. As you well know, I was a little busy last night.”
He closes his eyes and briefly dips his chin. “And what did you find?”
Keehan lays out the sheets in his hands. “None of the people on this list have any unusual fluctuations in their bank accounts or investment portfolios.”
Royce scans the documents and nods. “It’s true. These staff members are clean.”
“Well, that’s a small relief. All of these names are people I’ve worked with a long time,” Rochelle says. “Each of them has their own stake in the company doing well. Stock shares, the whole nine. But where does that leave us in narrowing down the search for who is doing the stealing?”
“At this point, we’ll have to run every name in the company, which is going to take some time.” Royce picks up his phone and lifts it to his ear. “Wendy, yeah, we got the information for RFS. Unfortunately, we’re going to need to broaden the search to the rest of the staff.” He nods silently and glances out the window. “We understand that could take some time. Send over the ones you get completed as you get them.”
I inhale sharply, instantly aware that if Wendy is doing the work for the client, she’s not doing the funky poaching on Johan.
Royce’s gaze flickers to me, and his voice turns hard when he asks Wendy, “Did you, uh, finish with the other thing? Okay, I’ll let him know. Get on those names, yeah?”
Wendy must ring off, because Royce hits a button on his phone and shoves it into his pocket. “She’s going to run the rest of the staff’s names and financials and see if she can come up with anything. Said it will take a couple of days for that many people.”
Rochelle sighs. “So, we’re back to square one.”
“I’m afraid so.” Royce knocks two knuckles on the glass top of her desk. His chin dips, and his dark gaze reaches mine. “Parker, I need to speak to you . . . privately.” He gestures to the doorway.
Both Rochelle and Keehan frown.
“We’ll be right back,” I say.
“While you’re gone, I’ll call HR to have the employee list sent over in Helen’s absence.”
“Thanks, Chellie.” Royce smiles.
Rochelle nods, and Keehan looks at Royce with fire in his gaze. Accusing Keehan is not going over well with Rochelle’s right-hand man or Rochelle, especially when Keehan offered up his information freely.
Royce didn’t have any nefarious intentions when he added Keehan’s name; nevertheless, even if he did it because he was jealous and wanted to get a leg up on the man, I would still back him. He wasn’t wrong about the need to run Keehan’s information, if one takes in the bigger picture, which I did at Keehan’s suggestion. However, Roy could have been more tactful.
What it comes down to is he’s letting his lust get in the way of the job. Been there, done that. Got the hot blonde to prove it. And the job didn’t suffer in any way when I hooked up with Sophie and later with Skyler.
Once Royce steps outside the client’s office and into the hallway, he takes a few long strides to the right, giving us more privacy.
“Wendy said she’s got the information
ready for you and is emailing it now. I wanted to make sure you had the time to go over it, and see about us taking a couple of hours to review it, put our heads together . . .” He licks his full lips, prepping for a team huddle.
I put my hand on Royce’s arm. “Brother, one of us has to deal with the client, but it means the world to me that you’re willing to drop it all and step up to the plate for me, and more importantly for Sky. Means you’re not still angry about last night—”
His head jolts back. “The fuck? You are not getting off that easy.” He places a beefy finger against my breastbone. “You said some things that were completely uncalled for . . .”
I shake my head, glance around the space, and see an empty conference room. I nudge Royce into the room and shut the door. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Royce, you were out of line.”
His eyes widen so much those black orbs are nearly bulging out of their sockets. “Oh, so you can fuck two clients, fall in love with one, but I can’t?” His black eyebrows are dark arrowheads arching over his eyes.
“This isn’t about me!” I blurt.
“It sure as fuck is!” he growls. “Regardless of what’s going on with Rochelle and me, I should be able to explore what’s between us in whatever way I deem appropriate, without worrying my brother is going to be up in arms.” His words are scathing.
I sigh and run my hand through my overly long hair. “What do you expect me to do? Cut and run? Let you woo the client who’s hired us to match her with prospective husbands? You want that role, Roy? You going to jump ship and move across coasts to be with her?”
Royce’s jaw firms before my eyes, and a muscle in his cheek jumps while he grinds his teeth.
I continue, knowing I’m poking an already angry bear. “You going to leave your momma and three sisters behind in Boston? Alone?”
This time Roy’s lips flatten, and he sucks in a harsh breath through his teeth.
“It’s my decision, not yours.” Each word is clipped.
International Guy: Milan, San Francisco, Montreal (International Guy Volumes Book 2) Page 20