by Raven Scott
“I recently learned that someone’s leaking dates and times to the Italians.” Straightening with a sharp inhale of surprise, I scowled as Candice rocked back and forth on her heels. “I can’t reschedule, but I also don’t have the power to do much about it except react. I need to know what you want me to do, Oran.”
My brows furrowed in concentration as I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath thick with water and oil and metal. The Italians, those damn grease monkeys, what could they possibly be up to? Of course, there was always the run-of-the-mill client stealing, sneaking into one of my functions just to try to get interest in theirs.
The Italians that planted a snake in my garden . . . that forced my hand against—
Shaking my head viciously, I exhaled a harsh sigh before I let my mind wander down that rabbit hole. Taking off my glasses, I rubbed the lenses with my shirt cuff as I redirected my mind to the present. True, it could all be connected, and it was the same in a sense they were trying to sabotage from the inside. I knew Diamon was a sneaky bastard. It was my job to keep an eye on him, from which London was a safe distance.
“Contact the main office and find out what’s happening concerning the Italians outside my sphere of control, Candice. Don’t do anything until they get back to you. I don’t want to ruin my brother’s grandiose plans by acting rashly. He may not get his hands dirty often, but when he does, it happens in the most disgusting, animalistic way possible.” I didn’t get it— Carlyle got rid of that Italian bitch. We uncovered the snake in my bed. Was this third attempt a Hail Mary? Or was there something more going on that I just couldn’t see? “Diamon has tried this at least twice that I know of and failed twice. Until we’re sure there’s no one else, make secondary arrangements and spring it on our guests. Take them on a boat down the Indus or something.”
“Yuh.“ Candice jutted out her chin, swiping her beanie off to reveal pretty light brown hair that shimmered in the darkness of night. I rubbed my jaw thoughtfully. “You know, as an underling seeing this from the outside, it reminds me of something. For a really long time, the Soviets would just throw men into battle, waves after waves of people, just fuck ’em into the ground with bodies until there was no resistance left. No one could sleep. No one could eat. No one could let down their guard. Eventually, they were just exhausted, and they didn’t have the will to fight back.”
“I assume you have a point in there somewhere?” She slipped her beanie back on, adjusting the hem around her ears carefully, and I arched a brow quizzically.
“What if they’re throwing people at you, hoping one will slip through while you’re focused on the others? I mean, planting a bitch in front of you was a good idea. They did it to Mateo, too, so it makes sense to me if someone’s hiding in my camp, there are more. If it were me, as an underling on the outside, I would spring a trap. Rats always fall for traps.” That was an interesting concept, and I nodded for Candice to continue as she tapped the side of the crates she was leaning against with her heel. “No one even knows for sure if Mateo’s situation was the Italians in the first place. The Italians never paid her, so there’s no money trail back to them. All we have to go on is Carlyle’s intuition, and while he’s rarely wrong, it’s not definitive proof. It’s also safe to assume those girls were planted with every expectation of them failing. So, the question becomes . . . who are they trying to keep the spotlight off of?”
“That’s a good point. Diamon knew about Carlyle’s plan to kidnap his sister. He had to have known about Mateo’s breakdown, and I have absolutely no doubt he knows about my little purge . . . ” Trailing off, my mouth dried at my own choice of words, and I inhaled deeply through flared nostrils before shaking my head once again. “You know what, Candice— you’re right. You are an underling, and you are on the outside of it. Keep digging with that scenario in mind. But contact the main office first. And get your cousin to work with you on it.”
She ducked her head in a nod, and I glanced around the cargo bay of the boat we were on before turning my gaze upward. Here, at this moment, there were no lights, and the stars twinkled brightly at me from above. The moon was just a sliver of dull white. I stuck my hands in my pockets to flop my head back fully and heaved a massive sigh.
“Do you believe in karma, Candice?” The boat rocked slightly under me from the swell, and I frowned as I gazed up at the sky.
“If I did, I’d be in for a wallop. Why?” I loved London, and my eyelids fluttered closed as her accent rang in my ears. I loved the flat I’d purchased. Kara had picked it out, actually. She liked the balcony overlooking a walled garden. She liked the walled garden she’d replicated for herself.
I missed her more than I cared to admit.
“The other two, I got them because Kara was lonely. She was so happy. After a while, they were happy, too, when they realized things weren’t so bad. But . . . Roquelle . . . Kara didn’t like Roquelle. Why did I take her loneliness into account but not her suspicion? I kept Roquelle because she was really good at sucking my cock. When did that take precedence over Kara’s feelings?” Very rarely did I talk about Kara and my mistakes with her, and my heart ached as it thundered against my ribs. Shame drenched my body in a cold sweat, and I tilted my head down to catch Candice’s sad frown. They’d met a few times, and Kara had even stayed with Candice at one point when the flat flooded.
“Kara was the one who came to you, Oran. She’s the only one who sought you out, asked for your protection, willingly. I can’t imagine how hard it was to lose that and know it was your own fault, but . . . just because you were together for almost six years, comfort doesn’t equate to love, Oran.” Candice’s cheeks puffed out when her smile widened, and she wandered over to me to touch my arm reassuringly. “I hope you understand that. You weren’t in love with her, and she wasn’t in love with you. I’m sure the moment she realized you ignored her opinion on Roquelle, she was preparing herself for the inevitable. You know what I think? I think you made a mistake, Oran, one you’re never going to make again.”
“You’re one of the few people I consider a friend, Candice. I appreciate that.” Cupping the back of her neck, I squeeze gingerly, and her smile brightened as she ducked out to take a soft jab at my arm.
“You’re a fucking egg, you know that? If I’m such a great friend, how come you never come by for tea?” Rolling my eyes at that, I chuffed a laugh and glanced at my phone to check the time. “Okay, okay, now, get off my boat. We gotta go.”
Shaking my head with a slight smile, I headed for the ramp to set my feet on the dock, then one of her crew pulled the collapsible slope to secure it to the edge of the deck. Not bothering to watch her set sail, I turned on my heel to walk back to my car, the faint glow of the headlights illuminating my way.
The time read nearly two a.m., and I was tired, lifting my hand to hide a yawn before a shrill generic ping caught my attention. Fishing my phone out of my jacket pocket, I frowned under furrowed brows at the unknown number slashed across my screen.
I waited to open the picture message until I was in my car. The vehicle backed up and turned around as I swiped around on the screen.
And there, in very sexy, very delicate looking pale blue lingerie was May. Of course, her face wasn’t in the picture, but I could tell by the faint freckles smattering her chest. Biting my lower lip, my eyes narrowed on her exposed dusky pink nipples. She must’ve been laying down in the photo by the way her hair splayed around her shoulders.
Me: This is the first text you send me? A nude?
I saved her number in my phone, tingling with the desire to put this picture as my background like I was some kid seeing a girl half-naked for the first time. Instead, I saved it to my gallery, and by then, May had started to type a reply.
May: I wanted to make sure you didn’t ignore me because you didn’t know the number
My lips quirked up, and I poised my thumbs only for the ellipsis to pop up under her last text.
May: This is going to have to wait . . . my mom
is calling
8
Oran
Six weeks later . . .
Spending all damn day in court with Landry was not my idea of a great time, and my heel bounced impatiently against the floor. That asshole Stowel really had tried to sue me. I glanced over at him, sitting with his lawyer. He didn’t come off as slimy, but first glances could be deceiving.
“Oran?” Twisting at the whisper, surprise rose my brows as May slid into the gallery pew behind me. I turned toward her while she leaned on the back of my seat. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m being sued for refusal to abide by contractual wages. Did David not drop the suit when you pushed back?” Her lips parted in an ‘oh,’ and May shook her head with a devious glint in her eye. “I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy this story. Where’s your lawyer?”
“I don’t have one. Want to go out in the hallway?” Holding out my hand, I gestured her to give me the big file under her arm, and May frowned with a confused crease between her brows. “You’re not a lawyer, are you?”
“No, but Landry is.” Hearing his voice, Landry twisted with a little wave, and May took my word for it and handed him the folder. “I’ll cover this personally. You read through that and get me if I’m not back before we’re called up.”
“You got it.” Standing up, I shuffled out of the gallery, and May followed as my mind churned furiously. I hadn’t heard from her in weeks, but I knew this court date couldn’t be the only reason. Holding the door for her, I frowned at the stress lines around her mouth and eyes, and we slipped into the corridor to sit on a bench.
“Are you alright?” Shifting her pale pink purse into her lap, May nodded quietly, and my eyes narrowed as suspicion sloshed in my chest. “Why don’t you have a lawyer? What’s David suing you for?”
“Professional slander, because he can’t get a new job, fraud, and internal corporate espionage.” A bark of a harsh, disbelieving laugh escaped me, and I covered my mouth as I leaned back to take all that in. May cracked a small, stressed-out smile, and I scoffed loudly before she continued. “Also, he wants me to pay him his salary for the past four weeks since he got fired because it’s supposedly my fault he decided to steal my work and got caught.”
“I heard about that from Malory. The whole team was fired except you, and you got transferred to another team. How are they treating you?” May waved a slender hand dismissively, and I inhaled deeply as anger flared in my chest. “And you don’t have a lawyer to help you dispute all those charges?”
“Okay, um, basically, what happened was I got served, right, about three weeks ago. I then got a call to discuss the charges with David and his stupid lawyer, so I went, and come to find out, the guy doctored documents. I can’t prove it right now because I’m still waiting for the audit team to get back to me. Anyway, I don’t have a lawyer because the one I had is a family court lawyer who said he could handle a civil suit, but then he flaked on me, and I couldn’t find another one in time. After David found out, he tried to meet with me again a few days ago and offered to settle. Of course, not him paying me, but me paying him. And it’s an astronomical number, like $70,000.”
“So, you’re here to request a continuance to get the evidence you need?” Again, May nodded, and my cheek twitched in agitation. “Do you want me to fast-track it? I can get it here within the hour.”
“Actually, I’m pretty okay with David thinking I’m scrambling. If he wanted to go to court, he wouldn’t have tried twice to settle with me, right? So, he knows his case is weak enough to be dependent on me not finding anything in time. The only thing is that he subpoenaed the records, and I didn’t, so it’s taking me a while. I think he thinks they just denied my request outright, which they can’t because this is a legal matter.” She was so damn smart it was baffling. I nodded mutely before May cast me a questioning look. “What about you? Why are you here yourself, Oran?”
“Ah, someone I contracted in the past is claiming unpaid contractual wages, like I said before. I could’ve just given it to him, but the guy’s been pestering my office for months. I want to squash him under my heel personally.” Reaching to swipe a few strands of stray hair from May’s temple, I pursed my lips thinly, and her face tinged pink. “Is there something else bothering you?”
May had once called me trustworthy, but I could sense her hesitancy as she licked her lips nervously. Fiddling with her purse strap, she inhaled through flared nostrils before shaking her head a little, and concern knit my brows.
“It’s not a problem, per se. My sister, Sarah, is turning seventeen soon, and she wants to go to this place, Sylvan Park Bird House, in North Carolina. I can’t send her by herself, but I can’t take days off work with everything going on. I mean, not that my new team is awful, but they’re . . . they’re wary. They think I purposefully obliterated my last team, which isn’t unreasonable considering the rumors flying around.” Oh, right. Sometimes, I forget there’s a life outside the office for most people. I sat back a little as May shrugged slightly, but she clearly was far from careless about the issue. “I mean, theoretically, I have enough to get this court thing over today if I really wanted, but I’m not as rock-solid as I’d like to be. Even then, I could take a Friday and a Monday off and do it the weekend before her birthday, but that’d only make the situation at work worse.”
“You’re in a hundred times better position with a lawyer, though. Let’s go back in and see what Landry thinks. This kind of case is one he’s best at.” I stood up, holding out my hand for her, and May smiled warmly as her fingertips slid across my palm. “It might be a while before we’re out of here. Is your sister home by herself?”
“Yeah. She knows it might be all day. Besides, she’s too busy planning her dream trip.” Pulling open the door to the courtroom, I nodded at that. It wasn’t really my business what May did with her sister. Walking back to Landry, I gestured her to take my seat, and I glanced over at Stowel again. Irritation gripped my heart in a vise when he smirked my way, but I kept my expression neutral and confident. There was no way this idiot was going to get the better of me.
I’d paid him all I agreed to, and I wouldn’t pay a penny more.
“Hart versus Warran.” The call from the judge surprised May and I both, and I nodded curtly at Landry when he glanced back at me questioningly. Across the aisle, David and his lawyer shuffled out of the pews, and my eyes narrowed on him. Rubbing my jaw absently while Landry and May made their way up, I couldn’t help but frown at the confident set of David’s shoulders.
This should be interesting. I’d kept myself updated on the situation even though May never specifically reached out to me, and she played herself well. She was impressively sly and perceptive, and I inhaled deeply as my thoughts strung along leisurely. David glanced over and tensed when he noticed she’d gotten a lawyer before leaning to whisper to his own, and my lip twitched up.
If her mere appearance was worrying, his case wasn’t just weak, it was almost guaranteed to backfire on him, which was good. Everyone deserved their dues.
“Ms. Hart, you’re being sued for one count of corporate espionage, six counts of professional slander, and . . . ” Before the woman seated so far above us could continue, David’s lawyer cleared his throat and interrupted her. And this judge did not appreciate that at all if the scowl on her face was any indication. “Is there a reason you interrupted me before I could even read the charges, Mr. Thompson?”
“Ah, yes, Your Honor. My client is prepared to reduce the suit to one count of professional slander, and $50,000 in punitive damages.”
“Your Honor, I see absolutely no reason to completely dismiss a count of corporate espionage, five counts of slander, and the eleven fraud counts being brought against my client. These are very serious allegations, and to just dismiss them all is a misuse of the justice system.” The judge’s brows rose, and I propped my forearms on the back of the pew in front of me to watch Landry in action. “My client deserves her day in court to prove her in
nocence, and just because Mr. Thompson has gotten cold feet—"
“Are you honestly arguing for a trial? I’m offering to reduce the suit.” Landry was a pit bull in the courtroom, and satisfaction bubbled up like thick tar against my ribs.
“Your Honor, by so grossly reducing the suit, it calls into question their integrity. Not only that but demanding $50,000 in exchange is excessive considering the seriousness of those allegations. Either the opposition filed false claims, or the plaintiff is worried something worse than simply that will come out in court.” Bink. I could practically hear David’s gaskets blowing, and Landry held up what May had been able to get together. “Taking into consideration the fact that an internal investigation into the team he was leading proved without a doubt that the plaintiff was the one committing fraud, coupled with not one but two attempts to settle out of court, and this sudden decision to withdraw so many counts for seemingly no reason—"
“Alright. Alright, Mr. Landry.” The judge pushed back her straight brown hair and tapped her cheek thoughtfully. Holding my breath, I sat on the edge of my seat, anxiety gripping me in a vise as she glanced between the two parties. “I agree with Mr. Landry that your sudden decision to withdraw so many serious allegations and add a request for $50,000 in punitive damages that weren’t in your original suit, is suspicious, Mr. Thompson. I’m dismissing the suit against Ms. Hart.”
Exhaling hotly, I covered my mouth to hide my smile as the judge banged her gavel, and May slumped against the table to duck her head. Relief surged through me. Landry ate cases and lawyers like this for breakfast. Even though this outcome wasn’t surprising, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Practically skipping into the gallery, May flashed me a huge, blindingly bright smile, clutching her file and purse to her chest with white-knuckle tightness.