My fist shot out, catching him square in the face, the sound of bone meeting bone loud in the room. He stumbled back, slamming into the wall, momentarily stunned.
Aiden lunged, dragging me back from going over the desk and continuing to pummel Greg. I wanted to beat him until he fell. Make him pay for what he did to Emmy in blood and pain.
“You bastard,” I snarled, pushing Aiden back. “You self-righteous fuck! If you had any balls, you would have talked to me, but instead, you go after a defenseless woman. You hide behind numbered companies and computer hackers because you’re feeling left out on the playground.” I sneered. “As for that stupid woman? She is the one who let us know it was you, Greg. Right in front of your own men—with you listening! She knew it was you.”
His eyes narrowed in disbelief.
“You should never discount the people you think are beneath you, Greg. The problem is you look without seeing. Emmy is more than you will ever know.” I shook my head in disgust. “Now you will never have the chance because I am going to make it my mission to ruin you. What you have done is criminal. Inhumane. And unforgiveable.”
He wiped at the blood trickling from his nose. “How exactly do you think you are going to accomplish that? You really think you can outsmart me?”
I laughed. “I’ve already done it. Copies of everything have gone to the press and the Law Society. You’ll be disbarred, charged, and thrown in jail. Your life, asshole, is over.”
He stared, stunned. “You wouldn’t.”
“The police are on their way,” Aiden informed him.
“You bastard!” Greg seethed.
I shook my head in disbelief at his indignation. “What did you think?” I yelled. “That I was going to let you get away with all you’ve done? Shake hands and say thanks for making me see I was the bad person here? Offer you a place in my company to make it up to you? I paid you for your services—I paid you fucking well. There is no debt here, Greg—not to you.”
I wiped my hand down my suit, feeling my knuckles swelling, and the chaff of the torn skin.
“I hope they throw the fucking book at you.” I spun on my heel. “Let’s go. I’m sure Greg has things he needs to take care of before the cops get here.”
Aiden muttered something to Greg, but I ignored it and headed to the door. I reached for the knob, but turned when Greg said my name, freezing at the sight of the gun he held in his hand. I had no idea where it came from. Aiden shouted, stepping in front of me, but Greg shook his head in disgust.
“He’s safe, you idiot.” He lifted the gun, pressing it to the skin under his chin. “I want him to see what he has done.”
“No, Greg, you don’t have to do this.” I stepped from behind Aiden, not wanting this to happen. I wanted him to pay for what he had done, but not die.
His eyes were cold, his voice filled with hate. “This is your doing Bentley. Your fault. Live with it.”
“No!” I shouted, lunging forward.
The room echoed with the gunshot, and I felt the spatter of blood hit me. Horrified, I watched as Greg’s body slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood and brain matter behind.
I stared at the man I had thought was my business associate and friend for years, lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood.
How had it come to that?
Bentley
There were so many voices around me. Police, paramedics, Aiden—all of them talking, gesturing, the movement constant. My head ached, my swollen hand throbbed, and I was still in shock from what happened. After Greg shot himself, his office door flew open, and it was the sound of Mrs. Johnson’s screams that brought me back to reality. Aiden had taken charge of the situation, immediately calling 911 for an ambulance, pushing her out of the office, and returning to shove me out of the way and into a chair across the room.
Disoriented, I looked up at him, running a hand through my hair, then staring in confusion at the smear of blood I could see on my palm.
“Bent,” he urged. “Look at me.”
I met his gaze. “I need you to calm down. The police are on their way up, and there is going to be a lot of questions we are going to have to answer. I need you to relax.”
It took me a minute to realize the odd noise I could hear was my gasps for air. Images swam through my head. Greg holding the gun. The sound. The look on his face before he pulled the trigger. The furious condemnation of his words.
My fault.
Aiden bent closer. “Breathe with me, Bent. Come on.”
Slowly, my gasps stopped, and I could feel the numbness leave.
“I didn’t want it to end that way.”
“I know. The coward did this as a final fuck you.”
I thought of his words as they wrapped the body and moved it to a gurney. A detective came over to me, introduced himself as the one in charge, and asked if I was up to giving a statement. I tore my eyes away from the scene in front of me and drew in a deep breath.
“Yes.”
Hours later, Aiden and I walked into the front office, both of us still in shock, but our stories verified. Mrs. Johnson had informed the police Greg taped every meeting, and the whole thing was caught on camera. I had to avert my eyes as they played the scenario onscreen, showing the confrontation exactly as we stated.
“There will be other questions about his conduct, and illegal activities,” Detective Armstrong informed me.
I frowned. “Why? The man is dead. Does his name have to be dragged through the mud?”
He cleared his throat. “There were some interesting files on his computer. I don’t think you’re the only person he was screwing with.”
Aiden and I shared a glance, then thanked him for his help.
He shook our hands. “You’re free to go. We’ll be in touch.”
In the elevator, Aiden spoke, “When we get to the house, you go upstairs and clean up. Don’t let Emmy see you like this.”
I caught sight of myself in the mirrored walls. I had flecks of blood on my face, jacket, and hair. I was unnaturally pale, and I looked like shit. I yanked off my suit jacket and used the lining to wipe at my face. I was never wearing it again.
“Have you spoken with Maddox?”
“Yes. He has everyone in the sunroom. You get cleaned up, and decide what you want to do.”
My head fell back against the cold glass. “I can’t even think right now.”
“I know. Let’s get home, and we’ll talk there.”
“Are you okay, Aiden?” He had witnessed it all too, and handled everything with his usual efficiency.
“I’m fine, Bent. It was awful, and I wish to hell it had never happened, but I’m fine.”
I was too tired to question him further. I followed him out of the elevator and into the street.
“I guess no one is watching now.”
His hand was heavy on my shoulder. “No.”
* * *
The water was so hot it scalded my skin. I scrubbed away the blood, and let it disappear down the drain, wishing I could do the same thing to my memories. I toweled off and opened the door to find Emmy sitting on the edge of the bed.
Her face was drawn and wan, and in her hands, she clutched the pants and shirt she had given me.
“I thought you would want to be comfortable.”
I crossed the room, and sank in front of her, wrapping her in my arms. Seeing her reminded me why I had gone to confront Greg. The bruises prompted me to recall my anger, and I held her tight, grateful she was safe.
She leaned down, pressing her lips to the back of my head. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
I lifted my head. “It’s not your fault. None of this is.”
“It’s not yours either.”
“Greg felt it was.”
“I don’t think his judgment was very clear.”
I pushed away, taking the clothes from her hands. I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I needed to think it through. Dissect what happened, the same way I did when confronted wit
h anything that confounded me.
“Do you want me to leave you alone?”
My head snapped up at her tone. I made sure to keep my voice gentle. “I have to talk to Maddox and Aiden. This is—” I exhaled. “There is going to be fallout, and we need to figure out what happens next.”
She stood. “The girls are going to leave later. I’ll go home with them.”
“No! I want you here, Emmy. I just need a little time to talk to my partners. This affects them too.” I cupped her cheek. “Your friends can stay as long as they like. No one has to go.”
“Okay.”
I brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Okay.”
I dressed and went downstairs, once I made sure Emmy headed to the sunroom. Maddox and Aiden were waiting for me in my den, and I sat down with a sigh.
Maddox studied my face, looking concerned. “You okay, Bent?”
“As okay as I can be after watching a man shoot himself in front of me.”
He frowned. “You know it wasn’t your fault, right?”
I stroked my chin, thinking out loud. “I keep telling myself it isn’t, but part of me says I am responsible. I should have seen it. Looked closer. Done more.”
“What do you think you could have done?” Aiden questioned. “None of us saw Greg’s true colors. He hid everything. His hatred for us. His distaste for everything we did. All of us—yet, none of us even suspected as much. He was simply looking for someone to blame, Bent. You ended up being his scapegoat.”
I leaned forward, clasping my hands between my knees, hoping they wouldn’t notice the slight tremor that had been there since it happened. A tick I couldn’t seem to control. “Was he right? Did I ignore all the signs? Did I make him feel as though he wasn’t good enough to be part of us—part of my team?”
Aiden snorted. “Even if you did, did that give him the right to betray your trust, go behind your back scheming and planning such an elaborate plot to get back at you? For kidnapping and terrorizing an innocent woman to get what he wanted?”
“No,” I admitted. I bent my head, pulling on the tight neck muscles to try to relax them. “I don’t understand. It was a land deal. Money. Just money. He had a lot of it.”
Maddox shook his head. “Not as much as you.”
I slammed my hand on the desk. “It wasn’t a competition!”
“Not to you.”
I sat back, unable to take it all in. “He must have hated me deeply to do all that. How could he even work with me if he hated me so much? Why would he subject himself to it?”
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” Maddox quoted.
“I never thought of him as an enemy.” I passed a weary hand over my eyes. “But I suppose I never treated him like a friend either.” I turned to the window, staring out at the cloudy sky. “So I have to assume some of the responsibility.”
Aiden leaned close. “If he felt that slighted he should have told you off and stopped being your lawyer. He played all of us. He came here, to your home, and planted that bug. That was how he knew about the plans. He heard us. He heard Emmy. He strung you along for months, ripping you off. He stole the deals from you and charged you while doing it! He manipulated all of us.” He huffed out a long breath of air. “Then so he didn’t have to face the consequences, like a coward, he killed himself.”
His words all made sense. Yet, I couldn’t escape the feeling of guilt.
“It’s still on me.”
“Bent—”
“I think I need to be alone for a while.”
Aiden started to object, but Maddox stood and pulled him to his feet. “We’ll go, but we’re outside if you need us.”
I nodded, my thoughts already far away.
* * *
Dusk was falling when I heard the quiet knock on the door. Emmy’s face appeared around the edge, nervous and timid.
“May I come in?”
Another wave of guilt, one entirely different, washed over me. She was suffering, and I had ignored her all afternoon. I should have been with her, and instead, I sat by myself, my mind on a never-ending loop trying to piece everything together. I was stiff and tense as if all my nerves were on the outside of my body. I scrubbed my face hard, realizing I had never felt so exhausted in my life.
I held out my hand. “Of course.”
She slipped in, shutting the door behind her. She held a file folder close to her chest. I indicated she should sit, and with a frown, she sat across from me. Immediately, I realized my mistake, and I held out my arms.
“Too far away, Freddy. Come here.”
She slid onto my lap, curling into my body. I held her close, breathing her in, feeling more relaxed than I had all day. “I’m sorry,” I murmured into her hair.
“It’s fine,” she responded. “I’m fine.”
I pressed a kiss to her head in a silent apology.
“I spoke with my professor. He said Aiden had let him know what occurred. I get to take my test tomorrow. He’s made special arrangements for me given the situation.”
“Are you up to that?”
She nodded. “Yes. I can’t let this affect me or my goals.”
She was so brave and strong. “Okay.”
I tugged on the manila folder. “Study notes?”
“No.” She set it on the desk and turned to face me. Her expression was serious. “Aiden told me—told us—what happened this morning. He told us everything.”
I didn’t want that image in her head. “I wish he wouldn’t have.”
“No, he did the right thing. I’m sorry that happened, but Aiden is right. This isn’t your fault. None of it.”
“I’m having a tough time separating my guilt.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “He killed himself in front of me. Because of a stupid land deal and his greed, he ended his life. I can’t get past that fact.”
“I think there’s more to it than what he said.”
She rubbed her finger over the folder, hesitant and unsure. I was curious as to why she seemed so nervous.
“What’s in the folder?”
“Maddox, Aiden, and Reid did some investigation work.” She drew in a big breath. “I think if you look this over, you might think a little differently about your relationship with Greg.” She paused. “Maddox wants to talk to you about it.”
“Then why isn’t he in here?”
She smiled, some of the mischievousness I associated with her showing through. “I think he thought he’d send me in to test the waters. Less chance you’d throw me out rather than him.”
I felt myself smile despite how I was feeling. “He never feels this good on my lap. His ass is far too bony.”
Her eyes grew round. “Are you saying I have a fat ass?”
I slid my hand under the curved perfection of her ass and squeezed. “No, I’m saying yours is my favorite ass in the world.”
She kissed me softly and stood. “Can I send him in?”
“Give me a few minutes to go through the folder.”
“We thought maybe we would order pizza and watch a movie later if you’re up to it.”
Pizza and a movie. So simple. Normal. She was trying so hard to reach out and bring me back from the edge. To remind me she was there, and she needed me to be there for her.
I nodded in agreement. “Sounds good.”
With another kiss, she left the room. I pulled the file to me, curious what it contained. Inside were printouts of emails, copies of transactions, and I studied them all, perplexed.
What did Maddox want me to see?
“If you frown any harder, your face is going to stay that way. I doubt even Emmy is going to love you looking like a curmudgeon at thirty-two.”
“What are you showing me here?”
He sat down, Aiden following him after shutting the door.
“Wow, he really messed with your head. Look at the emails, Bent. Look at the times you thanked him. The gifts you sent him.”
“He deserved them. Especially after he s
tepped up on the Townsview building. It was his contacts that got us the ‘in’ we needed.”
“For which you paid him handsomely, added in a bonus, and sent him on a cruise with his second wife. Now read the bottom line of that email.”
“I offered him a spot in the company—again.”
“You offered him a spot three times over the course of the past six years. You even offered him his own department. He had free rein.”
“That’s not what he wanted. He wanted a partnership.”
Aiden barked out a laugh. “Bentley, how bad is your freaking memory? You have never simply offered a partnership—to anyone. You hired Maddox and me. You didn’t make us a partner for over a year. You bloody well know you would have done the same with Greg. He turned down your offers. All of them.”
Maddox added in his thoughts. “You did try, Bent. You invited him on several trips. The one he agreed to go on was a disaster, and he was the one who told you not to bother with another invite.”
“The golfing weekend.”
He nodded. “Our play wasn’t up to his standard. Even yours. He ditched us to play with ‘serious’ golfers.”
“He joined us for dinner the last night, so he could boast about the new clients he secured during the back nine,” Aiden pointed out snidely.
I heaved a sigh, taking in their words of advice.
“Bent, you did try, but he didn’t allow it. No matter what he said, he pushed back. I think it was part of the game to him. He wanted to hear you beg.”
“Until I stopped offering.”
“Yes. So, he twisted it, and it became personal.” Maddox tapped the desk, bringing my attention to his serious gaze. “You’re not perfect—none of us are. But don’t let him fuck you up. Despite what happened today, you’re at a great place in your life. Business is good. You found a girl who loves you.” He grinned. “God knows why, but she does. She brings something out in you I’ve never seen until now. Don’t let him take that away.”
Vested Interest Box Set Books 1-3 Page 22
