by Louise Bay
Landon swiped through various documents and photographs, showing me records of Gerald receiving large payments into an offshore account on dates just after Cannon closed the four deals they’d stolen from under me. Landon had also had people search Gerald’s home and recovered various electronic files stored in a safe, which were full of confidential details about the transactions Wolf Enterprises had been working on.
“Jesus. He’s worked with us for years. He was so competent and professional; he’d be the last person I would have thought capable of something like that.”
That wasn’t true. Avery was the last person I’d ever have thought would betray me. I might have known her for a fraction of the time I’d known Gerald, but I’d been certain I’d looked into her eyes and seen nothing but honesty and truth. Her selflessness was one of the things I’d liked most about her. The way she had such strong values—the way she’d sacrificed so much for those she cared about. I’d just thought I was one of those people. Apparently it had all been an act, a means to an end.
“Does that mean Anita is in the clear?” I asked.
“Yes. That was an inheritance from her grandparents. They paid some before the sale of some real estate and some after.”
I hadn’t even known her grandparents had died. I liked to keep things professional but my assistant should be able to tell me about things like that. But I’d have the chance to put that right. At least she hadn’t been the leak.
“I’ll have Gerald’s pass cancelled and his desk cleared.” I tipped my head back on the headrest. “At least that’s done.” I’d expected it to feel more like a victory. Perhaps all my adrenaline had been used up completing the deal, but I wasn’t elated or triumphant at catching the guy who’d threatened everything I’d worked for. Instead I was hollow and gray inside. Avery’s warmth had left me. I had only known her a few weeks, but she’d carved a place in me that was so deep and profound that I didn’t feel like myself now I knew I’d never see her again.
Was I so easily manipulated?
I hadn’t seen Gerald betraying me over the course of months and I’d known that man years, sat across a board table from him a thousand times, met his wife and kids.
Why did Avery’s betrayal feel bigger?
The image of her smiling face—an expression I knew her other guests never saw—her long hair wrapped around my wrist, her panting little moans that went straight to my cock. I couldn’t get any of it out of my head.
“You heard anything about Avery?” I asked Landon.
He shook his head. “I told you that it would be a few weeks. I’m tracking her finances and her father’s. The payment will show up.”
“But if she was the leak, how did I manage to get Phoenix done? It still doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you care?”
I had no idea why I still cared. I’d completed the Phoenix deal and now owned the company I’d always dreamed of. I should feel ten feet tall, but it felt as if I’d got to the summit of Everest and found the vista was nice and everything, but it wasn’t that different to the view a couple of thousand feet down. I don’t know what I was expecting—a coronation, a key to the city? Yes, I’d outwitted Cannon, but the victory echoed it was so hollow.
“We uncovered it and now you’ll never see her again.”
I’d never understood women who stuck around while their husbands and boyfriends abused them physically and mentally—why couldn’t they just walk away? But I wasn’t sure that if Avery was here right now I wouldn’t want to take her back to my flat, strip her naked and fuck her into next week. Despite watching the guilt on her face, hearing her excuses as she sat across from me, I’d never stopped wanting her. Had the last year of Cannon’s attack on my business undermined more than my net worth? Had it chipped away at my judgment and instincts about people? I still wanted to believe Avery couldn’t have betrayed me. I needed that final puzzle piece to slot into place before I gave up hope and accepted I’d opened up to someone who was just using me.
“I want to know, Landon. I want to see the money move. She just didn’t strike me as a woman who would . . .” Would what? Do anything to care for her brother? It was one of the things I’d liked most about her. She’d sacrificed her own life ambitions for her family. Taking money for their future wouldn’t be so difficult.
“Like you said, everyone has their price,” Landon said.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I want to see it for myself. And can you track that ginger guy down? I’d like to talk to him.”
“Jesus, that pussy must have been good.”
“Don’t be a dick. I want to know we were right about her. At the moment, she had an explanation for everything. As soon as that money hits, there are no more excuses that make sense. As you know, I’m all about the details. I’m ruthless but I’m fair. And for the record, I’m going to kick your arse at squash.”
As soon as I saw the money in Avery’s account I would be able to close that chapter in my life and move on. Until then, I’d still wake in the middle of the night with the sensation of her hair between my fingers, still see her every time I closed my eyes. I needed to see the price she’d been bought for and then I could forget she ever existed.
Thirty-Three
Three months later
Avery
I plastered on my best fake smile as I stepped through the sliding doors of the salon and out onto the main deck carrying two platters of appetizers—oysters on one, caviar on the other. It was the last service of the season and I couldn’t wait for it to be over and to wave goodbye to these guests tomorrow morning.
“You have a really fantastic body,” the oldest male guest, Gus, said, looking me up and down as I leaned over the table to set down the platters. August followed with two additional bottles of champagne.
I ignored him, my smile never faltering. The grin wasn’t real and so wasn’t affected by rude, sexist comments. Usually, I brushed them off and didn’t give them a second thought, but there was something about this guy that made me want to knock him over the head with an empty bottle and toss him overboard. Maybe it was just because it had been a long season. The Mediterranean was one of the most beautiful places in the world, but five months was a long time at sea, whatever the surroundings.
“She really does,” another man said, and he patted me on the ass.
Were we in 1977? I wasn’t an object to be leered at or an item for sale. Why did people with money think they could grab all the pussy they wanted?
I moved away from the grabby hands and lecherous stares and guided August back through the doors to the galley.
“Urgh, why is it always the ugly ones that want a slice? If he was good looking I wouldn’t mind. If Hayden Wolf had ever grabbed my ass, I’d have enjoyed it, but this lot?” She pretended to barf. I should have discouraged her, but I didn’t care if the guests heard. Hayden Wolf wouldn’t have grabbed August’s ass—he’d have been clear about what he wanted. I’d certainly found him impossibly persuasive and seductive, but he’d never taken anything from me that I hadn’t given him willingly.
The echo of his arms circled my waist and my professional smile disappeared. I should have forgotten how it felt to be held by him. Three months was long enough. But the ache for him was still there, it had settled under my skin and I wasn’t sure if it would ever leave.
“Avery, Avery, this is the captain. On the bridge, please.”
Grateful for the interruption, I snatched the radio from my waist.
“On my way,” I replied, then turned to August. “Keep an eye on the table, but I don’t want you going out there on your own, okay?”
“If you’re with the captain for long, I’ll go out with her,” Neill said, knowing full well why I didn’t want her to go alone. We really shouldn’t need a buddy system, but that was yachting.
I trailed upstairs, my feet heavy with fatigue, and knocked on the wheelhouse door.
“Come in,” Captain Moss said. “Those handsy guests behaving?”
I shrugged. We both knew they weren’t, but it wasn’t so bad we were going to endanger our tip . . . which probably meant they had bought us. Maybe Hayden had been right and I did have a price. I did things I hated every day only for the money. It couldn’t have been such a stretch for him to think I would have taken a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The line had been clear to me, but maybe to him I was on the wrong side of the line every day I woke up on a yacht. “They’re manageable.”
Captain Moss rolled his eyes and indicated for me to take a seat. “You’ve had a good season. I know you didn’t get a break in between charters, so it must have been tough on you.”
“I’m looking forward to getting back to California, that’s for sure.” My flight was already booked. I wasn’t even staying the night after the charter finished. I wanted to get the hell off the continent Hayden Wolf was still on. Maybe then I’d be free of him.
It had been months, but I still thought about him constantly. At times I hated him for what he’d accused me of, for how he’d so easily thought me a liar. But other times I just missed him—missed the way he held me, pressed his lips to my forehead. It was worse at night when I dreamed about him—about us—in London, having dinner, watching television, in a real relationship. It had only ever been a fantasy, but it was one that had felt so very real.
“You’ve held this ship together with your professionalism and commitment this season, Avery. I’m proud to work with you. I’ll start the Caribbean season in three weeks and I’d like you back with me.”
It took some effort, but I pulled my mouth into a smile. “That’s really flattering, Captain Moss. I just . . . I don’t know if I can think about next season yet.” All I wanted to do was get away from this boat where I’d fallen in love and my life had morphed into more than being a yachtie for a few weeks. The promise of a different life meant facing my daily reality was harder than usual. Loving Hayden had meant anything was bearable. But now? Every time I opened my eyes, the daylight stung as if it were reminding me of how ridiculous I’d been to think there might be more for me. That I might build a life and a future with someone. I’d dared to love someone, and my heart was now permanently scarred.
He frowned. “I’ve always seen you as a lifer when it comes to yachting. You thinking of switching things up?”
Yachting had never been my passion, certainly not in the same way the sea was Captain Moss’s. It had always been a means to an end. “I’ll be back. I think I just need a break.” I had no choice but to return. I might not have chosen the life of a yachtie, but it had chosen me. “I’d be delighted to join you for the Caribbean season.” I forced my smile a little wider. “But I need a month off.”
He nodded. “You earned it. I was going to suggest we bring August and Skylar along with us, if you think they’re up to it.”
I’d spent the first part of the season distracted and wrapped up in my feelings for Hayden, but despite my lack of attention and the rude awakening we’d all gotten when Hayden left and twelve guests arrived for our second charter of the season, we’d gotten along famously. August had learned quickly, and Skylar had been loyal and hardworking, even if she hadn’t found the rich man she was looking for.
“I’ll ask them. The three of us make a good team.”
“Show me a good team, and I’ll show you a good leader. Nice job, Avery.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Thank you, sir.”
Tomorrow I’d be on the way home to my family. I was ready to shut the chapter on the promise of love and happiness and to accept my future.
Thirty-Four
Hayden
Landon had tracked down the guy in the photographs. Why the bloody hell he wouldn’t meet us in London, I had no idea. I was paying him enough. It had been a nearly two-hour drive out to Essex. I hoped it would be worth it. I bowed my head as I entered the dark, old-fashioned pub. An inglenook fireplace that had horse brasses pinned to its breast stood at one end and a bar at the other. This place hadn’t seen a paintbrush in a thousand years.
I scanned the room and caught sight of my brother. I paused and slid my eyes to his companion sitting opposite him. The familiar stranger’s hair didn’t look so ginger in the dim light of the small-windowed room.
“Hello,” I said as I pulled out a chair.
“Good, you’re here,” my brother said, stating the obvious. “I’ve got you a beer.” I glanced at the three pint glasses on the table filled with different shades of brown liquid. I hadn’t had a beer since I’d left university. I preferred a good whiskey, but alcohol wasn’t the thing I was focused on. “You’ll recognize Phil from the photographs. As I said to you on the phone, he was a hired hand for Cannon, not an employee.”
“I work for the highest bidder, simple as that,” Phil said. His accent was non-distinct, and he matched the tone, looked as if he would blend into a crowd.
Phil seemed ready to launch into an explanation of his life story, but my brother interrupted him. “It seems he doesn’t know a hell of a lot, so I’m not sure what use he’s going to be.”
When we’d uncovered Gerald’s treachery, I’d ordered a full security check on all senior members of my staff. I was satisfied there would be no more leaks, but for me, it wasn’t over. Not yet. And not because Cannon wasn’t going to be held to account. I’d been clear I didn’t want to press charges against them or Gerald. I wanted the rot cut out and the focus back on being the best at what I did. I’d claimed my power back, kept my investors happy and bought Phoenix. I wasn’t out for revenge. The best way I could get my own back was by being successful despite Cannon’s best efforts to ruin me as they had my father.
But it wasn’t over. Not quite. We’d not managed to trace the payments into Avery’s—or any of her family’s—bank account. And if that money never showed up, I would always have a doubt in the back of my mind. I was sure I would replay our conversation where I confronted her about the phone and the photographs again and again and again. It had been three months, but the memory was fresh as if it were yesterday. I was fighting an internal war, where I changed sides every time I thought back to that conversation. Should I have believed her? I needed certainty to shut down any memory I ever had of Avery Walker.
As the money hadn’t shown up, unless I confronted Cannon’s board, who would simply deny the entire mess, then the only person who could confirm Avery’s guilt was Phil. I needed closure, because thoughts of Avery Walker were haunting me. I’d tried everything I could to bleach my mind of her, but despite the long hours, the booze and training as if I was trying to make the Olympic team, I still yearned for her. I’d assumed being with other women would help, but for some reason I couldn’t do it. Since leaving the yacht, I’d made do with my fist and some bad porn.
I nodded. “Let’s see,” I told Landon. I wanted to hear exactly what had happened from the horse’s mouth. I had nothing to lose at this point. “Phil, I’m going to pay you a lot of money and in return, I want to hear about all your dealings with Cannon, directly or indirectly, and from the beginning. If I find out you’ve lied to me or spared me the truth or misled me in any way . . . Well,” I said, glancing at my brother. “I know some very dangerous men. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?” I’d never resorted to physical violence or even threats of physical violence before. Even at school, I always left that to my brother, but I’d never been so serious. Up until now the evidence had been compelling but circumstantial. I wanted certainty when it came to Avery Walker.
Phil shrugged. “Like I said, I’m a gun for hire. And like you said, you’re paying me a lot of money.”
“Okay, go on,” I said.
“I’ve been working for the firm that put me on the Cannon job on and off since I left MI5. I’d done a few jobs for Cannon. They were good clients. It was easy work. Just surveillance and information gathering mainly.”
“And they learned to trust you?” Landon asked.
“I guess. Then this job came along and they were offering
good money to spend some time in the sun. What’s not to like? They said it was surveillance and questioning. Nothing big.” He paused as if he were trying to recall the details.
“Did they give you a list of people to surveil?”
He shook his head. “No. They told me to find your boat and report back to them. That was it at first. That took a few days because you weren’t in the marina. And then I called in a few favors, got details of the crew on board. Avery Walker was the easiest target.”
I winced as his thin lips curled around her name. I hated the sound of it coming from his mouth.
“She wasn’t working for Cannon?” I asked.
He took a sip of his drink and the few seconds delay in his answer felt as if it lasted hours. “No, it was my job to get her to talk. I thought it would be easy. I knew her family needed the money and that she sent most of her salary and tips home. I thought five thousand dollars would be enough. But not a chance.”
Five thousand dollars hadn’t bought her. At least she’d tried to resist. “So you didn’t approach any other crew members at all? No deck crew? It was just Avery?”
“No, I was convinced she’d break. Especially for so much money.” He picked up his pint and took a sip as if we were discussing the latest Six Nations match. “I can’t believe she turned down that money. I’ve never offered so much to a source for so little. I mean, it was just the name of the company you were buying and how much you were going to pay.”
“You were surprised she didn’t take the five thousand?”
“No, the hundred and fifty thousand. That’s what I got told to offer her.” He shook his head. “It was a lot of money she walked away from just for a few bits of information. I wasn’t asking her to plant listening devices or really do anything that would put her in danger.”
