by Nadia Lee
“And who is this beautiful young woman, Nicolas?” an elderly man asks.
“Kristen King, Papy,” Nick says. “She’s my guest. Kristen, this is my grandfather, Jonas Boucher.”
So this is the man who uses money to bend people to his will. He doesn’t appear to be a tyrant with a mustache he can twirl when he’s bored or feeling particularly evil. His face is finely carved, except for the jaw, which is square and set in a stubborn line, kind of like a mule that’s made up its mind about something and isn’t going to budge. There’s a hint of arrogance in his dark gaze that says he gives respect only to people who earn it the hard way. The tilt of his chin and the slightly bored line of mouth indicate he isn’t the type to be impressed easily.
I can imagine why Antoine might not have gotten along with him. Antoine is proud, and he can’t stand people telling him what to do. He’s his own man, and no force in the world will change that.
“So, Kristen King, are you dating my grandson for the inheritance?” he asks.
I choke.
“Papy!” Nick says.
“Don’t you think she should know?” Jonas turns to me. “Well?”
“Um, no… I’m not dating him for money. I have my own.”
“Do you now?”
“My brother gave me a five million-dollar trust.” Not that I’m ever touching it, but by God, I’m not going to let this man think I’m a gold digger. Or worse.
“Not much compared to one point two billion,” he points out. “All you’d have to do is what every woman eventually does—marry and have a child.”
My jaw literally drops. Then, because he hasn’t shocked me enough, he adds, “Well, you have to marry one of my grandsons and have his child, not just any child.”
I stare at Jonas. “Excuse me?”
“What? You think I’m stupid? I’m not having anyone fake a marriage for my money. They have to prove it’s real.”
“And a kid would do that?”
“A son.”
“Right.” Cue Twilight Zone theme music.
“You didn’t know?” Nick asks cautiously.
“No. Yes. I mean, sort of.” Antoine told me about the first half, not the second. “But we didn’t discuss it. Antoine and I, I mean.”
“You aren’t dating Nicolas?” Jonas asks.
“No. I’m with Antoine.”
“Well, well, well,” he mocks.
My back stiffens. “No offense, but you shouldn’t be taking that kind of tone. We aren’t together for your money. As a matter of fact, we’re both perfectly happy without it, and we’ll continue to be happy without it.”
“Why? Because you have a rich brother?”
“Our happiness doesn’t depend on money,” I say firmly. “It’s nice to have, but beyond a certain point, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever Antoine and I do is based on mutual love and respect.”
Just then, a familiar blonde comes over and blinks at me. “Aren’t you a designer at Lola, Inc.?”
I stare at her. I feel like I should know who she is, but I can’t place the face. She’s in an impractical skin-tight dress in flame red and four-inch heels. The only really impractical people I know are models, but only because their entire existence seems to revolve around looking good, no matter what. This woman isn’t a model…
Oh, that’s right… I ran into her in the break room. Miss Screaming Arachnophobe. I feel like she told me her name, but I can’t recall. I merely smile. “Yes. You were there. To…get a wedding gown made.”
“Yes! My goodness. What a small world. I had no idea you knew the Bouchers.”
“Neither did I. I mean, I didn’t know you knew the Bouchers.”
“My family used to be very friendly with them. My brother and Antoine used to be close until…you know, life happened. So Nick invited me when we ran into each other.”
“Ah,” I say, unsure how I’m supposed to respond.
“I’ll introduce you to my brother. But don’t say anything about the spider. He’s going to tease me. He thinks it’s silly to be scared of bugs.” She turns to Jonas. “You don’t mind, do you?”
He squints at her, like Dirty Harry spotting someone up to no good.
Or maybe I’m just projecting. I don’t really want to go. Say yes, you mind like hell, Jonas.
“Not at all. She’s all yours, Tessa,” he says.
I try hard not to make a face.
Tessa loops her arm around mine. “You know, I feel like it’s fate or something to run into you.”
“Is it?”
“You’re designing my gown, aren’t you?”
“Actually, I’m not. I don’t work for Lola anymore.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Her tone says she doesn’t give a damn about my employment status. She plucks a couple of mimosas from a table and hands me one. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” I say on auto-pilot, and clink the flute with hers. Since I have a feeling I’m going to need a drink or two to get through the party, I drain half the glass at once. I should’ve just taken Liza’s offer of a private tour. “You know, I haven’t met many other people yet, and I feel like—”
“Oh, this won’t take long. Eddie’s such a sweetheart, although that sounds sort of weird coming from his sister.” She giggles, the sound oddly off-putting. “He indulges me all the time. It’s sort of embarrassing. Do you have a brother, Kristen?”
But I stopped tracking her monologue when she mentioned her brother’s name was Eddie.
Wasn’t Antoine’s former best friend named Eddie?
“I just feel like things are finally coming together,” Tessa continues. “Once I marry Antoine, I’m sure Eddie will forgive him, and they’ll become good friends again.”
I feel sucker-punched. “Excuse me?”
“You didn’t know? The wedding gown…it’s for Antoine’s and my wedding.”
“Did Antoine propose to you?” I ask, my lips feeling vaguely numb.
“Well, of course, silly! Why else would I be commissioning a wedding gown?”
Tessa has to be making this all up. There’s no way…
On the other hand… He said he’d love a chance to undo the damage from the past. Holy shit. Is this what Eddie and Tessa dangled in front of him?
I take her left hand and turn it over. A diamond ring winks at me, circling her finger snugly. But it doesn’t look like something Antoine would choose. It’s vulgarly large and ostentatious. On the other hand, Tessa looks exactly like the type to love that sort of thing. My mouth dries, blood roaring in my head, making me dizzy, my skin clammy. Everything’s horribly wrong. No. Not everything. Something.
I just can’t think what that something is at the moment. The world begins to spin.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Antoine
I should’ve just told Maman I got food poisoning and stayed away from this damn party. But she said Papy was attending, so I decided to show up to tell him I’m not doing any song and dance for money, in case I wasn’t clear before.
Except Papy is nowhere to be found—at least in the house, where Maman said she saw him last. He’s either hiding to avoid a confrontation…or Nicolas is doing his best to hide him from me. That fucking weasel’s worried I’m going to worm my way into Papy’s heart. He doesn’t understand I have zero interest in doing so.
I check my watch. I’ve been here for an hour already. Screw it. I’m leaving if I don’t find Papy in the next five minutes. I’d rather spend what’s left of my day with Kristen.
I start to make another quick sweep of the house, then pause at a familiar voice.
“Antoine.”
My entire body freezes. Very slowly, I turn…and see Eddie.
He hasn’t changed much. Still the same golden hair, although it’s clipped shorter now. His nose is still narrow, his face a little harder, the square jaw adding a harshness to his demeanor. A pale blue polo shirt and khakis fit his tall, slim frame well. The deep tan says he’s probably done some recreational gol
f or tennis. Probably tennis. He loves that sport.
“Eddie,” I say, keeping my tone neutral. He and I haven’t spoken since Tessa’s hospitalization.
“You did this to her, you fucking bastard! You! She was so happy, she was fine until you!”
His words still ring in my ears.
“I didn’t realize you were coming,” I say.
“Yeah, uh… Your mother invited me.”
“And you accepted?”
“Yes.” His eyes slide away briefly before meeting mine again. “I want to… I want to mend…” He sighs hard. “We used to be friends, Antoine. I want that again.” He rolls on the balls of his feet.
I stare, trying to process what he’s saying. I’ve imagined this moment, and how I’d feel. I’d be thrilled…grateful. I’d realize our friendship had triumphed after all.
But instead of happiness, I feel wary. Something’s wrong with this scene. Eddie’s having trouble meeting my eyes, shifting his weight back and forth. He used to fidget when he was doing something he shouldn’t. But nothing is forcing him to make up with me unless he wants to.
Then I realize he looks nothing like I remember. Did he always have this …shiftiness? Instead of putting me at ease, he’s making alarms go off.
Still, I keep my voice neutral as I say, “I’d like that, too.”
“Good.” A faint smile crosses his lips. “Glad to hear it. I understand we could be in-laws.”
“We could?” There’s nobody Eddie can marry. So… “Wait, Tessa and Nicolas?” I told my cousin to stay away from Kristen. I didn’t think he’d go for Tessa. Bastard. She’s too mentally…fragile to be used like that.
“No. She never liked him that much.”
“So…who?”
“She’s going to marry you.”
“Me?” I gape at him. “She said I made her miserable. She slit her wrists because of me.”
“Being poor is worse, Antoine.”
“Uh…”
“I know about your grandfather’s deal.”
“Yeah, well, in case you haven’t heard, I’m not planning to play his game. I don’t want his money. I don’t need his trust.”
“Then do it for Tessa. Do it for me.”
“For…? What the hell’s wrong with you, Eddie? If money’s a problem, you can get a job or start your own business. You’re a smart guy. You don’t have to sell your sister to a guy who made her miserable.”
“You don’t understand.”
“That’s right, I don’t.” I stare at him. “I don’t understand how you can come here, act like all can be forgiven between us and then ask me to marry your sister. Am I supposed to give you money, too? How much? Half a billion? Is that the price of your friendship?”
His eyes blazing with fury, he turns dull red, not with embarrassment but the humiliation of having to ask me. “Half the trust would be fair,” he grinds out.
Bitter disappointment weighs down on me. My image of Eddie has always been that of a protective older brother, one who was upset his sister’s relationship with his best friend ended badly. I respected him for that, and always blamed myself for not having been a better boyfriend to Tessa and better friend to Eddie…always wondering if I could’ve done something to avoid the horrible outcome.
But maybe I was wrong all along. Maybe I only wanted to remember the good in my childhood best friend. I find it impossible to believe his character could’ve changed this much in the last several years, no matter how bad his family’s financial circumstances are.
“You said you’d do anything to make it up to me,” Eddie says, his voice hard. “Well, here’s your chance. You owe us.”
“Except I know you too well now, Eddie. I don’t want your friendship. It’s a poisoned apple—pretty to look at, but toxic once you dig in.”
His face twists, ugly and spiteful. “Is that your final decision?”
“Yes.”
“You aren’t going to regret it?”
“No.”
“Do you think you’re so fucking special? You think you’re hot shit because you hang out with Dominic King?”
I glare at Eddie. “Keep Dominic out of this.”
“No, let’s bring him in. I want to see what he says when he finds out what you’ve done to his precious baby sister.”
Ice fear clutches my heart. I cross the distance to him, wrapping a fist in his shirt. “What did you do, Eddie?”
“You’ll see soon enough, asshole.” He whips out a Taser.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Kristen
By the time the world stops spinning, I’m in an unfamiliar car. I squint. I’m on…a road? With…Tessa?
What the…
“Where are we going?” I say. At least, I think I say it. My tongue feels thick and clumsy.
“To a hole.”
Oh my God. My mind is sluggish, but not that sluggish. I watch crime shows.
“I had a hole dug in a field between the grove and the city. I knew you’d come.”
I don’t know where this “hole” is, but I hope it’s far enough that I’ll have enough time to recover from whatever she fed me. I might be a lightweight compared to Liza, but I’m not this bad. I didn’t even finish that one mimosa.
“If you’d just come on the yacht…” Tessa sighs. “It would’ve been easier. And water feels so much nicer on your skin than dirt.”
“What yacht?”
“I sent you an invitation.”
Wait… “Are you my Number One Admirer?”
“Who else? You aren’t pretty enough to get a man. Not without tricking him, anyway. Or without your brother’s money. I saw the way Antoine looked at you when I came to the city to talk to him. Because of you, I had to walk away without saying a word. I could tell he’d be beyond my reach as long as you’re around.”
“You love Antoine that much?” I ask, trying to get her to talk and buy some time. Or is it not how it works if she’s driving? Maybe I can get her distracted… If she crashes the car, will I survive the accident? I can’t think.
“It isn’t about him, not really,” she says. “I just can’t live without money. You know what it’s like to not have it?”
“Uh…yeah, actually. I was poor for a while.”
Tessa gives me an unblinking stare for so long, I can’t help but wonder if she’s going to crash. How come nobody noticed how crazy she is? It’s just so…obvious! She finally turns her gaze back on the road. “Don’t lie. You’re too heavy.”
Too heavy? I must’ve heard wrong. Or maybe just imagined it. It’s hard to keep track when your stomach wants to chuck everything up.
“So all this is for money? Wouldn’t it easier to just get a job?”
“No job pays enough. But Antoine will. Don’t look so surprised. I’m doing you a favor. He isn’t that great for the long-term. He made me so miserable, I seriously wanted to die. I actually tried, but it didn’t work.” She looks at her wrists. “Thank God the scars are gone. I can’t walk around with damaged skin. Modern medicine is amazing, isn’t it? But that costs, too…plastic surgery isn’t free.”
I stare at her. Is she telling me she tried to kill herself? Because Antoine made her that unhappy? “Why didn’t you just leave him?”
“Then he wouldn’t have known. He had to know. He had to feel what I felt.”
Okay. My head is still thick, and I have no medical training, but Tessa is officially crazy. What she needs isn’t money, it’s professional help.
“Does your brother know how you feel?” I ask, remembering how sad Antoine looked, talking about losing his friendship with Eddie.
“Of course. He knows everything.”
I know I should respond. Or at least, she’s looking at me like she’s expecting some explosive reaction. But as my head throbs some more, all I can think is how crushed Antoine’s going to be when he finds out his ex and former best friend are both loonies.
I close my eyes, hoping it’ll lessen the nausea. I probably should be mo
re scared, and I would be if my head weren’t hurting so much.
Still, I don’t think I’m going to die. Antoine will find me before anything bad happens. If not, I’m going to haunt him for rest of his life.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Antoine
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I can’t drive the damn SUV fast enough. The app I installed on Kristen’s phone is sending me a location. She’s moving along a narrow road that cuts across a field I saw on my way to the grove.
Fucking Eddie. He wasn’t interested in conversation, or even in hurting me. After all, if I were hurt badly, maybe I wouldn’t be able to impregnate his sister.
No, he only wanted to delay me. It was laughably easy to take the Taser away from him. People think a weapon can equalize everything. But against a guy who’s trained…and at close range? Not a chance.
Eddie did get what he wanted, though. He bought Tessa enough time to grab Kristen. If anything happens…
It’s all your fault. You should’ve told Kristen to stay away from your family.
Eddie said Kristen came as Nicolas’s guest. If he’s together with them in this, I’ll bury his body where nobody will ever find it.
I push for more speed. I still can’t believe I didn’t realize the depth of Tessa and Eddie’s madness. What wouldn’t I give for a gun now? I’m sure Tessa’s carrying. That’s the only way she would’ve been able to force Kristen to go with her. Kristen’s been studying self-defense ever since the incident with Andy. And unless things have changed, Tessa is as soft as they come.
Finally I spot a Maserati, parked by the side of the road and standing out like a jewel against the ranchland. It’s gotta be Tessa’s car. The passenger-side door is ajar. I stop my SUV and jump out with my phone. It indicates Kristen is about two hundred yards away in a field with wild grass and a few trees.
I stick the phone in my back pocket and start running. It doesn’t take long before I spot Tessa dragging Kristen. I duck behind a tree and listen to them, cursing myself for leaving my gun at home. I have to figure out what kind of weapon Tessa has. She’s crazy enough to use it, and she’s entirely too close to Kristen.
