“Let’s,” Linda’s father intoned. He didn’t invite Levi to sit when his son and Dyson took seats beside him. They made a united front. “I had you investigated when I found out you were living with Linda. You’re a nobody who was born in the gutter. You were in the army, but you left that about a year ago. Since then, you’ve drifted around taking odd jobs. You ended up in Jamesville where you managed to get free rent in exchange for services.”
The way he said the word “services” made it sound dirty and sleazy. Levi clamped the lid down on his temper. That wasn’t the way to beat these men.
“Am I correct?” Fletcher looked pleased with himself. Dyson looked smug. The younger Fletcher appeared concerned. For who or what, Levi wasn’t certain.
“Some of your facts are right. But they’re really irrelevant.”
“You think so?” Linda’s father sat back in his chair, a self-satisfied look on his face. “I wonder if my daughter would still sleep with you if she knew where you really came from.”
Levi ignored the barb, even though it scored a direct hit. He knew he wasn’t good enough for Linda, but that didn’t matter. She’d let him into her life and her bed and he’d cherish her for as long as she allowed him to stay. “You can go right ahead and tell her if you feel the need.” He picked up the papers and strolled toward the head of the room. “Now, let’s get down to business, shall we. We all know you’re causing Linda financial problems because you want the money left to her by her maternal grandmother.”
“How the devil do you know that?” Dyson demanded.
Levi continued, ignoring Dyson. “When Linda is upset, I’m upset.”
“And this should matter why?” Austin Fletcher finally spoke up. “Look, Mr. Mann, this is a private family matter. Linda’s always been high strung. She needs to be protected from herself.”
Levi laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “Linda is an intelligent, independent woman who is passionate about what she does for a living. Everyone who knows her at all knows that.”
Linda’s brother shook his head. “She left a prestigious law school to go to work for little better than minimum wage at an antique dealer’s. She slaved away there for several years, ignoring her family. Then the moment she inherits a sizeable amount of money, she takes out a huge loan for a rundown building and fills it with second-rate antiques. And that’s before she has the money in hand. Obviously, she’s not in her right mind.”
“She was supposed to get her degree. Work for a year or two. Marry Dyson and then raise children.” The older Fletcher sat forward in his chair, a scowl on his face. “That’s all I ever asked of the ungrateful girl.” He banged his fist on the table for emphasis. “It was all her grandmother’s fault. That woman encouraged her.”
“And you couldn’t deny her,” Levi added softly. “Because she held the purse strings in the family.”
The elder man’s face turned red. “That’s a lie. I did it because it pleased my wife.”
Levi shook his head. “You have a huge house with servants and an extravagant lifestyle. You like to give parties and take expensive trips. That takes every cent you earn from your law practice. So I asked myself, where did you get the money to play the stock market, to keep a mistress? Those things don’t come cheap.”
Linda’s brother jumped up from his seat. “How dare you make these allegations?”
Levi tossed a sheaf of papers in front of Linda’s father, which included several photos of him and his much younger mistress. “You lost a bundle in the recent economic downturn. You don’t have a knack for playing the markets. And you just bought your mistress a house in the country. Nothing large. A quarter-million dollars. A getaway from the city, where she lives in the condo you purchased for her.”
“My personal life isn’t your concern,” Linda’s father blustered.
“It is when it affects Linda’s life.” Levi picked up another sheaf of papers and tossed it toward Dyson. “Let’s see, where was I? Oh yes. Dyson is a philanderer of the worst kind. He had two women on the side while he was dating Linda. He routinely sleeps with the wives of his rich clients and he has a gambling habit. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t win as often as he loses. He was counting on marrying Linda and getting his hands on her grandmother’s money to bail him out.”
“Damn it, Simon. You told me you were through with the gambling,” the elder Fletcher yelled.
“I am.” He shook his fist at Levi. “How dare you pry into my private life?”
“If you’d kept your dick in your pants, you’d have been married to Linda by now,” her father griped.
“No, he wouldn’t.” All heads swiveled toward the door where Linda stood. She appeared pale, but her shoulders were thrown back.
She looked like a queen as she closed the door and strode toward them. Levi recognized the burgundy suit as the same one she’d worn yesterday. Her heels made no sound on the gray carpet. She tossed her purse on the table. Ignoring her family and Dyson, she turned to him. “Hello, Levi. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
He was so proud of her. She carried herself with poise and class, barely blinking at finding him here even though he knew he had to have thrown her off with his presence. “I wasn’t expecting to see you either. I’d planned to talk to you about this over dinner this evening.”
“I see,” she said, even though he knew she didn’t understand at all what he was doing here.
“Linda,” her father began. “Do you have any idea who this man is?”
Levi stood beside her, ready to support her in any way, as he listened to her father spill the sordid details of his childhood.
Linda was shocked to find Levi in the conference room with her father, brother and Simon. When she’d entered the office, the reception desk had been empty. She’d headed toward her father’s office, but had heard the loud voices and detoured to the conference room instead. The last thing she’d expected to find was Levi.
She could feel the heat from his body as he stood beside her. The gesture was more than symbolic. She had no idea why he was here, but she trusted him and knew he would support her. There was no verbal commitment between them, no talk of love or a future, yet she didn’t doubt for one second that Levi was on her side.
She listened as her father related the shocking facts of Levi’s childhood. It was appalling. And what was worse was her father was obviously gloating over the fact that Levi had grown up in the slums with an addict for a mother who hadn’t cared for him at all.
“It’s clear to me that he came here today with fabricated stories to blackmail us. It’s money he wants, either from you or us. Probably both. You can’t trust his kind. He has no job, no ambition.” Her father thumped his fist on the table.
Linda almost jumped, but managed to stop herself. He’d used that ploy over and over when she’d been a child. And every now and again, he’d finish off by slapping her. No one else knew that. Well, she suspected her mother knew, but she didn’t care enough to do anything about it.
She looked up at Levi. He was wearing his usual impassive expression, which told her nothing. “Do you want money, Levi?”
“No.” He didn’t deny their allegations of blackmail or add anything else in his defense. But that was Levi.
She nodded and turned back to her father. “He doesn’t want money.”
Her brother shoved his seat back and stood. “You’re too stupid to know when someone is taking advantage of you. Of course he wants money. He’s even willing to sleep with you to get it.”
She felt the shift in Levi and the air in the room thickened with menace. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and gave it a brief warning squeeze to keep him from going after her brother. Whatever Levi’s intentions were, she’d figure them out later. Right now, she needed to put a stop to this.
“What I do with Levi is none of your business.” She took two steps forward and laid her hands flat on the table, glaring at her father and Simon. Austin still stood watching her. “You’ve tie
d up grandmother’s money for now, but I will get it eventually.”
“You’ll lose your building and your business if you don’t come to your senses,” her father countered.
Linda gave a bitter laugh. “If I did what you wanted and came home, I’d lose it anyway. I’d also lose myself and any scrap of self-respect I ever had.” She straightened and shrugged. “So I’ll lose the building. But not my business. Past Promises is a separate legal entity from my personal loan. I’m not stupid, despite what you may think. I’ll rent a new space and move forward from there. Whenever my inheritance comes through, I’ll buy another building.”
“You don’t have any money.” She could sense the glee in her father’s tone.
“But I do have friends willing to help me. And I don’t need much money to live.”
“That’s preposterous.” Her brother grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her close. “Why do you always have to be so difficult?”
“You’ll want to let her go. Now.” She heard the thread of steel in Levi’s voice, and apparently so did Austin. He let her go slowly and took a step back.
“Why do you care?” she asked her brother.
“He needs the money.” Levi’s voice was low, but it carried to all of them. “They all need the money.”
It hurt her. Even though she knew her family and Simon had never loved her, it made her stomach hurt to realize all they did care about was money.
“That’s a lie,” her father began, indignation in his voice. “Who are you going to believe? This killer or us. That’s what he is, you know.”
“He was in the army and we’re at war.” How dare her father toss Levi’s service to his country back into his face.
“He’s nothing more than a hired killer, sanctioned by the government. He wasn’t a regular soldier.” Her father aimed his derision at Levi. “He was in a special unit. The one they call when they want certain people dead but don’t want to be held publicly accountable for it. I have friends at the Pentagon.”
“Oh, give it up, father.” Linda felt suddenly tired and beaten down. It was time to finish this. “I’m never coming home. After today, I’m severing all contact with all of you. I’m seeing my lawyer after this and if you don’t stop harassing me, I’ll file charges or get a restraining order. That becomes public record and wouldn’t the gossip mongers have a field day with that.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” her father yelled. “What would that do to your mother?”
Linda snorted. “As long as mother can throw her parties, I doubt she’d even notice.”
“You ungrateful bitch.” Her brother was staring at her with such venom she was suddenly glad that Levi was beside her.
“This is done.” She picked up her purse and tucked it under her arm. “I’ll fight as long as it takes, but I will get grandmother’s money, just as she wanted me to. And I will have my own life.” She glanced at Levi and then back at her father. “I’ll also sleep with whoever I damn well choose. As of this moment, you’re no longer my family. I’m officially disowning all of you.”
“You’ll regret this.”
Ignoring her father, she looked at Levi. “Are you coming?” Her stomach was one giant knot. If she didn’t get out of here soon, she was afraid she was going to keel over in pain.
“I need another minute.”
“Fine.” She needed to get away from her family and Simon. They left her feeling slightly nauseous and vaguely unclean.
Levi waited until the door closed behind Linda. “As of this moment, you’re out of Linda’s life.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, you guttersnipe.” The elder Fletcher’s face was an interesting shade of red. “I’ll ruin you.”
“You can try.” Levi nodded at the papers spread on the table. “Those are copies. Feel free to keep them. They outline all your activities, both illegal and questionable. If you persist in harassing Linda, those details will be made public.”
Levi shut his briefcase and continued, “If you think to take more drastic measures, please be assured that if anything happens to me, these papers will be made public immediately. Plus,” he paused for effect, “I have several associates who would make it their life’s work to take revenge on my behalf. There would be nowhere in the world where you would be safe.”
“Who are you?” Linda’s brother asked in a strained voice.
“Not someone you want to make an enemy of.” Picking up his briefcase, he headed for the door. “Oh, and you can forget getting your friend at the bank to call in Linda’s promissory note. I paid it off this morning. The building belongs to her now.”
“You paid off the building?” Dyson seemed shocked by Levi’s pronouncement.
Levi shrugged. “It was no problem.”
Dead silence surrounded him as he left the room. These men understood money and power, and they now understood they were minnows and he was a shark in the larger scheme of things. They’d back off because there was nothing to be gained and way too much to be lost.
To be certain, he’d leaked certain documents to the IRS. All three of them would soon be too busy scrambling to save their own asses to worry about him and Linda. Her inheritance was lost to them. They’d have to find other ways to get out of their financial troubles.
Cynically, Levi expected both Dyson and Linda’s brother to announce engagements. They were both seeing very young, very rich young ladies at the moment.
The flirtatious Ms. Blakely was at her desk when Levi emerged from the inner sanctum of Fletcher, Fletcher and Dyson. He glanced around. “Where is Ms. Fletcher?”
She shrugged. “Someone was leaving when I came back from delivering today’s mail. It was a woman in a burgundy suit.”
“Thank you.” He left the office, swearing under his breath. Linda hadn’t waited for him. He was certain she hadn’t believed her father when he’d said that he was after her money. But had she truly believed him?
Or maybe it was his past that had made her run.
Levi ignored the pain in the vicinity of his heart. No matter what happened, Linda was safe from her family. Even though she didn’t know it yet, the building was now hers. There was no way anyone could ever take it from her.
Why did she leave?
Was she hurt? Angry? He had no idea.
Tonight would map his future. He and Linda had to talk. He might not know where she was now, but he knew where she’d be later today. He hailed a cab and headed for the airport. The quicker he got home, the better.
Home. Somewhere along the line, Jamesville had become home. It wasn’t so much the place as the people who lived there. Linda was home to him. Being with her had given him a sense of place he’d never had in his entire life. He’d fought in hellholes around the world for lesser causes. He wasn’t willing to lose Linda without giving it everything he had. He only hoped that after they talked tonight, he still had a place to call home.
Chapter Twelve
Linda was exhausted by the time she climbed the stairs to her apartment later that evening. The appointment with her lawyer had taken longer than she’d anticipated and she’d missed her original flight.
She’d called Amanda, who promised to cover for the rest of the day and close the store. It was just after seven now and Linda had been on the go for about fourteen emotional, gut-wrenching hours straight.
Her thoughts were still reeling from the events of the day. She couldn’t believe Levi had gone to her family without even discussing it with her. She vacillated between being angry with him and amazed that he’d even bother.
It had been cowardly of her not to wait for him earlier today, but she’d needed time to think. And she couldn’t think clearly with Levi beside her. Her feelings and thoughts got all muddled whenever he was around, and logic went straight out the window.
She was looking forward to a hot bath. Although she was bone-tired, she was strangely elated too. She’d severed all ties with her family. That should make her sad, but it didn’t. Linda felt fr
ee for the first time in her life.
Harvey Spokes had assured her that her grandmother’s estate would proceed through the probate courts with little or no problem in spite of her father’s objections. Antoinette Lafayette had been of sound mind and had an ironclad will. Once the will was through probate, all her belongings would be disposed of and distributed as her grandmother had stipulated. When that was done, everything else would belong to Linda.
She hadn’t mentioned the possible restraining orders against her family. She was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. But she’d do it if pushed. Maybe she’d talk to Cyndi’s lawyer, Alicia Flint. She would need a local lawyer to handle her business affairs. Perhaps Alicia could also handle the restraining orders against her family if they became necessary.
Linda unlocked the front door and pushed it open. The wonderful aroma of baked chicken tickled her nose. Soft classical music played in the background. Levi stood just beyond the doorway, his eyes hooded, his expression blank.
She didn’t ask him how he’d gotten into her apartment without a key. She wasn’t even surprised to find him there. She’d known that Levi would want to talk about what had happened today. She also suspected the man had more skills than she could even imagine. Getting into her apartment would be child’s play for him.
She shut the door and set her purse on the hallway table. Levi looked much different than he had earlier today. He was back in his usual jeans and T-shirt. She’d never seen him in a suit until today. Strangely enough, he seemed totally comfortable in both attires. But this one suited him best.
“Hi.” She wasn’t sure quite what to say to him. Her thoughts and emotions were still tumbling around in her tired brain.
“Why don’t you go get changed? Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Everything is already cooked, I just need to reheat it.”
Grateful for the reprieve, she nodded and hurried down the short hallway to her bedroom. It didn’t take her long to kick off her shoes and get out of her business clothing. She loved the designer suit, but hoped she didn’t have to wear it again for a long time. She zipped it back into the protective garment bag and shoved it to the back of the closet. Then she sat on the edge of the bed and rolled off her stockings, tossing them aside and wiggling her toes.
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