Everything to Lose (Destination Billionaire Romance)

by Youngblood, Jennifer

  He smiled and waved when he saw Koa standing at the concierge desk. “Hey there,” he said warmly, approaching the desk.

  “Finn, good da see you, my friend. What’re you up to these days?”

  “Oh, you know. Same old stuff.”

  Koa’s brows creased. “I noticed you’ve been spending lots of time with a certain haole girl.”

  “Samantha.” Finn smiled broadly. “Yeah, she’s great.”

  Koa looked troubled. “Yeah, she’s nice, but you need da be careful, man.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Koa leaned in, lowering his voice. “Her fiancé’s a real jerk.”

  “The small guy with the dark hair and black eyes.”

  “Yeah, that’s the one. The dude had the nerve to come in here, threatening me. He was acting like I had the hots for her.” His eyes bulged as he pointed to his chest. “Me. Da guy with the wife and kids. If that crazy haole gets a load of you, he’ll go berserk.”

  The corners of Finn’s lips turned down. “No, that’s guy’s not her fiancé. He’s her brother. Anthony.”

  “Yeah, Anthony’s his name, but he’s not her brother, bro. He’s her fiancé. Trust me. I know.”

  Finn gasped like he’d been punched. “She said he was her brother.” An acrid hurt pelted over him, blurring his vision. So that’s what Samantha had been hiding. The sadness and guilt in her eyes, the hesitancy to introduce him to Anthony … it all made sense.

  Koa gave him a look of pity. “That girl’s been playing you, big time.”

  Finn’s knees gave way. He caught hold of the desk.

  “You all right, man?”

  Finn didn’t hear another word as he rushed out of the hotel.

  “Samantha. Hello!” Dani placed her sunglasses on the kitchen counter and walked through the empty condo. “Anybody here?” she called, walking up the stairs. She stopped when she heard the banging.

  “In here!”

  “What the heck?” She tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Then she looked up and realized the door had a slide lock. She pushed it back and opened the door. Samantha fell into her arms. Her eyes were puffy and red, and streaks of mascara ran down her cheeks. “What happened?”

  “Anthony locked me in. Can you believe that?” She looked at the door. “How did he even do it? I didn’t realize this door could be locked from the outside.”

  “There’s a sliding lock at the top.”

  Samantha’s eyes went round. “I never even noticed it. He’s probably got this entire place rigged.”

  Dani cursed under her breath. “I’m not surprised. The swine would do anything to keep control over you.”

  Samantha gave her a distraught look. “He knows about Finn. He had me followed. There are pictures.”

  “What a slime ball.” She blew out a breath. “Well, that settles it. You won’t be getting married to the creep now.”

  A wild look came into Samantha’s eyes. “He wants to marry me anyway.”

  Dani made a face. “What?”

  She nodded. “He’s crazy,” she said hoarsely. “If I don’t marry him, he’s going to throw Mom out of the house.” She shuddered, looking horrified. “He said I have to move my things into his room tonight.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t marry him, and yet … I can’t ruin everything for us.”

  Dani could hardly believe this broken-down girl was Samantha. For as long as she could remember, Samantha was the take-charge older sister who was determined to fix all of their problems, to right every wrong. She took hold of Samantha’s arms. “You listen to me. You are not going to marry that monster.”

  “But we’ll lose everything if I don’t. And Mom…”

  “Mom will have to learn to make do with what we have. She’ll be all right. She’s a lot stronger than you think.”

  Samantha shook her head. “I’m not so sure. She sounded so distraught over the phone. Anthony told her he wasn’t going to invest in her business. I’m just so worried about her health and her emotional state.”

  Dani let out a breath. “Come on. Let’s sit down. We need to have a talk.” She led Samantha over to the bed. When they got seated, she said, “You listen to me. I should’ve put a stop to this, weeks ago. I’m sorry I let it go this far.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  “That night when we talked on the phone—before I came here—I could tell something was terribly wrong. I should’ve told you straight out to leave that monster then, but I didn’t have the guts. I was too worried about myself and how we would live without the money.” She let out a self-deprecating laugh. “The ironic part is that after that happened to me at the club, I started to see things differently. The money suddenly didn’t seem all that important.” Tears wet her eyes. “I just kept thinking …” Her voice caught. “I just kept thinking what would’ve happened if you and Liam hadn’t saved me. The thought of never seeing you and Mom again was what really got me.”

  “You say that, but what will we do when the stark reality of poverty hits us square in the nose? We’ve never had to go without anything.”

  “Well, I imagine we’ll do what the majority of the people in the world do. We’ll make do. Millions of other people make a living. We’re able-bodied. I’m sure we can figure something out. Dad started from scratch. Look what he accomplished. If Anthony hadn’t stepped in and offered to help, then we would’ve done what you suggested in the beginning at the lawyer’s office. We would’ve put our heads together and come up with a plan to help sustain ourselves.”

  “But Mom—”

  “Mom’s tougher than you think. Yeah, it’ll be rough on her, but she’s not penniless. She has the insurance policy. And if she’ll manage it carefully, then she can make it last until we can figure something out. Samantha, you can’t marry Anthony. You and I both know it won’t work.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ve known it all along. I just didn’t want to admit it.”

  A grin slid over Dani’s face. “Besides, you’re in love with someone else.”

  A burst of hope shot through Samantha, filling her with a new possibility—one that she’d not dared to hope for. It was like Dani was giving her a get-out-of-jail-free card. “I can be with Finn.”

  Dani caught hold of her hands. “Yes, you can.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.” Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “Thanks for giving me my life back.” She threw her arms around Dani and gave her a tight hug. A few minutes later, she pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Where’s Anthony?”

  “He wasn’t here when I got home.”

  A sense of urgency filled her breast. “I need to call Finn. I left my phone on the kitchen counter.”

  Quickly, they went downstairs. Samantha halfway expected to still see the flowers and pictures strewn over the floor. But all was pristine, like nothing had ever happened. Why was she not surprised?

  The phone was nowhere to be found. “I left it here on the counter.” Dread filled Samantha. “Anthony took it, didn’t he?”

  Dani nodded. “It looks that way. Do you know Finn’s number?”

  “No. I have to get in touch with him. There’s no telling what Anthony might do.”

  “Do you know where Finn lives?”

  “No, but he’s been house-sitting for a friend who’s out of town. I might be able to find him there. Do you think Liam can take me?”

  “He’s not home. His art is being featured tonight at a local gallery. It’s a pretty big deal; he was excited about it.”

  Samantha tried to think. “Okay, I guess I’ll have to take the bus.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No. I need you to get all of our stuff packed up and moved out of here as quickly as possible. Do you think Liam will let us stay with him?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll put our stuff on his back deck, beside the door, until he gets home.”

  It wasn’t the best plan, but it was all she could come up with at the moment.
She reached for her purse. “Hurry, you need to be gone before Anthony returns.”

  The fear in Samantha’s eyes struck fear in Dani. “You’re afraid of him, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Say no more. I’ll be out of here in a flash.”

  As luck would have it, it was raining buckets when Samantha stepped outside. She chuckled humorlessly. Par for the course. She stepped back in and grabbed an umbrella. But thanks to the wind, it did little good; she was soaked to the bone by the time she walked the eight minutes to the Turtle Bay bus stop.

  Her teeth were chattering when she got off the bus at Pupukea. All sorts of thoughts kept racing through her mind. Anthony had taken her phone. He knew the passcode to get into the phone. He could easily see the texts between her and Finn. Why had she not thought to erase them? What would Finn think of her when he found out the truth? Anthony thought she was still locked in her room. She could only hope she could get to Finn before Anthony contacted him. What if Finn wasn’t at his friend’s house? She didn’t know where he lived, or how to get in touch with him. She squelched the intrusive thoughts. Worrying herself to death wasn’t going to accomplish anything.

  It was still pouring rain, and there was standing water everywhere. She felt like she was wading through rivers just to get to the house. Finally, she made it. Her heart was in her throat when she knocked. No one came. She knocked louder. Still no one. She continued knocking for a few more minutes. A feeling of utter desperation came over her. She was about to leave when the door opened. “Finn, I was afraid you weren’t here.”

  She was about to step inside when he blocked her entrance. “What do you want?”

  “I need to talk to you.” Then she got a good look at his face. His jaw was rock hard, and there was an unyielding expression in his eyes. Her heart sank. “You know everything.”

  “Koa told me. And then your fiancé called. Imagine my surprise when I answered my phone, thinking it was you, and it was Anthony.”

  She put a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I was trying to get here before he called you.” The look of condemnation in his eyes wrenched her heart.

  “Yeah, you can save your breath. He told me everything, including how he had you followed.” He gave her a hard look. “But I’m sure you suspected that was the case the day I confronted the guy at Ted’s Bakery.”

  “I had no idea he was having me followed.” She swallowed. “I should’ve told you the truth from the beginning.” Her voice caught. “I wanted to. I just didn’t know how.”

  “Yeah, I guess there just weren’t words to tell me you were marrying a man because of his money.”

  Her eyes went large. “Anthony told you that?”

  “He told me everything.”

  “But if you’ll just let me explain—”

  “Save it,” he barked. “It’s all a pack of lies. No matter what you say, I’ll never be able to trust you again.” Hurt simmered in his eyes. “You’re not the person I thought you were.”

  “Don’t do this,” she cried. “Please!”

  His eyes met hers for one terrible moment, and she could feel her entire life shattering to pieces around her. Was this how it was all to end? With her losing everything?

  “Please,” she whispered.

  His expression grew hard. “I’m sorry. I can’t. You need to leave.”

  The world started to spin as an invisible vice clutched her chest, squeezing harder and harder. The condemnation in Finn’s eyes filled her with shame, making her feel dead inside. She backed away and then turned and ran, her tears mixing with the falling rain.

  17

  Samantha sat staring unseeingly at the television. She could hear Dani and Liam talking quietly at the nearby kitchen island. They were discussing her, wondering if she was going to be okay. Her head was pounding so fiercely that she could’ve sworn it was splitting in two. The two ibuprofen tablets she’d downed thirty minutes ago had done zilch to alleviate the pain. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. If she focused on her headache, she wouldn’t have to think about the heartache.

  At least she and Dani were flying back to California tomorrow. Liam had been kind enough to buy their tickets. With any luck, she would never have to see Anthony again. While it was a huge relief to be rid of him, she dreaded breaking the news to her mom. She and Dani had agreed to wait until they were face-to-face with Katia before having the conversation.

  Finn’s face flashed before her mind, causing fresh tears to form. Angrily, she wiped them away, vowing that she’d not allow herself to shed one more tear over what might’ve been.

  “Are you hungry? Liam and I are ordering a pizza.”

  It took Samantha a second to realize Dani was talking to her. “No, I don’t want anything. Thanks,” she mumbled. She jumped when she heard the doorbell.

  Liam went to answer it.

  Samantha’s blood ran cold when she realized Anthony was at the door. He looked past Liam to where she was sitting.

  “May I come in?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I just want to talk to Samantha.”

  Liam stepped in front of him. “You’ve done enough. You need to leave.”

  “I have your phone,” Anthony said.

  It was at that moment that something inside of Samantha snapped. She stood and looked at Dani who had a mortified expression.

  “What’re you doing?”

  Samantha straightened her shoulders. “Taking care of the situation… once and for all. I’m done cowering to that jerk.” She stepped up beside Liam and glared at Anthony. “Give me my phone,” she demanded through clenched teeth.

  When he held it out to her, she snatched it from his hand.

  Anthony’s dark eyes were pleading. “It doesn’t have to end this way.”

  “You had no right to take my phone. And you certainly had no right to lock me in a room like an animal.”

  His eyes darted around wildly. “You were upset… irrational… I was only trying to protect you from making a huge mistake.”

  She let out a harsh laugh. “Protect me? Are you really that delusional?”

  “Samantha, we both said things we didn’t mean.”

  “That’s not true,” she countered, her eyes going hard. “I meant every word.”

  He rocked back, his jaw tightening. “Think about what you’re doing. You’re throwing everything away. What’ll happen to your mother?”

  She shook her head. “You really are despicable. I’m sorry I ever got mixed up with you. No amount of money’s worth putting up with your crap.”

  “So this is how it’s going to be, huh?”

  She looked him in the eye, a sense of empowerment coming over her. “Yes.”

  He smirked. “How’s your surfer boyfriend? I figure he doesn’t think too highly of you now, does he?”

  Rage blistered through her as she slapped him.

  He held his jaw, his face flush. “You’ll pay dearly for that.”

  “I already have. Now get out!”

  He backed out, and Samantha slammed the door in his face.

  Liam was impressed. “Well done.”

  “Bravo!” Dani hooted. “That was long overdue.”

  “Indeed,” Samantha said, raking her hair from her face with a shaky hand. She blew out a breath, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her. “You know what… I think I will have something to eat. Pizza sounds good.”

  Three weeks later…

  “It’s hard to believe we’ll be leaving here tomorrow,” Dani said, a sad smile forming over her lips.

  “Yes,” Samantha agreed. There was no easy way to leave the house where they’d been raised. Memories assaulted her at every turn, and she had to shelf most of them to keep from being overcome with remorse.

  Anthony had acted swiftly, putting the house and all of the household furnishings up for auction to the highest bidder. Now all that was left for them to do was to pack and vacate the house. They were
to be out by five p.m. the following day. Just as he’d threatened, Anthony was throwing them out of the house. And the only things they could take with them were clothes and personal items.

  Katia had taken the news hard, as Samantha feared, but her health seemed to be doing okay. Just as Dani predicted, she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and was faring rather well, considering. She’d scaled down the expenses of the boutique to the bare minimum and hired Samantha and Dani to work there full time. The savings alone from the wages formerly paid to hourly employees was enough to help the boutique break even. But Katia didn’t stop there. She was working on a marketing plan that would hopefully put the boutique back in the black. Samantha was planning to take a few night classes at Sacramento State as soon as she could afford it. She didn’t know how long it would take, but she would eventually accomplish her goal of becoming a teacher.

  Liam insisted on renting an apartment for them for six months, until they could get on their feet. As it turned out, Liam was quite wealthy, and he was smitten with Dani. Proof that fate did indeed have a sense of humor. Samantha and her family had placed all their hopes on Anthony, but Liam was the real champion—the unsung hero who came through when it counted the most.

  Samantha was leery to accept Liam’s offer, for fear it would lead to another situation like her and Anthony. But Dani kept reminding her that Liam was nothing like Anthony. In the end, they didn’t have another feasible option, other than digging into the insurance money. So they accepted his kindness.

  A couple of nights ago, Dani sat Samantha down and told her some interesting news. According to Liam, Anthony had gotten engaged to Julie, his interior decorator. That came as no surprise to Samantha. In her opinion, the two deserved each other. “But get this,” Dani said. “Maurie, Liam’s business partner, knows Julie. Evidently, she’s been married a couple of times and has a reputation for plowing through her husbands’ money like a duck through water. It sounds like Napoleon’s gonna get what’s coming to him, after all.”