by Nana Malone
She glanced around at my sparse surroundings. I liked my flat. It was nondescript. Quiet. My neighbors didn't bother me. I could come and go as I pleased.
But there was nothing personal there. No hint of a real life.
"Oh, something tells me you're coming." She took another long sip and placed her mug down. "I'd offer to clean up, but it's not really my thing. I'll see you tomorrow. I’ve got to gather the rest of the team, and I'll need your help with background checks."
"Love—"
"Ariel."
I rolled my eyes. "Really? With the red hair? The mermaid reference?"
Her shoulders went stiff. "Yeah, my father's idea. Whatever."
I shrugged. "Look, Ariel, nice to meet you and all, but the answer is no."
She grinned at me then. That smile softened all her hard edges. It made her incredibly striking, and I wondered what it would be like if she actually laughed.
“I mean it. The answer is no."
"You know, you're not the first guy to tell me no. You probably won't be the last. I'll see you tomorrow morning. It's a private jet. At least go back to the island in style."
And with that, she sauntered back down the stairs. I could hear the front door snick shut as she skipped out.
My gaze flickered to the ticket on the table. Going back would mean everyone would know I'd failed. Going back would mean I had no family. Not the one I'd left for, and not the one I'd left. It still burned a hole in my chest knowing how badly I'd fucked up.
It's not like you have family here anyway.
All my brothers and sisters were scattered around the world. We'd all grown up on the islands. My two eldest sisters had moved back to the UK, but one lived in Scotland, and the other lived in the West Midlands. No one was in London. Seeing them was relatively easy, just a train ride away. But still, it wasn’t the same as coming home to family.
My brothers were scattered as well. Two in Australia and one in the States. And then my baby sister, she was in South Africa. So I had no one left in the islands since our parents were gone, which meant the Guard was my only family.
Except, not anymore.
Could I face them? Could I handle knowing I wasn't part of them anymore?
But if she's telling the truth ...
If she was telling the truth, this was my shot. My way back. A way around the rules. But who was this Ariel? Could she be trusted?
Remember what happened the last time you trusted a woman.
Yeah, a woman that promised me everything. At the same time, the ticket sat there calling my name. Beckoning me.
It was a shot. A chance to correct the wrongs. A way back into the life I knew that I had always wanted.
I ran a hand through my hair and leaned my head back against the wall. That redhead was a pain in the ass, but she was also right. I was taking that ticket. She’d dangled a carrot I couldn't say no to. I just hoped my old mate Roone was right about the both of us.
Neela…
I will not key his car. I will not key his car. I will not key the dick’s car.
I passed my ex boyfriend’s shiny new BMW outside of the office we’d once shared, and I had to force myself to hold back. What the hell was he doing here?
Wasn’t it enough that he’d dumped me and taken half our clients? He had to force me to see him every damn day this week? Why couldn’t he slink back under a rock and let me pick up the scattered pieces of my life?
I left his car unscratched… mostly because a meter maid was patrolling the road and I didn’t want a vandalism charge on top of everything else. So just like usual, the jackass robbed me of any kind of satisfaction.
Libido: Ain’t that the truth.
When I walked in to my mostly empty office, I swallowed the pang of regret. I was in this mess because I’d made a mistake. Against my better judgment, I’d opened a business with my boyfriend. And now I would have to pull a rabbit out of the hat if I wanted to continue.
My assistant saw me and trotted over. “Mayday, mayday, asshole on premises.”
“I know, Bex. I saw his car outside.”
“He’s in the file room. Adam is trying to stop him, but—”
I sighed. Was Richard always such an asshole? Had I just not seen it?
Survey says: Yes.
“You want I should key his car?” Bex asked hopefully.
“Nah. I already considered it, but there were too many witnesses.”
She rolled her eyes and headed back to her desk to pick up the phone. I ran into Mr. Disappointment as he was coming out of the server room, my sole remaining cryptanalyst, Adam, hot on his heels.
Adam glowered at him as he marched him out.
Richard was not impressed. He’d never liked Adam. He’d always been jealous of him. More than once he’d tried to get me to fire him, even though he was our best cryptanalyst.
“I made sure he only took approved data, Neela.”
“Thanks Adam, I’ve got it from here.” When he was out of earshot, I scowled at Richard. "Are you seriously leaving me with no clients?"
The man I’d thought I loved shrugged, and I wondered how I'd ever found him so irresistible.
With the dishwater-blond hair and his light blue eyes, Richard had that look to him, clean cut, polished. And when he smiled, he seemed fun and youthful. But now he was stabbing me in the back with a fourteen-inch blade.
"It's not my fault the clients prefer me to you."
"You’re not even a cryptanalyst. How do you plan to keep the clients you’ve siphoned away?"
He shrugged. "Your skills are a dime a dozen. Besides we split the company. Don’t be bitter."
"You're full of shit, and you know that. These are clients I nurtured. Clients I built."
"Yeah, well, they're my clients now. You should be happy I left you with some."
I narrowed my gaze at him. "When did you become such an asshole?"
"I was never an asshole. I'm not being an asshole now. We started this business together. I should have known better than to mix business and pleasure. We both said we’d be adults about this."
No. No way he was twisting this on me. “Our agreement says that should we dissolve the company it would be an even split. How is it even when you’ve taken the biggest earning clients for yourself?”
“You act as if you don't have any clients, Neela. You were always too melodramatic. Why can’t you just be…”
His gaze scanned over me. I could see it. His disappointment. Asshole. I’d sold myself short when I’d settled for him.
I could tell myself I’d been caught up in the fun of starting our own shop. Four years ago, fresh out of Uni, we’d both been employed at RAM Technologies. I was a junior cryptanalyst and he had been on the technical sales side. I’d told him about my love of puzzles and how my father had always had a dream of starting his own shop. Breaking out of the mold of academia. Doing something exciting. Richard had convinced me that we could do it together.
And we had. Now he was walking out the door with the fruits of my labor. I’d believed in him. Sure, he was leaving me half the clients. They just happened to be the half that wouldn’t hit their revenue potential for years. I had a company to run.
The truth was I’d settled for him. I’d known better, but he’d been convenient and smart, and we had similar goals.
Oh yeah… sounds real hot and heavy.
And that was just it. There was nothing hot and heavy about any part of our relationship. But I’d hung in there like an idiot because there was more to life than excitement.
Then he broke up with me and dissolved our company, giving me more excitement than I ever hoped to have. “How am I supposed to keep the company running?”
He shrugged. "Not my problem. And remember, any massive revenue or asset you bring in during the next month is still subject to our fifty-fifty split for the next thirty days. They can be seen as assets to the company, and I deserve half."
"The hell you do." I would fight him tooth and
nail. Basically, under the terms of the agreement, for the next thirty days I needed to make the clients I had work better. Any new business, he could take half of and vice versa.
The difference was he would survive the next month.
"So you’ve stripped me of everything I've got. And then during that crucial time when I need to be able to make changes to right my part of the ship, you take away my ability to do that."
"Yeah, well, it's called business. You're a competitor now."
"God, I hate you."
"No, you don't."
I'd never hated anyone before in my life. And maybe I didn't hate him. That was a strong word. A strong emotion. I usually thrived on keeping myself balanced. Wild emotions caused people to stop loving you when you had wild swings like that. I'd learned early not to react emotionally, and I needed to remember that now. "You know what. It's for the best. I don't need anything from you."
"Yeah, you do. I can't believe I wasted all my time with you."
I refused to wince no matter how much that one hurt. Emotional blackmail. But I was free now. "Get the hell out."
"Oh, I'm going. Just cleaning out the rest of my stuff."
As he carried his last box out, I glowered at him. Bex had already offered to kill him in his sleep on my behalf. I'd declined, but at the moment, it didn’t sound like the worst idea.
I was honestly surprised that Adam stayed. He was the brightest of the ten cryptanalysts that we'd had. It would be a while until I could properly pay him. I knew Bex was staying because she was my best friend and she had always hated Richard. But honestly, if I was being fair, I should let them both go so that they could find paying jobs. I could always hire them back if and when I got some revenue-producing clients.
The front door swung open before Richard finished collecting his things, and a guy in a suit walked in. Slim, brown hair, kind eyes. But his suit was crumpled and looked to be wool. He must be sweltering. "Miss Wellbrook?"
“Yes?”
"I have a summons for you."
I frowned. "Oh, fantastic. What about?"
He shook his head. "I'm just the messenger."
I took it from him, and Richard paused at the door. "If it has to do with the business, you know that involves me too."
"Yes, well if it has to do with the business, I will notify you."
"Well, I'm here now, so why don't you tell me."
I scowled at him as I ripped open the summons. I could see Bex gripping something tightly at her desk. I had a feeling it was a pen or a letter opener or something. Adam, bless him, stood by the door, glaring at Richard.
My eyes quickly scanned the papers, and then my heart sank. My stomach flipped, and my knees weakened. The room spun. "Oh my god."
Bex was on me in a second. She dropped something on the floor, and I vaguely registered it was indeed a letter opener. Adam had a chair under my ass just in time before I sank. For a moment Richard hesitated at the door, looking almost concerned. Bex blocked him out though, thank god. "What? What is it?"
"It's Willa. She's gone."
My oldest friend. The only friend I'd had from childhood. She was dead. And from the looks of it, there was something she'd left me.
Three
Neela…
"I don't understand. What do you mean, she left me her baby?"
Mr. Bipps reached across his oak desk and patted my hand. "I know this must come as quite a shock. Not to worry. I'll walk you through everything."
A shock? More like a hiss of cold wind had found a crack in my armor and settled in, freezing everything so I couldn’t possibly feel anything ever again. Except this wasn’t the blissful numbing of a gray day. It was the cold bitter numbing that eventually brought you nothing but pain.
I’d known Willa was pregnant. But she was still living her party lifestyle. That was what our fight had been about. I never wanted to be judgy… Oh, who was I kidding? I’d totally judged her. But the late nights… The kinds of people she was hanging out with? I’d seen her drinking champagne at a benefit, and I’d suggested she needed to lay off for the sake of the baby.
She’d called me sanctimonious and boring then tried to suggest that wine was good for the baby. We’d said things to each other, things we couldn’t take back.
Things you’ll never be able to take back.
We hadn’t spoken or seen each other since then. I’d never even met her daughter, Mayzie.
I rapidly blinked back the tears. “Is Mayzie…” My voice trailed. “Is she okay? Healthy? No complications?” At the time, I’d suspected that Willa had been doing other unhealthy things while pregnant, like taking party drugs. She’d dabbled before.
Mr. Bipps nodded emphatically. “Yes. Yes. Normal, healthy baby girl. She’s now thirteen months old.” He nodded as he adjusted the glasses on the end of his nose to read what looked like some medical charts.
He reminded me of someone's grandfather. Chalk-white hair sticking up at the edges, like he'd made some attempt to tame its unruly curls. But his hair had resisted any gel, which, considering we're in the islands, was entirely expected.
"I just—I can't believe she's gone.” I’d pushed too hard for her to be responsible. I should have just loved her for her spirit. Classic Willa, she’d fought me.
"Ms. Wellbrook, I know this is quite the shock, but Mayzie is the most pressing issue. You were very specifically listed in Willa’s will and trust. You are to have sole guardianship of Mayzie.”
My stomach cramped. How in the world was I supposed to look after a baby? I’d just lost everything I’d spent the last several years building. My head spun with the dizzying reality.
You can always say no.
The hell I could.
I’d once been that kid left with no parents. Willa’s parents had taken me in. Fed me, clothed me, looked after me.
And made sure you felt every single one of their sacrifices.
My mother had died when I was two. My dad when I was eight. He’d set up a trust for me, but it had really just been for college.
None of it made any sense. Willa MacKenzie and I had been best friends since we were little girls, but we'd been complete opposites in every way. For all my hyper responsibility, Willa was a free spirit. Always had been. I sometimes wondered if she had the right attitude about life, because while I worked my butt off to keep my company in the black, Willa lived in the lap of luxury as an art dealer.
She went to fabulous parties, rubbed elbows with celebrities, and had basically the kind of life that should make everyone jealous.
Except, I wasn't jealous. While that life suited Willa just fine, I wasn't interested in late nights, seeing and being seen at parties, or men so handsome I couldn't even look them in the eye. I liked the quieter life. But I could always count on Willa to bring the fun. She pulled me out of my shell and made me go on some crazy adventures, but the key was I got to come home from that. Not Willa, though.
"What about her father?”
“Not in the picture. He’s not named on the birth certificate.”
“That poor baby.” I then asked the question I wanted to avoid. “What about Mrs.—” I stopped myself. I was an adult. I was no longer being forced to call her Mrs. MacKenzie. “What about Jane?”
“Miss MacKenzie was quite clear that her mother was not to have guardianship of Mayzie.”
Oh god. This really was on me. I had no idea how the hell I was going to feed myself and this kid.
Do you really have a choice?
No. I didn’t. Willa’s daughter needed me. And I would do it differently. Not at all like the MacKenzies. I’d give her as much love as possible. I would never make her feel like an unwanted inconvenience.
The MacKenzies had taken me in, but from the start they’d made it clear that I was not actually part of the family. I’d had to call them Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie, just like before my father died. When they went on vacation, I stayed with a friend of theirs. I always shared a birthday party with Willa, even though my
birthday was three months prior, and I’d only get to invite one friend. It was fine, Willa was the friend I would have chosen, but still.
Those little digs and slights had made me more than eager to get out of the house. They’d even suggested that I needed to use my college savings to pay them back instead of going abroad to MIT. Luckily, my father’s trust had been very specific.
I dragged my attention back to Mr. Bipps. “What happened exactly?"
"Seems like a car accident off the coast road heading up to the hills. It looks like she swerved to avoid something and couldn't correct. The car went right off the road and crashed into the water. They didn't recover a body, but the car was significantly mangled, and her blood was found in the vehicle.
I sucked in a sharp breath. Shit. This was real. Very, very real. It wasn’t a nightmare I could wake up from. “Poor Willa.”
He gave me a sympathetic nod. “There is more, Miss Wellbrook. Willa left the entirety of her estate to Mayzie. She named you as guardian and eventual trustee. In the first year following her death, I am to remain the trustee. After a year, that responsibility will shift to you. You will receive a monthly allowance that will cover everything needed to help you look after Mayzie. Major financial and property decisions, I’ll handle. But I’d very much like to include you, if you don’t mind, so you can get a feel of what you’ll need to do.”
I blinked at him. “Excuse me?” My brain had barely registered the words properties and estate and trustee.
“Yes, properties. The House in Nob Hill. The flat on Winston Beach. And the rental property on Royal Row.”
I blinked. “I—” My brain stuttered. I’d known Willa was doing well, but that well?
“She did, in fact, do quite well for herself.”
A trust. So, Willa had apparently learned from my father’s example. “I’m sorry. This is all so difficult to process.”
“I understand. I’m here to help. There was something else she left to you.” He stood and walked over to his wall safe, a slight limp noticeable in his gait. His knobbed hands twisted the dial. He was old school. I could respect that.
