Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“No, it’s Sunny’s name on those documents.” I shook my head. “Actually, it’s his misspelled name. Seriously, Damien, you really should’ve looked up the correct spelling of Sole before you forged his name.”
He shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I did no such thing.”
I folded my hands on the table, the picture of patience. “Damien, would you do me a favor and look to your right?”
Brow wrinkling, he did as I asked.
“Good. Now, do you see that incredibly handsome and sexy-ass man who is currently holding and feeding your son? He’s Adeline Redgrave’s brother.”
Façade crumbling, Damien turned an unhealthy shade of purple jumping up from his seat.
“Calm down,” I said, crossing into his path. “River would never hurt Jeremiah. Why would he? When he’s here to hurt you if you don’t. Stop. Lying?” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Stop fucking around, Damien, and tell me everything you know about the Brotherhood.”
“I—”
“Do it fucking now, or Sienna and I will take the babies for a little stroll through the park and let you finish this conversation with River.”
We both turned to look at River—who was currently blowing raspberries on a giggling Jeremiah’s stomach. I saw an adorable scene, but Damien...
He sat back down.
Reclaiming my seat, I flashed him another smile. “Now, let’s start again. How did you get involved with the Brotherhood? What do you know about them and what they’re planning against the Merchants?”
“I...” Damien glanced at River. “I know that I’m not a part of them. Whatever you’re thinking, I’m not in the Brotherhood.”
I leaned back, studying him. “But you know who they are.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Everyone knows who they are. Everyone who needs to know,” he stressed, “knows who they are.”
“But you’re not one of them?”
“No.”
“But you did steal the money?”
Damien squeezed his eyes shut, his jaw ticcing. “Yes,” he forced out. “I took the money.”
“Why?”
He flicked up, lips twisting. “Why not? I gave Caddell House ten years of my life, I’ve won two Phenomenal Five competitions, I was singlehandedly responsible for designing a line that gave Caddell House Cinco its most profitable year in twenty years, and do you want to know how management thanked me?
“They passed over me!” Damien punched the table. “They continually refused to promote me—claiming I was doing my best work ‘where I was.’ So why not?” he cried, throwing up his hands. “Why not take money they owed me anyway? There wasn’t any harm in it.”
“No harm?” My fists balled. “No harm in threatening innocent, hardworking people and making them believe they’d be the target of a criminal organization if they didn’t comply with your demands? You call that harmless?”
Damien shrugged. “The Merchants demand a cut of everyone’s business. They want their name on every con, bribe, and murder. They got their wish.”
To say this man felt zero remorse for what he’d done was an understatement.
“So you wanted to get caught?” I asked. “Or I should say, you wanted the Merchants to get caught stealing from one of their most profitable, and legitimate business partners. That’s why you did such a clumsy and embarrassing job covering Sole’s tracks.” I threw the folder back at him.
Damien caught it, and tossed it over his shoulder. “I told you, I’ve got nothing to do with that folder or those documents. I never left, or forged, a paper trail. Vance said it was better that way.”
I stilled. “Vance?”
“Yeah, Vance,” Damien said—his color coming back with his voice. “That’s why we had the suppliers inflate the invoices all on their own. After Caddell paid, they’d give us the difference in cash. Our names weren’t on anything, and if the IRS ever came sniffing around, all they’d find is a bunch of businesses taking in more money than they were reporting. It was genius.”
“Vance?” I cried, leaning over the table. “Vance Hollywell?”
“Yes, Vance Hollywell.” Damien looked at me like I was an idiot. “Who else?”
“He’s been in on it with you from the beginning?” My mind conjured up Vance’s performance in his office in a whole new stomach-turning light. “But he wasn’t with the company when you started your scam. He didn’t even live in Cinco!”
“He was born here. We went to school together, but then there was some trouble with his family. They were forced to leave the city, then my family left the city, but we stayed in touch.” Damien blew out a sigh. “Enough that he loaned me some money—a lot of money—when I got into some trouble with gambling. I owed the wrong people money, but Vance helped me out.
“When I couldn’t pay him back, he was cool about that too,” he said. “Vance suggested I pay him and myself back by taking it out of Caddell’s ass. They owed me anyway.”
“So where is the money if it’s not in Batavia?”
“Can’t tell you where Vance hid his money, but mine is all in cash, and it’s tucked away in my safe,” he replied, glancing at River. “I’ll tell you where if that means we’re good.”