Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Dear Lord, his brother could buy this whole fucking country club if he wanted to, but here he was stealing garlic bread off someone’s plate. It was all about the rush with Paddy. He needed it to feel alive.
“What? No, I’m not saying I abused her. I never touched her.”
“You never protected her either, did you?” Harvey snarled.
“Protected her? Protect her from what?”
“Everything,” Harvey said. “But most importantly, her bitch of a mother.”
Harvey was walking a fine line here. He needed to guard Lily’s privacy.
As much as he wanted to humiliate Rick in front of everyone, the last thing he wanted was to embarrass Lily.
Everyone was staring at them.
“Rick, we should—” he started to say.
“Anyway, I don’t care about that bitch!” Rick said, interrupting him. “She was a fucking shitty lay. Cold fish. Just laid there and took it.”
Gasps of outrage surrounded him, and for a moment, Rick looked concerned. Maybe he’d just realized that attacking Lily wasn’t the best idea.
What he might not realize yet was he just fully ignited Harvey’s temper. It had already been simmering, but now it was about to become an inferno.
“You’re a cheating asshole and everyone here knows it, Rick. First, you dump Clem when she got cancer and was in a rehabilitation center, recovering from an operation. Then you lie to her and tell her you’ve been sleeping with her sister behind her back. Lily never slept with you, you scumbag. Any time you touched her, her skin would crawl, and who can blame her? The number of complaints that your father has had to cover up from women who you’ve pawed without their permission is disgusting.”
“What are you talking about? There are no complaints.”
“You don’t think I’ve been spending my time with you having fun, do you? No. I know about all the skeletons in the Sampson closet and I’m more than willing to let them all out here.”
“What . . . what . . . no! There’s no need for that, old friend. We’re just having fun here. Harvey and I are good friends,” he said nervously, glancing around.
“No, we’re not. I was only pretending to be your friend. I loathe you.”
“You’re scum of the earth, Rick,” Paddy said cheerfully. “Total scum. We don’t like scum.”
“No, we don’t. And it’s going to be very hard for anyone to cover up for you anymore now that Daddy Dearest is broke.”
Danny slid away from Rick.
Probably wise.
Rick swallowed heavily. “We should take this inside.”
“Well, I was going to suggest that before you decided to attack Lily. No one attacks Lily.” Harvey moved closer so he could speak quietly to Rick. “Consider this a warning, Rick. If you’re smart, you’ll run and hide. And if I find out you had something to do with drugging her . . . well, there’ll be nowhere you can hide.”
He turned away and nodded at Paddy who gave the women at the next table a small bow to which they giggled. Then they both walked out of the terrace and into the main restaurant.
To find Ronan standing there, waiting for them with his arms crossed over his chest.
“I think we need to talk. Don’t you?”
Well. Hell.
18
Harvey followed his oldest brother into a private room at the country club. But as they grew close, he heard his name being called.
Turning, he saw Rick running toward him.
“Wait a moment, Ronan.”
It was a risky thing to say. His oldest brother didn’t like to wait for anything or anyone. But he nodded, and they all paused to wait for Rick to catch up to them.
By the time he got there, he was panting, and there was a sheen of sweat coating his red face.
“Asshole, you’ve got to do this thing called exercise once in a while,” Paddy said. “Or you’re going to die of a heart attack. On second thought, keep going as you are. That would solve the problem for everyone.”
“Look,” Rick said, “I don’t want a problem with you all. Our families have always gotten along, haven’t they?”
“No, they haven’t,” Harvey said. “And we never have. It was all a ruse, Rick. I was never interested in being your friend. Why would I want to be the friend of a cheating, small-minded asshole?”
“I don’t get it. Why?” Rick asked.
“You endangered your sister,” Ronan told him. “I don’t like that. And your father is a sleazy, disgusting man who is on the edge of destruction himself. I sent my brother to watch you, learn your secrets, so we could ruin your family.”
Rick’s face grew slack with shock. “Wait, wait. Are you saying that you’re the reason my father lost most of his money?”
Ronan raised an eyebrow, and the expression on his face didn’t change. “Your father lost money? How unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate,” Rick snapped. “He’s lost everything. We have nothing. And tomorrow, we’re sneaking off to Europe because my father is scared of that fucking cowboy Clem is with. He already quit his job because of everything and now we’re going to have to flee the fucking country.”