Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
I type one word: No.
It hits me then that Reid has the money and wherewithal to get past security and when my phone rings, I answer this time. “Go away,” I breathe out.
“Never,” he promises, his voice low and gravelly. “I’m not ever going away. Let me come up.”
“No.”
“Carrie, we need to talk.”
“You said it all with that investment talk with your father, who is my enemy, and I didn’t even know.”
“I was going to tell you tonight.”
“After I met the family and you made sure if I bolted I’d stick around professionally?” I shut my eyes, emotion welling in my throat.
“That’s not how it is. Please. I need to see you. I need you to look into my eyes and see the truth.”
“Of course you need me to look into your eyes. When I’m with you, you’re the snake charmer, but then that makes sense. I’m the cobra. I’m just like my father, and we both know there are things about him you could tell me, too, but I guess that doesn’t serve you well.”
“I’m not leaving. I’ll stay here until you come down.”
“Then you better ask them to bring you a pillow and blanket.” I hang up. He calls back. I dial my father.
He answers this time. “Carrie,” he says. “What’s happening? I just heard your message. I was about to call.”
He’s lying. I realize now that I know this. That he has this weird pitch to his voice when he lies that I’ve always ignored. “You and Mike Maxwell are enemies.”
“That is, in fact, accurate.”
“You didn’t think I needed to know that?” I demand.
“I’ve been that man’s enemy for years. It’s never affected you.”
“I’m working with his son.”
“Who I told you was a problem. I told you to get out.”
“And you knew I wasn’t. You should have been specific. He hates you. Why?”
“We go back a long way.”
I think of Elijah and how easily personal hate drives professional anger. “You’ve gone after him. You’ve tried to hurt him.”
“Of course I have. Every fucking chance I got.”
“And his family?”
“Carrie—”
“That’s a yes. I’m working with his son. You didn’t think I needed to know that you’d tried to hurt him?”
“I told you, you need to come here. Now.”
“No. No, I have a chance to save the company and I’m going to.”
“He won’t let you.”
“I have a contract,” I say. “He will. He has to.”
“There’s a loophole or a plan to destroy you after he gets whatever he wants out of this. I promise you.”
“You underestimate my legal expertise and my ability to hold my own with anyone.”
“This isn’t about your skill. It’s about your morals. You have too many to survive a Maxwell.”
“In other words, you don’t? Who are you?”
“A man who holds his own, even with the nastiest of them all.”
A man I don’t know, I think. “What else don’t I know?” I ask.
“I have no idea what that means.”
“There are people who will work with me now that you’re gone.”
“We all make enemies.”
“We all make enemies? I never knew we had enemies.”
“I have enemies.”
“Apparently, that means I do, too. Can I get a list or is it too long?”
“You’re going too far with this.”
My phone buzzes with another call that I ignore. “What’s in Montana?”
“Money. You know that.”
“My money,” I say. “I put so much of my money into your investments and I’m tired of not knowing what I’m really getting. Blinded, I trusted you. No more. I love you, but I clearly don’t know you. Are your morals why mom left?”
“That’s uncalled for. She left. She left you, Carrie.”
“Right. It was my fault.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I want details on the Maxwell war.”
“You’re not getting them.”
“They took over our company.”
“Walk away, Carrie.”
“This is my life.”
“I will take care of you.”
“I’ll take care of me. I need to go.”
“Not yet. Talk to me.”
“Now you want to talk? Are you sure about that? You avoid me.”
“What happened? Because obviously, something did.”
“I met Mike Maxwell. I’m waiting to meet you, too. The real you. When this is over, when I get the company back, I need that to happen.”
“You’re blowing this out of proportion.”
“We lost the company to a hostile takeover by your enemy. I’m not blowing this out of proportion. I need to go.”
“Carrie—”
“I’ve already said things I’ll regret later, even though you deserve to hear them. Don’t push me to say more. I’m not in a place to show my normal restraint right now. We’ll talk later if you actually take my calls.” I hang up.
My phone buzzes with a text from Reid: It’s not our war. I didn’t go after your company to destroy it. The stockholders were taking him down anyway.
I don’t answer. I now know that he is a part of the war. My father tried to hurt him and his family. I flashback to the party and the kitchen and squeeze my eyes shut as the tears start to flow.