Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Neither Sam nor anyone else at the table for that matter, said anything in response to that.
The woman at my side made a choking sound in the back of her throat, but I didn’t look at her.
“She told me to look her up on the internet,” I continued. “Then, a while later I tracked her down. She got two promises out of me, and then I left. I didn’t see her again unless you count her funeral.”
Sam cursed.
“What were those promises?”
“They were to watch over this one,” I indicated to Cobie with a tilt of my head. “And to watch over our girl. If I ever suspected that there was something brewing, I was to come to you.”
“What do you think is going on?”
That came from Jack.
I leaned over and pulled out an envelope that was folded multiple times. Once I unfolded it, I pulled the letter I’d received out and laid it out flat on the table before turning it around for the men across from me to see.
“That’s a letter from an attorney,” I said. “When Marianne died, she left everything she had to Mary. In doing so, she also put Mary on Drake’s radar.”
“What did Marianne leave Mary?”
I pulled out my copy of the will, laid it out flat, and pushed it forward for them to see.
“Eight million dollars. Two estates, one in Massachusetts and one in England. Multiple automobiles.”
“If he had that much money, why did they have to rent a house from me?”
I looked over at Cobie then and shrugged. “He didn’t have any money. Nothing. Mary is the beneficiary. I am the co-beneficiary until Mary is of age. Drake had nothing because Marianne made sure of that. If I had my guess, you resembled a cash cow like Marianne did, and Drake was trying to use you until he could figure out how to get his wife’s money.”
“She had to know that by naming Mary in her will, she would be shining a spotlight on her,” Max added his two cents.
I nodded and blew out a frustrated breath.
“Yeah, pretty much,” I agreed. “I’m in over my head at this point. I was in the Air Force. I’ve seen my share of clusterfucks, but I have a really bad fucking feeling right now. I’ve been sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, for almost six months, trying to make sense of some of this stuff, but I’m not getting anywhere. I need help. I need to know if Drake is as bad as he appears to be because I have a feeling that once this one lets Drake know she isn’t going to be his cash cow, he’ll come after Mary next. Plus, Drake knows where and how to find me very easily.”
Chapter 8
Make your weird light shine bright… so other weirdos can find you.
-Bumper Sticker
Cobie
My mind was working at about a thousand miles an hour.
However, I was stuck on one thing in particular.
I am not anyone’s cash cow!
Sam sat back in his chair. “How do you know Drake?”
Dante’s mouth worked, causing his jaw muscles to flex.
“He used to be my brother’s best friend,” he grunted. “At first, I wasn’t too sure about it. But his name, Drake Garwood, isn’t so fucking common. I knew it was too big of a coincidence. Then, when I had to go to the reading of the will in Mary’s stead, I recognized Drake immediately.”
“Does your brother know?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“Are you going to tell him?” I asked.
I was really curious. Why wouldn’t his brother know this? It was his niece who was affected, after all.
He shook his head again. “Not yet. I don’t have enough proof. I don’t want to jump the gun yet, then ruin whatever friendship they have left if it’s not what I think it is. Reed still talks to him on occasion. He’s made it a point to keep up with him through the years, and I don’t want to ruin that relationship without knowing the full story. Maybe he’s just caught up in this. Maybe he’s just in over his head and needs a way out. Maybe he won’t do anything at all, but I just can’t take a chance with Mary like that.”
I licked my lips and blew out a breath.
“Marianne told me once that Drake scared her,” I hesitated. “Then another time, after their son was killed, she lost it, blaming it on Drake. She said that he did it on purpose, and even went as far as to tell the cops, as well as every single news outlet that covered the baby’s death, what she thought.”
He stared at me unnervingly.
“She also told me, about a week before she died, that Drake had her going to some doctor that she thought was ‘pretending’ to cure her cancer.” I licked my lips again. God, why were they so dry? “He’s an MD, I looked him up after her death. I couldn’t get her words out of my brain. But the thing is…”