I call Brent, with Cam and Vaughn standing by the phone to hear.
“I need to meet with Excaliber,” I tell him, trying to sound worried. “I want to work out a deal.”
Brent gives a smug laugh. “Too late, sweetheart. You should have taken the million I offered when you had the chance. Come tomorrow afternoon, you’ll be out with nothing.”
“I can still make this difficult,” I point out. “Make waves in the press, launch a legal block. The share price will suffer, and who knows? Maybe some of the board will change their mind.”
Brent is silent. “What do you want?” he finally demands.
“I want to talk to the person who’s really in charge,” I say. “I’ll discuss my payoff with them, nobody else.”
Brent sounds pissed. “Fine, I’ll see.” He hangs up without a word.
“You think that was OK?” I ask Vaughn, nervous. He nods.
“I guess we’ll find out.”
Five minutes later, my phone buzzes with a text.
Crosby Street Hotel. Room 213. 2pm.
“That’s cutting it close,” Cam says. “The board vote is at three.”
“Then we better get what we need from Ridley,” I reply, but my head is spinning with doubt.
Ever since I found out I’d been named the sole heir of Ashcroft’s million’s, I’ve been in way over my head. Running the company, dealing with this new world. But all of that is nothing compared with the task ahead of me now. So much is at stake now, and it all depends on me.
How am I supposed to make Ridley confess when I don’t even know the whole truth myself? And what if he really is dangerous -- if he had Vaughn’s father killed the way I suspect?
“I’ll be there, baby.” Vaughn wraps his arms around me, like he can see how worried I am. The touch of him soothes me, reminds me I’m not alone.
“I promise, I’ll keep you safe.”
I don’t sleep a wink at night, and I’m a wreck all day in the office. I stare blankly at the wall and try to make out like everything’s OK, but really, my heart is pounding.
This is it. The most important thing I’ve ever tried to do.
It’s not just about the company anymore. I want to protect the people working here, and save Ashcroft’s noble legacy, but more than that, I want justice for Vaughn. He’s spent his life hurting and distrustful because of what happened to his father, and whether it was suicide or something worse, this guy Ridley is the one to blame.
I want Vaughn to find some peace and move on from that terrible day he found his father’s body. I want him to be happy and free.
Free to be with me.
At one thirty, Cam comes to collect me. “Ready?”
I give a grim nod. “Ready.”
We ride over to the hotel in silence. “Vaughn is already set up in the room next door,” Cam murmurs, as if we’re being overheard. “Wear this mic, it’ll transmit everything you say so we can listen -- and record for evidence.”
He opens a box and passes me a tiny microphone, smaller than a dime. I fix it to the lapel of my blouse and arrange my hair to cover it.
“Perfect.” Cam nods. “Now, remember, you can call for help at any time. If you feel like you’re in danger, we’ll be there right away. But...”
“But what?”
“This is your only chance to catch Ridley off-guard.” Cam looks conflicted. “He’s bad news, and if he thinks for a minute he’s busted... You’ll never have the chance to get close again.”
I shiver, realizing what he’s saying. That even if I’m in trouble, I shouldn’t call for help -- not until we have concrete evidence recorded. A confession, something that will stop him for good.
“Vaughn will go flying in there the moment he think’s you’re in danger,” Cam adds quietly. “And then we both know, there’s no chance Ridley will talk.”
He won’t have a chance. Vaughn will break every bone in his body -- and risk a lifetime behind bars.
I can’t depend on Vaughn to save me without destroying himself.
It’s all on me.
I nod. “I understand. But tell me something, why are you helping like this? You could have taken Brent’s side, and made a fortune slipping him information.”
Cam gives a grin. “That would have been the smart move, huh? But your father prized loyalty, and I do too. Besides, I’d bet against that asshole any day of the week.”
“Thank you. I think.”
“Good luck in there.”
The car stops. I climb out, and take a deep breath before heading inside. I step into the elevator and smooth down my clothes again, making sure the mic is hidden. I get out on the second floor and slowly walk down the hallway. I don’t know what’s waiting for me behind that hotel room door.
213.
I look at the room across the hall. Vaughn’s inside, I know, waiting for the word from me. But what if something’s wrong with the transmission? We haven’t had time to check it all.
I lean down to whisper in the mic.
“Tap on the door if you hear me.”
A moment later, a tap comes from inside the room.
I exhale with relief. He’s there. He’s listening. But still, I wish the wall wasn’t dividing us, that he could be at my side. Where he belongs.
You can’t risk it, I remind myself. When it comes to his father, Vaughn is a powder keg just waiting for a spark to blow. This is all on me right now.
I raise my hand and knock on Ridley’s door.
It opens on Carter, my asshole ex-boss. I should have guessed it. Wherever there’s a shady deal or scum to represent, he’s first on the scene.
“Well look who’s here,” he sneers. “Welcome, Miss Flaws.”
“Carter,” I say coolly. I refuse to rise to the bait of his old nickname for me. “I thought I said I wanted to talk to the guy who’s really in charge.”
Carter scowls at the insult. “He’s right inside.”
I swallow back my nerves, then follow him into the room. It’s a suite, really: a sitting area with couches and a desk, and then a separate bedroom with the door closed.
A man is waiting in the armchair. He rises to shake my hand.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Fawes.”
I shiver. The photos Vaughn snapped don’t come close to capturing Martin Ridley up close. He’s older, in his sixties, but where my father was bright and twinkling, Ridley is somber, with a black suit, shock of white hair, and ice-blue eyes that cut through me.
I try to hide my fear. “Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Ridley.”
Those shark’s eyes register shock. He covers with a chuckle. “I thought I was anonymous.” Ridley shoots Carter an annoyed look.
“I’ve done my research.” I fake a smile. “After all, the future of Ashcroft Industries is on the line.”
“How thorough.” Ridley nods. “So, what can I do for you? We have an important meeting at three.”
“Yes, it’s about that.” I pause, looking over at Carter. “Can we talk in private?”
Ridley shrugs. “Why not? Go take a walk,” he tells Carter, who looks pissed, but follows the order.
The door closes behind him. We’re left alone.
“Drink?” Ridley offers me.
“Just water, thanks.”
I take a seat on the couch and carefully cross my legs. So far, it’s going to plan. I concentrate on taking even breaths and wonder how I can possibly turn the conversation to twenty-five years ago.
Ridley pours me a glass from the crystal jug on the bar. I take it and sip. Then he sits opposite and regards me with that cutting stare.
“I suppose you’re here to beg for a cash deal like your brother did,” he says with a faint sneer. “What’s your price for rolling over and acting nice for the board?”
“Brent is not my brother,” I say harshly. “And I’m not here to beg. I have something of value to you. That makes it a negotiation.”
Ridley slowly smiles. “You’ve got some balls, walking in here and asking for anything. The vote’s already sewn up.”
I hold his stare. “That’s because they don’t know you’re behind the bid. I wonder what the board will say when they find out Ashcroft’s former partner is trying to buy them.”
Ridley stops. “He told you about me? I thought the old man wrote me out of the history books.”
I think fast. Ridley doesn’t know Ashcroft kept his secrets -- or that we barely spoke about the company before he died. Maybe I can use it, call his bluff.
“My father told me everything,” I lie, my heart racing at double speed. “Before he died, he explained everything that happened with you, and Jack Vaughn and the company. He wanted me to be prepared. He knew you’d be back to try and finish the job.”
Ridley’s scowl deepens. He gets up, and starts pacing.
“So why are you here? If you know everything, why haven’t I gotten a visit from the cops?”
I watch him, my excitement growing. He’s rattled. I just need to push him into revealing what really happened, so we have it on tape.
“I figure it might be more valuable to keep it to myself,” I say. “If you make it worth my while.”
Ridley gives me a sharp look. “So that’s what you’re playing at. You’re just like Brent, after all.”
I shrug, and try to look like a spoiled socialite. “Hey, I’m just looking out for my future. I’ve gotten a taste of the good life. I’m in no hurry to go back to filing and fetching coffee.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game.” Ridley steps closer. “You know what I do to people who stand in my way.”
“Is that why you threatened my mother and Jack Vaughn?” I ask, crossing my fingers at my side. “You needed to keep Ashcroft in line?”
Ridley grinned. “That’s the number one rule of business. Find out what someone cares about, and use it against them.”
I feel a flash of anger. So many lives destroyed, and he’s bragging like it’s a good thing. I fight to stay cool. We still need a confession.
“You did that well,” I say, trying to sound impressed. “But then Ashcroft sent them away. That kind of screwed your leverage.”
Ridley scowls again. “He was too self-sacrificing for his own good. All he had to do was turn a blind eye and let the shipments through. Good money for nothing, but he had to take the high road.”
Shipments? I take a wild guess. “Drugs, wasn’t it?” I say casually.
“Yeah, coke and meth too. I had the trucking network all there, a couple of big deals and I would have owned the whole region.” Ridley shakes his head. “But your father found out I was using his drivers to move product. He shut the whole thing down, threatened to go to the cops.”
“So you hit back and threatened the people he loved most,” I say quietly.
Ridley nods. “Thought I had the upper hand too. He wasn’t going to shop me to the cops. They would have seized the company, tied the whole thing up in investigations ‘til we went broke. But then he set the fucking IRS on me instead. I was lucky tax evasion was all they got me for. A few years in a country club jail upstate. I did the time and planned my next moves.”
“And now here you are.”
“Here I am.” Ridley grins, a cruel smile. “Outlived him, after all. Shame,” he snorts. “I’d like to see his face now, when I take control of his precious company.”
My heart is pounding. We have him on tape now confessing to drug trafficking, but will it be enough?
“And what about Jack Vaughn?” I say.
Ridley narrows his eyes. “What about him?”
“It was pretty convenient, wasn’t it?” I ask. My hands are shaking, so I grip my water glass tighter. “The suicide, I mean. He was the third partner. He had access to everything. You didn’t know if he’d uncovered your plan. Once Ashcroft fired him, he could have gone straight to the cops, he didn’t care about the company’s reputation anymore. You don’t seem like the kind of guy to take the risk.”
I’m bluffing like crazy, saying the first thing that pops into my mind.
Ridley’s face darkens. “You’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Yes, but it’s true though, isn’t it?” I push him, holding back my fear. There’s something dangerous in his eyes, but I have to know the truth. I need it, for Vaughn, for our future. “Jack Vaughn went crazy after he left the company. He was erratic, depressed. Who knew what he’d say?”
“Lady, back off,” Ridley growls, advancing. “You’ve already taken one tumble. I can send Carter to get it right this time.”
Carter was the one who pushed me? I’m shocked, but I can’t stop. Ridley’s close to the edge, I can see it. But I need to push him over.
I get to my feet, my heart racing. “You did it before, didn’t you?” I continue, “With that witness. I heard the stories, it was just the same. A shotgun in his mouth, no note, nothing. They all believed it was suicide, but it wasn’t was it? And neither was Jack Vaughn.”
“What the fuck do you want me to say?” Ridley snapped. “That I killed him? Sure, I took out the Vaughn fucker. He was a threat, and so I put him away. And you better shut the hell up about this unless you want to find out exactly what I do to people who stand in my way.”
He grabs me by the throat and shoves me back. I try to scream, but he’s cutting off my air. I gasp for breath, but there’s no time to think before the door slams open with a crash and then Vaughn is on him, dragging him back with murder in his eyes.