Jack nods. “We’ll do that at the end.”
Gary has the grace to look nervous, but I don’t think that it’s fully sunk in just how fucked he actually is.
I watch as Jack pokes around the boat house, takes some pictures and checks the list of what I should have against what I actually have, and I watch as he looks confused by the fact that everything is in order.
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah,” he says, bewildered. “So far.”
I nod. “Excellent. Should we move on?”
“Lead the way.”
Gary follows us nervously and I smile at him before I guide them toward the ropes course. And the archery range. Every part of the property that Jack wants to see, I take them to. The scene repeats itself over and over, until Jack is nearly rolling his eyes and I can feel the frustration rolling off Gary like a physical force.
“Well, Mr. Pearson,” Jack says as we walk back to the main building, “I’d like to take a look at your waiver and your safety documentation, but if they’re as meticulous as the rest of this place, I’m sure that everything will be in order.”
I chuckle. “It will be.”
Walking him into the office, I set him up to go over the documents before turning on Rose’s father. “Mr. Brandt, can I speak to you privately for a moment?”
He’s right to look terrified. I’d like to have a more physical conversation with him than I’ll be able to, and for more reasons than just his daughter. Following him into the main lobby, he stops, scalding me with a gaze. “What do you want?”
I stalk closer, invading his space, gratified with the terror I see in his eyes. “I want you to leave me and my business the fuck alone. We’ve told you God knows how many times to get out of our faces, and this is the last straw. You mess with us again, and I’ll make this public. I will press charges, and your precious business will slip down the drain. Got it?”
There’s so much hate when he looks at me, knowing that I’ve completely and thoroughly beaten him. “Got it.” His voice is filled with poison.
“One more thing,” I say.
“What?” He practically spits the word at me.
Sliding my hands into my pockets, I look down at him. “You’re going to pay for the last year of Rose’s tuition. Because you’re her fucking father, and you dragged her into this mess trying to help you commit a crime. End of story. You don’t do it? Same rules apply.”
He shakes his head slowly. “You think you’re so much better than me?”
“I’m not preying on legitimate businesses trying to blackmail them into using your services, and I’m not forcing my family members to be criminals. So, yeah.”
“All set,” Jack says, coming out of the office. “Everything is in order. I’m sorry this was necessary. Clearly the report we had was very wrong.”
I shake the man’s hand. “Not a problem at all. Have a nice afternoon.”
Gary stares me down for a long time before he turns and follows Jack for what’s probably going to be an incredibly awkward ride back to the city.
“Gary,” I call after him, and he looks at me with barely contained fury. “This week. You make things right this week.”
I laugh when he slams the car door shut.
He doesn’t have a leg to stand on. He doesn’t want the court case this would bring. It wouldn’t even get that far. The minute charges are filed, any legitimate clients that he has will look further into his records, and it would be the end.
I’m smiling when the car pulls out of our lot.
11
Rose
The pounding sinks through my dreams, making the giant pink cake I’m about to consume shake. What is that?
Another round of pounding jerks me into alertness. What the hell? It’s afternoon, according to the clock. I’d taken a nap, still catching up on sleep after my adventures with Asher. Just one night of sleep wasn’t enough. But now someone is pounding on my door hard enough that it sounds like they’re intent on breaking it down.
“Hold on,” I call, dragging myself up and pulling a hoodie on over my sports bra. This had better be really fucking good.
I open the door and my father shoves past me into the house. “Hello to you too,” I say.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he yells. “Setting me up like that.”
“I assume you were up at Blue Mountain then?”
His face is so red that he looks like he’s about to explode. “Yes, I was. And everything was perfect. I swear, Rose, you better not screw me over like this again. Why would you try to set me up when I’m trying to help you?”
Anger boils up under my skin. “Why would you force me into doing something illegal just to make sure that you actually had the money to help me? If you really wanted to help me, you could have just said yes. Or better yet, you could have been honest about the fact that you didn’t actually want to help me, and said no.”