“No, it wasn’t. It was incredible, actually. To hear what they went through and it was much worse than mine, it helped. I looked at them and saw how well they’d taken back their lives. They might have some issues they have to watch, but overall, they’re living wonderful lives. And it’s all due to this crazy bunch of men known as the Archangel’s Warriors. Who knew the best place to heal was with an MC?”
I laughed. “I don’t know if many people would agree with you, baby. I think we can understand your struggles because we have our own. No one will ever judge you, Tarin, but if they did, I’d beat their asses.”
She shook her head. “I’m not worried about your brothers or friends doing that. I heard a lot about the Marauders, Pagan Souls, the Punishers, and your other friends. It sounds like they’re made up of the same kind of men. It makes me feel better that there are people out there like your clubs. The ladies told me their stories, and we talked about Warriors Haven. Do you think that might be someplace I could maybe volunteer or something? Not sure what I could do, but I’d like to find something. If I can help others and get the same back, I think it would be great.”
I was a little stunned that she’d jumped to wanting to do that. I’d thought of it myself, but then decided it was too much, too soon. However, if it helped her and the people we brought to the Haven, then it was a win-win.
“Babe, of course you can help. I’ll get you hooked up with Demon. It’s sort of his baby. He's going to be managing it for the club. Right now, we’re working to get more people such as support staff to help with their transition.”
“Thank you, I’d love it. Now, back to what we were talking about. I’m sorry I went off on you and Dad like I did. I acted like the spoiled princess you called me that one night.”
I hurried to cut her off. “Tarin, you’re far from a spoiled princess. I regret calling you that. You were hurt and I understand that. I won’t lie and say I didn’t do it to find out why Mercer wasn’t a part of your life after the divorce. However, when he came back so squeaky clean, I knew something was wrong. No one is that good all the time. That’s when I asked Petrillo to dig into Mercer.”
“Did he find anything?”
“A rumor that he somehow was abusing you and your mom, though that wasn’t the main consensus. Most everyone else said he was practically a saint.”
She snorted. “Yeah, he worked hard to project that image. We’d get all dressed up to go out to dinner. Not because he wanted to take us out, rather it was to have a photo opportunity. He’d eat that shit up. He and his weasel of an assistant were always behind closed doors, dreaming up stuff.”
Assistant? This was the first I heard of one, though it made sense for a guy like him to have one. “Who was this assistant? How long did he work for him and where did he go when Mercer died?”
She gave me a puzzled look then shrugged. “His name is Wade Wagner. He worked for him for as long as I can remember. He was a little younger and worshipped Merrill. He was always at our house, which bugged the shit out of my mom. As for where he went when Merrill died, I have no idea. The company was dissolved and sold off. He would have gotten a huge chunk of money from stock options, I think.”
“When he died, did you and your mom inherit anything from the estate or did it go to others? I mean, it makes sense that you wouldn’t.”
“That’s what’s weird. I didn’t expect us to get anything either, but Mom did. She got a nice settlement of ten million. I asked her why he’d do that and all she did was smile.”
I sat there thinking. Why pay her when he was dead? She couldn't blackmail him anymore. Surely, he wouldn’t want to give her more of his money after what she did? As we sat there deep in thought, I absentmindedly rubbed her arm. She was relaxed against me. Suddenly, she stiffened and sat up with a gasp.
“What’s wrong, Jewel?”
“I just thought of something. What if he paid her more, as an insurance that she wouldn’t expose him after he was dead?”
“But he’d be dead. Why would he care?”
“He was narcissistic enough to never want to have his name smeared. His family is an old Georgia family. They love to tell how they trace their roots back to the rich plantation owners during the Civil War. They act like they’re only ever ashamed of the slavery that happened. That’s a damn lie because Merrill was prejudiced as hell against anyone who wasn’t white. He has distant relatives still alive and running their own businesses in Georgia and elsewhere. He’d never want to have his family name destroyed.”
“Okay, let’s assume that’s why he did it. What happened to the money when she died?”
“Mom spent a lot of it, but she left everything else to me. I guess somewhere deep down, she did love me. I sold off most of her stuff and gave a crap load of it to charities. The rest of it is in the bank and invested.”
“Do you mind if I ask how much you kept?”
“Didn’t your investigation tell you that?”
“Babe, I didn't look at that. I couldn’t care less about your money. I was concerned about Mercer, period.”
She gave a sigh. “Sorry, it's a habit. The last report from my accountant said my estate is at twenty million.”
I knew my mouth had fallen open. “Twenty million? Jesus, Tarin, you’re a multimillionaire and you’re with me?”
“So? I love you and you love me. My money has nothing to do with it. We’ll be sharing it, so it’s our money.”
“No, I don't want your money. Keep it. Hell, I’ll sign a prenup when we get married, so everyone knows I’m not into you for that.”
She was the one staring at me with her mouth hanging open this time. “M-marry you? Did I hear you right? You said when we get married?”
Shit, not the way I wanted to ask her to marry me, but I didn’t have a choice. I nodded and smiled at her. “I just blew my big proposal plan, but yes, I want to ask you if you’ll marry me? If it’s too soon, tell me. I’ll wait until you’re ready then ask again, assuming you want to get married at all.” I told her that but I didn’t mean it. I’d be a mess if she said no, and I wanted to marry her desperately.