She said no. He’d always come back and so we should cut the cord now, which meant retrieving the money. Abigail invited Teddy out to dinner with the promise of more money. Meanwhile, Layla will be breaking into Teddy’s hotel room and taking the money back.
Teddy arrives thirty minutes late, but we’d already anticipated this. You can almost set your clock by how consistent of an asshole he is.
“He’s here,” I tell Abigail. I shoot off a text to Layla, who replies that she’s already inside the hotel room. Of course she is. I hire competent people.
My back’s to the wall in the corner booth while Abigail is sitting toward the edge. We watch as Teddy maneuvers through the room. He likes the place. It looks like old money. I can see him marking victims in his head.
Abigail scoots forward into the light and waves her hand to get his attention. Hands in his pockets, he strolls over as if he hasn’t taken her for a million dollars and put her through unknown stress and agony.
“Hey, lil’ sis. I knew you would want to see me off.”
“Yes, I do. Have a seat.”
It’s when he lowers himself onto the bench that he spies me. I give him a salute. He scowls.
“What the hell, Abigail? I thought this was a family meeting.”
I reach out and cover Abigail’s hand with mine. “And I’m her family and have been since she was in the 9th grade.”
“Brag about it more, pedo,” Teddy replies curtly. He starts to rise, but Abigail puts her hand out.
“Teddy, please. I want to give you something.”
He stalls and because the lure of more money is too much for him to turn down, he takes a seat. “What?”
“Let’s eat first.”
“I’m not hungry.”
He’s like a fucking child. I ignore him and wave the waitress over. “We’ll take a Charcuterie board, beef sliders, shisito peppers, and–”
Abigail nudges me. “Sea salt potato chips, please. I have a craving for that.”
“A craving?” Teddy asks.
“And seasalt potato chips. What do you want to drink?” I ask my brother-in-law. I haven’t received the all clear from Layla yet.
“Nothing. I don’t drink with ped–”
“Stop it,” Abigail says tersely. She’s had enough of her brother. “Stop insulting my husband.”
Teddy heaves a huge sigh. “Abby, why’d you invite me here? You know we don’t get along. Your husband has–”
“Been paying you off for years so you wouldn’t bother me, I know. And, at the same time, you’ve been coming to me for money. I would lie to Con about you and Con would lie to me about you. Yesterday we decided that wasn’t good for our marriage.”
“Whoop-de-fucking-do, Abby. You want me to throw a party?” Teddy’s pissed now that he can’t play the two of us against each other. “What does it matter if I take a few bills from you? It’s not like you don’t have it. You sit up there in your mansion on the east side and wash your feet with newly minted hundred dollar bills every morning. I barely go a fucking month without seeing how the grand Abigail Weathers is sporting some new and exotic jewelry piece or how Con Weathers just closed another multi-billion dollar deal. What the fuck does it matter if I take a little off the top?”
“Because your little grows every time until it’s not little anymore. It’s so big that you would be able to support multiple families with it and if that is what you were doing–having a family or doing charity with it, I would give you more, but you’re not. You’re gambling it away. Every time you put that money into the pocket of really horrible people and I’m tired of it.”
Teddy’s eyes grow wide at the outburst. He’s not used to Abigail talking to him like this. “Well, I’m sorry I’m not as perfect as you are. I didn’t have a rich dick to fall onto.”
“That’s enough,” I caution.
“You’re right.” He shoots out of his chair. “I’ve had enough of this shit.” He slams his napkin down on the table.
I get the all clear from Layla. Good timing, I think.
“I’ll walk you out,” I say pleasantly, pushing out of the booth myself.
“Nah. I’m good,” Teddy says. He’s stiff and mad. He turns to bolt but I haul him back by his collar.
“The fuck, man,” he hisses.
“You forgot to say goodbye to your sister.”
He twitches in my grip. I give him a good shake, hard enough to rattle his teeth. “Manners, my boy. You need to learn some manners.”
“Goodbye,” he hisses.
“Teddy, I love you, but–”
“Fu–”
I slap him across the back of the head hard enough that the couple next to us gasp. I give them a toothy grin. “My boy doesn’t handle his liquor well.”
The couple chuckles uncomfortably and turns away.
“I’m not your fucking boy,” Teddy says. His voice is getting loud. It’s time for him to go.