Chapter Twenty-Eight
Leo
Mitch was acting weird.
He’d been in the bedroom for over half an hour, and while he wasn’t prone to hiding away, the nagging voice in my mind informed me that’s exactly what he was doing.
A chill swept over me at the possibility he might have heard my call with Malcolm, and I hoped and prayed he hadn’t. I’d decided to bite the bullet and phone him to preempt the inevitable argument we were destined to have. Since discovering more about Mitch and the tragedies he’d suffered, I’d been extremely reluctant to continue with trying to make him sell.
Stuck here with ample time on my hands had allowed me to honestly assess my life and the choices I’d made. I’d continually strived to be the best at whatever I did, to prove to my family I was actually worth something. Being with Mitch and Gabe, reveling in how close we’d become, how much they’d increased my self-worth and confidence, had finally let me accept the truth I’d been avoiding my whole life: I’d allowed myself to be manipulated and abused to feel wanted, to earn tidbits of praise, or even love, when in reality they’d never loved me at all. More to the point, my stepfather continually used my weakness to emotionally blackmail and bully me into doing his dirty work for him.
“Is he still in there?” Gabe asked, returning to the living area.
“Yeah.”
He grunted. “I know he’s big, but surely there isn’t that much of him to wash?”
Normally I would have found his quip amusing, but not tonight.
He came around the sofa and sat down beside me, placing his hand on my thigh. I let the warmth of his touch penetrate, the heat he emitted making me notice how cold I was.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You think something’s up though?”
I nodded. “He might have heard me on the phone to my stepfather.”
“And?”
I let out a pained groan. “And, he might have heard me talking about my lack of progress getting him to sell.”
Gabe frowned. “What of it? You already told Mitch you weren’t going to pursue the matter.”
“Yes, but…” Having so recently accepted the reality of my shitty life, I didn’t want to have to admit the pitiful and sad truth.
“But?”
I steeled myself to lay out the full extent of my inadequacies, deciding to rip the bandage off as fast as possible, figuring if I word vomited quickly enough, I wouldn’t sound so pathetic. “I’m being emotionally blackmailed.” I flicked my gaze to him to gauge his reaction, embarrassment flooding my cheeks. “To force Mitch to sell.”
“By whom?” he asked, but I had feeling he’d already guessed exactly who it was.
I sighed, reluctant to give him his name.
“Leo,” he warned.
Curling my fingers into my palms I dug in hard, hoping the pain would numb the storm of emotions warring in my head. “Good ole dad,” I told him bitterly.
He shook his head in disbelief. “Fucking asshole.”
“I know, okay?” And, God, did I.
He rubbed his hand back and forth a few times on my thigh. “Speak to me.” His voice, calm and reassuring, held none of the derision I expected.
I took a long, deep breath and let every last detail come spilling out. “Malcolm Taylor is a greedy sonofabitch who screws over anyone who gets in his way. He knows everybody, and all their dirty secrets, and isn’t afraid to use them to get what he wants.”
He nodded his head. “Okay, so how is he blackmailing you?
I ignored his question and barreled on. “If I do persuade Mitch to sell, it’ll be extremely lucrative for my stepfather as he’ll be able to pressure the councilmen at city hall to give his company the primary build contract. He somehow found out you tend to use local contractors, so plans on being the firm who wins the bid. If I don’t get Mitch to sell, he’ll lay off a whole bunch of staff at his firm.”
“I’m still not sure why what he does with his staff affects you?”
I really didn’t want to have to reveal the extent of how beholden I’d become to Malcom but figured Gabe wouldn’t rest until he had all the gory details. “My stepfather is pinning a successful outcome on my weakness.”
“You’re not weak, Leo,” he answered firmly.
I didn’t have the nerve to tell him how untrue his statement was. I am weak and always had been.
“If I don’t get Mitch to sell, he’ll ensure his staff know I’m the one responsible for them being laid off.” I took a shaky breath. “Do you have any idea how devastating that’ll be for them? And for me to know I failed them, to know I’m not good enough at my own job to save theirs.” I shuddered inwardly as the responsibility weighed heavy on my shoulders.
“You can’t blame yourself for his own mishandling of his company.”
He didn’t get my point at all. “Don’t you see? The buck still stops with me, so I can’t fail. I can’t let those people down. I can’t let my sister down.”
“Your sister?”
Shit, I hadn’t wanted to mention Caitlin. I slumped into the sofa cushions, allowing the familiar pain to slice me to the bone. Not sure I had the strength to relive the worst day of my life all over again but needing Gabe to fully understand my reasons for kowtowing to my stepfather, I had to reveal the darkest part of my attachment to the man I loathed with every ounce of my being.
“I’d just turned fourteen when my sister almost drowned.” I scrunched my eyes shut as the familiar image of Caitlin in the pool came into focus. “It was my fault,” I whispered. “I should have been looking after her.” I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the image, but I’d never be able to unsee her so still, so lifeless. “She’s still in a coma. After all this time, it’s unlikely she’ll wake up.” Whenever I allowed myself to think about her laying in a hospital bed, her body full of tubes, instead of living a full and happy life, ripped my heart from my chest every single time. “I should have been looking after her,” I repeated before my voice petered out, unable to continue.
“Where were your parents in all this?”
“Out. At a benefit luncheon. They’d ordered me to watch her while they were gone. She was my responsibility.” The familiar tightening of the bands across my chest made breathing almost impossible. Gabe pulled me in close, wrapping me in the protection of his arms.
“It shouldn’t have been up to you to look after your sister on your own. It’s not your fault, Leo,” he said, his lips against my hair. “You were a child yourself. The fault and blame for what happened lies squarely with them, not you.”
I so wanted to believe him, but deep down, I never would. My sister almost drowning was due to my failing to protect her, no one else. “If I don’t get Mitch to sell, my stepfather is going to cut the funding for Caitlin’s medical bills.”
God, I can’t let that happen .
“Jesus,” Gabe muttered. “What a heartless bastard.”
“We’re not his kids. Our mom was his second wife. Now that she’s gone, he doesn’t feel he has any obligation to either of us and is only paying for Caitlin’s expenses out of respect for my mother.”
“Bullshit,” Gabe snapped. “He’s doing it because he’s guilty of neglect. Plus, he knows damn well it’ll keep you under his thumb. I bet he threatens to cut her off any time you don’t fall into line.”
He looked down at me expectantly until I reluctantly agreed. No point denying Malcolm owned me, and I’d do nothing except give him what he wanted—whenever he wanted it.
Gabe shifted in his seat, and I could almost hear his brain sifting through all he’d heard about Mitch, about my stepfather, and about Caitlin, looking at the issue from every angle to figure out a solution. He wouldn’t find one as I’d done nothing else but work through every possible scenario for the last few months, finally concluding there was no way out.
“First, don’t worry about your sister’s medical bills.”
“Wh-what?”
“I’ll cover them.”
“No, Gabe, no. I can’t ask you to do that. You’re not responsible for my sister’s health. Plus, there’s no quick fix. Caitlin needs long-term care, so you’d be paying the fees for years and years.” I adamantly shook my head. “I can’t let you do that.”
He twisted around in his seat to look me in the eye. “Yes, you can, and if you’ll allow me to, I will. For your sister to be dependent on an asshole to decide whether she gets the care she needs or not is disgusting. Whatever happens between us has no bearing on what I’m offering. Caitlin needs help, and I’m in the privileged position to be able to afford it, so why wouldn’t I?” He paused a moment letting his words sink in before he continued. “Second, to ensure your stepfather can’t influence or withhold Caitlin’s care going froward, we’ll have to replace him with you as her legal guardian.” His eyes turned flinty. “And if Malcolm Taylor tries to stop us, he’ll have a whole team of lawyers down on his ass so fast his head will spin clean off.”
I didn’t dare trust myself to believe him, as this was far more than I ever hoped for. I wanted to grab hold of his offer with both hands and cling on with all my might. If Gabe were able to get Caitlin away from under Malcolm’s control, he could ensure she received the quality healthcare she desperately needed.
The only dark cloud on the horizon, despite his vehement words and the threat of using his own lawyers if Malcolm didn’t step down as Caitlin’s legal guardian, was knowing the old bastard would do everything in his power to prevent her being taken away from him. He’d never want to lose his bargaining chip and ability to keep me under his boot. Gabe’s argument would need to be a compelling one to convince any judge to transfer her guardianship from my stepfather to me as her closest blood relative. If, by some miracle, we managed to achieve that, I’d scour the country to arrange for her to be sent to the best healthcare facility Gabe could afford.
“Thank you,” I choked. “I’ll never have enough words to express how truly grateful I am, but thank you, Gabe. Thank you.”
He leaned in and softly kissed my forehead. “It’ll be my honor.”
He squeezed me once more before he straightened up. “Okay. Apart from getting the construction contract, how else does your stepfather’s firm benefit if you do get Mitch to go through with the sale?”
“Partly prestige. He’ll have the council wrapped around his finger, and when he hires additional local contractors, it’ll put him in good standing amongst Melrose Bay’s residents. He has some lofty political aspirations, so if he wins people over with the offer of jobs and increased incomes, he’ll have a greater chance of becoming mayor. Plus, making a deal with one of the biggest construction companies in the US will put his company on the map.”
Gabe’s arrogant flash of a smile made my knees go weak. “He’s not wrong.”
“I think he wants to become more involved in the potential resort too. There’ll be extensive maintenance contracts involved, so if he can pick those up as well, he stands to make a hell of a lot of money.”
“Is he so arrogant to believe we’ll actually need him, or that we don’t negotiate contracts every single day with companies far better suited to run our resorts’ maintenance and upkeep?”
I knew they did, even if my stepfather chose to ignore the fact. Dropping my head against the couch, I closed my eyes, completely drained of all my energy. Finally getting everything off my chest turned out to be more exhausting than I expected.
“What else? There’s more. I can tell.”
The man was way too perceptive for his own good, and he’d have made a damn fine lawyer if he’d wanted.
“Despite the threat of cutting off Caitlin’s care, I still don’t think I can go through with it,” I whispered. “I can’t willingly make Mitch do something I know will destroy him. I have until the end of the week, or my stepfather is going to let the staff go. We’re almost at the holidays, for fuck’s sake.” The backs of my eyes were stinging as I desperately tried to hold onto my emotions. “Mitch is hurting so badly and selling his home would be the final nail in the coffin.” I opened my eyes and lost myself in Gabe’s handsome face. “I can’t do that to him, Gabe. I can’t. But if I don’t…”
I failed to complete the sentence. Either way, there’d be a loser. You’d think I’d understand as a lawyer there’s only ever one outcome. Normally, I was on one side of the courtroom, defending a client with a fifty-fifty chance of winning. This time around I’d never win. There was always going to be a loser, and it killed me. I’d be responsible for causing innocent people so much anguish and despair.
“Despite what my stepfather might get out of any contracts, I think building the resort would be good for the community. Yes, we’re getting more tourists than ever coming to Melrose Bay, but every area is struggling, and with the jobs you’d create, you’d be putting money back into the local economy, so the town and all the people living here would benefit.”
Unable to sit still any longer, I stood and paced on the rug in front of the fire. “I’m so confused about what to do, and it’s driving me fucking crazy.”
We both turned our heads at the sound of Mitch opening the bedroom door and entering the small hallway, effectively ending my rant. So relaxed and sexy in an old football jersey, pair of gray sweats, barefoot, and with his hair and beard still damp, he looked and felt so much like home that I ached for him to touch me. But when my gaze strayed to his face, his smile, far too bright, and far too false, didn’t reach anywhere near his eyes.
“Hey,” I greeted him, but he completely ignored me, moving straight past us both to disappear out of sight into the kitchen, causing the pressure of my situation to ratchet up to an unbearable status. I’d screwed everything up with Mitch, but in addition, I was more than likely screwing up Gabe’s chance at something with him too.
Gabe moved off the sofa and over to me in an instant, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a hug. Relaxing against him, I hoped some of his calmness and strength would find their way into me.
“Let’s go talk to him, all right?” Gabe suggested, releasing me from his hold. I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if talking to him would do any good at this point. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be, I guess.”
He took my hand in his, and I was grateful he still touched me, as I needed the contact more than anything.
We headed into the kitchen, where Mitch worked busily at the counter, marinating the steaks he planned to grill for dinner. He didn’t turn and greet us when we entered, which didn’t seem to bother Gabe in the slightest, as he had no hesitation in walking us both straight over to where Mitch stood and placing his hand at the small of his back. Mitch tensed but didn’t move, his gaze firmly fixed on the food.
“Talk to us,” Gabe demanded.
“Nothing to say.”
“Really? You?”
Mitch snapped his head around to scowl at Gabe, his gaze hard and unyielding, but Gabe remained unfazed. He let me go and, shifting to stand behind Mitch, placed both his hands on his hips to turn him around. He tried to resist Gabe’s request, but the man was persistent, and finally, after a long, low sigh, Mitch allowed himself to be maneuvered around so we were all face-to-face.
The silence stretched on between us, pulling me apart. Mitch’s expression remained shuttered, and he’d reverted to how he’d been when we’d first arrived—wary, angry, and determined not to cooperate—all because of me.
“I would never make you do something you don’t want to do,” I started, needing to make my intentions crystal clear. His snort of disgust showed how little he believed me. “It’s true.”
“The truth?” he growled. “You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you on the balls.” His jaw clenched tight, and I wanted to reach out to him so badly my body physically hurt. Instead, I fisted my hands by my side to prevent me from making the situation any worse. “So, tell me, Leo, whose side are you really on?”
“Yours,” I croaked. “I’m on yours.”
“Typical lawyer. Telling me what I want to hear.” He pushed away from the counter, putting distance between us.
“Mitch, please listen to me.”
He cut his hand through the air. “I’ve done enough listening to both of you to last me a fucking lifetime. No more. No fucking more.” His anger and bitterness tore at me, knowing I was the cause.
“Tell me how I can fix this.”
“You can’t.”
“Please, Mitch.”
“Enough!” Gabe bellowed, his voice echoing around the kitchen, shocking us both into silence.
He turned to me. “Can you give us a minute?” I stared at him. “Please?”
He fixed his attention on Mitch. “Me and him have things to discuss.”
“We have nothing to discuss.”
“Oh, you’ve no fucking idea how much we’ve got to talk about Mitchell Houghton.” He turned to me and continued. “Take the dogs and go lie down for half an hour and rest.”
“Gabe, I—” I couldn’t leave him to take all of Mitch’s ire. This was my problem to resolve, not his.
He cupped my neck with his palm, and I automatically leaned into him. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”
Another snort from Mitch got him a vicious look from Gabe, making him clamp his mouth shut and glare at us both instead.
I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, unsure of what to do for the best. Gabe leaned in and his gentle, loving kiss had tears filling my eyes, blurring my vision. “Half an hour,” he reiterated. I reluctantly agreed, leaving them alone in the kitchen, uncertain about doing so and wondering what on earth I’d find when I returned.