Chapter 29
Gary strolled the path to the cabin where boxes were to be unloaded.
He didn’t mind helping out because in a few days, he would be far away from these people.
He had decided to break things off with Tiffany before her birthday in February.
The last thing he wanted was to be invited to another one of her family’s celebrations. This time had been enough.
He would admit to feeling a little nostalgic on Christmas Day, but all it had taken was a conversation with his father to remind him that the reason their lives had gone to pot, and the Steeles’ life was good, was because of what they had done to his father’s company.
They had destroyed it by stealing the formula that his father’s chemist had come up with.
Not only had they stolen it, but they had also made sure they had messed up the original formula to ensure his father’s company’s failure.
As he drew closer to the cabin, he saw several cars parked in front, so he figured the other guys were inside.
Taking the steps two at a time, he knocked on the door.
It was immediately opened by York. He hadn’t seen much of the man since that first day, but he had no complaints.
“Hey, York. Tiffany said you guys could use my help.”
York nodded, then stood aside. “Yes, come on in.”
Gary entered, and the door closed behind him. He recognized Quade, but didn’t know the other two men standing beside him. Were these family members he hadn’t met yet? And why were those guys wearing suits and not regular clothes?
“Hey, guys,” he greeted and then glanced around. “So where are the boxes?”
“There are no boxes,” Quade said in a brusque tone. “Please have a seat.”
Have a seat? What in the world was going on? He suddenly got a funny feeling that something wasn’t right. He began backing up toward the door. “If there are no boxes, then I’m not needed here.”
“But you are,” Quade said. “Let me introduce these two guys. To my right is FBI agent Carlton Smalls, and to my left is FBI agent Jack Ingram. So, please have a seat.”
“FBI agents?” Gary asked, feeling a knot in his throat. “Why are they here?”
“So, we can explain to you how you were caught in an espionage and theft ring.”
Gary backed up a little more. “Espionage and theft? That’s crazy. There must be some mistake.”
“No mistake,” York said from behind him. Gary turned around to notice the man blocking the door, the one he’d thought he would be able to get out of. “We know all about your scheme to destroy the Steele Corporation,” York said.
Gary shook his head. “There has to be some mistake.”
“There is. Your mistake was in thinking your plan would not be discovered. You were wrong. We know how you entered Chance Steele’s cottage yesterday and attempted to hack his computer.”
“That’s not true.”
“The video camera we installed in the cottage, which shows you entering without permission and tampering with his laptop, confirms it. And that recording is admissible as evidence in a court of law.”
Gary frowned. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
“I don’t think so,” Quade said. “Just like the Steele Corporation was one step ahead of your father when he paid a spy to obtain the Gleeve-Ware formula from them years ago, we were a step ahead of you, too. That laptop you thought you hacked yesterday was a fake. Every individual who received that transmission is being arrested as we speak. Including your father and Morris Jenkins.”
“But you’re wrong. My father didn’t pay any spy. It was the other way around. The Steele Corporation is the one who paid someone to spy on Devonshire Manufacturing Company with the intent of ruining them. Their competition.”
“If your father told you that, then he lied to you,” York said, bluntly.
“Although the Steele Foundation refused to press charges against Devonshire Manufacturing Company, they documented the incident with the Charlotte Police Department. Additionally, the reason for Morris Jenkins’s termination is documented in his personnel file, which the Steele Corporation still retains, and was summarized in the termination letter provided to him. ”
Gary refused to believe that. “I need to see Tiffany. I want to explain everything to her.”
“She doesn’t want to see you, but she wanted you to know that she will be filing a restraining order when she returns to Boston.
So don’t even try to contact her. Not only did she view the video footage from yesterday, but she also listened to the recorded conversations between you and your father.
Those, too, are submissible as evidence. ”
Gary knew that if Tiffany had listened to those conversations, she would know that he didn’t love her, that he’d never loved her. He’d only pretended he did. Talking to her at this point wouldn’t serve any purpose. Lifting his chin in defiance, he said, “I want to speak with my attorney.”
“You can do that. Later,” York quipped.
At that moment, the FBI agents moved forward, handcuffed Gary, and read him his rights.
**
Tiffany remained in her parents’ cottage for most of the day.
Then, wanting to be alone, she went back to her own room for the evening.
Her father told her not to worry about Gary’s belongings ─he and her uncles would pack them up.
And then on New Year’s Day, Gary’s Christmas gifts would be returned to the givers. She appreciated that.
Instead of going to dinner, she decided to walk around the grounds of the lodge.
Hoping she didn’t run into any family members, she headed toward the park and sat on one of the benches.
She recalled coming to this place a few days ago with Sloan to watch her twins play in the snow.
The snow had melted, and the weather was cool but pleasant.
Suddenly, tears fell down her cheeks. She had promised herself that morning that she would shed no more tears, but she couldn’t help it. How could something she thought was so right turn out to be so wrong?
She had told her parents that she didn’t feel like attending Drew and Eden’s anniversary celebration and would remain in her room.
She knew her large family had probably heard she had broken up with Gary by now.
She didn’t want anyone asking questions because she didn’t have any answers.
All the family knew was that she and Gary were no longer together.
No one knew about his arrest. Pulling out a tissue from her coat pocket, she began to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“Excuse me. Are you okay?”
She quickly turned at the deep male voice and saw a man standing there wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket.
He looked to be in his late twenties or so, and she tried not to notice how handsome he was.
Because the logo on his jacket belonged to Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge, she figured he worked there.
A part of the maintenance staff, perhaps, since he had a large garbage bag in his hand and one of those litter grabbers snapped to his belt, as if he’d been going around picking up trash.
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking. I take it you work here.”
“Sometimes.”
She nodded, taking that to mean he was a part-time employee. She noticed a name on the jacket above the logo. Antwon. “Is Antwon your name?”
“Yes,” he answered. “What’s yours?”
“Tiffany.”
“Well, Tiffany, I don’t know why you’re sad, but can I give you some advice?”
She’d been getting bits of advice practically all day, so what would one more hurt? “Okay.”
He came closer, and in the lantern light, she could see that his features were striking.
And he was tall ─so tall that she had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
Tall and nicely built. Her heart might be breaking, but she was still a woman who could appreciate a good-looking man when she saw one.
“It was advice given to me once by my older brother,” he said.
She nodded. “And what was this advice?”
“He said to trust the timing of your life. Some things are not meant to be. Goodbye, Tiffany.”
“Goodbye, Antwon.” And then she watched him walk away until he was no longer in sight.