CHAPTER 15 DANNY
I return to bed, and Alexis has no idea I was ever gone.
Now I don’t sleep for a completely different reason…well, on top of the throbbing, constant ache in my wrist.
I wrestle with what to do. There’s definitely more to the story. There’s no way he blew all of Alexis’s money on investments with Brooks. I’m fairly certain she was nearing billionaire status, so if he did, I can’t even fathom that horrific mismanagement of someone else’s money, though it’s happened before with agents. I recall hearing about a documentary featuring boy bands where their agent basically swindled them out of the money they deserved.
That’s not what happened here, exactly…but it does ring a little too similar for my own liking.
I want to tell her. I need to tell her. But I also need to protect her, and right now, those are two conflicting ideals.
I can’t tell her and protect her. I can’t tell her all her money is gone until I know whether her dad has a way to get the merger to go through to get his money back.
And I need to know more about the financial status of Bodega Talent, too. Did he blow all his money for the company? Or just Alexis’s money?
It’s only six when I finally get out of bed. I head downstairs and consider taking a run around the neighborhood to burn off some nervous energy, but when I look out the front window, the paparazzi are still parked across the street.
Jesus.
I feel like a prisoner in here. I can’t imagine how she’s felt all these years.
I wander to the kitchen, and I spot a Keurig, so I poke around until I find a pod and set myself up.
“Help yourself,” a voice behind me says dryly.
I spin around to find Raymond. I’m about to offer some snappy retort about how he can afford it, but then I realize…maybe he can’t.
I snap my jaw shut, but then I open it again and words tumble out of me before I get a chance to stop them. “I know what you’re doing, and you’re not going to get away with it.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” he mutters. He moves past me to the refrigerator and takes out some orange juice.
“Your investments with Brooks,” I clarify. “Spending all Alexis’s money. Forcing the merger so Brooks will pay you back. None of that’s ringing a bell?”
He freezes but only for a second, careful to cover his tracks. “Nope.”
“Interesting. What I can’t figure out is why, though. I mean, I get why he’d want to merge companies—so he can rule the world, obviously. But what about marrying her? Why would he want that? All I could come up with as I tossed and turned, not easy with only one working arm, mind you, was that he’d get a cut of future profits that way—particularly if you drafted the prenup since she always trusted you. Which, obviously, was her first mistake.” I say it all so casually, mostly as a way to piss him off.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I slide my phone out of my pocket and hit play on the video from last night. The voices are far away, but if I blast my volume, it’s audible.
Brooks’s voice is clear as the conversation begins. “I said two-fifteen on the dot, Raymond.”
We hear what Raymond said next, and then I turn off the video and slide my phone back into my pocket.
“You still want to deny it?” I ask.
He sighs. “Where’d you get that?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, huh?” he asks.
“What do you mean?” My brows draw together at his insinuation.
“Your old man recorded you and Alexis without your knowledge or consent. You recorded me. Same thing.”
“I’m nothing like my father,” I hiss.
“Could’ve fooled me.” Now he is the casual one, and it’s doing nothing but pissing me the fuck off. “You think I didn’t know he had a sex tape with the two of you? You think I didn’t know you’ve been sneaking around with my daughter for months?”
“Why didn’t you try to stop it if you knew?” I ask.
“I did try to stop it,” he snaps. “And that’s how I learned Gregory is a fucking traitor.”
“Gregory is the most loyal man I’ve ever met in my life. He was hired to protect Alexis by Alexis, and that’s all I’ve ever seen him do. But I get how that would seem traitorous to you since he didn’t have your best interests in mind.” I shrug.
“Oh, come off it. We all know he’s boinking your mom.”
I’m about to slug him for his vulgarity when we both hear humming coming down the hallway. There’s only one person I know who hums from the moment she wakes up in the morning, and it’s the angel who appears in the doorway a beat later.
“Good morning,” she says, and she walks over toward me, essentially ignoring her father. “How’s your wrist today?”
“I’ll live,” I say dryly. “How’d you sleep?”
“Good. You?”
“Fine,” I lie. My coffee is done, and I grab it and drink it black. It’s bitter, but it gives me a little energy to get moving on my day.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” her dad says as if he hasn’t completely ruined our lives.
“Morning,” she says, essentially ignoring him as she sets about making breakfast. He walks out of the room, and I feel very much like our conversation was left unfinished.
He knows I know.
I’m not sure what he plans to do about it, though.
She sets a plate in front of me with an egg white omelet and some whole wheat toast a few minutes later. It’s not bacon, but it’ll do.
I scarf it down. “I’m going to attempt to shower. Not sure how that’s going to work out with this thing on.” I hold up my wrist.
“Do you need some help?”
“I wouldn’t say no to my wife joining me in the shower…”
She laughs. “Give me a couple of minutes. I’m going to call Gregory and check in with him.”
I nod. “I may stop by your dad’s study for a word with him, too.”
She gives me a curious look but seems to let it go as she nods. “Good luck.”
I head toward the study, and I find him perched behind his desk. He looks up at me over his glasses when I stand in the doorway.
“Can I ask you a favor?” he asks.
I clear my throat. “Depends.”
“Don’t say anything to her yet. Whatever you think you know…you don’t. Okay? It’s complicated. Give me a chance to figure out my next move.”
“I won’t keep secrets from my wife for anybody, least of all you,” I retort.
“Then I will ruin you,” he snarls.
“Bring it on,” I say cheerfully, and I walk out of his stupid office and up the stairs to take my shower.
Before I get in, though, my phone starts to ring. When I see it’s my mother calling, I pick up the call.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, honey,” she says quietly. “Listen, I know Gregory and Alexis are talking now, so I just wanted to give you a quick call.”
“You doing okay?” I ask.
“Well, yes, but I called for another reason.”
“What is it?” My chest tightens with alarm.
She sighs. “It’s your father. I just got word that he’s in the hospital and he’s fighting for his life. He’s not doing well, Danny. If you have something you want to say to him, now might be the right time to say it.”
“Oh,” I say, not really sure how to respond. I’m not sure I actually do have anything I want to say to him. I think I’ve said it all at this point. “Okay. Thanks.”
“He’s at Alhambra. You okay?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m okay. I already knew he was sick, so it’s not a shock or anything.”
“Why were you at urgent care yesterday?” she asks, shifting topics abruptly. “It’s all over the news that Alexis Bodega escorted Danny Brewer into an urgent care in California. Couldn’t you, you know, pay for a doctor to come to you?”
“I broke my wrist,” I say flatly. “Any doctor that came to me wouldn’t have had an x-ray machine on short notice.”
“Oh, Danny,” she murmurs, her tone apologetic. “How bad is it?”
“It’s a clean break, but even so, I’ll be out eight to twelve weeks. I’ll miss spring training and opening day. I need to follow up with the team medical staff to double check for nerve or ligament damage.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry. How did it happen?” she asks.
I debate whether to get into it right now. I debate a lot of things in a split second, actually.
Like whether I should call Gregory with what I know.
He knows how to neutralize people. Maybe he can neutralize Raymond.
“It was accidental,” I finally say. I’m not protecting Raymond, but it’s true.
It wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t trying to attack me, but the actual break itself was my own fault for sticking my hand out to break our fall. I guess breaking my wrist is better than fucking up my entire back, which would’ve been the alternative.
“Well you know I’m here if you need anything at all,” she says.
“I know.” We end the call, and I send Gregory a text.
Me: I learned some interesting information last night. Listen when you’re alone. I haven’t told her anything yet. Let’s find time to talk.
I attach the video and hope for the best.