5. Cale
5
CALE
T he way she stares at me.
It’s as if she thinks I might eat her as she huddles in the passenger seat, both hands clenched around her phone like it’s either a security blanket or a baseball bat.
On the other hand, she does look kind of adorable, all uptight and shivering in my jacket, which is still draped around her shoulders.
“Tell me if it gets too stuffy for you,” I say as I flip the heat on full blast.
Maybe that will make her feel better. After all, I wouldn’t be trying to help her get as comfortable as possible if I was a killer.
Scratch that. Technically, I am a killer.
But I’d never lay a mean hand on any woman and I definitely wouldn’t harm some sunshine animal savior. Especially not one that I have big plans for.
“Tell me where we’re going,” Sadie says after we sail through the open tall gates of her father’s estate.
I like how she hangs a command on her words instead of asking a timid question. She’s scared but she doesn’t want to show it.
I turn right, toward the shoreline. “I thought we could park by the water and talk.”
“Do you always talk with a gun?”
“What?” I look over and she points.
Fuck. With my jacket gone, the Glock holstered on my hip is plainly visible. Clearly, Sadie disapproves.
She inhales sharply when I pull to the side of the road. Snow flurries dance in the light and stick to the windshield.
“Open the glove box,” I say.
She hesitates but ultimately quits clenching her phone long enough to flip the glove compartment open.
“I’m unloading it,” I say so she doesn’t freak out when I pull the gun off my hip. Swiftly pulling the clip out, I hand it over. “You can hold this if you want to.”
“Why would I want to hold it?”
“Fine.” I toss the clip on the glove box. Then, after considering the matter, I throw the gun in there as well. I’m not used to being out and about without carrying. The move is against my better judgment and I don’t often act against my better judgment but it looks like I’ll need to work a little harder to get this girl to relax. “Is that better?”
“Not really,” she says but she settles into the seat. She clears her throat. “Can you turn on some music? Maybe this whole encounter will seem slightly less bizarre with a soundtrack of Christmas carols.”
“Sure.” I fiddle with the satellite stations until an instrumental version of Sleigh Ride fills the car.
Sadie remains silent as I navigate the slick roads. But she no longer looks poised to dive out the door if I cough too suddenly. She gazes out the window and snuggles deeper into the folds of my blazer.
It doesn’t take long to reach a private strip of waterfront property. Behind us, two houses had recently been bulldozed to make way for the construction of a mansion for Richie’s newly married youngest daughter. Richie doesn’t think too highly of his daughters’ husbands. He’s right about that. The two of them are pliable fools. Family affiliated but the kind of men who will forever be followers and not leaders. They were only chosen because they are as loyal as dogs.
Sadie looks to her right, observing a pile of the rubble remaining from the demolition. “Very scenic, Cale.”
Sarcasm. A good sign. It means she’s getting more comfortable.
I flip the music off and turn down the heat a notch. Beyond the construction fence, choppy waves smack at the stretch of rocky beach.
“Who’s Gus?” I ask.
Sadie stiffens. “Why are you asking about Gus?”
“You mentioned him earlier. Called him the Animal Whisperer.”
She’s shaking her head before I finish speaking. “No, Gus is a woman. She’s my best friend and the world’s most gifted veterinarian. We get along so well because we both prefer animals to people and spend our Saturday evenings with Netflix and hot cocoa. What else are you curious about?”
“I just want to make sure you don’t have any romantic commitments.”
“So this outing is now a date? I had no idea.” She looks at the rubble again and turns back with a scowl. “Were you this quirky when you were Baylor’s BFF? I don’t remember you being this quirky.”
“I’m not quirky . And this isn’t a date.”
“Then I don’t understand why you’re so interested in my love life. Or lack thereof. Wait, you know what? I shouldn’t have to answer all the questions. You answer some questions now.”
“Ask away.”
She nibbles her lower lip as she thinks. “From what I recall, and my recollection is excellent, you used to have your pick of girlfriends.”
“That’s not a question.”
“Do you have a girlfriend now?”
“No.”
“How long has it been?”
“Ages.”
“Why?”
“I’m busy. And I don’t have much patience.”
She thinks that over and then nods. “Why do you carry a gun?”
“In case I run into someone who doesn’t like me.”
“What if I don’t like you?”
“I’m confident I can win you over, Scraps.”
“Ugh, I told you not to call me that. Do you know where I got the nickname Scraps?”
“Nope.”
“My sister’s handiwork. She’s never been original but she could always be counted on to be cruel. Some of my earliest memories include sitting in my booster seat at the dining room table while Hadley flicked food all over me. Then I’d get yelled at for making a mess. She always made it a point to tell everyone I was only her half sister. Hadley also said that my father only married my mother because he wanted the pair of hotels she inherited and I was just an accident that nobody counted on.”
“What a dick.”
“Who? My father or Hadley?”
“Both.”
She’s startled, then she laughs. “Anyway, Hadley and I manage to be civil now for the most part but I trust her as far as I can kick a train.”
“Then you shouldn’t do either one.”
She huffs out another laugh, then changes position slightly, angling toward me for a closer inspection. “I’m trying to remember the last time I saw you. Before tonight, I mean. Once Bay was in college it seemed like he stopped mentioning you. But you did show up at a Dukes game once. I was home from my horrid boarding school over winter break. Luca was with you. Had to be about ten years ago.”
I remember that too. My brother was still a big hockey fan at the time so I took him to a game. We ran into Baylor at a concession stand. Bay awkwardly extended an invitation to join the family in the owner’s suite. Luca lit up at the offer and I couldn’t say no. The suite was large and full of people so it was easy enough for me to blend in by the bar while my brother cheered his brains out in one of the seats by the railing. I did notice Sadie, sitting alone and reading a book, but I’m positive we didn’t exchange a single word.
“The Call of the Wild,” I say.
She blinks. “If you must. I promise not to look. But it’s snowing harder now and the temperature outside is probably only about twenty degrees so you might want to wait to find a bathroom with walls.”
“No, that’s the book you were reading at the hockey game. You kept trying to hide it under a game program.”
“That’s some memory you have.” She blows out a breath and gazes out the windshield at the falling snow. “What are we really doing here, Cale?”
“I told you. I want to help you save your ranch.”
“But not for free.”
“Of course not. I’m not a fairy godmother.”
“If you’re going to demand ownership of the ranch you can forget it.”
“What would I do with an animal sanctuary in Colorado?”
“I don’t know. I suppose you could use it to, uh, hide things.”
“What kind of things?”
“You know, like…” She fidgets and gestures. “BODIES.”
I laugh out loud. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in quite some time.
Sadie flinches. She shrinks away and makes a panicked search of the deserted area. I’m pretty sure she’s considering jumping out and taking her chances in the ocean.
“I don’t want you to hide bodies, Sadie,” I assure her. Apparently that needs to be said.
“Good.” She takes a deep breath. “I hope I didn’t insult you.”
“You didn’t. I want you to marry me.”
Now she’s the one who laughs. But when I don’t join in with her she stops laughing.
“What kind of a game is this?”
“No game. You need money. I need a wife.”
“What on earth for?”
“My uncle expects me to settle down. He has ideas about who I should settle down with. I don’t agree with his ideas.”
“OH NO.” Her eyes suddenly widen and nearly pop out of her head. “Hey, if you expect me to produce an heir for you then you can shop elsewhere.”
Produce an heir?
Where on earth does this girl get her ideas from?
Keeping a straight face right now is quite a chore. “Rest assured, no sex is included and I don’t want an heir. I don’t even want a wife. What I’m about to tell you absolutely cannot be repeated under any circumstances. Got it?”
She nods very slowly, very seriously.
“Say that you understand.”
She swallows. “I understand.”
“You’re smart, Sadie. You must know a thing or two about my family. My uncle sees me as his second in command, the next head of the Amato family. His health isn’t great and he’s thinking about the future. I’ve always been loyal and I’ll stay loyal. But he’s pushing me to marry one of the daughters of a powerful boss, one he wants to be more closely aligned with.” I pause. “You understand what that’s like, don’t you? Being pushed to marry someone you don’t want to marry?”
For a moment she sits on this question with a deep frown and then sighs. “I had doubts about Grant. I ignored them for as long as I could because for the first time in my life I had my father’s approval.”
“What did he do to you, this Grant character?” I’m asking because I’m curious after the way she trembled at the sight of him.
And because if the answer is heinous then I plan to do something about it.
But Sadie clams up. “Never mind about him. Won’t your uncle be furious if you refuse to go through with the marriage arrangement?”
“I’ve thought about that. He might be angry if I refused outright. He’d try to convince me that it’s in my best interests to concede. But if I were to fall suddenly and deeply in love and simply had to marry the woman of my dreams then he wouldn’t object. Especially if my new wife just happens to be the daughter of an important New York family with all kinds of useful political ties. To be honest, he’ll be popping the damn champagne bottle.”
“Political ties,” she echoes. “Baylor will be outraged, especially now that he’s running for office.”
“Hell yeah, I imagine he’ll hit the fucking ceiling. Just another cherry on top.”
“I have no desire to infuriate my brother.”
“He’ll recover. By the way, when was the last time Mr. Future Congressman did a single thing for you?”
She slumps and looks so miserable that for a second I’m truly sorry I asked the question.
“We don’t talk much anymore,” she finally says. “He’s not who he used to be. But I guess you knew that already.”
“Look, I don’t really give a shit about Baylor. I’m not doing this to piss him off but it is a bonus. This is a good deal, Sadie. A business arrangement. We’re the only ones who will know that our marriage is only on paper. You have your own life with your own goals. That’s what I like about you. All I want you to do is wear my ring, pretend to be a devoted wife and accept the very generous funds I’ll start sending you immediately. It’ll be your money to spend however you please.”
She stares at me in silence for a long time. Then she reaches out and pinches my forearm.
“What’s that for?”
“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”
“Then shouldn’t you pinch yourself?”
“I bruise easily.” She folds her arms and looks me up and down. “Am I the first girl you asked to be your fake wife?”
“The idea didn’t even occur to me until tonight.”
“And what will you do if I say no?”
“Then I’ll come up with another idea. But a better question is, what will you do if you say no?”
She winces and deflates. “I bought a lottery ticket.”
“A very sound financial strategy.”
“Maybe I’ll get a Christmas miracle.”
“And maybe the zombie apocalypse will begin before New Year’s. Since neither one of those things are likely to happen it’s probably a good idea to make other plans.”
“When would I have to do this whole thing where I marry you or whatever?”
“As soon as possible. We can fly to Vegas tomorrow and get the job done over the weekend.”
“Tomorrow,” she echoes. Then she smacks a hand to her forehead. “You can’t possibly be for real.”
“Give me your phone.”
She holds the thing to her breast, panic lighting her eyes. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to show you how serious I am.” I hold my hand out, waiting for her to arrive at the correct decision and hand it over.
After waffling for nearly a minute, she exhales noisily and deposits the thing into my palm with a bit of an attitude.
“What are you doing?” she demands after three seconds.
“Just give me a minute.”
She has nothing security locked, which is irritating, but right now it makes my task easier. Her screen wallpaper is the face of a grinning cartoon dog. After installing an app, I locate the information I need and send it to myself.
Then I hold her phone out and she snatches it from my hand. She examines it for possible damage as I get to work.
Sadie’s phone dings with an incoming message. “What’s this? Did you do this?”
“Call it an engagement gift.”
“It’s ten grand in bitcoin. What is bitcoin exactly?”
“That would take a while to explain. But the money is real. And it’s just a drop in the bucket. Think of how many animals you can save with unlimited resources at your disposal.”
Sadie’s face twists into a grimace. “No fair.”
“Sleep on it.” I put the car in drive and start rolling back to the road. “You can keep the ten grand either way.”
She keeps staring at me while I drive the few miles back to the Wingate estate. “How long would this whole arrangement need to last?”
I truly don’t have an answer for that. Long enough to get my brother’s future secure and keep Richie at arm’s length while I figure it all out. “Maybe a year.”
“Hmmph,” she says and I can’t tell it’s a positive sound or a negative one.
“One more thing,” I say.
She turns and gazes at me with a high degree of wariness.
“If we go through with this, you’ll need to be faithful. That means no flings, not even ones you think I’ll never find out about. I won’t be seen as a fool. You can lie to other people all you want. But you cannot lie to me.”
Over at the Wingate house, other guests are starting to stream out of the party. I ignore all the agitated hand waving from the valets and glide to a halt in the middle of the massive circular driveway. Sadie already has her hand on the door handle.
“My cell number has been added to your phone,” I say. “So I’ll just wait to hear from you tomorrow.”
She scoffs with a roll of her eyes. “You sound so sure of yourself.”
“With good reason.”
Sadie jumps out and scampers toward the front door as people stagger around, shivering and halfway drunk.
I keep my eyes on her until she disappears.
I wonder how long it will take for her to realize she’s still wearing my jacket.