19. Jax
CHAPTER 19
Jax
T he thing about rich people was that they couldn’t resist talking about their money. It was like a reflex for them—drop a few names, toss out a couple of numbers, and bask in the satisfaction of being the loudest (and richest) voice in the room. And if there was one thing I’ve learned from years of being part of the Charleston elite, enjoying sponsorship deals, attending celebrity events, and playing at over-the-top golf charity games, it is that you could always count on that loudest voice to spill the beans, which is why I called Gilbert “Big Gil” Hampton.
“Jax, you son of a bitch!” came the booming voice on the other end of the line, loud enough to make me reduce the sound on my earbuds.
“Big Gil, how’s it hangin’?”
“Buddy, you know with me, it’s always hanging… big .” He laughed. “I haven’t seen you since that championship game you won in Pebble Beach.”
“That was some game.”
“Where you at these days?”
“Right now, I’m in Ireland, came for a charity golf thing, and am stayin’ a bit—got some meetings in London and Dublin with sponsors.”
I smiled at Saoirse, who came into the pub through the kitchen. We weren’t open yet, which was why I had spread myself out on the bar. My laptop was open. My phone was fully charged, as were my ear buds. And so was my brand-new mobile 5G router that Brad had sent over when I bitched about the reception in Ballybeg. It was a fuckin’ miracle.
“Where in Ireland? I’m buyin’ some property there. Buildin’ a new golf resort. You’re goin’ to love it.”
He’d taken the bait. It was as easy as sinking a three-foot putt on a green so smooth it practically guided the ball for you.
“Well, I’ll be damned, Gil. I’m in County Clare,” I pretended to be all surprised.
“No shit.” He guffawed. “That’s where I’m buyin’ the land. Working with some local developers. Buyin’ an entire village. We’re going to turn it into the nicest golf community Ireland has ever seen.”
Feckin’ hell!
“No kidding. Where? Maybe I should check it out.”
“Wait a second.” I heard him bang his keyboard. “Ballybeg…that’s the name of the village.”
“Right.” I knew it, but that didn’t make the confirmation slide down my throat any easier.
“Hey, Jax, you want in? Your Daddy is interested.”
Of course, he was. Feckin’ immoral eejit !
“Tell me more,” I urged like I was interested.
There was a pause, followed by the sound of him lighting a cigar. I could practically hear the grin in his voice when he spoke again. “It’s a beautiful little place. Quiet, picturesque, real postcard stuff. It’s gonna make a killing once the resort goes up.”
“Oh, you’ve seen the place?”
“Nah, got a guy there who sent me photos.”
“Buying something unseen, Gil? That’s not like you.”
He laughed. “I know Ireland, and I know County Clare.”
I clenched my jaw, my grip tightening on the phone. “So, this Ballybeg…how are you buyin’ up the…you know village, did you say?” I kept my tone as casual as possible.
“Money talks, you know that. This development company we’re working with is real slimeballs. The guy on the project is from Ballybeg, and he’s setting it up. Some we are buying outright, others we may need to persuade some.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. This was how it was done. I knew that. It wasn’t right or wrong—this was… business .
“That’s the land, but you said there’s a freakin’ village, probably with a church and a bakery and….” A pub called The Banshee’s Rest .
“Yeah, yeah.” I heard him take a deep puff and release. “Oh, we’re keeping a few of the old buildings for charm, you know? But most of it is gonna get a facelift—high-end shops, a spa, the works.”
“So, everyone is happy to sell?” I began to tap the wooden counter with my fingers impatiently.
“I mean, there are always those who are stubborn. But you know what happens with deals like this. It becomes too expensive to live there. We jack up the real-estate prices and get the right kind of people buying timeshares and shit.” Big Gil paused for a long moment as he typed. “So, if you’re looking to put in ten mil, I can make it worth your while. We’re talking solid returns here—net operating income that’ll make your head spin, cap rates in your favor, and a cash-on-cash return that’s gonna blow past anything you’ve seen in your other portfolios. This isn’t just appreciation, either—this is a long-term equity play with steady cash flow.”
It was a good deal. If I didn’t know Ballybeg, didn’t know what this village meant to the people who lived here, to the woman I loved, I’d have been tempted to invest—hell, I probably would invest. I wasn’t going to play golf forever. Sure, I had a massive trust fund, but you had to invest and keep growing your wealth. That was how it was done. That was how the rich kept getting richer.
“Sounds tempting. Email everything to Brad, will ya?” At least this way, I’d have all the information, and Brad would be able to tell me if there was any way to save the village.
“Will do.”
“So…it’s all a done deal, yeah?”
He seemed to wait to answer that. “Ah…well, my guy in Cork tells me there’s a broad there who isn’t ready to sell her farm. It’s in the middle of the development. The others he can convince, but she’s gonna be a problem. He used to bang her, and she’s the kind who holds a grudge; you know women like that?”
“Yeah, of course,” I replied through clenched teeth.
Right then Dee went behind the bar and began to check inventory.
“So, he’s trying to figure out how to…you know…make her do what he wants. I told him if she’s still into him, he should just fuck her some and get her to sign stuff.”
He laughed, and I counted to ten.
“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” I managed to choke out.
“She also has a pub, and if she plays nice and sells, we’ll probably tear it down. It’s prime real estate, and we’ve got plans for a boutique hotel in that spot.”
Dee smiled at me, and my stomach twisted. I nodded at her, keeping my temper reined in. She didn’t need to see me angry. Knowing her, she’d think I was angry with her. How a woman as strong as Dee was also so insecure wasn’t a mystery. Losing her family had done a number on her. Cillian had done another.
“And if they don’t sell?” I asked, my voice tight.
Dee frowned then. I smiled, winked at her, put her at ease.
“Then we wait her out,” Gil said matter-of-factly. “From what I hear, she’s already up to her neck in taxes. Once the land goes up for auction, we’ll swoop in and grab it for a steal. Make her a nice deal for the pub, too.”
The bakery, the library, the pub, everything was just another building on a blueprint for Gil, not a place that meant everything to the people who lived here, not a place that Dee had poured her heart and soul into. Letting him know that I had a vested interest in saving Ballybeg would only make him more determined because that’s what men like him did; they competed all the fucking time. It was always about whose dick was bigger.
“Okay, so I’ve asked my assistant to get everything to Brad. Hey, if you want a new manager, I got some great people who?—”
“I’m good with Brad,” I cut him off. Like hell, I’d leave the one man in this business I trusted implicitly to not screw me over and always tell me the truth, no matter how ugly.
“Right. Right. Well, it’s nice chatting with you, Jax, but I gotta?—”
“Yeah, yeah, of course.”
“Hey, how come you called out of the blue?”
I was prepared for this. “Ah, talked to Max, and he said he was working with you.” Max was my brother, and I had talked to him for cover in case Big Gil bumped into him and asked him about me. “So, I just wanted to hear what you were up to and if I could invest in anything. Can’t keep doin’ this forever, you know.”
“I know, bud, I know. Well, if that’s the case, I’ll send Brad a couple of other projects that I think could be interesting for you.” He typed away for a moment. “You know…if you buy into this Irish village thing, I could sweeten the deal further if you’d be the brand ambassador for the place. It’s a golf resort, and you’re the darlin’ of the golf world right now. What do you think?”
“It’s got potential. Let me look at the prospectus, and then…Brad and I’ll see what’s what.” I was grinding my teeth together, fighting to keep my cool.
“Hey, you should check the village out if it’s close to where you are. Maybe you can get that woman…whatever her name is to sell. I’ll talk to my guy in?—”
The minute he talked to Cillian about me, the jig would be up.
“Sorry, man, off to London to meet the Nike people. I told you I was here for the sponsors.”
“Ah, well, too bad.”
We talked some more before I hung up, wanting to fling my phone across the room. I knew Gil Hampton. I knew he didn’t leave things to chance. He had this as tight as a virgin in a nunnery.
“All okay?” Dee asked tentatively. She put a hand on mine, and I realized that she could probably see how I felt.
I slowed my breathing and cleared my face. Telling her what I found out wasn’t going to help her. It would only hurt.
I’d known this resort project was bad news since I found out that Big Gil was involved, but hearing him talk about this gorgeous village and its people like they were just a line item on a spreadsheet made me want to punch a hole in the wall.
But then he didn’t feel how I did, and he never would. Big Gil’s God, like my father’s, was money.
Many locals considered The Banshee’s Rest their second home. It buzzed with life and energy, and the community came to gather there. It wasn’t just a pile of bricks that needed to be razed to make room for potential profits.
“It’s all good, darlin’ Dee. I’m just…juggling a few things.”
“If I can help, let me know.”
“You can. Come here and kiss me.”
Saoirse cleared her throat, smothering a laugh, and Dee hissed. “Jax,” she muttered.
I put my hands on the counter, palms flat against the cool surface, and pushed myself up with ease, like gravity didn’t apply to me. So, I was showing off for my girl a little.
My feet left the ground, and in one smooth motion, I was level with her. Her breath hitched as I closed the distance, my knees bracing lightly against the counter’s edge. Then, with her face inches from mine, I leaned in and kissed her, slow and deliberate, like I had all the time in the world.
When I pulled back and got back on my feet, Dee looked poleaxed.
“Now, I’m all hot and bothered,” Saoirse claimed, fanning herself with her hand.
“Imagine how I feel,” Dee murmured.
I packed my stuff and took it to my room. Then, standing by the window, I called Brad. I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do, but one thing was certain, I wasn’t going to let Gil Hampton—or anyone else—destroy Ballybeg.
“Jax, what’s up, man?”
“I need your help,” I said.