65. Cole
COLE
“Babe.” I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Jenny. I’m so sorry about everything.”
“Nah.” She pulled back, violently wiping her eyes. “ I’m sorry you heard all that. I know you won’t feel the same about me, but it’s okay. I guess I already burned that bridge, huh?”
“Of course not.” I brushed the fresh tears from her cheeks. “Jenny, I?—”
“I was gonna tell you the truth,” she said, her voice wobbling. “I even told Audrey I needed to tell you because you are my person. But then I figured it might be better to leave you alone. You never needed a whore in your life, Cole. You deserve better than someone like me.”
“Jenny.” Tears brimmed in my eyes. My heart hurt for her. “You’re the best person I know. What your aunt did to you… What she put you through… That’s terrible, babe. No one should have to go through that.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But I still did a bad thing, Cole.”
“No, you didn’t.” I reached for her. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Then why am I still being punished, huh?” she asked. “I tried to hurt one of the guys. He was real bad, you know? So I hid a knife under the mattress, and I slashed him. There was blood everywhere.”
Jenny shuddered violently. “I thought he was dead. And then I ran away.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” I tried to hug her again, but she stepped back.
“I never told anybody what happened. I tried not to think about it. I pretended it was like a movie like it happened to somebody else.” Jenny composed herself. She stopped crying. She blew her nose again, loudly. She wiped her face.
“And I been alone my whole life until I met Audrey, and then I met you,” she said. “You two were the first people I thought I could trust. I almost thought I might end up having a real life, you know? I thought I might actually have a chance.”
“You do have a real life,” I said softly. “It’s our chance.”
“No, don’t try to make it better.” She shook her head. “I know what I’ve done. It’s not just my past—I ruined everything because of what I did for your dad.”
She blew her nose again. “I messed up the best thing I ever had in my life. And you didn’t want to hear my excuses, and I don’t blame you. I lied to you. I hid things from you. You’ll be better off without me.”
“Jenny, that’s not true.” My voice was firm but gentle. “When you love someone, you’re never better off without them. I’m the one who’s sorry. I was so angry, I didn’t even give you a chance to explain.”
She blew her nose again. “Wait a minute—how did you even find out I was here?”
“Shirley had you followed once you landed,” I explained. “I asked her to make sure you were okay because as soon as I got on the plane, I knew I’d made a terrible mistake.”
I went closer and gently took her hands. “Can you forgive me, babe? I’m so sorry. I know my father can be difficult—actually, he’s impossible. He’s the worst.”
She sniffled. “He is pretty bad.”
I sighed. “We’re going to take care of him next. He’s on the list. But before we do that, babe…” I hung my head. “Can you please forgive me? Can you please give me another chance? Being in a relationship is new for me. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”
Jenny arched an eyebrow. The slightest bit of warmth returned to her face, chasing the doom and gloom. “You, the billionaire venture capitalist, the owner of the Thunder— you don’t know what you’re doing?”
“No clue,” I admitted. “I’ve never been in love before, Jenny. And I’ve been so afraid to let my guard down. So when I saw that you’d texted Ramos and found out you were talking to my dad, I freaked out. I ran before I even thought it through. I didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself—I just reacted. I assumed the worst. I’m so sorry.”
Jenny sniffled. “You were right when you assumed the worst, though. I was spying for your dad. He made me listen to your conversations and send him the details. Then he made me pretend to be you and offer him a bribe.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised.” I winced. “I bet he was the one who made you leave the first time, too, and found your aunt.”
She nodded, eyes huge in her face. “Your father said he didn’t want his son with a hooker. He said he would do bad things to me, you, Audrey, and Elena. And that money I sent out, the twenty thousand? I sent it to my aunt. I was trying to keep her from telling you about me. “
I hung my head. Poor Jenny had been dealing with so much. “I’m so sorry, babe. I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could come to me with your problems.”
“I literally couldn’t,” Jenny said. “Your dad said he’d do something bad to you if I told you the truth. I didn’t feel like I had a choice.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “Of course, he’s blackmailing you—that’s his signature move. He doesn’t care who he hurts. I think he was trying to hurt me. He doesn’t want me to be happy. He doesn’t want me to be in love. He’s only been miserable since my mom died.”
“He doesn’t want you to be in love with a hooker,” Jenny corrected me. “He’d probably be psyched if you were in love with a real-estate mogul with a trust fund.”
“I’m in love with you .” I squeezed her hands. “And I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life. My father will learn to accept it, or he won’t. I don’t care either way. But he needs to be dealt with.”
I brushed the curls back from her beautiful face. “But I have to ask you, first, can you forgive me, Jenny? Can you give me another chance?”
Her lower lip wobbled. “Do you still want one?”
“Babe.” I grinned at her. “You’re the prettiest girl in the whole world, and the bestest. You have terrible taste in cupcakes, and you inexplicably love every ugly animal that crosses your path—and they love you—but you arehands downthe best thing that has ever happened to me. I didn’t start living until I met you. So what do you say? Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
“For real?” she asked.
“For real. For ever ,” I said.
“O-Okay,” Jenny said and promptly burst into tears again.
I had to get nuclear with my father, but alas, he deserved it.
After making friends with the officers who arrested Theresa, I had them put me in touch with a detective who worked in the white-collar crime division. The department had been trying to get direct evidence on Ramos for years. We immediately set up a meeting between Ramos and me, during which I wore a microphone. The detective told me exactly what to say to obtain the necessary evidence from the meeting, and I followed the script to the letter.
The operation was a success. The details were precise and ugly; my father wanted me to bribe the state agent to get his approvals. From that one brief meeting, the Boston PD had everything they needed to launch a formal investigation.
But before they did that, Jenny and I headed to my father’s club, The Bromfield.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he said as Jenny and I sailed into the dining room. As usual, my father was at a table alone, surrounded by oil paintings of hunting dogs and red leather chairs, eating what appeared to be chicken liver pate.
“We’re not,” I assured him.
“You’re not supposed to be in here without a jacket,” he told me. He calmly put down his spoonful of pate, then eyed Jenny with distaste. “And you aren’t supposed to be in here at all. Members only. No illegals.”
“I’m not illegal anymore,” Jenny said, grinning at him. “In fact, I am your son’sbona fidegirlfriend. He officially asked me.”
Lewis Bryson raised his eyebrows and turned to me. “What the hell do you want, son? I already told you if you’re dating a hooker, you’re dead to me.”
“Yay,” I said, “that’s perfect. Because you’re dead to me . Mom would be so ashamed of the way you’ve been acting.”
“Don’t you dare drag your mother into this?—”
“She’d be so ashamed that you didn’t even give Jenny a chance,” I said, the words coming out in a rush. “She’s the best person I know. Mom would’ve loved her. She would’ve welcomed her with open arms and made her part of the family.
“This is the first time you’ve ever met her, and yet you’ve treated her with nothing but disdain. I could never be ashamed of her, but I am ashamed of you . When Mom died, I swear you forgot what it meant to be human. What you did hurt Jenny, Dad. There’s no excuse for it. And there’s no excuse for how you’ve treated me for years.”
“I don’t need an excuse. I’m protecting my family, our fortune?—”
“Not anymore, I’m afraid. You’re being investigated for bribing Ramos, and the feds are getting involved. Apparently, this is part of a pattern with you. They might get you on RICO charges, Dad. Do you know what that means?”
My father’s face was turning red. His brows knitted together. “You better not have screwed me with this. I will ruin you?—”
“But you can’t because your assets are about to be frozen.” I gloated at him. “And guess what? Your sole heir is going to be named administrator of your estate.” I waggled my eyebrows at him as I grabbed Jenny’s hand. “Stick that in your pate, old man.”
I held my head high as I marched Jenny out into the sunshine and away from the formal darkness of the Bromfield Club and the solo, sad diner in its once bustling restaurant.