32. Quentin
Despite waking to the black of my sleep mask, I saw Rei’s face moments after we’d kissed. The dreamy look in her eyes. The darker pink of her lips. The rise and fall of her full chest.
Ever since she kissed my cheek in thanks for the fashion line I commissioned for her, I’d dreamed of having her lips on mine, and when it finally happened, it was better than I ever hoped. There was just one thing that didn’t sit right with me...
She still hadn’t told her parents.
While my mom was eagerly planning her mother-of-the-groom outfit and Dad was scheduling a post-wedding barbecue reception for all our family friends, her parents were still in the dark.
Even with their flaws, they were still her family. And if this marriage lasts like I hoped it might, I couldn’t handle her having regrets about our big day.
So I broke my rule about not looking at my phone and sent her a message.
Quentin: Good morning, beautiful. I’d love to see you tonight. Let’s have dinner at my place and invite your parents so I can meet them before the wedding.
Knowing she was a “middle of the day” person, I put my phone up and went through my morning routine. Something about it felt empty, though. The company therapist would probably have something to say about that, but I tried to brush it off.
Still, I was eager to check my phone again when I got out of the shower. I chuckled when my notifications showed a string of texts from her.
Rei: My niece has a dance recital tonight.
Rei: So they wouldn’t turn that down to meet my fiancé.
Rei: Not even a joke.
Rei: But... you could come along?
Rei: Might as well rip the Band-Aid off, right?
Rei: What could go wrong?
Rei: Don't answer that. My anxiety beat you to it. A million things.
Rei: But we should spend the evening together, right? I mean, we are getting married in two days.
Rei: Gosh. I’m sorry. Disregard all those messages.
Rei: I’m busy tonight at something you’d find incredibly boring. Unfortunately. Perhaps you can meet my parents at the wedding.
Rei: If they come.
Rei: Okay I can feel you rescinding your proposal, and I just have to say...
Rei: Valid.
I could see more text bubbles coming up, so I quickly dialed her number. She answered within a couple rings.
“You’re one of those people who likes to break up in person, aren’t you? God, why couldn’t you just do it over a text message?”
I couldn’t help chuckling. “Rei, take a breath.”
She stopped talking, and I heard her huff a sigh. “Jada always tells me I text too much. She says people like one text message, but—”
“Another breath.”
She huffed again.
“Good girl.”
She went silent, and I could feel my cock stiffen at the comment. I hadn’t meant it that way, and yet it felt so right to use it on her.
“I will come to the recital with you,” I said. “Divi can drive us. Will you text me the address?”
“Yes,” she said in a small voice. “But my parents don’t know...”
“We’re getting married in two days, so one of us has got to tell them,” I said evenly. A little part of me was starting to feel hurt. Was she embarrassed of me? Logically, I knew that couldn’t be true, but yet...
Rei sighed. “I know,” she said in a small voice.
“Unless you’re planning to back out on me,” I said, the words followed by a gut punch of devastation. I hadn’t even considered the possibility. I always followed through on my word, but nothing was promised until that paper was signed.
“No, no, it’s not that,” she said quickly. “You’ll understand when you meet them tonight.”
She didn’t sound relieved.
“Hey, I’ll be there for you, okay?” I said. “No matter what happens.”
I knew it was small consolation compared to the family she’d known most her life, but her responding tone seemed a little comforted. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then she brightened a bit. “On the plus side, you’ll get to meet Lulu, my niece. She’s the sweetest girl ever.”
“Hard to believe, knowing you already are.”
Rei cackled, and it brought a smile to my lips. “You’re good,” she said. “I’ll text you the information and try not to have a panic attack. Okay? Okay.”
I smiled softly. “If you need me today, for whatever reason, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “Really, that means a lot.”
“You’re welcome.” We hung up, and I held my phone for a moment.
This evening clearly meant a lot to Rei, so I made a new call to Daniel.
“Hey,” I told him. “I’m not sure what you bring to a little girl’s dance recital, but I have one tonight, so I need you to make sure I’m prepared.
” I thought of Daniel with his red mustache and suspenders and felt a little doubtful. “Can you do that?”
“I’ll call my sister. She’s a pageant mom.”
“Perfect,” I said, and then we hung up.
I went into the office, prepared for a long day of work, but when I arrived there, Daniel was standing right by my door with a grim look on his face.
He passed me a mug of coffee and a water bottle mixed with creatine and said, “A detective’s here.
He wants to speak with the founders about Simon’s case. ”
My shoulders tensed. “Does he have any leads?”
“He wouldn’t say.” Daniel frowned.
I nodded and turned to go to the conference room, drinks in hand.
When I got there, I saw Bryce and Jude sitting at the table silently. Aaric was on the screen at the head of the room, an evening glow on his face. Cruz hadn’t arrived yet. And a man I didn’t recognize stood toward the front of the room in a dull-brown suit.
“Detective?” I said.
He looked up from his watch and nodded. His hand extended as he walked toward me. “Officer Craddock, FBI” he said.
“Quentin Thomas, CFO,” I replied. “I believe it was the police investigating before.”
With a nod, he said, “This case grew a little more complicated. When your colleague arrives, I’ll debrief you.”
I was about to ask where Cruz was when Jude offered, “He’s on his way. Traffic.”
It tracked. Cruz was in his car more often than not, going from one meeting to another, but the delay in information annoyed me. I got out my phone to check my emails and grunted. Bryce had requested another pay raise for his head IT guy.
With the detective here, I couldn’t say anything out loud, so I sent Bryce a text.
Quentin: If your IT guy keeps getting “other offers,” maybe it’s time to let him go for someone who won’t be swayed so easily by money.
Bryce looked at me from across the table, then back at his phone.
Bryce: A disruption in IT would be more costly than a raise, and he knows it.
Quentin: Then train a backup.
Bryce: I’ll loop Aaric in on that when he returns.
I nodded and moved on to the next email. Each email made me feel like a piggy bank waiting for the hammer. Everyone wanted something from finance and didn’t always understand the rejections because they didn’t see the whole picture like I did.
The door opened and Cruz came in, wearing a charcoal suit with a deep-red shirt. “Got here as fast as I could. What’s the headline?”
Officer Craddock cleared his throat. “We found out who was behind poisoning Simon.”
The room fell silent. To be honest, I hadn’t expected the news this quickly or at all. “Who is it?” Bryce asked.
He opened his folder and held up an eight-by-ten photo of a girl with mousy-blond hair, splotchy skin, and brown eyes. “Rita Wright.” He slid the photo over the conference table toward Jude.
Craddock continued, “We pulled the phone records of every person who attended the wedding and scanned calls to people of interest. Most of the waitstaff had no connections to anyone at MyHome or Simon’s family, but she had several calls to a rehabilitation center in Arizona.”
My eyebrows rose. “Daybreak Dominion?”
“No. She and Damien Stone had a stint together in a rehab in south Texas and stayed in touch throughout the years. When she found out she was on the waitstaff for a MyHome CEO’s wedding, she called him to reconnect.”
Aaric said, “Damien’s in Toronto on an acting job. Not Arizona.” She wouldn’t have been calling him.
Craddock shook his head. “Damien was in Toronto, but the show runner found him using on set and said he could only resume filming if he completed thirty days in rehab. Daybreak Dominion owns several rehabs in the southern US as a recruiting tool, and that’s where Damien went.”
I clenched my jaw. Simon’s kids were trouble, and we couldn’t seem to shake them. “So Damien paid her off to poison Simon?”
Craddock said, “We got her confession under oath this morning. Damien gave her a sob story about his dad dying and connected her with a dealer based in Dallas. She said the dealer gave her something that’s on trial to treat chronic heart failure.
She didn’t know it was poison. We want to question Damien to confirm her story, but the chief wants to focus on this dealer instead.
There’s a good chance Damien will say he was trying to help his dad, which takes his crime down to a misdemeanor at best. The dealer has a wider net of contacts, so—”
“So Damien gets a slap on the wrist and she’s off scot-free?” Jude finished. “Who’s your supervisor, I—”
“Simon does not want to press charges against his son,” Craddock said.
“He’s a stupid old man!” Jude argued, standing up. “Jasper and Damien have both orchestrated attacks against Simon. Are we to let them continue until he kicks the bucket for good?”
Craddock’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying we investigated this incorrectly? If you’d like, we could reopen the investigation to see if other actors with vested interest in Simon’s life were involved.”
The muscles in Jude’s jaw jumped. “You can see yourself out.”
Craddock snatched up his files and walked out the door, leaving the five of us in silence.
Jude snapped, “The longer it takes for us to get married, the longer this goes on.” He followed the detective out of the room.
Bryce said, “I hate to agree with Jude, but he’s right. Cruz, Aaric, I hope you three have someone in mind.”
Aaric nodded, but Cruz stayed pale.
“We have to call Simon,” Cruz said. “Surely after two attacks he’ll understand what a terrible idea this is. It’s bringing out the worst in all of us.”
I couldn’t help but agree. “Simon loves his kids. He won’t want them to become murderers.” A part of me was strangely sad to think of not marrying Rei, another part hopeful that we could have a relationship the right way.
Aaric rubbed his temples. “Call him, Bryce. You’re the favorite.”
A wry chuckle passed Bryce’s lips. “It’s like being home with my brothers trying to get Dad to say yes.”
Cruz raised his eyebrows and looked down as if to agree.
With a heavy sigh, Bryce tapped his fingers on his phone until we heard it ring over the speaker. Eventually, Simon’s voice crackled in answer. “Hello?”
“Simon, have you heard from the detective?” Bryce asked, voice gentle despite the rough news.
“I have.”
We all looked at each other like we were wondering the same thing. That’s all he had to say?
Bryce spoke slowly, making each syllable count.
“Simon, let us out of this deal before you get yourself killed. Two out of your three children have already tried, and I don’t want to lose you earlier than I already am.
Please.” His voice cracked at the end with emotion, making my own throat feel tight.
The line went silent, and I could feel the four of us holding our breaths as we waited for Simon’s reply.
A deep sadness permeated Simon’s words as he said, “I’m going to die one way or another. My plan hasn’t changed.”