Chapter 17
DAMON
Lila barely vanishes out the door when Henrietta shifts in her seat and looks at me.
I suspected that particular expression would slide over her face.
What was Lila thinking by showing up in the kitchen, opening her mouth, and forgetting the most important thing?
That she had no idea we’d come back?
“What just happened here, Damon?”
I pick up the glass of wine in front of me and casually bring it to my lips.
“What do you think happened?”
She flashes a knowing smile.
Oh, Henrietta and her knowing smiles. I used to hate those smiles of hers.
“She has a headache? Really? She didn’t bat an eyelash when she saw us here. We were supposed to return at the end of the week. And then, we found each other? What the hell was that supposed to mean?”
Forget about that.
She was supposed to return at the end of the week.
I'd always known I’d come back sooner.
I actually didn’t want to go on this trip with her, but I wanted her out of the house, and I knew she wouldn’t leave if I hadn’t, so there was that.
I still don’t know whether it’s a good idea to have Henrietta involved in my business to such a degree.
The thing is, she knows too much about my business, and now, it’s all about keeping my enemies closer and all that.
A year from now, she’ll be gone, and I’ll be free. She could still do some damage at some point, but maybe her motivation would be limping at that time.
She and I are very much the same in that regard.
We don’t forget easily.
It’s just that she is the villain in this story.
She should recognize that I did her a favor. Of course she wouldn’t. If she did, she’d admit guilt.
I take a sip and set my drink down.
“Maybe she got used to our ways. We’re not exactly the predictable type,” I murmur. “I thought I’d be back by Friday and you’d return next week. I didn’t expect you to come home tonight either.”
“Right.”
She looks down and pops a small bite of food into her mouth.
“So where were you exactly when the power outage happened?”
Normally, it wouldn’t be her business where I was, but that was my whole ploy before Lila showed up.
Instead of being confrontational, fueling Henrietta’s suspicions, I chose to act normally and offer clarifying information.
I thought I could alleviate her apprehension and avoid all these questions.
“I was on my way to my room.”
“And where was she?”
This reminds me of our old life when she’d go batshit crazy over some woman who followed me around.
I used to think she was funny.
Not anymore.
I know better now.
“What’s this? A trivia quiz?” I ask.
She smiles as I go on.
“She was in the house, sleeping. The woman just said it herself.”
She doesn’t seem to be satisfied with my answer. I remember when we used to have fun with this.
She’d ask me a ton of questions, and I’d plant the seeds of doubt in her mind.
We’d make it into a contest, although usually there weren’t any winners.
“What’s the problem?” I ask in a stern voice.
She chews on the last piece of her food and presses a napkin against her mouth.
“I don’t know. Everything looked a bit phony just now. Her coming down here and pretending to have just woken up.”
“Uh-huh. And where are you getting with all this?”
She drinks wine before setting her glass down, and then sighs.
“There’s a little over a month left,” she says. “Once she goes back, she’s out of my hair. If you think it’s a good idea to fuck with her now and then break her heart, and possibly make her leave so she can lose her inheritance, so I can get it, so you can get it, you’re out of your mind.”
“Interesting,” I say, smiling. “You’re suddenly interested in what happens to her? I thought you wanted all the money her father left the two of you.”
“That was before you showed up,” she says bluntly. “It’s no longer my money, isn’t it?” she adds, prickly.
“It never was. A crook will always be a crook. Can’t possibly understand that.”
She dismisses me with a gesture, her brow creased into a frown.
I continue.
“No one’s fucking with anyone. I have no interest in fucking with her.”
“You want to cover your loss.”
“Finally, we’re getting somewhere. If only it didn’t take you so long to understand.”
My dark humor dissipates under her harsh stare.
“My part of the inheritance only covers half of what I owe you.”
“That’s what I just said. See, we’re finally on the same page.”
“Yes, we are. But I know you, Damon. Obviously, better than she does. If she knew what was going on between us, she’d be out the door in a second.”
“I doubt it.”
She searches my eyes.
“You made sure of that, I suppose.”
And that’s a trap.
“I didn’t have to. She doesn’t like you, Henrietta. She never did. If you think she’s dumb enough to lose her inheritance because we have an understanding, you must’ve lost your flair entirely.”
“She won’t like that little detail about you,” she presses on.
“You don’t know what she likes or doesn’t like about me. This shouldn’t even be a conversation to be had.”
“I disagree,” she says before taking another sip of wine. “We made a deal, so no matter how much I inherit, you should only get what we agreed upon.”
“Listen to me,” I say quietly, gripping her arm harshly.
“There are other ways of coming up with the money that you need to give back. I agreed upon only half of what you owe me and sparing your life because we have some history together. Don’t push it, Henrietta.
Any man from your past would put a bullet in your head for less than what you did to me.
I can’t just let you get away with it. I gave you a fair deal.
You don’t need to spin scenarios in your head and become an advocate for Lila Skye. ”
I pause, and she yanks her arm away, visibly upset.
I try to sweeten my tone.
“Have you even looked at her? I’d barely gotten in the house when the power went out.
She must’ve been asleep upstairs. I’m good at making a woman fall to her knees, but I’m not that good,” I say with humor.
“Besides, she’d look different if I messed with her.
Your concern with her has no place in this story. ”
Henrietta used to play poker for the house to entertain the patrons. She’s notorious for not letting anything out.
Her expression is now blank.
“Are you out of your mind?” she says quietly after a pause. “You did mess with her.”
“No, I did not.”
“That wasn’t our understanding, Damon.”
She’s a master at setting me up, but I won’t bite.
“We have a business agreement in place, Henrietta. We’re not supposed to be talking about your suspicions. You act like a jealous wife picking up on the only other woman in the house.”
She tilts back a little and feigns surprise.
“You’re all protective of her.”
She’s obviously trying to stir me up and get me to admit I slept with Lila.
I stare at her without a muscle moving on my face.
“We’re wasting our time talking about stuff that doesn’t concern us. I told you from the beginning what we are and what we’re not. I don’t need your chiding, warnings, traps, or nagging. Are we talking about the money that you owe me? Or are we trapped in the past?”
She shakes her head, slides her hand over mine, and smiles, knowing full well how much her attitude irritates me.
“Damon?”
I pull my hand away and flick my finger up in warning.
“You need to stay away from this.”
“You need to stop wanting to get her money through me.”
“Stop saying that, for fuck’s sake. You don’t care about this woman. You could never stand her. Why are you suddenly so concerned with her money and what it might happen to her?”
She leans forward, a grim expression on her face.
“Let me spell it out for you. I don’t care about what I owe you. Even what I’ve done to you is debatable. You’ve done worse to other people.”
“I never stole from other people.”
“I said worse.” She glares at me, her lips trembling with fury.
“You won’t get all my ex-husband’s money.
I had to sleep with him and pretend that I liked him.
If there’s anyone entitled to his money, it would be me.
Not even Lila Skye. Who’s Lila Skye, anyway?
She did nothing for that money. Not even her father did much for it.
He inherited a lot of it and got lucky with his business.
His daughter is a spoiled brat who thinks we should all link hands, dance around a tree, and then wait for the money to fall from said tree.
What has she done since she came here? She got a job at the donut shop?
Oh, okay. That can teach her a life lesson or two.
” She rolls her eyes in disgust. “She hung out with her friends? Sure. That’ll teach her about money. ”
“She’s a college student. That’s what people like her do during the summer break.”
“Exactly. And you’re a grown-ass man playing with her and her father’s money.”
“You just said that neither of them deserves that money, so which one is it? You make no sense, woman.”
I push out of my seat and finish my drink.
“I think you forgot who you are,” I say, setting my empty glass down. “So let me remind you. You owe me that money. I agreed to pay you only half of what you owe me, but the deal no longer stands. So make sure you come up with the entire amount. And in the meantime, stop weaving stupid stories.”
With that, I move away from her, having only one goal in mind.