Chapter 15
SILVER
It took Grady almost a week to call me back after I left a message with his office that I’d like to speak to him.
When I told him I wanted to meet alone, he agreed but made it sound like he was doing me a favor by fitting me into his busy schedule two days later.
I’m sure he thinks he’s letting me stew and worry, but all it does is give me more time to rehearse and prepare.
Freddy’s Bar and Grill sits just over the county line. It’s probably not much protection, but I wanted to meet Grady outside the county where he doesn’t control everything. The place isn’t too busy, just wrapping up after the lunch rush.
I scan the room to find Grady sitting alone at a far corner table.
I swear the Matheson men sweat arrogance.
They think every room belongs to them. He’s relaxed, wearing a half smile and holding a beer, the king of his tiny, rotten kingdom.
We should all have the unearned confidence of a balding mediocre man with a beer gut.
My gaze slides past him to the opposite corner to find Calli with Arlow’s sister, Alicia, right where she said they’d be.
They’re laughing and talking, pretending to mind their own business but I catch her glance at me.
I don’t expect Grady to try anything crazy in public but coming alone would’ve been stupid.
I’m not afraid. No, I’m excited, almost giddy at the prospect of wiping that fucking smile off his face.
He watches me walk with a smirk that makes me want to grind glass into his next coffee order. I could pretend it got into the grinder from one of the broken windows.
His expression when I approach is pure satisfaction. He thinks he’s got me scared and ready to give in. “Silver,” he says, gesturing to a chair. “Sit. You look like you have a lot on your mind.” His smile widens, oozing fake sympathy. “Rough few weeks for you, I hear.”
I return his smile with a wide one full of teeth as I slide into my seat. God, this is going to be good. “Things are looking up.”
He leans on his elbows and regards me. “I’m glad you called. There’s no reason for things to get more complicated for you. Austin pressing charges isn’t helping anyone, but I can try to change his mind if you’re willing to be reasonable. Let’s put an end to this.”
His little speech is as infuriating as he meant for it to be, painting me as the unstable one in that condescending tone.
“Let’s get something straight.” I look him in the eye. “I didn’t come here so you could pat me on the head and tell me how you’ll fix things if I comply. But I agree, we’re going to put an end to it.”
“Is that right?” His chuckle is low and patronizing. That’s okay, enjoy that self-righteousness now.
“It is.” I unzip my bag slowly, and his eyes flick down to watch. I’m sure he thinks I’m being dramatic, but he doesn’t understand what kind of bullet I’m about to fire straight into his plans.
I pull out a folder and toss it onto the table. The slap of it hitting the wood is loud enough to make him blink. It’s thick with the truth, though not nearly all of it, and the papers spill out slightly.
Grady’s smile falters. “What’s this?”
“A little light reading. I thought you might like to see your greatest hits.”
He lets out a little doubtful laugh, but it sounds forced.
He pulls the folder over to him and flips it open.
I watch him closely, savoring the moment as his fingers freeze and his eyes scan the first page.
The spending records are right on top and clearly show that the documents they filed don’t match the receipts.
His pupils grow and his nostrils flare as he turns the page. And then another. I sit back, cross my arms, and enjoy the silence stretching between us, broken only by his tightened breathing.
We’re interrupted when the waitress comes over to see if I’d like to order. After I tell her no thank you, he grunts out an order for whiskey. Guess beer isn’t enough for this.
“What the hell?” he mutters, flipping a ledger copy over.
“Grant fraud,” I reply cheerfully. “That and the embezzling are my favorites. It was a nice touch using the fake LLC names. Very creative, but not subtle. Also, you should show Emmett how to create a burner email.”
The waitress sets his whiskey down, and he drains it before she walks away. His jaw ticks, and his fight to stay in control of his temper is fascinating. He lifts his head and finally meets my eyes. There’s no smirk on his face now. “Where did you get this?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does,” he snaps, through gritted teeth.
I lean forward. “To you, sure, but not to me.” His intimidating glare doesn’t have the desired effect when I remain silent and composed.
A forced smile leaps to his face. “What’s the matter? Sending that lumberjack to threaten Austin didn’t work? I don’t scare easily either.”
His flippant remark catches me off guard, but I do my best not to show it. I’m going to kick Lee’s ass.
He shoves the folder away like it’s radioactive. He’s trying to look unbothered, but it isn’t going well. His posture is stiff and he keeps swallowing. “You’re making a mistake,” he says quietly.
“No, I don’t think so.” My light happy tone only rubs it in.
He breathes out through his nose and sets his glass down. “And what exactly do you think you’re going to do with this?”
“Well, it depends. It’s a hard decision to make, you know?
I could send it to the attorney general in Frankfort.
I imagine the arrest warrants would take a week or so, which would give you a little time to say goodbye to your family, other than the ones who’ll be sharing a cell with you.
It would be all over the news, of course.
Or…” I sit back, pretending to mull it over.
“I could send it straight to the press first. They’d have a field day with it, wouldn’t they?
It’d probably even hit the national headlines.
You may want to get a professional headshot taken that shows off your good side.
Otherwise, they’ll use your mugshot and the lighting in those is awful. ”
He shakes his head and leans over the table. “You little bitch. If you think—”
“Save your threats,” I interrupt, tapping the folder.
“A friend has copies of everything in here. They know where I am and who I’m with.
” I lean in a little and keep my voice casual.
From a distance, we probably look like two friends whispering secrets over the table.
“If anything happens to me, if you have me arrested or attacked, if I mysteriously disappear, all the copies go straight to the attorney general, the press, and the FBI.”
His jaw clenches hard and he stares at me, long and unblinking. He’s studying me, trying to figure out if I’m serious, weighing how dangerous I am. I keep my eyes locked on his bloodshot ones and I see the moment the realization hits him. I’m not bluffing, and he knows it.
My heart races. As much as I’m enjoying this, I remember Celia’s warning of how dangerous cornered men can be. It’s time to show him the way out.
“I don’t particularly want to send the file anywhere. Like you said, let’s put an end to this.”
He glares at me. “You’re threatening an elected official.”
“Oh come on, you’ve threatened lots of people. Don’t get all moral on me now. This is just getting fun, and we can both get what we want. Assuming you want to stay in office without a scandal.”
“What do you want?” His anger is still clear, but I notice his shoulders relax as relief seeps in. He really doesn’t like the idea of jail.
“That’s simple. I want to be left the fuck alone. All the strings you’re pulling to get Lucky’s shut down stops now. No more health inspection bullshit. No more vandalism. You and your family accept that I will never sell.”
His brows turn down. “You think I vandalized your diner?”
“Maybe not personally, but I’m sure Austin did, probably with your permission along with Chief Clay’s.
It doesn’t matter. We can call it all water under the bridge.
If you get the charges dropped against me for hitting Austin and get the fire marshal to report my house fire as accidental, not suspicious, to the insurance company.
I know he’s in your pocket too. You two go way back, according to the volunteer firefighter fund.
You tell all your family that I’m off limits, and to ignore my existence.
That’s it. I get to go back to my life as normal and so do you. ”
Silence thickens the air as he considers everything. “You’ve got some nerve,” he says, finally.
“All the audacity,” I agree happily, scooping up the folder. “That comes with proof.”
His gaze is assessing, but under the anger, there’s something else reflected in his tone and expression. A grudging respect. He leans back slowly and says, “I misjudged you.”
“No shit.”
His mouth twitches into a smile that’s edged with irritation. “You really think you can waltz in here, flash a few papers, and make demands?”
“That’s exactly what I did. Now you’re deciding how gracefully you want to accept it.” I’m not nearly as confident as I sound because this is the moment. If he says no, I have to follow through with my threat. Either way, I’ve made an enemy of a dangerous family.
“And I assume you’ll be hanging onto that folder for future requests?”
“I’ll be storing it securely to keep myself safe from any future idea you or your boys might have to target me or my friends, yes. But you won’t hear from me other than that, and nobody else needs to know. I don’t want a cut of your criminal enterprise. I just want to be left alone.”
Another tense minute passes before he responds. “Fine. You’ll get what you want. I’ll contact the others today.” His voice is cold, but it’s a promise, the only kind of promise a man like him makes and sticks to, one that’s forced.
“Good. I’m glad we could end this amicably.”
He snorts out a laugh that actually sounds amused and throws some money on the table to pay for his drinks as he gets to his feet. “You’re enjoying this too much.”
“Like you said, it’s been a long few weeks.” I watch him leave, then release a deep breath that I absolutely knew I was holding when the door swings shut behind him.
Adrenaline buzzes under my skin like electricity as I go to the window to confirm he’s driven away before joining Calli and Alicia at their table.
Calli raises her eyebrows at me expectantly. “Well?”
“I think it’s over. He agreed.”
“I don’t know what that was about, but he looked like he was about to shit his pants,” Alicia says, and the three of us break into laughter.
“It was great.” For the first time in too long, I feel like things are going to be okay. Like I’m powerful and standing on a ground that’s solidly mine. Mom would be proud.
We stay to have lunch together before I head back to work.
I’m cautiously hopeful that Grady will do what he said he would, but there’s still a flutter of anxiety in my chest. Even if I get what I want, there’s going to be decisions to make.
My house isn’t salvageable. Either I tear it down and rebuild or sell it as is and let someone else deal with it.
The second one sounds like a better option.
It’s a busy afternoon at Lucky’s Coffee Bar, and I jump in to help the baristas keep up.
They’re raking in the tips, and everyone’s in a good mood.
It’s such a relief to see it didn’t turn into a ghost town after the novelty wore off.
When things die down, I have a little impromptu meeting with the baristas to see if they have any complaints or suggestions.
“Have you considered staying open until ten like the diner side?” Patty asks. “My mom works at the plastics plant. She and her coworkers would love to be able to grab a good coffee before their night shift. She said they usually get one from a food truck but it’s swill.”
Riley nods excitedly. “I bet you’d get a lot of people who work third shift.”
It’s not a bad idea. With the success of the place, I’m already looking to hire more help. “I’ll think about that.”
“I’d love to work the late shift if you create one,” Riley says.
We discuss it for a few minutes, and I let them know I’ll be looking for more help in case they have friends who are interested. The two of them have done an amazing job.
“Silver.” Camille pokes her head through the door that separates the coffee bar from the diner. “I almost forgot. You had a package delivered during the lunch rush. It’s in the office.”
I expect to find a box of samples from a food distributor or something similar, not the large white box tied with a red ribbon. Someone sent me a gift? I remove the lid to find a small card lying on top of the tissue paper. It has a hand drawn heart and one word. Lee.
Camille looks in with a smile. “Early Christmas gift?”
“I don’t know.” I part the tissue paper and lift out a pale blue dress. “Lee sent it.”
It’s unexpected and I don’t know what to make of it.
Maybe it’s meant to smooth things over between us.
It hasn’t been quite the same since he caught me at the cabin a week ago.
This would be his way of resolving things.
Not with sweet words but a gesture, one he’ll probably wave off like it’s not a big deal. But it is to me.
“Oh, how pretty,” Camille remarks when I hold it up in front of me.
It is pretty. It’s knee length with a wrap style bodice and a V neckline. The fitted waist is secured by a small tie at the side, and the skirt falls in soft folds from the waist. It’s casual and looks comfortable. I love it.
It’s a size larger than I would buy, but it’ll fit since it’s meant to be flowy anyway.
Lee really surprised me. I’m touched and torn between calling him or waiting to thank him in person.
Another idea occurs to me, and I glance at the clock.
If I leave now, I’ll have plenty of time to stop by the grocery store to get the ingredients to fix one of his favorite meals and change into the dress before he gets home.
He bought it for me, so he’ll be happy to see me in it. Then out of it.