Linda’s brother jumped up from his seat. “How dare you make these allegations?”
Levi tossed a sheaf of papers in front of Linda’s father, which included several photos of him and his much younger mistress. “You lost a bundle in the recent economic downturn. You don’t have a knack for playing the markets. And you just bought your mistress a house in the country. Nothing large. A quarter-million dollars. A getaway from the city, where she lives in the condo you purchased for her.”
“My personal life isn’t your concern,” Linda’s father blustered.
“It is when it affects Linda’s life.” Levi picked up another sheaf of papers and tossed it toward Dyson. “Let’s see, where was I? Oh yes. Dyson is a philanderer of the worst kind. He had two women on the side while he was dating Linda. He routinely sleeps with the wives of his rich clients and he has a gambling habit. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t win as often as he loses. He was counting on marrying Linda and getting his hands on her grandmother’s money to bail him out.”
“Damn it, Simon. You told me you were through with the gambling,” the elder Fletcher yelled.
“I am.” He shook his fist at Levi. “How dare you pry into my private life?”
“If you’d kept your dick in your pants, you’d have been married to Linda by now,” her father griped.
“No, he wouldn’t.” All heads swiveled toward the door where Linda stood. She appeared pale, but her shoulders were thrown back.
She looked like a queen as she closed the door and strode toward them. Levi recognized the burgundy suit as the same one she’d worn yesterday. Her heels made no sound on the gray carpet. She tossed her purse on the table. Ignoring her family and Dyson, she turned to him. “Hello, Levi. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
He was so proud of her. She carried herself with poise and class, barely blinking at finding him here even though he knew he had to have thrown her off with his presence. “I wasn’t expecting to see you either. I’d planned to talk to you about this over dinner this evening.”
“I see,” she said, even though he knew she didn’t understand at all what he was doing here.
“Linda,” her father began. “Do you have any idea who this man is?”
Levi stood beside her, ready to support her in any way, as he listened to her father spill the sordid details of his childhood.
Linda was shocked to find Levi in the conference room with her father, brother and Simon. When she’d entered the office, the reception desk had been empty. She’d headed toward her father’s office, but had heard the loud voices and detoured to the conference room instead. The last thing she’d expected to find was Levi.
She could feel the heat from his body as he stood beside her. The gesture was more than symbolic. She had no idea why he was here, but she trusted him and knew he would support her. There was no verbal commitment between them, no talk of love or a future, yet she didn’t doubt for one second that Levi was on her side.
She listened as her father related the shocking facts of Levi’s childhood. It was appalling. And what was worse was her father was obviously gloating over the fact that Levi had grown up in the slums with an addict for a mother who hadn’t cared for him at all.
“It’s clear to me that he came here today with fabricated stories to blackmail us. It’s money he wants, either from you or us. Probably both. You can’t trust his kind. He has no job, no ambition.” Her father thumped his fist on the table.
Linda almost jumped, but managed to stop herself. He’d used that ploy over and over when she’d been a child. And every now and again, he’d finish off by slapping her. No one else knew that. Well, she suspected her mother knew, but she didn’t care enough to do anything about it.
She looked up at Levi. He was wearing his usual impassive expression, which told her nothing. “Do you want money, Levi?”
“No.” He didn’t deny their allegations of blackmail or add anything else in his defense. But that was Levi.
She nodded and turned back to her father. “He doesn’t want money.”
Her brother shoved his seat back and stood. “You’re too stupid to know when someone is taking advantage of you. Of course he wants money. He’s even willing to sleep with you to get it.”
She felt the shift in Levi and the air in the room thickened with menace. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and gave it a brief warning squeeze to keep him from going after her brother. Whatever Levi’s intentions were, she’d figure them out later. Right now, she needed to put a stop to this.
“What I do with Levi is none of your business.” She took two steps forward and laid her hands flat on the table, glaring at her father and Simon. Austin still stood watching her. “You’ve tied up grandmother’s money for now, but I will get it eventually.”
“You’ll lose your building and your business if you don’t come to your senses,” her father countered.
Linda gave a bitter laugh. “If I did what you wanted and came home, I’d lose it anyway. I’d also lose myself and any scrap of self-respect I ever had.” She straightened and shrugged. “So I’ll lose the building. But not my business. Past Promises is a separate legal entity from my personal loan. I’m not stupid, despite what you may think. I’ll rent a new space and move forward from there. Whenever my inheritance comes through, I’ll buy another building.”
“You don’t have any money.” She could sense the glee in her father’s tone.
“But I do have friends willing to help me. And I don’t need much money to live.”
“That’s preposterous.” Her brother grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her close. “Why do you always have to be so difficult?”
“You’ll want to let her go. Now.” She heard the thread of steel in Levi’s voice, and apparently so did Austin. He let her go slowly and took a step back.
“Why do you care?” she asked her brother.
“He needs the money.” Levi’s voice was low, but it carried to all of them. “They all need the money.”
It hurt her. Even though she knew her family and Simon had never loved her, it made her stomach hurt to realize all they did care about was money.
“That’s a lie,” her father began, indignation in his voice. “Who are you going to believe? This killer or us. That’s what he is, you know.”
“He was in the army and we’re at war.” How dare her father toss Levi’s service to his country back into his face.
“He’s nothing more than a hired killer, sanctioned by the government. He wasn’t a regular soldier.” Her father aimed his derision at Levi. “He was in a special unit. The one they call when they want certain people dead but don’t want to be held publicly accountable for it. I have friends at the Pentagon.”
“Oh, give it up, father.” Linda felt suddenly tired and beaten down. It was time to finish this. “I’m never coming home. After today, I’m severing all contact with all of you. I’m seeing my lawyer after this and if you don’t stop harassing me, I’ll file charges or get a restraining order. That becomes public record and wouldn’t the gossip mongers have a field day with that.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” her father yelled. “What would that do to your mother?”
Linda snorted. “As long as mother can throw her parties, I doubt she’d even notice.”
“You ungrateful bitch.” Her brother was staring at her with such venom she was suddenly glad that Levi was beside her.
“This is done.” She picked up her purse and tucked it under her arm. “I’ll fight as long as it takes, but I will get grandmother’s money, just as she wanted me to. And I will have my own life.” She glanced at Levi and then back at her father. “I’ll also sleep with whoever I damn well choose. As of this moment, you’re no longer my family. I’m officially disowning all of you.”