Cameron's Contract (8 page)

“
You’ve needed them now more than ever.”

“
Henry was destined for West Point,” said Dad. “Don’t bring him into this.”

“
Perhaps we should discuss this in private, Mom,” said Henry.

She threw her napkin on the table. “Cameron, you chose to live in another state and pursue a career that has no value.”

“
I profoundly help my patients.”  

“
So could any other doctor,” she said. “You make it sound like no one else could do what you do.”

“
Please,” said Dad. “We’ve been over this.”

“
I’m here in whatever capacity you need me. I’ve handed my clinic over to my co-workers for now. I’m not going home until Cole Tea is back in your hands, Dad.”

“
There should only be family here,” said Mom. “Shay’s family. He’s more than proven his worth.”

“
If you’ll excuse us.” I stood and grabbed Mia’s hand.

Henry reached out for my arm and pulled me down. “I was blindfolded when they did it.”

I sat back down and turned to look at him, my emotions swirling.

Henry stared at Mom. “Took their time doing it too. Ripped out my fingernails one by one.”  

“
Oh, dear God,” said Mom. “Cameron, say something.”

Henry raised his hand. “No, you need to hear this, Mom, and you too, Dad. It was early in the morning. I remember like it was yesterday.” He stared at his hands. “Even though they’ve grown back, I can still feel the pain.”

“
Not at lunch, dear,” said Mom.

“
Victoria.” Dad silenced her with a glare.

She settled down, we all did, honoring Henry’s memories with the silence it deserved.

“
My captors messed with my mind,” he said. “They warn you about this at West Point, but nothing can truly prepare you. The terrorists tell you you’re being exchanged for one of their prisoners and you calm a little. Let your guard down. Then, when you’ve willingly walked into the interrogation room, they sit you down and play loud music for three days and three nights straight. If you manage to drift off, they kick you just to make sure you don’t get any sleep. I was holding up pretty well. Wouldn’t tell them anything.”

I poured a glass of water and slid it over to him.

Henry stared at it. “You lose faith in humankind. You learn never to trust again. When you come back home, there’s this sense everyone’s lying to you. You can’t shake it. The paranoia. I question everything, every conversation, every interaction, and every phone call.” He looked at Mom.

“
It was terrible what they did to you, son,” she whispered.

“
You’re missing the point,” he said. “I was destined to stay in that cabin in Big Bear for the rest of my life. When this one here turned up.” He pointed to Mia. “I was rude to her at first. Tried to scare her off. Keep her at arm’s length. But she wouldn’t relent. Talked her way in and spent her time listening to me ramble on about nothing. She renewed my faith in the human condition. Made me believe in unconditional love again. Do you want to know how?”

Mom’s gaze fell on Mia.

Henry looked over at Mia with affection. “Because she knew that Cameron and I needed each other. That you, Mom, needed me. And I needed all of you. That the only lies were the ones I’d been telling myself. That it was not okay living in isolation. Missing out on life. Alone. Mia Lauren turned up out of nowhere and saved my life from the futile experience it had become.”

I took Mia’s hand in mine and squeezed it.

“Well that’s quite a revelation,” said Dad. “We appreciate you sharing that with us.”

Shay scratched his head. “Lunch really was delicious.”

“Yes,” said Mom weakly. “We have a new chef.”

“We’re lucky to have you in the family, Mia,” said Willow.

Mom rose, pushing her chair back, its legs scraping the marble floor.

Our stares fell on her.

All of us recoiled over what she was going to say next.

She rounded the table and gestured to Mia. “Please stand.”

“Mom,” I said.

“It’s okay,” said Mia softly and pushed herself to her feet, turning to face my mother.

I rose and stood directly behind Mia, ready to say what was necessary to protect her.  

Mom gripped Mia by her shoulders and stared at her. “I’ve got you in the wrong room, Mia. I’ll have the staff move you.”

“If you like, Mrs. Cole. But it really is a lovely room. I’m very grateful.”

“We’ll put you in the Windsor Suite,” said Mom. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must powder my nose.”

When she left, Shay swapped a wary glance with me.

“Windsor Suite.” Dad mused to himself. “Reserved exclusively for visiting dignitaries.”

“I don’t want to be a bother,” whispered Mia.

Dad smiled at her. “You’re my son’s Magnum opus, Ms. Lauren.”

I suppressed a moan of embarrassment for her.

CHAPTER 12

DAMN.

“You googled it, didn’t you?” I said.

Mia dropped her phone to her side and turned away.

“Answer me.” I kept my voice low so Henry and Shay, who were waiting for us inside the library, couldn’t overhear.  

Mia stepped away from the door. “Opus? How embarrassing, Cameron. Your girlfriend is your finest piece of work.”

“Did I not tell you that once myself?”

“Yes, but I didn’t think everyone else would think it too. That they’d all know because of you I’m now able to walk with my head held high and not be ashamed of who I once was. A girl from Charlotte who knows nothing other than what you’ve taught me. A common—”

“I told you never to refer to yourself in that manner.”

“Why? Because the truth embarrasses you?”

“Do you honestly believe that Jesus, or Gandhi, or Buddha cared about how to hold a glass by the stem? Or cared about what is considered acceptable by a class of people who worship money?” I pulled her into a hug. “No Mia, the wisest and kindest men who ever walked the earth didn’t give a damn about such superficiality because they were too busy trying to save the world from itself.”

“Everyone can see I don’t belong.”

I pressed her up against the wall. “Have you ever once considered that I’m your Opus, Mia?”

“How do you mean?”

“I’m your finest work.”

“I changed you?”

“Of course.”

“Your world is so different.”

“That’s why I avoid it.”

She shrugged in agreement.

“Mia, you’ve ruined my reputation.”

She suppressed a smile.

“
I may not be able to prevent the monsters from reaching us, but what I can do is teach you how to deal with the fuckers when they turn up. And if that’s what you being my opus means, then so be it.”

She flung herself into my arms. “Oh, Cameron, I need you so much. It scares me how much.”

“
I know.”

“
I love you.”

“
You just melted my mother’s heart. An accomplishment not to be taken lightly. She’s moving you to the Windsor Suite, for goodness sake. Let’s just take a moment to celebrate.” I waved my fist in triumph. “This might be as good as it gets. Let’s savor it.”

She relaxed a little. “It helps seeing your parents approve of me.”

“
Well at least someone in this house has made the grade.” I tapped her arm. “Come on. We have work to do.”

I opened the door to the library and gestured for her to go on ahead, then I followed her in.

Shay and Henry rose to their feet to greet us.

Discreetly, I took a moment to check on Henry. After that dark reflection he’d just shared with us at lunch, I needed to know he was handling all this. His body language revealed he was holding up. His subconscious coping strategies had been effective. His playful banter with Shay was also a positive sign.

No matter how many times I told Henry how remarkable he was, it never seemed to sink in with him. Such was my brother’s nature.

“
So, what’s the plan?” said Shay.

I strolled over to the central table, rifled through the drawer, and removed several permanent black markers. “We’re going to gather intelligence. Profile each individual on the board.”

“
Find out their weak spot?” said Shay.

“
Strengths, weakness, where they live, how many children they have, their interests, work history, affairs—”

“
So we can blackmail them?” asked Shay.

I picked up one of the pens. “No, we play by the rules. That way after the vote we have re-secured their loyalty. We must shore up the foundation so this never happens again.” I strolled over to the far wall and pulled off the pen lid. “You’re going to bring me the information and I’m going to identify areas that will be used to sway the vote.”

“
I’m not sure I know enough about business,” said Mia.

“Not a problem. Let’s bring you
up to speed. We have ten board members. Their responsibility is to protect the shareholders assets and make sure the return on their investments are profitable. The board holds a great deal of power. They recommend stock splits, approve the finances, and have the power to promote a merger or acquisition. Change their mind and we change the vote.”
 

“Well that seems simple enough,” said Shay sarcastically.

“It’s all Mia needs to know for our purpose,” I said.

“So after we’ve gathered all this,” said Shay. “We call them?”

“Visit them.” I glanced at my watch.

“But what if we sway them this year and next year this happens again?” said Shay.

“Dad’s reassured me his old attorney put an addendum in place to prevent it happening again.”

“Old?” said Shay.

“As in just died.”

“Suspiciously?”

“Heart attack on the golf course.”

“Another good reason never to play golf,” said Henry.

“What’s the first reason?” asked Shay.

“I hate golf.”

Mia sat up. “What kind of addendum?”

“I’ve yet to find it,” I said.

“It’s in that contract you were reading?”

“Yes.”  

“Dad gave you a contract to read?” asked Henry.

“It’s five hundred pages long. Want to take a look?”

“I’m good,” he said.

I smiled and shook my head. “So, here’s where we start…”

We used the back wall to write the board members’ names and beneath it left a vertical space where we’d add in details. We set up three laptops found around the house and also utilized the desktop. We worked fast, starting with addresses, financial status, family members, and political preferences from voting records. We even managed to obtain medical data from their Cole Tea policies. Shay’s hacking skills came in handy on all fronts.  

As Mia, Henry, and Shay began notating the information under each name, I sat in the corner watching footage, including interviews that had been conducted over the years, studying every perspective of each person.

I was so engrossed in a YouTube video of board member Leonard Maybury that I hadn’t noticed my mom enter. Rubbing the tiredness from my eyes, I realized she was standing stock-still, gaping at the wall’s graffiti.

“I’ll paint over it,” I told her.

She left and closed the door behind her.

After swapping a wary stare with Henry, I went back to the screen.

Twenty minutes later, Mom returned. She carried a tray with four mugs of coffee and proceeded to hand them out, adding milk and sugar as needed.

She smiled fondly at Mia as she prepared her beverage.

Mia was her usual kind and appreciative self, showing Mom there were no hard feelings.

Now it was my turn to gape, and on Mia’s subtle gesture, I closed my mouth.

Mom strolled over to the wall.

“
He made me do it,” murmured Henry with a glint of mischief.

“
Leonard Maybury.” She rested a fingertip by his name. “His parents were German immigrants. He studied business at Wharton. We took a holiday together a year ago with his wife Sally in Bavaria.”
 

I rose to my feet and headed over. “That’s good, Mom. Keep going.”

Her eyes glinted with warmth. “Leonard experienced bankruptcy in his late twenties. His first business went under due to his over-leveraged hotel and casino business in New Orleans.”