Going All In (28 page)

She took a deep breath and continued. “After my parents married, my grandfather made my father the CEO. The board eventually agreed to change the name to Holden Enterprises, since my father was the face of the company, but my mother retained controlling interest and Daddy still had to report to the board. At the end of the day, my mother had the ability to fire my father. Something she did swiftly when everything came to light.”

Again, he had no idea how to respond to that information, so he settled on a generic, “Damn.”

She smiled weakly. “Yeah. So anyway, as Gavin started unraveling the mess, he discovered the fishing pier was in my name. In a power play of our own, I sold the fishing pier to Gavin, which gave him possession of the largest piece of property on the island. Sunny refused to sell, and since the Blackout adjoins the fishing pier parcel, there wasn’t any way Holden could build a resort. Which stopped my father in his tracks.” Her throat jumped as she swallowed roughly. “And sent him on a rampage.”

All of this had taken place several years ago, so she was no longer in danger, but as the big picture started coming into focus, his knees weakened and he slumped against the railing. “Sooo you sold the fishing pier to Gavin without your father’s knowledge?” Considering he tried to kill Gavin and Sunny, Wade couldn’t imagine things had gone well for Callie, either, and cold dread over what she’d say next grabbed him by the throat.

She nodded and took a deep breath and even managed to flash a little dimple. “Yeah. To say he was furious is an understatement. Things with him and Gavin had gotten rough—at that point Gavin was involved with Sunny and his allegiance was no longer with my father—so I took Daddy to dinner and broke the news. My father is a big man.” She glanced at Wade. “Much like you. I’d never seen the monster I often heard other people whisper about.” She swallowed a few times as if she were having difficulty getting her throat to work. “That night, I saw it all. I thought he would have a heart attack or a stroke when I told him what Gavin and I had done. He swept everything off the table, threw his chair across a restaurant filled with people, and swore to everyone within a three-block radius that he’d kill Gavin and disown me if we didn’t cancel the sale.”

Holy shit.

He couldn’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been for Callie, and thinking about her in danger—especially from her father—infuriated him. Unable to maintain his distance any longer, he reached for her hand.

Rather than accepting his hand, she launched herself into his arms and trembled against him. His protective instincts kicked in and he tightened his grip, reassuring her she was safe.

After the trembling stopped, she pulled away and began to pace. “Gavin warned me Daddy would threaten to disown me if I didn’t recant the sale, but I didn’t care. I didn’t agree with what my father had done, and owning the fishing pier meant the world to Gavin.” Her smile was sweet and sheepish. “At the time, his wishes were extremely important to me. I wanted to help Gavin, who was as desperate to shake free of my father’s control as I was. The sale also gave me the money I needed to get out of my parents’ house, so it was a win all the way around.” She rolled her head to the side. “Well, for everyone but my father. And I had no idea he’d follow through on his threats against Gavin and Sunny.”

She stopped pacing and looked Wade in the eye. “I told you Kevin saved me too, and I wasn’t lying. I’d gone to college, but I had no work experience. None. Ever. I wanted to get out and make my own way in the world, but I didn’t know how. I was like an exotic pet that suddenly found itself loose in the wild.” A real smile brushed across her lips, and Wade found himself smiling along with her at the quirky comparison. “My chances of survival weren’t good, but I was determined, and I had Gavin on my side. He introduced me to Kevin, and fortunately, he liked my suggestions. He was willing to give an inexperienced diva a chance.”

The broad smile spreading across her face reminded him of a brilliant sunrise brightening a dark, night sky. “I’ve never been prouder of myself than the day Kevin hired me. I loved the feeling of accomplishment, and I wanted to keep experiencing those small victories.”

Her excitement for the job and her achievements was evident in the way she bounced on her toes and in her growing smile.

“I used the money from the fishing pier to buy my condo and get a new car, so I wouldn’t have to worry about those payments. Then I took the rest of the proceeds to my friend Jason, who helped me invest it. I haven’t touched a penny since.”

She grabbed the flaps of his open shirt and tugged. “When I told you I was saving up for a pair of boots, I wasn’t lying. I only have the money from my paychecks in my bank account. I don’t have to pay rent, but I do pay association dues and insurance and utilities and food, just like everyone else. And if I want a new pair of boots, I have to give up something in order to get them.”

Her dark-brown eyes implored him to believe her, and even though he was trying to fight the tide, he felt himself being pulled under and carried away in their depths. He found it hard to believe that someone who’d lived a nice, cushy life would give it all up in favor of eating packaged noodles. But then he thought about his mother.

She didn’t have to work, and his father would’ve preferred she didn’t. But she wanted to, and when Wade started middle school, she went to work part time. When he started high school, she moved up to a full-time position.

Even though he was a breath from slip-sliding away in Callie’s explanations, she’d said there were two sources of income, and he still needed to know the second, largest part of the equation. “Where does the chump change… you know, the measly thirty mil come in?”

She narrowed her eyes like she didn’t appreciate his sarcasm, and he almost smiled. Almost.

“When I turned twenty-five, right after I went to work for Kevin, I gained control of my trust fund. I’ve never touched a penny of it. I’ve instructed the lawyers that unless someone’s life is in danger, they’re not to give me access to any of it.” She bit down on her lip and rolled her eyes to the side. “I’m not sure how I’m going to convince them Tiffany’s business is a matter of life or death, but I’ll work that out later. Anyway, I’m still trying to figure out how best to use it. My father showed me greed can turn a person into a monster, but I view money itself as being like electricity. It can light a house and provide heat or fire an electric chair and kill someone. Electricity isn’t bad; it’s the way it’s used. Money is the same way.” She shrugged. “I’m just trying to figure out the best use for it.”

She rubbed her arms and stared at the open waters surrounding them. “I considered telling you all of this the other night, but I saw the way you looked at me when you thought I was like Miranda. And I’ve seen the way you look at me since you decided I’m not like her.” She returned her steady gaze to him. “I like the new way better, and I was afraid if I told you about the trust fund, or the remaining fishing pier money, you’d go back to looking at me with contempt, and I didn’t want that. I’d hoped for a little more time, to get to know each other better before I told you the whole truth.”

With a heavy sigh, he took his ball cap off his head and readjusted it a few times before pulling it down low on his forehead. She was right about money being a valuable asset if used properly, and the way she worded it made him feel like an ass for thinking less of her for having it. She was also right about the way he would’ve reacted.

Hell, he’d proven her right, hadn’t he?

Callie was a beautiful woman, inside and out. She might’ve been born into money, and she might’ve taken advantage of her circumstances for most of her life, but at her core, she was nothing like Miranda. She was brave as hell, and he couldn’t image the guts it took to stand up to her father, especially in the face of his violent tendencies. She had more balls than most men he knew, and her loyalty to her friends—who he still wasn’t sure deserved it—was something he admired.

He still couldn’t grasp the idea of her being worth more than the entire population of his small town, but that was a male pride thing he’d have to work through. Only one question remained.

“What about Gavin?”

She blinked a couple times, then frowned. “What about him?”

“When he told you Sunny was pregnant, your response was less than enthusiastic. Are you sure your heart is as available as you think?”

She frowned and rubbed her forehead, as if trying to jar the memory loose.

Helping her out, he said, “You weren’t as excited for your
friend
as I would’ve expected.”

Her eyes widened and brightened and she shook her head as if to say,
Silly boy.
“He was so serious when he gave me the news… not nearly as excited as I would’ve expected
him
to be, so I was worried about what he thought of the news.” She drew back and her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t hear all of the conversation, did you?”

He scratched behind his ear and shook his head. “No, I left after hearing your response.”

She crossed her arms and gave him a look that reminded him of his third grade teacher, Mrs. Music. Bitch could pop a knuckle with a ruler before he even realized she’d come up behind him. Callie had the stance and attitude; the only thing she lacked was the bun, those ugly knee-high stockings that drooped down around her ankles, and the motherfucking ruler. He shuddered and rubbed his eyes to clear the image.

“I’m thrilled for them. Yes, Gavin used to be my Prince Charming, but”—she dipped her gaze, then rolled her eyes back up to him—“I sort of have a new picture of what my prince might look like, and he doesn’t ride a white horse.” She took a tentative step closer and smiled. “I think he might drive a black truck… a really big, loud, and totally obnoxious truck.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. He didn’t have any further questions, and while he still had plenty of doubts about his ability to be her Prince Charming, there were no lingering doubts about Callie.

“I think he’s adventurous.” She continued. “And he makes me want to be adventurous, too. I’ve been a lot of places in my life, but I’ve never truly lived. I want him to keep encouraging me to try new things, like going out on a boat in the middle of nowhere.”

She stopped and looked around, seemingly realizing for the first time they were still alone, and Alex and Tyler’s ten minutes had expired ten minutes ago. “They’re not back.” Her eyes widened and she bounced with excitement. “Does that mean they found it?”

About halfway through their conversation, a little ping sounded in his brain, making him aware that Tyler and Alex had yet to return. But he hadn’t wanted his focus on Callie to be diluted. Still didn’t.

Dropping his forehead to hers, he said, “I guess it means they found something, which means we have a few more minutes until they resurface.”

She grinned as her gaze locked onto his. “Does this mean we’re good? Do you understand why I didn’t tell you about the money?”

He sighed and nodded. “Yeah.” He paused and thought for a moment. “My ego is still trying to grasp the concept of thirty million and knowing you can buy whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want, and I’ll never be able to compete. But I guess I’ll figure that out in time.”

“Please don’t let that come between us. We’ll figure it out together. How about that?” Her smile grew mischievous. “I hear make-up sex is really phenomenal… Can we find out tonight?”

He laughed and slid his palm up the length of her spine to the nape of the neck. “That was my plan. And not just tonight, but tomorrow morning… tomorrow afternoon… tomorrow night. And probably even Monday morning before work.”

The more he talked, the softer her eyes became, and his mind started running through the possible scenarios for getting a jump on the plan right now. Giving her a preview of what to expect, he pressed his lips to hers and slipped his hand between her jacket and her sweater.

A loud splash and flailing from the side of the boat pierced his thoughts, and he pulled away from Callie to peer over the side rail, expecting to find a sea turtle or a porpoise.

Instead, he found Alex, panicked, out of breath, and in dire straits.

Wade’s own panic began to stir as he scanned the area near Alex. “Where the fuck is Tyler?”

“Trapped.” Alex gasped as he removed his mask and tossed it into the boat. “We found the ship”—he gasped for air, then coughed and gagged—“and had just started to explore when something happened.” He coughed and gagged again. “I don’t know if it was an errant fin kick or if a shark bumped into the side, but rust and debris fell all around us and we got silted out.”

He’d been slowly making his way to the ladder as he spoke, but as he tried to climb up, fatigue had him stumbling and slipping back into the water.

Wade threw out his hand to catch Alex, then hauled him onto the boat.

“When the dive shop filled my tank, they didn’t open the isolation valve, so I only had one tank of air. I didn’t realize what was happening with my air until a moment before everything went dark.” He collapsed onto a bench and ran his hand over his face. Grief and despair filled his voice and eyes. “I barely had enough to get to the surface to get you.” Wild desperation flashed at Wade. “You’ve gotta go down and find him.”

“Son of a bitch.” Rage mixed with dread and panic pumping through Wade’s system and had him so lightheaded he had to take a second to catch his breath and let his vision clear.

Callie’s voice finally pierced the red-and-black veil blinding him. “What can I do to help?”

He shook off the emotional blinders that weren’t doing Tyler a damned bit of good and said, “Grab my bags from the hatch.”

He briefly glanced at Alex’s dry suit, but his additional three inches and thirty pounds made getting into Alex’s dry suit an impossibility. He fought off the chill rising up inside him as he stripped off his clothes, and the cold air causing goose bumps to rise on his skin reminded him of the approaching storms and cold front. The clouds were getting thicker, which meant the visibility underwater was getting worse, which would make it even more difficult to find Tyler. Not like a little surface light helped anyway if they had zero visibility, but…
Fuck.
He was going to kill Tyler.