HellKat (23 page)

“Kat, I—”

“I know you want to help, but—”

“Are you in danger? Is that what this is about?”

“She could be.” Tucker spoke up. “That’s somethin’ I want to talk to you about.”

“Okay.”

“I have to go out of town for a few days, take care of some business back home.” Dan grunted his disapproval, loud and clear. Tucker ignored it. “I don’t want her out of your sight. I want someone outside her building at home, at work, wherever she is, at all times.” Kat scoffed and Tucker raised his finger to her lips. “I don’t care what it costs. Just bill me, I’m good for it—no matter what your papers here print.”

“I’ll take care of it. When do you need it to start?”

“By tomorrow evening, at the latest. That a problem?”

“Not at all. Consider it done.”

“I will. Kat’ll send you all my contact information. I expect a call if
anything
out of the ordinary comes up. I don’t care what time it is. Understood?”

“Of course.”

Tucker sat back in his seat, his posture signaling he had nothing else to say. She shook her head at him, perturbed.

“Well, okay, then. Since you two boys have worked everything out, I guess there’s nothing left for the little lady to do.” Her chin tilted down at Tucker. He grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

“All right, Kat. I’ll be in touch about the security detail so you know what to expect and aren’t spooked by anyone. Most of the time you probably won’t even notice they’re there.”

“Great,” she said mockingly. She ended the call and turned to Tucker, trying to figure out this exasperating man.

“You really just hired my old boyfriend to follow me around?” He stared at her, unfazed. “I bet if I checked your Internet history, I’d find Dan Walsh’s name right at the top.” He returned a lazy smile. “So, let me get this straight, Williams. You
knowingly
hired a handsome, independently wealthy man to follow me around. A man I dated on and off for a lot of years. A man who is only going to delegate out my ‘security’ when he
absolutely
cannot be the one to do it himself. Not to brag or anything, but he’ll probably clear his calendar so he can do just that.” They locked eyes. “And you’re okay with it? Not bothered in the least?”

He seemed amused.

“Do you still want him?” The casualness of his question irritated the hell out of her.

“You know I don’t! You forced me to tell you everything about him.”

Now he looked like he had short-term memory loss.

He shrugged. “I don’t remember usin’ any force to get that information out of you.”

She wagged her finger at him. “Oh no you don’t, mister. You know damned well I can’t keep a secret after a good spanking.” She turned her head away and muttered under her breath. “Christ, it’s more effective than waterboarding.”

He bit his lips together and chuckled.

“Well, I trust you, Kat. And I believe what you’ve told me: that it’s over, been over for some time now. You’ve both moved on, right?”

She nodded, chewed at her lip. Well, she had …

“Listen, this guy cared about you, maybe even still does. Because of that, I trust him with your protection a helluva a lot more than someone who just collects a paycheck from him.” His eyes gleamed with a fire she knew burned for her alone. “I may not like the idea you have a past with him, but I want to know you’re being looked after while I’m gone. I know you don’t think it’s necessary, but I do. So, you’re just gonna have to deal with it.”

Then he laughed and pulled her closer. “Plus, I know you will run him ragged, chew him up one side and down the other. He doesn’t stand a chance, because he’s not man enough for you.” His grin turned devilish. “He’s already proven that.”

“Oh, and you think you are, Williams?”

Without warning, he yanked her onto his lap, threaded his fingers through her hair, and pulled her lips close to his, one hand slipped between her legs, teasing her. Her breath hitched.

“You wouldn’t be pushin’ for a spanking, would you?”

Her heart raced and her body thrummed with wanton anticipation. Hell, she’d beg him for it, if she had to. She brushed her lips against his and rocked against the pressure of his hand as he squeezed and stroked her.

“If you think you’re man enough, cowboy, prove it,” she said, breathless and shaky. He chuckled against her lips. It tickled, even between her legs.

“Oh, darlin’, you know there’s nothin’ I like better than a challenge. And this is one challenge I’m always up for.”

With ease, he shrugged her over his shoulder and headed for the bedroom, planting a swift warm-up smack to her covered ass. She moaned, couldn’t help herself. He owned her, and damn him, he knew it.

She waited, hidden, in the plush lobby with its glittering chandeliers, marbled columns, lush potted plants, and sculpted indoor trees. One by one, the players arrived and headed upstairs to the overpriced luxury corporate apartment with its kitchen, personal chef, and room attendants. Apparently, nothing was too good for Parker James, especially on the company tab. And most especially with an attempted coup placed at the top of his agenda. No, a conference room at JAMESCO headquarters would never have sufficed.

She flexed the thin plastic rectangle in her hand. Kyle had texted earlier, told her a key card would be waiting for her at the front desk. She aimed it for the slot and drew in a deep breath. It was about to get real. She entered and closed the door silently. She wanted the element of surprise. A dramatic entrance would work best. Put them all off balance at once.

Male banter and deep-throated laughter drifted into the foyer, as did ice cubes clinking in crystal. She listened carefully at the edge, wanting to step in at the opportune time.

Kat smoothed her blood-red dress while she waited. She’d chosen the symbolic, eye-popping color for many reasons: strength and determination, war and power, blood and danger. She wanted to shine, to be the center of attention amongst the black suits posturing and grandstanding nearby.

Because when she handed their balls to them, she wanted them to remember who had done it, and to never forget it.

As the good humor amped up, she rounded the corner. “What did I miss, gentlemen?” Her voice bubbled with enthusiasm; her smile appeared genuine. But her eyes warned of the dangerous contradiction lurking beneath the surface.

Abrupt silence. Throats cleared. Eyes volleyed around the smug, bewildered group. Parker stepped out from the center of the stuttering crowd. The hostility on his face, the threat in his eyes, exceeded her expectations. If eyes were the windows to the soul, then the depravity displayed in his should’ve made her turn and run. But that had never been her style, and besides, he didn’t have a soul anyway.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting too long, Parker. My invitation to this little soiree arrived a bit late.” She winked, watched him seethe. “Parker certainly knows how to entertain the board, doesn’t he?” Her hard stare swept around the room of dumbstruck black suits. “Personally, with JAMESCO’s heavy debt load, this doesn’t seem prudent to me. So, the bill will be sent to you, Parker. The company will not be paying for your little overthrow party.”

She marched over and swung open the door of the stainless steel refrigerator. “My, my.” She shook her head and tutted dramatically. “You’ve really outdone yourself. Cristal and beluga caviar. Planning quite the celebration, I’d say.” She yanked a bottle out. “Let’s celebrate now, shall we?” The room filled with mutters of uncertainty and palpable discomfort.

“What do you suppose this costs, Parker? Three hundred? Four hundred?” He’d inched closer, but remained mute. “I saw four of these in there. I’m not sure we’ll have time to get to all of them, but since the fun is on you, I plan on having some. Fun, that is, and Cristal, of course.”

She paused long enough to feign concern. “I certainly hope Monica doesn’t mind when you get the bill. I mean, this refrigerator is really nothing more than a gigantic minibar, and we all know what a rip-off those are!”

Everyone but Parker seemed to find their shoes unusually interesting.

Kat unwrapped the foil and held her finger on the cork while she uncaged it. She could tell this bottle wanted to blow. Everyone but Parker seemed to have paid attention to the fact she’d kept the bottle upright the entire time, even as she held it now, ready to uncork, the pressure mounting against her palm. They’d all backed away a bit, eyes wide in understanding, all except for Parker. This time his fury had gotten the best of him, left him imbalanced, off his game. Not to mention their usual stare down had greatly worked to his disadvantage, as she’d bet it would.

She aimed the bottle and removed her hand. The cork shot past his head, an unfortunate miss, but the expensive spray hit its mark. Parker yelped and wiped frenziedly at his Armani suit and shook off the slick of champagne on his Berluti shoes. He flapped and jerked like a crazed clown in a circus act. Laughable, really. And Kat would have laughed out loud if she didn’t hate him so fucking much.

She grabbed a crystal flute and poured some of the luxury sparkly. Brought the tiny bubbles to her lips and scanned the morgue-like room. Everything she’d hoped for: shock and awe. And she’d only begun to have her fun.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He moved closer to her, menace radiating from his pores. “Get out!” The barked order made her ears ring, made her think if Satan existed, he’d sound like Parker at that moment. Parker’s face had colored a shade of red she’d never seen on a human. Her eyes flicked to the top of his head, checked for horns, and then she tipped back more bubbly.

“I’m the majority stockholder now. Board meetings will only take place with me in attendance.” Her focus shifted to the cowed group behind them. “And I will be appointing a new board, immediately.” Blusters and indignation erupted all around. They’d finally found their voices.

“You have no right!”

“I have every right, Parker. And I intend on exercising
every
last one of them.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “And you will
not
drag JAMESCO through any protracted legal sideshow when I remove you too.”

The discord among the group grew louder. She stepped away from Parker.

“You’ve all had your last ride on the gravy train.” She made deliberate, pointed eye contact with each of them. “No more trips to Mirabel for you, Brian—with your mistress.” She crossed her arms over her chest while she decided who to crucify next. They looked nervous, beads of perspiration, shifty eyes, and twitchy fingers loosening collars, soon to be nooses. She could smell their fear. And she liked it. She liked it a lot.

“The cost of higher education has certainly gotten out of control. Wouldn’t you say, Gordon?” He seemed to shrink when she zeroed in on him. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to find another way to fund Lucy’s Ivy League tuition. JAMESCO is not in the business of student loans.”

Oh, she could go on and on. The conflicts of interest and collusion were staggering in scope and audacity. She had to love Dan Walsh, give credit where credit was due. The man could dig up shit like a pig sniffing out truffles. Combine his skills with her ability to access the company records, and they were a white-collar-crime-fighting duo blockbusters were made of. She owed him big for this.

She glanced back at Parker. “I’m certain when our largest creditors
required
the appointment of this board, in lieu of calling our loans and creating a financial tailspin, this is
not
what they envisioned. Nor did our father. He clearly exercised poor judgment in giving you his proxy.” She returned her judgment to the sour, mumbling group. “I’m happy to keep going down the list of fraudulent offenses, gentleman. Would you like me to continue?”

Once again, their shoes seemed incredibly interesting.

“I will be tallying up all of the kickbacks, payoffs, gifts, perks, and whatever else you called them as you laughed all the way to the bank, at the expense of my family’s business. All with the complicity and full knowledge of my contemptible brother.”

If they were alone right now, he’d rip her from limb to limb. Savagery was rife on his face, boiling and bubbling under his expensive wool suit. She could feel it, smell it.

Kat shifted her attention back to the newly discredited, former board of directors. “Get your checkbooks out, boys. I want my money back. All of it—with interest. And if you think for one second you’re going to jerk me around on this, think again.” She stepped closer, and they moved back, like a herd of sheep. “Every last one of you has failed in your fiduciary responsibilities to JAMESCO. I have all the proof I need to sue every one of your asses right out of your silk tighty-whities.” Her hands hooked at her hips. “So, fellas, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I’m game for either.”

“You won’t get away this!” Parker bellowed behind her.

She spun around. “How prophetic—for you!”

She approached him with cool, patient deliberation, like a circling shark deciding when to burst through the surface, prey trapped in its bloody jaws. Then her axis shifted. And she felt everything. Saw everything. Past and present occupied the same cramped space, vibrant and loud. Crime scene photos, newspaper clippings, journal entries, psych reports. Family dinners, manipulations, lies, secrets. Death-bed confessions. Electricity zipped and pinged across her scalp and body, as all her senses became hyperaware, pinpointed on this one person, this one point in time.

The longtime adversaries faced off, mere inches separating them, pulling them closer to taking the other over the edge. Their malice combined into a force neither of them were likely to rein in.

“I have a message for you … from our father.” Parker blinked at the unexpected statement, and Kat glimpsed the flash behind the killer’s mask of a young boy desperate for his father’s approval. “Your life is about to change. You need to prepare for that. You need to be ready.”

His face twisted in confusion and disappointment.

One corner of her mouth turned up with sinister intent. “I also have a message for you, Parker.” Kat leaned in for his ears only, whispered his judgment slowly, no doubt as to its meaning or the gravity of his sentence. “I know what you did.” He stiffened and braced himself under the weight of her caustic words. “And I will make you pay.” She gripped him, her breath burned next to his ear. “Both of you.”

She pulled back and swept her eyes over his shocked features, relishing the recognition on his face, now pale and fearful.

“Make sure your mother knows.”

He stumbled back. Eyed her as if she were a ghost from the past.

A corpse from a grave.

But she wasn’t fooled. His disorientation, his short-term confusion, was already melting away. She could see the cold steel of his surly armor reassembling, the chill in his black eyes, recalculating.

His eyes darted to the dumbstruck suits in the far corner and then back to her. “You can’t remove me. The bylaws require a vote. You’ll never get a quorum.”

Before she could respond, a familiar voice piped in. “She’s got my vote.” All heads turned. Kyle rested casually up against a far wall behind the other occupants. “I’ve heard all I need to hear.” His eyes flicked to the shamed directors, and then to Parker. “You’re done.”

Kat wanted to kiss him, tell him how sorry she was and how much she needed him.

“You and I need to talk before you make a decision of that magnitude.” Parker’s tone sounded like a veiled threat, but Kyle didn’t back down.

He pushed off the wall, the bottom of his tailored navy jacket draped over his pocketed hands. He came to stand nose to nose with his older, dangerous brother. “You and I don’t need to talk about anything. I’ve made my decision.” He jabbed his finger at Parker’s chest. “Deal with it.” Kyle did not waver or flinch under the heavy hostility rolling off Parker.

The now-ousted leader glowered at Kat, a look that warned,
I’m not done with you
, and then he bumped past Kyle. The board scrambled after him.

“Parker!” Kat called out. He stopped, fists clenched, back expanding in deep breaths, but he didn’t turn around. “You might want to watch Channel 2 tonight. They’re running a story I think you’ll be interested in.” His shoulders dropped. Then he made his disgraced exit.

She smiled in triumph, but Kat knew better than to think this was over. This was only the beginning of a long, hard road ahead. Her smile faded when Kyle walked past her to leave.

She grabbed his arm to stop him. “Kyle, thank you so much. I—”

He held up his hand but wouldn’t look at her. “I’ll help with the transition, any cleanup with the troubled properties, that sort of thing. But then I’m out. I’m done.” He paused, focusing straight ahead. “With all of you.”

The finality in his words, his dead tone, hit her like a punch to the gut.

Her hand dropped from his arm and fell limp at her side as he walked away from her. The door clicked shut behind him in a singular, punitive goodbye.

She remained rooted to her spot with a growing rage and bitterness swelling inside her as she stood alone with no frame of reference for any of the madness, a tempest that had been coming for her ever since her father died. Ever since she’d stepped into that cramped storage unit, when her life had turned a corner she hadn’t seen coming.