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“Shit. Fuck.” Colm always said that my love of designer shoes would be my downfall, and as usual, he was wrong. “Thank you, Jameson. You’ve proven your worth.”
He smiled and headed toward the office door, but he stopped. Again.
“One more thing. Beck thinks that finding out why you hate priests is how she’ll nail you, so she’s digging. If that helps.”
Jameson didn’t wait for a reaction, almost as if he already knew before he left. For real, this time.
My blood turned cold at his words. “Jasper, wire him another half a mil. Now.”
There was no fucking way in hell I’d let that little bitch dig that deep, not that there was any record of it, but even a hint of what had happened would ruin Jasper’s reputation.
“Sadie,” he growled.
I smacked the desktop with my fists. “Dammit, Jas. Whatever your issues with him are, get the fuck over it. He’s already proven himself to be an asset. Having him on our payroll will be worth the cost.”
Hell, it already was.
“If he’s telling the truth.”
I sighed. “Come and look at the files for yourself. Bonnie was a busy little bitch.” I shoved the laptop towards him, and he hunched over, scanning a few files, his anger growing by the second.
“Fuck. If you hadn’t offed her, I would have.” Jasper shook his head and shoved the laptop away. “Un-fucking-believable.”
“I told you, it had to be done. I could, and I have forgiven a lot of people for a lot of things. Betrayal is not one of those things.”
Jasper nodded his agreement.
“Always protect the family,” Terry added with a heavy sigh. He handed Jasper a glass of whiskey. By now my boys knew I wasn’t drinking, though who knew how long that would last. “Always.”
“Yeah,” I said and stood. “Too bad about the shoes, though. They are a fucking masterpiece.”
Jasper snorted a laugh and shook his head. “Should we prepare a memorial for your shoes?”
“No need, I’ll mourn them by replacing them with something even more incredible. I’ll get Thomas to light the fireplace.” And then I’d get him to light my fire to suppress the memories Beck’s investigation threatened to bring up again.
Not today, bitch.
Not today.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sadie
“Holy shit, Ma! For real?” Kat looked around at the decorated courtyard with a wide smile on her face. She radiated pure fucking joy that made even a cold bitch like me smile.
“Yes, Kat. For real.”
She shook her head and looked around at all the people coming and going, erecting the gazebo near the waterfall pool, the archway for the ceremony, and tents for dinner and dancing.
“I mean, this is the fanciest fucking backyard wedding I’ve ever seen, but I love it. I really love it, Ma.”
Kat stepped forward hesitantly, but her joy overrode her need to suppress her emotions, and she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.
“This is great, Ma. How did you get all this done two days before the wedding?”
I shrugged. Once I realized what needed to be done, it wasn’t a big deal. A few nights ago, I stood and stared at the fire as my shoes burned. It gave me plenty of time to think about how I wanted to move forward with my life. I didn’t want Kat to start her married life unhappy. This was her day, not mine, and I couldn’t relive it through her.
“It’s the smart thing to do, and it’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Kat nodded. “Yeah, it’s exactly what I want.”
“And it’s your day, so you get what you want.”
And it would be easier to keep the manor secure with additional protection. Every fucking vendor had been vetted thoroughly, and still, each had a bodyguard following them to make sure they didn’t make any calls, leave any doors unlocked, or snap photos of shit they shouldn’t.
“Thank you, Ma. This means so much to me.”
“I know.”
Kat hugged me again, and this time I didn’t hesitate to hug her back. I soaked up the love from the daughter I’d never bothered to get to know until recently. She wasn’t the woman I’d accused her of being. She was so much more.
“Love you, Ma.”
I groaned, and Kat laughed. “We’re really doing the whole syrupy wedding shit, then, huh?”
Kat laughed. “Yeah, Ma, we are. This is my wedding, and even though we’re a non-traditional type of family, we love each other fiercer than any family I know. Besides, I have a gift for you. Sort of.”
“It’s not my wedding.”
“No, but you’re footing the bill, and I know how important this is to you.”
She pulled out her phone and pulled up some photos. “I got the wedding dress altered to my own tastes without taking away from the dress.”
I took the phone and stared. “It’s stunning, Kat.” It was as if someone had taken a photo of the dress and made it to fit today’s fashion standards and Kat’s body. “Incredible.”
