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“Fuck. Eight years?” We knew they wouldn’t go easy on him, not when government contracts were involved, but still...As much as I meant it when I told Delilah I didn’t care what happened to Dad, I can’t imagine how he’s feeling right now. Then again, I can’t imagine what he was thinking, getting involved in insider trading to begin with. His arrogance convinced him he would never get caught, and look where that’s gotten him. Sitting in a damn prison cell for eight years.
“The news will break soon,” Roman says. “Do you have a sense of how our investors will take it?”
“There’s obviously some concern. A lot of them have adopted a wait-and-see attitude so far. I’ve been prepping them for a guilty verdict and reassuring them that it won’t change anything. That Dad’s actions were his and his alone and not a reflection of the King Group’s business practices.”
“Any talk of withdrawing?”
“There were some rumblings at the start, but I emphasized that even with the change in leadership, we’re continuing to operate at expected levels, and that we’ll honor all our financial commitments. It seems to have eased concerns. If we can get through the next few weeks with no major setbacks, everyone will relax, and we can finally move on from this.”
Roman lets out a heavy sigh. “That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. Not that I had any doubts you’d pull it off.”
That glimmer of pride is back, but I shrug it off. “You sound tired. How are things back there?”
“Everyone wants to see progress with the hotel project.” He pauses for a beat. “Berrington is pushing for us to bring forward the groundbreaking for the first three hotels.”
I frown. “Why? Our current timeline is realistic and exactly what we put forward when we went through the equity financing process.”
“I had that conversation with him. I get the sense he’s looking for an excuse to pull his investment, but so far, we haven’t given him one.”
I scrub my hand over my face. “Having a major investor bail right now is the last thing we need. Did he give any indication as to why? The King Group has made him a lot of money over the years.”
Roman is silent, thinking, I assume. “It’s rumored that he’s considering increasing his investment in Steele Enterprises.”
“Our profitability and revenue growth projections outstrip Steele Enterprises’. He knows that.”
“Agreed. But Steele Enterprises is still performing well in the current market. And Jake Steele is Berrington’s cousin by marriage. I wouldn’t put it past Steele to use the situation with Dad’s arrest to put pressure on that relationship. With Berrington getting closer to retirement, there’s a good chance he’s putting greater stock in personal relationships than in financial metrics these days.”
“He was college buddies with Dad.”
“Exactly. But he’s not dealing with Dad anymore, is he?” Roman’s frustration pours through the phone line.
“I can set up a meeting with him when I get back,” I offer.
“I plan to have lunch with him tomorrow. I’ll test the waters to see what he’s really after, because I don’t think he actually cares about the groundbreaking date.”
“Okay. Let me know how it goes and if you need me to meet with him.”
“Will do.” His voice has gone distant, his attention moved elsewhere, but just before I’m about to end the conversation, he comes back. “Can you call Mom? I haven’t had a chance to talk to her since Dad took the plea bargain.”
Talking to Mom is the last thing I feel like doing. Still, I agree, and then we end the call.
Just as it does every night, the urge to speak to Delilah rises in me. She’s gotten under my skin in a way I never thought was possible. I’d much rather talk to her than Mom, but I’ve made a point to avoid calling her while I’ve been gone. As if the minute I dial her number because I can’t stand not hearing her voice any longer, I won’t be able to deny what this thing between us has become.
My fingers move over the screen as I pull up our message history, then scroll back to the one where she told me she missed me. I almost hadn’t replied, but the thought of leaving her hanging after she put herself out there like that had sent a stab of pain through me. Not that I would have said it back if it wasn’t true. The problem is, it’stoofucking true.
To distract myself from dwelling on the implications of that, I pull up Mom’s number and call it, hitting speaker and putting my phone on the side table. Then I swing my legs over the side of the bed and sit with my elbows resting on my thighs as I wait for her to answer.
“Cole.”
I roll my eyes at the lack of warmth in her voice. “Hi, Mom. Have the lawyers been in touch with you about Dad?”
She lets out an impatient sigh. “Of course. Eight years. It’s about what the idiot deserves.”
“I’m sure he appreciates your sympathy.”
“If he wanted my sympathy, he should have restricted himself to buying his whores diamonds instead of trying to set them up for life.”
She’s not wrong. But it makes me wonder what she’s bought the men she’s had affairs with over the years. What did she get for Tate’s dad?
