Rose In Bloom (10 page)

I can’t bear to watch this. These two are hopeless and stupid as hell.

Just as they are leaving, Sophie returns inside with a solemn look on her face, remaining unaware of the trail of men that turn to look her way. My sister is unbelievably gorgeous, but she doesn’t believe it.

“Are you okay, sis?” I ask concerned.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” she returns unconvincingly. “I had to return a phone call.”

Reaching across the table, I grab her hand.

“Talk to me, sis. I need to know what is going on with you.”

“It’s nothing, Sky. Let’s not ruin our time here discussing it, all right?” She looks at me pleading with her eyes.

“We’re discussing it. No arguments. Now spill.” I demand.

“God, you are awfully bossy.”

“Yeah, I think it is the pregnancy thing.” We laugh and then she begins playing with the straw in her soda.

“Do you remember when I went to London for soccer training?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Rylan and I had just broken up, and the very last thing I was looking for was to find anyone else. I knew I needed to keep my head in the game if I was going to keep my spot on the camp team. But while I was in training sessions, I met someone. His name is Kieran Thompson. He had just graduated from Oxford and was helping with the camp as an instructor. All the girls there were constantly throwing themselves at him. He was unbelievably hot, don’t get me wrong, but I was focusing on improving my game, not him. I was practically the only one there who cared more about soccer than getting in his bed. Somehow, I think that intrigued him. Still, I refused to give in and throw myself at him.” She pauses a second and smiles before continuing.

“Well, I guess if you count me crashing my tray of food into him, I did in a way throw myself at him.” She giggles.

“What happened after that?” I laugh.

“Skylar, the minute he touched me, my whole world changed. I have never felt that way before, even with Rylan. Something in his dark eyes drew me in. I didn’t want him to let me go, but the thing is, I knew he had felt the same way. We ended up sitting together and talking for hours. I was even late to practice that evening. Since they are so strict on training, it normally would have meant that I would be sent home, but he covered for me, saying we were moving equipment. He laughed later that he hadn’t lied. He was carrying a whistle in his pocket the whole time, and he considered that equipment.

After that, the other girls hated that he paid me so much attention. He would always give me extra tips and compliment me on my skills. We started sneaking out every night to go swimming and then, one night, we ended back at his place, and well, you know.”

I’ve never seen my sister light up so much about anything. There is no doubt she loved this guy.

“Sophie! You little stink bug, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to tell you, Sky. God, it was so amazing. In just those two weeks, I felt like I had met the other part of me. If I had told you that after breaking up with Rylan, you would have told me I was crazy.”

“Have you looked at my life lately?” I joke. “I think I would be the very LAST person to judge you on that. I know all about that. Sebastian is the other part of my soul, so I get it. So, what happened with Kieran after you were together?”

“The next day, he wasn’t at practice, and then when he finally showed on our last game day, he just stood on the sidelines and glared at me hatefully the entire time. I couldn’t even concentrate on the game and ended up missing a crucial play. He screamed at me afterwards in front of everyone. It was as if he had become a completely different person. I wanted to talk to him, but it was time to get on the bus to head for the plane back home.”

“So you haven’t seen or heard from him since?”

“No,” she says sadly, hanging her head. “But now that I am back in Boston, Rylan is determined more than ever to get me back. He even transferred to Boston University. Part of me feels like I need to work things out with him. We had a good thing. I mean I loved him, but nothing like I had felt for Keiran. I mean I’m crazy right? It was only one time and I’d only known him two weeks. But we had shared so many things about our lives to one another. I felt like I knew him all my life. I guess he got what he wanted from me and I disappointed him.”

“You know that isn’t true! He is obviously an asshole to have used you like that. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

Picking up her phone, she stares at it. “Rylan is who I was talking to on the phone just then. He wants us to get together when I get back to school on Monday.”

“Oh God! Speaking of school, is coming here going to get you in trouble?”

“No, not at all. I am only missing two classes and I already spoke to my teachers. Since your soon-to-be husband just purchased the team a new travel bus, I don’t think the coach minds that I will be missing this Saturday morning training.”

“No, he didn’t!” I gasp.

“Oh yeah, he did.”

Shaking my head, I laugh. Sebastian Thorne is relentless when he wants something, but I love him for it.

“So, what are you going to do when you get back to Boston?” I ask, taking a drink of my pineapple juice.

“I don’t know Skylar. I care about him so much and I don’t want to risk losing something with him. What if I was just in some sort of rebound haze? Maybe I’m just confusing lust with love.”

“When it comes to loving someone, never just settle, Sophie. Love is not about obligation and comfort. Being with Rylan feels safe to you because it’s familiar. I’m not saying that he isn’t the one for you. I’m just saying you need to follow your heart. All right?”

Nodding, she smiles and squeezes my hand. “I love you, sis.”

“I love you, too, baby girl! Now, let’s go see if we can rescue Kylie before it’s too late.”

Lucas

With the journals tucked away in my leather satchel, I make my way inside Maverick Larson’s office. Honestly, I would be lying if I were to say that I’m not nervous right now. This matter has to be handled just right or it can be disastrous. Today, I will call his bluff. Like a good hand in poker, I’m laying all the cards on the table, including the ace in my bag. There is no way in hell I’m leaving here today without getting some answers.

“Welcome, Mr. Drake.” Maverick stands, extending his hand out to me. By looking at this man, you’d never suspect he is dangerous. Even with his immaculately clean-cut look and sleek designer suit, you’d never suspect you were coming face to face with a stone cold killer. His powerful presence is more than intimidating that I will fully admit. That is the key in being successful in this business.

You don’t want this man as your enemy. That is what makes this all very tedious. Everyone knows what Maverick Larson is capable of. If I become an issue to him, I can easily be made to disappear. I’ve done the smart thing though. These ledgers are not the only copies. There are several “save your ass” files in many different locations. If something happens to me, he will not be able to deny anything, including having this meeting with me.

“Good morning, Mr. Larson,” I reply and he motions for me to have a seat across from him. Unbuttoning his suit jacket, he confidently leans back in his large leather chair and props his feet up on his desk. His expensive Italian leather shoes sport such a shine that I can almost see my reflection in them.

“So, let’s get to the point, shall we? What business regarding Sebastian Thorne do you need to discuss with me?”

Clearing my throat, I take a deep breath and begin talking to the devil himself. “Mr. Larson, what dealings would you say you’ve had with Thorne Enterprises in the past?”

“Dealings? I can’t say I’ve had any dealings with them. I’ve never worked with Sebastian, although I’m somewhat familiar with him. I know that he has a ruthless reputation, worse than his father does, when it comes to business deals. He stops at nothing to get what he wants. As a businessman, I can respect that about him though because I’m the same way.”

“So, you knew his father, then?”

“Alexander? Yes, we both knew one another. Why?”

“Did you and Alexander conduct any business with one another in the past?”

“I told you, I’ve not done any business with Thorne Enterprises. What is this about exactly? I don’t like being questioned.” He immediately becomes agitated.

“Well, sir, I guess I’m a bit confused. You say you’ve never done business with him, so exactly why would these suggest otherwise?” I say, pulling out the books from my bag. Opening up the marked page, I stand and place the ledger in front of him on his desk. Dropping his legs down, he straightens in his chair and looks down at the book.

“Where did you get this?” he harshly snaps at me.

Breathe, Lucas, you’ve got him, now reel him in.

“I have this, along with several other documents, linking you and Alexander to some pretty sketchy business transactions. How I got my hands on them is not of importance.”

“What exactly is your concern then, Mr. Drake? I’m not blind. I know when someone is trying to blackmail me.”

“It’s simple, really. I only want to know why, in those short months, Alexander paid you that much money.”

“I see. May I ask why this is any concern of yours?” he asks me, leaning back in his chair.

“Really, it isn’t any concern of mine, but it may become one for you. Recently, several documents have come into my possession, Mr. Larson. Many of which implicate you as being responsible for several different real estate frauds. I did a little research on you, and it seems that, in 2005, you were involved in some significant legal issues, corporate fraud, to be exact. It’s curious how those charges were suddenly dropped and loans were paid in full. Those loans were all paid by three different accounts of yours, the same accounts where Alexander wired this money,” I say, pointing at the ledger.

“What do you want, Mr. Drake? I hope you know who you’re dealing with, to just walk in here, accusing me of such things.”

“I only need to understand why Alexander would stick his neck out for you if he weren’t equally guilty of something himself. Sebastian is hiding something, and I have a gut feeling that this all ties together.”

“And what if I were to tell you that Mr. Thorne had more than his share of secrets? Secrets that would destroy him if they ever were to be told?”

“Then I would tell you that it is time to trade secrets.”

He stands and walks towards his bar. “Would you like something?” he asks calmly.

“No, thank you.” I respond.

He still pours two drinks. Picking up the glasses, he extends one out to me and I hesitantly take it. Settling back into his large office chair, he leans back and crosses his legs before taking a long sip of the dark aged scotch.

“To answer your question, Mr. Drake, Alexander and I had known each other for years. He wasn’t exactly known for building his company the honest way, so we had occasional business dealings when we needed problems solved. Late one night in 2005, Alexander called me needing help. It seems Sebastian had been driving drunk home from a party and hit another car. It had killed two people in the front, but the other passengers in the back survived. Since there were no witnesses, it had been considered a hit and run. If Sebastian’s car had been seen, he would immediately have been questioned. So, I made it disappear and his father reported it stolen that next week. When I did this, he agreed to pay my way out of my legal mess. He pulled some major strings and paid me the money I needed to pay off the loans. After that, we didn’t have any further dealings with one another.”

“Wait. Are you saying that Sebastian killed two people?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.”

I can’t process this in my head. Of all people, how can she forgive him for this? She’d lost her parents in a similar way, so how can she keep this a secret?

“So you both had leverage on one another. That is why you kept quiet all these years and he had kept that proof,” I say, pointing back at the book in front of him.

“Yes, we were finally even, you could say. At the time, there was no reason to drag the past out. Not until now, anyway. Sebastian shouldn’t have interfered with my family. He crossed the line when he put my son behind bars.”

Brandon. I will kill the motherfucker myself if I ever lay eyes on him.