Chapter 19: Rebel Revenge: Chapter 19

Ihad things to do. An appointment with my lawyer. An entire company that was still running thanks to my father’s diligent staff who all adored him, but I needed to get in there and talk to his business partner. There were decisions that needed to be made and plans to be put in place.

Then there was my darling wife and her disasters that had somehow become mine.

But instead of doing any of that, I was sitting outside of Black Industries, staring at the dark tinted windows, with hate coursing through my veins.

I might not have known Rebel very well, but hearing Caleb had hurt her rolled my stomach.

The reaction had gone further than just hearing the news that a random woman had been attacked. I heard things like that on the news all the time and felt sympathy and anger, but then I went on with my day.

The problem was, she was a woman I was responsible for. My dad had clearly wanted her taken care of. If I hadn’t needed the money so fucking badly to bail my damn wife out of her mess, I would have just let Rebel have half. If I’d never met Brooke, I would have still had a nice fat trust fund and not a damn care in the world.

My phone rang, and I glanced at it, irritated by the interruption. “Ah, shit.” My lawyer, Nathan. I was five minutes late for my appointment, and he was already on my case. Freaking Type A people. “What?” I snapped into the phone, not caring I sounded like a spoiled brat. “I’m busy.”

“Yeah, well, aren’t we all? We had a meeting.”

“I’m coming.”

There was a pause where I went back to staring at the people coming and going from Black Industries. Was it my imagination, or did they all look depressed?

“So that complete silence I hear is your engine running? Or you jogging up the stairs of my office as we speak?”

I cracked my neck to ease the tension mounting there. “Fine. I’m not coming. Can we just do this over the phone? Something came up.”

He huffed out an irritated sigh. “I’ve set in motion the relevant paperwork to contest the will and I called in a few favors. You can put the house on the market. We’ll deal with the fallout later.”

I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel impatiently. “Yeah, about that. I think I’ve changed my mind.”

“What? Since when?”

Since I’d found her in my guest bedroom, curled up asleep, innocent as anything when she wasn’t sassing the crap out of me.

Since I’d realized she had nowhere to go.

Since I’d pulled my head out of my California-tanned ass and remembered my old man wasn’t some elderly, infirm, losing-his-marbles millionaire. He’d been young and smart and kind. Generous. And he’d wanted Miranda’s daughter taken care of. Who the hell was I to say no to that? I hadn’t stepped foot in Providence in ten years. I barely took my father’s calls, and generally only when I wanted something. What made me any more deserving of that money than Rebel?

Half of the estate would have to be enough for Brooke’s goons. It was all I had.

“Have you forgotten that you stormed in here a few days ago and demanded I get you ten million dollars in cash?” Nathan demanded down the phone line.

“No. I still need that.”

“Then sell the house and everything in it. Because going up against some new stepdaughter who works as a bartender in Saint View is going to be a lot easier than going up against your father’s business partner. I can’t get at the money in the business. Harold Coker isn’t stupid.”

I ground my teeth together at the insinuation Rebel was. “Don’t talk about her like that. She’s not dumb.”

“I looked into her. She has a ninth-grade education from Saint View High, of all places, and has only ever held down minimum-wage jobs. I’ll put my money on her not being the sharpest tool in the shed. We can probably buy her off with fifty K.”

I ended the call without saying goodbye. “Fucking elitist prick,” I said to the empty car.

Not that I could talk. I was no better. Brought up with every advantage and an asshole because of it. I couldn’t even blame it on my parents. My dad was good and generous, right down to his toes. My mother was all for supporting the underdog.

What did I do? Beside marry a pretty blonde because I needed a woman on my arm. That was about the only thing I’d achieved in my thirty-one years.

Look where that had gotten me. Back in my childhood home, questioning everything I’d ever thought about myself.

But at least I wasn’t Caleb Black, who strode out of his building with his phone attached to his ear. He had his long-sleeved collared shirt rolled to his elbows, but his suit pants, tie, and shiny shoes all screamed businessman with expensive taste. He barked something into the phone, face stony before entering the coffee shop next door.

“Shit.” I couldn’t see inside the building from where I sat, the sun’s glare on the glass windows reflecting back at me. Before I could consider exactly what I was doing, I was out of the car, collar flicked up against the cool wind that warned winter was coming, and strode into the coffee shop after him.

Caleb was impossible to miss. He sat in the middle of the room at a round table, talking on the phone loudly, zero care given the rest of the patrons were just trying to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee.

Troy Hugh, who’d gone by his last name when we’d been in college, sat beside him, staring off to my left with his old acne scars still visible on his cheek. I followed his line of sight and landed on the young woman making drinks behind the counter. She couldn’t have been any older than eighteen, but he watched her with a degree of intensity that made me uncomfortable.

I ordered a drink, and when the older woman taking orders asked me which table I was sitting at, I found myself pointing to the one behind Caleb and Hugh.

“Okay then, honey. Go on. We’ll bring it over.”

I tipped her generously and made my way through the café, avoiding making eye contact with the two men. I took a seat facing their backs and busied myself with the little sugar packets on the table, hoping they wouldn’t turn my way.

I needn’t have worried. As soon as Caleb finished his call, Hugh nudged him and pointed to the young woman behind the counter.

“Her.”

Caleb glanced over with a bored expression then back at his friend. “Her face looks like she fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.”

Hugh sniggered. “Yeah, but those tits. Fucking huge. Can always put a pillow over her face when I bang her.”

I gripped the sugar packet so hard it ripped and spilled all over the table. Someone needed to put a pillow over his head. And push down on it. I’d never liked these guys. Something had always been off about them.

The door opened while I was simultaneously fuming and sweeping sugar crystals into my palm. By the time I lifted my head, Leonn Edrington was dumping his man bag on Caleb and Hugh’s table and slumping down into a chair facing his friends. Which also meant if he looked slightly past them, he’d see me sitting there, eavesdropping.

It had been a decade since we’d last seen each other, but I didn’t think I’d changed so much they wouldn’t recognize me. I’d recognized the three of them easily enough, even though Leonn had put on at least twenty pounds, and Hugh was prematurely balding. Caleb looked exactly the same, the poster boy for wealth and privilege. He hadn’t changed at all. He’d had that air about him since we’d started kindergarten together.

Hugh flicked his head towards the barista. “Whatya think? Hot or not? I vote yes. Caleb votes too ugly to be fuckable.”

Leonn glanced over, but he was clearly distracted by something else because the blonde didn’t hold his attention for more than a second, and he didn’t answer his friend’s question.

Caleb cocked his head. “What’s wrong with you?”

Leonn glared at him. “What’s wrong with me? Maybe if you ever answered your fucking phone, you’d know. I’ve been calling you!”

Caleb glanced down at his cell and shrugged. “Been on calls most of the day.”

“Yeah, well, lucky you, that your morning was so sweet and calm. Want to know how my morning went?” He didn’t wait for either of the men to answer. “I just spent the morning in lockdown at the hospital after that little bitch you brought us accused me of raping her.”

I couldn’t help it. I glanced up. I had to know if they were talking about Rebel.

The man’s face was mottled pink and purple in his outrage.

It probably matched mine. If the waitress hadn’t come over and placed my coffee down on the table in front of me, I might have flipped it.

Hugh laughed, and when Caleb turned side-on to look at him, I could see the amusement on his face too.

Leonn glared at them both. “It’s not fucking funny! The boyfriend is massive, and he was wearing a Slayers jacket. He went on a rampage through the entire hospital searching for me.”

Definitely Rebel and Fang then.

Caleb took a sip of his drink before he answered. “Well, you’re still alive. So what do you want me to do about it?”

“I don’t know. Something! If she’s going around accusing me, then what makes you think she’s not going to say the same about the two of you? We were all there. What if she goes to the cops?”

Caleb sat back, folding his arms across his chest. “Then we’ll sue her for slander. Watch how quick she changes her tune then. They always do. She knows she’s just a Saint View slut. Nobody is going to believe her against us. Now can we talk about something more interesting? Like my Halloween party?”

I couldn’t hear any more of it. I pushed my chair back, cringing when it made a grating, scraping noise across the tiled floor.

All three men turned to me.

Caleb was the first to recognize me. “Vaughn?”

I shoved my fingers in the pockets of my jeans and tried to act surprised, like I hadn’t just heard every word of their conversation. “Caleb? Shit, hey. It’s been a long time.” I let my gaze slide to the other two men. “Leonn. Hugh. The three of you still hang out?”

Caleb nodded. “Yeah, from time to time. College friends are the best kind, right? Not that we’ve heard from you in forever.”

I rubbed the back of my neck like I was embarrassed. “Yeah, well. I moved to California after graduation. Got married. Haven’t been back since. You guys never left?”

The three of them shook their heads, but the other two let Caleb do the talking.

“I started Black Industries. My building is right next door. Own the entire twenty-seventh floor.”

I raised my eyebrows like that impressed me, because I knew that was what he was hoping for.

Caleb pointed to his left. “Hugh here is my right-hand man.”

“Wow,” I drawled. “Nice job, working for your bestie.”

Hugh frowned, and I couldn’t blame him. I had said it slightly condescendingly. I turned to Leonn. “Just heard a bit of your conversation. You’re a doctor?”

Leonn glanced at Caleb for direction.

It was on the tip of my tongue to mutter, “Yeah, asshole. I know exactly what you did.”

But that wasn’t going to get me anywhere with them. I shook my head, faking sympathy for Leonn and his work problems. “Bitches be crazy, right? My wife is the same. Don’t know why I married her.” That was actually vaguely true, but I wouldn’t have normally been quite douchey enough to say it out loud to anyone.

The worry in Leonn’s expression rapidly changed to relieved laughter. “Don’t know why we even bother, right?”

Caleb deftly changed the subject, leaning forward on his elbows to study me. “Sorry to hear about your old man. Let us know when the funeral is. I’d like to come and pay my respects.”

I nodded. “Sure. Will do.”

“How long are you in town for?”

I shrugged. “A few weeks maybe. Got some things to tie up with my dad’s business and belongings.”

Caleb glanced at Leonn then back up at me. “I’m having a Halloween party next weekend. You should come? Would be a good chance to catch up properly. Some of the other guys from college will be there. Should be a good night.”

“Yeah? Sounds great.”

It sounded shit and like I’d rather poke my eyes out with a rusted fork than hang with the three of them, knowing what they liked to do for sport. But what was that saying?

Keep your friends close but your enemies closer?

Getting inside their inner circle and finding out whatever Rebel needed to know for her revenge plan could come in handy. Fuck knows I kinda owed her one, after trying to take the house out from under her.

Caleb handed me a business card. “My number is on there. Send me a text, and I’ll send you back the address. Your wife in town?”

I shook my head. “Nah. Left the old ball and chain back in Cali.”

Caleb chuckled. “I know how that feels. I just got rid of one myself a few months back.”

“Good for you.”

“We’ll have something a little special at the party. In the form of sluts. What your wife doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?”

It felt like a test. To see if I shared their values and could be trusted. I laughed and channeled my inner frat boy. “Slut me up, baby.”

They all laughed, and we shook hands, promising to catch up at the party.

The instant I walked outside the smile fell from my face.

I felt dirty. If I could have walked right into an acid wash, I very well might have.

For all that I hated the man who I’d become since I’d moved away from this town, for the first time, I realized it could have been worse if I’d stayed.