“It was more than enough money to pay for my undergraduate degree and my tuition for veterinary school. It was a chance to start over. All for nothing, really. Just talking to some guy and asking him a question. I wasn’t prepared for things to get so complicated. I wasn’t prepared for … you.”
Her answer stuns me into silence. But I can’t deal with that. Not here. Not now.
“Yesterday, I tried to give the check back but Jon ...” Her face crumples.
“He was there?” Then I close my eyes. I have truly been blind this whole time. “Your sister’s boyfriend Jon is Jonathan Boyd, my father’s lawyer. Of course.”
She nods, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Yes. He thought I was trying to get more money. I was just trying to give it back.”
“My father’s security guys told me that he has an open warrant in another state. I’m sure they were the ones who told the authorities where he was. He’s in jail now but if I had known … fuck. I had that guy right in front of me. I should have done more than punch him. I’m going to kill him.”
She clutches at my forearms. “I don’t want you to kill anyone. I didn’t want any of this.”
The door behind us opens, the light from the waiting room spilling into the dark stairwell. The brunette nurse looks between us uncertainly. “Mr. Marshall. Your father has just woken up. He’s asking for you.”
I turn back to Emma. “I have to go. Will you … where will you be?”
“This is a family thing. I shouldn’t be here. Go and be with your brothers. And here.” She pushes an envelope into my hands. “I don’t need this. I never did.”
I stuff it in my pocket without opening it.
“Tank?” Emma is watching me, her eyes sad. “Even though he was wrong to do what he did, I think this is what he really wanted.” She points at me and then at Finn, Gabe and Zack standing just inside the doorway.
“I think he just wanted to bring you all together, before it was too late.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
EMMA
I leave the hospital and it feels like I’m escaping a war zone. The woman who interrupted us gives me a sympathetic look as I pass the nurse’s station. I probably look like hell. I press the backs of my hands to my eyes.
My eyes already feel swollen.
Outside on the curb, I pull out my phone and call Sasha. When it goes to voicemail, I hang up and reluctantly call Ivy. She hasn’t been there for me in the way that family should be lately but she’s still my sister.
And she’s the only family I have left.
It rings several times. When the voicemail picks up, my heart sinks. Are we back to that already? She’s not going to answer my calls. I don’t want to go back home. Even though Jon is in jail, I don’t feel like I belong there anymore.
I look behind me at the double doors leading into the hospital lobby. The only place I want to be is back there in that waiting room with Tank. He looked so devastated. So broken.
My phone rings in my hand and Ivy’s number pops up. I answer it immediately. “Ivy?”
“Emma? What is going on? Jon just called me and asked me to bail him out of jail.”
“You didn’t do it, did you?” Sudden panic closes my throat at the thought that Jon might be out roaming the streets freely.
“No. We’re not together anymore. So much has happened, Em.”
“Yeah for me, too. It’s a long story. Can you come get me? I’m at the hospital.”
She agrees and I sit on one of the metal benches out front to wait. Fifteen minutes later, Ivy pulls up in front of the Emergency entrance. I run over to the passenger side and get in the car.
When she sees my face, she gasps. “Oh my god, Emma! What happened to you?”
“Jon happened to me. He was at Mr. Marshall’s suite when I went there yesterday. It’s a long story but he’s been embezzling from Mr. Marshall and he thought I was going to tell the media.”
She lays a hand over the bruises on my wrists. Then her lower lip trembles. “What have I done?”
Whatever I was expecting when I called her, it wasn’t this. “Ivy, it wasn’t your fault.”
She clenches her hand into a fist. “I brought him into our lives. Our house. You tried to warn me so many times and I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t see how right you were until he hit me. I had never seen him like that. I’m so sorry I accused you of being jealous when you called. I already knew what kind of person he was but I was ashamed to admit that I’d been so wrong about him. I’ve been staying with a girlfriend for a while since he kept coming by the house. That’s why I told you it was better if you stayed away. I didn’t want you there dealing with him either.”
“We’ve both made mistakes. I did something. I didn’t tell you the whole story that day when you picked me up from Tank’s apartment.”
“I know I haven’t been a good sister but you can tell me. Tell me now.” She puts the car in gear and pulls off. “I’m not going anywhere for a while.”
That actually brings a smile to my face. It’s something the old Ivy would have said. The real Ivy. The sister I haven’t seen in almost a year.
“Mr. Marshall was my friend. But he was also using me to get to Tank. He offered me money to act as a liaison between them. All he wanted was for me to figure out why Tank was so angry and convince him to give his dad another chance.”
Her answer stuns me into silence. But I can’t deal with that. Not here. Not now.
“Yesterday, I tried to give the check back but Jon ...” Her face crumples.
“He was there?” Then I close my eyes. I have truly been blind this whole time. “Your sister’s boyfriend Jon is Jonathan Boyd, my father’s lawyer. Of course.”
She nods, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Yes. He thought I was trying to get more money. I was just trying to give it back.”
“My father’s security guys told me that he has an open warrant in another state. I’m sure they were the ones who told the authorities where he was. He’s in jail now but if I had known … fuck. I had that guy right in front of me. I should have done more than punch him. I’m going to kill him.”
She clutches at my forearms. “I don’t want you to kill anyone. I didn’t want any of this.”
The door behind us opens, the light from the waiting room spilling into the dark stairwell. The brunette nurse looks between us uncertainly. “Mr. Marshall. Your father has just woken up. He’s asking for you.”
I turn back to Emma. “I have to go. Will you … where will you be?”
“This is a family thing. I shouldn’t be here. Go and be with your brothers. And here.” She pushes an envelope into my hands. “I don’t need this. I never did.”
I stuff it in my pocket without opening it.
“Tank?” Emma is watching me, her eyes sad. “Even though he was wrong to do what he did, I think this is what he really wanted.” She points at me and then at Finn, Gabe and Zack standing just inside the doorway.
“I think he just wanted to bring you all together, before it was too late.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
EMMA
I leave the hospital and it feels like I’m escaping a war zone. The woman who interrupted us gives me a sympathetic look as I pass the nurse’s station. I probably look like hell. I press the backs of my hands to my eyes.
My eyes already feel swollen.
Outside on the curb, I pull out my phone and call Sasha. When it goes to voicemail, I hang up and reluctantly call Ivy. She hasn’t been there for me in the way that family should be lately but she’s still my sister.
And she’s the only family I have left.
It rings several times. When the voicemail picks up, my heart sinks. Are we back to that already? She’s not going to answer my calls. I don’t want to go back home. Even though Jon is in jail, I don’t feel like I belong there anymore.
I look behind me at the double doors leading into the hospital lobby. The only place I want to be is back there in that waiting room with Tank. He looked so devastated. So broken.
My phone rings in my hand and Ivy’s number pops up. I answer it immediately. “Ivy?”
“Emma? What is going on? Jon just called me and asked me to bail him out of jail.”
“You didn’t do it, did you?” Sudden panic closes my throat at the thought that Jon might be out roaming the streets freely.
“No. We’re not together anymore. So much has happened, Em.”
“Yeah for me, too. It’s a long story. Can you come get me? I’m at the hospital.”
She agrees and I sit on one of the metal benches out front to wait. Fifteen minutes later, Ivy pulls up in front of the Emergency entrance. I run over to the passenger side and get in the car.
When she sees my face, she gasps. “Oh my god, Emma! What happened to you?”
“Jon happened to me. He was at Mr. Marshall’s suite when I went there yesterday. It’s a long story but he’s been embezzling from Mr. Marshall and he thought I was going to tell the media.”
She lays a hand over the bruises on my wrists. Then her lower lip trembles. “What have I done?”
Whatever I was expecting when I called her, it wasn’t this. “Ivy, it wasn’t your fault.”
She clenches her hand into a fist. “I brought him into our lives. Our house. You tried to warn me so many times and I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t see how right you were until he hit me. I had never seen him like that. I’m so sorry I accused you of being jealous when you called. I already knew what kind of person he was but I was ashamed to admit that I’d been so wrong about him. I’ve been staying with a girlfriend for a while since he kept coming by the house. That’s why I told you it was better if you stayed away. I didn’t want you there dealing with him either.”
“We’ve both made mistakes. I did something. I didn’t tell you the whole story that day when you picked me up from Tank’s apartment.”
“I know I haven’t been a good sister but you can tell me. Tell me now.” She puts the car in gear and pulls off. “I’m not going anywhere for a while.”
That actually brings a smile to my face. It’s something the old Ivy would have said. The real Ivy. The sister I haven’t seen in almost a year.
“Mr. Marshall was my friend. But he was also using me to get to Tank. He offered me money to act as a liaison between them. All he wanted was for me to figure out why Tank was so angry and convince him to give his dad another chance.”
