Billionaires Dollar Series

“For judging you about committing a crime?”

“The business was over, Skye. Neither you nor Karli was willing to see the writing on the wall. The store was going to close. All I did was give it a little nudge.”

“Are you serious? We had a deal; we could stay if we were profitable. And we were, until you tried to hide it. How the hell could you?”

Her smile becomes an ugly thing. “If you thought Porter Development was ever going to honor that little deal, then you’re a fool.”

I want to shake her, I want to slap her. I take a deep breath. “Give back the money. Every single cent, Chloe.”

“I don’t have it.”

“You spent it all?”

“So what if I did?” Her eyes narrow, a nasty expression in them. It’s a side of her I haven’t seen for years, and never this pronounced. “Demolition began today. I know the timeline, Skye. Where would you get the support? Who would help you? I’m pretty sure Porter Development saw my error, but why would they care? They’re getting exactly what they wanted.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I take a step back, wanting out of her presence. “If you think you’ve won here, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Do I? I’m sorry, Skye. It wasn’t personal. It was just business.”

“You bitch.” Chloe blinks at me, like she can’t believe I went there. Frankly, I can’t either, a part of me observing myself as from a distance. The other part-the part in control-has no time for niceties. “You destroy someone’s business and you say it’s not personal? Absolutely unbelievable. And you’re the fool if you think either Karli or I are going to take this lying down.”

I walk through her living room, grabbing my jacket off the chair where I’d thrown it.

“Good luck!” she calls. “Porter Development is knocking!”

My skin feels hot, my blood boiling close to the surface. What I do next surprises even myself. On a peg next to her front door is a crossbody purse. The designer label on it is one of the few I recognize. So I reach out and snatch it, holding it close to my chest as I race out of her front door and out onto the sidewalk.

The large Jeep is waiting for me, and so is the driver. I jump into the passenger seat. “Oh my God.”

“Did it go well?”

I glance at the front door. There’s no sight of her, not yet at least. “Yes. Go, go, drive!”

Cole turns the key to the ignition. “I’ve never been a getaway driver before.”

“It’s never too late to learn.” I slump against the seat, my breath coming fast. “She did it. She admitted to it. I can’t… I’m so angry.”

His hand twitches on the steering wheel. “You have every right to be. Did you record her saying it?”

I double-check my phone and turn off the recording function. “Yes. Yes, and she admitted it outright.”

“She said she didn’t have a cent of it left. And that Porter Development was going to bury us.”

Cole’s mouth tightens. “Well, I have it on good authority that Porter Development will do no such thing.”

I close my eyes, breathing through my nose. “I’m on such a high right now. Wow. Do you know what she said? It wasn’t personal!”Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

Cole shakes his head, and this time, he reaches over to put a hand on my knee. “She’s unbelievable. I’m so sorry, Skye.”

“I’m not. I’m determined. I’m going to get the money back, somehow, someway.”

“Oh, and look!”

He glances over at the handbag in my hands. “What’s that?”

“I took it. She had a whole closet full of them. She must have used the money she stole from us. And… oh my God,” I say, the reality of our encounter hitting us. “I stole her handbag.”

Cole’s laughter is freeing-large and deep and strong. He turns the car around with his left hand, his right grasping mine in his. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I committed a crime, too.” I look down at the design, tightening my fingers around his. “These probably go for quite a lot of money. I’m going to hold it ransom until she pays us back what we’re owed.”

His voice is warm. “Sounds perfectly reasonable.”

“You’re laughing at me,” I say, and then my own anger drains out, bubbling into shocked laughter. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“I can,” Cole says, his voice warm and strong. “You’re a formidable opponent.”

His profile is strong, illuminated by the late evening light streaming in through the car window. Tonight’s the first time I’ve seen him drive himself, without Charles. “Thank you for being my getaway driver.”

His gaze softens, flickering over to me. “I couldn’t let you be reckless without me.”

“There’s something you should know about tomorrow, by the way.”

He squeezes my hand once before withdrawing, placing both hands on the wheel. From this angle, the backs of his hands are wide, the fingers long, his tan forearms on display. Funny how such a mundane task as driving can make a man look irresistible.

“About the meeting?”

“Well?” he prompts. “If you’re trying to build suspense here, consider me on the edge of my seat.”

“Karli knows about you and me.”

His gaze on me is concerned. “She does? How?”

“Timmy. He was bragging about his idol and she overheard.”

Cole’s lips curve into a fond smile. “How did she take it? Will I face an execution squad tomorrow?”

“She didn’t take it well at first. I had a bit of explaining to do.”

He nods, turning onto the highway to avoid the evening traffic in the city. My gaze drinks him up greedily, relishing in watching him when he can’t watch me. Two weeks without any interaction had been two weeks too many. I’d missed the width of his shoulders and the depth of his mind.

“I imagine the explaining was difficult,” he says dryly.

I chuckle. “Yes. I think that’s what convinced her, though. That I couldn’t explain it myself. I’ve never been able to, you know.”

He gives a deep humming sound, and once again, things are unsaid between us. About what we are. Where we’re going. If our relationship is best kept as a fond memory.

I know what I want. It’s there, hiding in the back of my mind, a fragile hope. Screaming at Chloe has made it clearer than ever, paradoxically, that I liked who I was around him-who he’d helped me become. The bravery he’d helped me find.