Without a Hitch(6)

My friend’s expression goes cold. His face is a murderous mask. “Never.” His voice is lethal. “I hope hell shows him no mercy, but I need to learn to forgive myself. Shannon wouldn’t like me much these days.”

Fuck. How will he take the information I’m about to drop in his lap?

He crosses his arms over his broad chest and stares at me like he knows I have something to say.

We grew up together. Went to the same summer camps and ran in the same circles, but you’d never know it looking at us now. Blake has a full beard that’s in desperate need of a trim, and if he put on a flannel shirt, he could pass for a full-blown lumberjack. I’m still dressed in my standard three-piece suit.

“What are you doing here, Loch?”

“I need your help.”

He lifts a brow but says nothing. After an eternity of scowling at each other, he sweeps his arms toward the small table between the kitchen and family room. “Take a seat.”

Relief washes through me, even if I don’t show it. I’m confident enough in my plan, but it would be harder to proceed without Blake’s help. My body drops heavily into the wooden chair. I feel much older than my thirty-two years.

“I’m not going to like this, am I?”

He moves about the kitchen as I lay out my plan but doesn’t say a word until I’m done. Slipping a cup of coffee my way, he takes the chair opposite me.

“You’re motivated by revenge.”

“Yes.”

“That’s not healthy.”

“I didn’t come here for a counseling session,” I growl. “They targeted us. First my mother, then me.”

“I don’t disagree with you, but this…this has teeth and a reach far beyond anything I would have expected from you. I don’t even want to know how you found out he’s leveraged all his properties or how you know it all hinges on this winery.”

“It’s not just the winery. It’s the property that comes with it.”

“Okay, but are you sure you want this on your hands?”

“Blake, he married my mother. Gaslit her for two years. Mentally tried to break her down, and when that didn’t work, he sent his girlfriend to do it to me. Christine fucking pretended to be pregnant for five damn months and then faked a miscarriage, which she blamed me for! I spent a year mourning a loss that never existed while she infiltrated my company for his gain. If I hadn’t found the falsified ultrasounds after she moved out, I’d still be mourning that loss. Pretty sure that justifies my petty revenge.”

His sigh is heavy, and I can feel his pain as he runs a hand over his beard. “Doing something like this changes a man. Are you sure you’re ready for those consequences?”

“I’ll take whatever comes at me.”

“But…there’s something else. A reason you came to me. What?”

I hand him the folder I’ve had tucked under my arm and watch as he scans it. “There are a lot of employees this will affect.”

“Yeah.” I wish I didn’t care. I wish I didn’t have a conscience.

“What do you want me to do?”

“They’ll only have two options when this goes down. One, use all their resources to keep things afloat for a month, three tops, or find a quick sale for all his properties.”

“I don’t run Kingston Corp. anymore, Loch. You know that.” His voice takes on a graveled tone and I feel the tension building within my friend. “You should talk to Nate. He’s in charge now.”

“I can’t be involved in that conversation. I know what I’m asking, Blake. I know that you’re not part of the company anymore, but Nate is your brother—he’ll listen to you. He’ll take it on if you ask him to.”

“He’ll just as easily take it on if you ask him. It’s a good deal for Kingston Corp. It could be a good deal for you too. Why won’t you take them on yourself?”

“I want the properties shut down. Dismantled. Destroyed. Incorporating them into Bryer-Blaine would keep his legacy alive. I won’t do that.”

“You want to shut them down immediately?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He scans the document in front of him again. “What about all the events they’ll have scheduled?

Weddings? Bat mitzvahs? Sweet sixteens? You’ll be coming up on the money-making season. The one in Santa Barbara alone books years in advance.”

“I don’t give a shit about weddings.” I don’t mean to snarl at him, but that’s what weddings do to me these days.

He shakes his head sadly. “This isn’t you, Loch.”

“It is now.”

He’s quiet as he stares past me. Blake walked away from his family and their business, but I know he still has love for his granny and his brother. Hopefully, that love is enough to concede to my plea.

“You’re sure this is the way you want to go?”

“It’s the only thing I want.”

“Revenge is a tricky thing, Loch. You may think it’ll make you feel better, but what if it doesn’t?

What then? Hanging on to hate only ensures there’s no room left for love.”

“Exactly.”

He lets out a harsh breath, then shakes his head. “If you go through with it, I’ll talk to Nate.”