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"Similar deal, just less sinister," Digger confirmed. "Matty found this guy himself but Coombes offered him quick cash to back out, and he took it, and after that Coombes decided he couldn't risk it and got in with Degrassi. But with Degrassi..." He hesitated. "The arrangement seems darker. There's language in their emails about 'teaching Matty his place' and 'breaking bad habits.'"
The implications made my blood run cold. No wonder Matty had panicked at the mention of James. What had that bastard done to him?
"There's one more thing," Digger said, pulling up another document. "The trust fund stipulations. If Matty doesn't fulfill the marriage requirement, everything goes to Coombes. But here's the kicker—if Matty dies before the three-month mark after the wedding, Coombes still gets everything. As his husband, if you hadn't signed a contract it'd be all going to you, so you just got a target put on you as well."
I stared at the screen, a chill running down my spine. "So he has a financial motive to make sure Matty doesn't make it to the end of three months, never mind two years."
"Bingo," Digger said grimly. "If Matty dies, Coombes gets everything without having to wait."
"That car wasn't just trying to scare him," Cruise said, his voice hard. "They were trying to kill him."
My mind raced, piecing together everything we'd learned. Coombes had been systematically stealing from Matty's trust for years. He'd tried to control Matty through getting ridof Carrington, then through the more sinister Degrassi. And when those plans failed, he'd decided murder was the simplest solution.
"What were his parents thinking?" I asked incredulously.
“Evelyn and Richard Coombes were childhood sweethearts. Richard Coombes was a computer software genius, but didn't have a lick of business sense, which is where Harold enters the picture."
"How did they die?" A cold feeling ran down my spine.
"Private helicopter crash. The pilot, who had a previously unblemished record, according to the tox screen was apparently so drunk it was a wonder he could get the bird off the ground. Thing was, Matty was supposed to be with them, but at the last minute he came down with chicken pox so they left him at home. He was three."
"Does Matty know any of this?" I asked, my voice tight with controlled rage.
Digger shook his head. "Not the extent of it, I'd bet. He knows Coombes controls his finances, but I doubt he realizes how much has been stolen or the Degrassi involvement."
I straightened, my decision made. "Keep digging. I want everything you can find on Coombes—business dealings, personal life, the works. And see if you can track down that black sedan from yesterday."
"Already on it," Digger assured me. "Tex has some contacts at the department of transportation. We're pulling camera footage from the area."
"And we've no way of telling if the helicopter crash might not have been an accident, so nothing in front of Matty," I said. There was no point in adding to his worries.
I nodded my thanks and headed back to the kitchen, my mind churning with what I'd learned. The rage I felt toward Coombes had intensified, but now it was worse. This wasn't just aboutmy parents anymore. It was about Matty—the vulnerable young man who'd been manipulated, controlled, and now had been targeted for murder by someone who was supposed to protect him.
Guilt hit me. Wasn't I doing something similar? Using him? But I didn't want to hurt him, never that. When I returned to the kitchen, I found Matty nibbling tentatively on a piece of toast, looking slightly better than before. Daisy was hovering nearby, a satisfied expression on her face.
"There you are," she said when she spotted me. "I was just telling Matty about the time you and Cruise decided to rebuild that Harley in the living room."
Matty looked up at me, a hint of a smile on his pale face. "She said you got engine oil all over her new carpet."
"She's never let me forget it," I said, settling back into my chair beside him. "Feeling any better?"
He nodded cautiously. "Daisy's witch's brew actually helped. My head doesn't feel like it's going to explode anymore." Most people would have been fine with the water I'd given him last night, but I was clearly going to have to be more careful with Matty, and definitely make sure he didn't skip any meals.
"Told you," Daisy said smugly, sliding a plate of pancakes in front of me. "Eat up, both of you. You'll need your strength."
I caught the subtle warning in her words—she knew. Just then, the prospects arrived with what looked like Matty's stuff.
"Bear?" Tik Tac yelled. "You want it in here or at your place?"
Shit.I didn't dare glance at Matty. This wasn't how I wanted him to find out I had a house.
Chapter eight
Matty
"Your place?" I echoed,looking between Novo and the prospect who'd spoken. "You have a place? Like, not at the clubhouse?"
Novo shot the prospect a glare that could have melted steel before turning to me with a carefully neutral expression. "Yeah. I have a house on the club property. Behind the main building."