Page 75 of Fated Love with You

“Then where is it?”

“I have some of it in a bank, some in stocks, some…”

“Tell me that ‘some of it’ adds up to all.”

“No, but… I can get it back to you with a bit more time and some strategy.”

“That’s fair.” I stand. “We’ll come back in the morning.”

“What? No… I need way more time than that—at least six months.”

Chester cocks his weapon. I’m tempted to do the same.

“You want six months to pay back what you’ve been stealing for years?” I take a step forward. “I’m not in the insanity business, Mr. Nate.”

“Please… I can give you some collateral. Insurance.”

“Like half of my money?”

“My house.”

“It’s worth three million at best, and I’m not a fucking real estate agent.”

“I have cars, stocks, high-yield CDs that mature later this year?—”

He lists off assets I’ve already evaluated. All together, it’s maybe ten million. None of it liquid.

“What about my wife?” Nate blurts. “You can have my wife as collateral, to make sure I pay you back.”

Chester raises an eyebrow. So do I.

People usually beg menotto touch their loved ones — not offer them up.

For a second, I almost feel bad for him. Almost.

I write7 o’clockabove the address on my card — something I only give to people I owe, or those I actually want to talk to.

“Six months from now, you’ll meet me there with my money,” I say. “You can keep your wife. I’m not interested.”

I walk out first. My men scatter to their cars like shadows on this Twilight Zone-looking street.

“Why do you always do that?” Chester asks as we head to mine.

“Do what?”

“Let them pretend they’re innocent,” he says. “Your father would never. He’d bust their kneecaps and give them ‘til Friday.”

“If it was enough to break me, I would’ve,” I say. “But it’s not. And I’ll get it back either way.”

Chester nods and heads to his Porsche. I slide behind the wheel of my McLaren.

As I crank the engine, a car pulls into the driveway across the street.

She steps out to water the flowers — the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

A navy sundress clings to her waist. Hair pulled high off her neck.

There’s something careful about the way she moves, like she’s used to shrinking herself. But even from here, she’s luminous.