Page 4 of Her Wicked Husband (The Huxleys #2)

Fiona

The machines beep. I look at Sherry lying on the hospital bed.

The doctor says she’s fine, thank God, just in shock.

She’s become more fragile over the past few weeks, but losing Zachary and having the thugs manhandle us was probably too much to bear.

She’s lived her life in wealth and luxury, cocooned and protected.

I shiver as chills run through my body, and realize my clothes are still wet. Now, out of the sun, they’ve gone cold and clammy. I need to change before I catch a cold—or worse, get hospitalized for hypothermia or something.

The door to the private room bursts open. Aaron in his funeral-black suit barges in. He glances at Sherry on the bed, then turns his burning eyes toward me, his chest heaving. “What the fuck have you done to Mom?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you!” He points a finger at me.

Fury and adrenaline pump through my body. “Do you owe money to some loan sharks?” I ask in a low voice.

His eyes narrow. “What are you talking about?”

“Two sketchy-looking men came, demanding repayment of some ‘loan.’ Said something about the entire family being responsible for the debt. One of them pushed me into that lake by the cemetery. Then Sherry fell in, too. I’m not sure if they shoved her, or if she jumped after me.”

The explanation seems to dampen his rage. His gaze flicks away as he opens his mouth then almost immediately clicks it shut.

Apprehension bites my gut. “How much?”

Irritation and defiance stiffen his back. “Not that much. Half a mil.”

My eyebrows pinch as surprise cuts through the earlier unease.

It would be a staggering sum for most people, but not for a family like the Obermans.

They’re blue-blooded upper crust with a vast wealth that has passed down over four generations.

Money is like water to them—something that just exists for the family’s use without their having to think about it.

“Well, pay it off before they come back to harass Sherry.”

His mouth flattens. His transparent expression shows pride warring with bitter reluctance.

“I’m flying back to Monroe tomorrow morning,” I remind him, so he understands that, if there’s a next time, Sherry might be on her own.

He spits out a word in a voice so small, I can’t make it out. Probably something like bitch . Aaron’s vocabulary for cursing me out isn’t very creative.

“I need to head back and change.” I start toward the door.

“Can’t,” he says, louder.

Can’t…? I stop and face him. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t pay it,” he grinds out.

“Why not? You just dropped over two hundred grand on a car.” Aaron drove a brand-new Maserati GranCabrio to Zachary’s burial.

“That’s different.”

“I’m sure, but half a mil isn’t a big deal, not for you.”

“That’s the principal.”

That’s the principal? “What the hell are you talking—”

“The half-mil is just the principal of what I owe those guys.”

Uh-oh . “How much do you owe, in total, with the interest?”

“Two million.” His voice is as small as mosquito buzzing.

What the hell? “How did you let the amount grow to four times the principal? ”

“Hey, shit happens!” He scowls and sticks his chest out. The bravado doesn’t mask the defensiveness underneath. He knows he fucked up.

“Well, whatever. Just pay it off.” Two mil is a lot, but still, something the family should be able to handle.

“I can’t . There are no liquid funds.”

“Sell your car, then.”

“Won’t be enough to cover the loan.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have bought it in the first place.”

“It’s a fucking amazing car!”

My jaw slackens with shock. “More amazing than not having creeps come after you and your family?”

“Someone like you will never know or appreciate it.” He exhales harshly, then admits in a tiny voice, “There’s no money.”

I let out a hollow laugh. “Stop joking around. It’s not funny. Look, I don’t want whatever Zachary left behind. It’s all yours. I’ll put it in writing if you want.”

“I’m not joking. There’s really no money . The company isn’t doing well, and the house is already mortgaged to the hilt.”

My eyebrows hit my hairline. “Are you telling me the family has no money? At all?”

“Do you fucking understand English? There’s no money! ”

I blink slowly as my mind processes. “Is the family about to go bankrupt?”

“Probably. That’d be the easiest way to shed the debt.”

I close my eyes briefly. How could the family go belly up like this?

How is it even possible that the company isn’t doing well?

Oberman Events is one of the most exclusive event-planning firms in the world.

They only cater to corporate or wealthy clientele whose minimum budget is at least half a mil.

“Except for the two mil you owe those men. They don’t look like the type to abide by a bankruptcy court ruling. ”

Aaron says nothing. But the lack of denial is telling.

Damn it . “Does Sherry know how bad things are with family finances?”

He shakes his head. “Dad and I don’t—didn’t—want to worry Mom with stuff like that. ”

Good. She wouldn’t be able to bear it. “How did you end up with loan sharks?”

“I was trying to make things better.”

“That doesn’t explain how five hundred K turned into a two-million-dollar debt.”

“Yeah, well… I went to Vegas to fix things.”

“Vegas?” A horrible realization dawns on me. “You went gambling?”

“It’s the easiest way to make a quick score!”

Blood skyrockets to my skull. “The house always wins!”

“Over time! Not with every single customer. And I know how to count cards.”

Oh my God . “But you still lost half a million dollars.”

“I was tired and made a mistake or two.”

I look deeply into Aaron’s defiant gaze. He always believes he’s far better than anybody else, smarter than the world. “Did Zachary know?”

He shrugs.

So Zachary knew, but couldn’t stop him. “All right. I’ll take Sherry with me tomorrow, so they won’t harass her. You deal with them on your own.”

“It won’t work.” He shakes his head and looks out the window. “There’s no place you can hide to get away from them.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re everywhere. Do you think they’re going to let you leave?” Aaron scratches the tip of his nose and sniffles, not meeting my gaze. “If you’re lucky, they’ll slash your tires. If not, things could get a bit more personal.”

“Are you telling me I can’t return to my life unless you make good on that ‘loan’?”

His mouth twists. “Don’t sound ungrateful! Remember what my parents did for you!”

“Yeah, I know. Zachary and Sherry did a lot for me. Not you.”

“You owe it to them!”

I stare at him, my heart racing furiously. “I don’t have two million dollars! I’ve never had that kind of money!”

“Borrow it,” he says, like I can just go out and pick up that money on the streets .

“Aaron.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What bank will lend me that much without any collateral?”

“Didn’t Dad buy you a condo?” he says, with more force than necessary.

Is he still upset about that? “No. He offered, but I declined.” Specifically because I knew it would trigger Aaron. “I’ve been renting an apartment.”

“An apartment ? What kind of stupid are you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. But definitely not get-myself-in-debt-for-two-million stupid!”

He opens his mouth, but a soft moan comes from the bed.

Sherry! Has she been listening? I rush to her side, but her eyes remain closed. Hopefully she just had a dream.

I shoot Aaron a glare hard enough to break his skull. “You keep her comfortable. Say whatever you need to say so she doesn’t know what you’ve done. ”

I spin around and leave the room. Aaron claimed I wouldn’t be able to leave, but that’s what he thinks.

Seriously, who’s going to track me and Sherry all the way to Monroe?

It’s a small city—really more like a town, compared to Los Angeles.

It doesn’t even have its own airport, so I have to fly to Madison then drive forty more miles.

Way too much work, when they can squeeze the money out of Aaron here in L.A.

Besides, my sympathy for him hit rock bottom after that crap he said about his Maserati. I’m not going to be part of his mess when he doesn’t even take the disaster he’s created for himself seriously.

Checking for an available flight for Sherry, I go to the lobby and slice through the crowd. As I exit, the same two men who confronted me and Sherry stare at me, then jerk their chins up, smirking.

My skin crawls.

“Where you going, pretty lady?” Scar Mouth calls out.

Ignoring them, I hurry toward the parking lot.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.”

Keep walking. Keep walking.

He doesn’t lay a hand on me like he did before. Too many people around. “Don’t even think about skipping town without making good on the IOU. ”

A chill skitters over me like scorpions. “Aaron’s in there.” I jerk a thumb at the hospital.

“Did you already forget? When one of you owes us, all of you owe us. You ain’t going anywhere. Neither is your mama.”

I spot a black Escalade with its hazard lights on. The driver’s face is difficult to see through the windshield and huge sunglasses. He gives me a mocking salute.

Horror coils around my gut. My knees tremble, and I stiffen my legs to not betray myself.

Just what the hell kind of people did Aaron get tangled up with?