Page 10 of Joel (Guardians of the North #6)

JOEL

I watch as Kylie piles into an oversized SUV, driven by Blakely and filled with the wives of the J-Squad.

I knew all I had to do was tell Jonas yesterday, and the wives would be alerted within the hour.

Was I expecting them to go so overboard?

Not exactly. But I’ll pay for the wedding dress if it can’t be returned.

The bigger question is should I be concerned that my fake fiancé and I haven’t cemented our story? Maybe. But how much could we have to make up in the past forty-eight hours? Even if it does feel more like forty-eight days.

Though I was looking forward to carrying my fake bride-to-be back to my bedroom, the impromptu kidnapping gives me an opportunity to take care of something important. I don’t want to waste another minute.

In between all the chaos of yesterday’s emergency rescue, I managed to make a few inquiries about Todd Mercer.

Including one to a buddy in tech who has a particular knack for tracking down hard-to-find, incriminating information quickly.

I’ll owe him a couple of cases of Caribou Creek Lager after this is all over.

Today, I’m calling the man himself.

“Mercer Industries,” a woman answers.

“I’m looking for Todd.”

“May I ask who’s calling?”

I consider telling her The Coast Guard .

But I suspect that’ll earn me a I’ll take a message and have him get back to you brush-off.

Worst case, it gets my ass in hot water with my superiors.

As a petty officer, there’s not much I can do with that angle, and I’m not stupid enough to impersonate someone who has more authority.

Today, I am just a man who’s protecting the woman he loves.

Fuck.

I love her, don’t I?

“Sir?”

“A new client,” I say, returning my focus to the call. I’ll deal with the startling revelation later.

“Do you have a name, Mr. New Client?”

“I do,” I answer, not fooled by her pleasant tone. She’s there to protect Todd. But the less people who know about the details of this call, the better. “And I’ll be happy to share it with Mr. Mercer.”

“He’s not in right now.”

I can’t say for certain that the male chatter in the background is Todd, but my gut says it is. And I’ve always trusted my gut.

“We both know that isn’t true, Ms.— ”

“If you can’t at least share your name, Mr. New Client, there’s nothing I can do for you.”

I hold back a frustrated sigh. I didn’t want to resort to this with anyone other than the asshole himself, but I also don’t have the time to fly to Florida to hunt him down in person. And it’s best for both of us if I never get that opportunity.

“Tell him it’s about The Esmerelda.”

“Hang up, Mindy. I got this.” A male voice joins the conversation, and I now suspect he was there the whole time.

Kylie mentioned her stepfather was paranoid, but this seems overboard.

Or perhaps the Alaska area code threw Mindy in a way it didn’t throw Todd.

Did he even tell anyone he was sending Kylie here?

“What do you know about The Esmerelda?” Todd demands.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Did Kylie put you up to this?” I can practically hear him spit through the phone.

“How much?”

“How much what?”

“How much to settle Kylie’s debt?”

“Who the fuck is this?”

“I’m your worst nightmare if you don’t answer the question.” Though I didn’t have much time to dig yesterday, I found enough to ruin this man’s business—and probably his life—if I wanted to take it that far.

“Buddy, I’m about to hang up on you.”

“Do that and see how long Mercer Enterprises survives. I dare you.”

“I am not the man you want to mess with, son. I have friends in powerful places.”

“So do I.”

“Seems as though we’re at an impasse then. Tell Kylie that if she comes up empty, she’ll owe me.”

My fist curls at my side, and I have the overwhelming urge to punch something. But it’s not in frustration, which is how I suspect Todd usually winds up people he wants to keep his thumb on. It’s the way he talks about Kylie as though she’s only as valuable as what she can do for him.

“I’m going to ask you one more time. How. Much?”

Todd lets out a sigh. “Twenty-two thousand.”

The bastard is doubling the amount he told Kylie. The amount she shared with me in her hotel room last night.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, Todd. I’m going to wire you eleven thousand dollars to settle Kylie’s debt. After you send her a contractual release.”

“I think you misheard me,” Todd says.

“You’re not going to shake me down. Take the offer, or I’ll make sure Mercer Enterprises is shut down by the end of the week.

” Do I have the ability to set that in motion so fast?

Not sure. Maybe by the end of the summer.

I have enough in savings to hire some pretty incredible lawyers.

But I’m fucking done with this douche canoe, and I want Kylie free of him now.

“The Esmerelda is nationally protected. Anyone who disturbs the site—or authorizes the disturbance of the site—faces more than just a hefty fine.”

“You think I’m afraid of a little jail time?”

“Maybe not if it was just The Esmerelda.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I start listing illegal treasure hunt sites being investigated by the Coast Guard. Ones I’ve been able to loosely tie Mercer Enterprises to with the help of my buddy in tech. If we had more time, I’m sure we could connect the dots in a much more concrete way.

“You can’t prove anything.”

“Check your email.”

There’s a long silence on the other end as he no doubt finds the email in question. The one filled with just a few pieces of damning evidence concerning the wreckages I mentioned. I have more should I need them.

“Fifteen thousand.”

“Ten.”

“Twelve, and that’s my final offer.”

“Done.”

“If anything happens to Mercer Industries, I’m taking Kylie down with me.”

“Send the contractual release to Kylie today, and I’ll send you the money settling her debt to you in full.

She no longer works for you, or has any obligation—past, present, or future—to Mercer Industries.

” I choose my words carefully, so they can’t be construed as a bribe on this recorded call—I have little doubt Todd is recording it, but I am too in case it’s needed in a future court proceeding.

Todd ends the call without another word. But after the email I sent, I know he’ll come through. He might have an ego the size of the ocean, but the man’s self-preservation instincts will trump that.

Most importantly, Kylie will finally be free.