Page 93

Jackson

“Implicating you, even suing you, doesn’t make you guilty,” Nick says, sitting near the head of the conference table.

“It doesn’t even make you the party responsible for the damages Morgenstern is claiming.

” Tapping the file in front of him, he finds my eyes at the other end of a table full of attorneys.

“But it does mean you will have to address the lawsuit and accusation either outside the courtroom or inside. Your choice.”

“Outside means a settlement,” I say. “Fuck him. I don’t owe him a cent.

” We’ve been in this room for hours. I’ve missed two calls from Marlow, which adds to the stress.

My leg has been bouncing from the last thread keeping my patience intact.

My anger, though . . . I’ve always had a temper when pushed into a corner. It’s starting to get the best of me.

Andrew leans forward, clasping his hands together on the table.

“Inside the courtroom could cost millions to defend.” His head drops as he stretches his neck and rolls it back up.

It’s been a long day, so I get it. “We all know it’s a frivolous lawsuit.

He’s angry and lashing out, but his problem has become ours. ”

I glance at Brent, Morgenstern’s wealth manager .

. . former financial advisor, wondering how this guy’s going to defend himself.

He’s got like three years under his belt, a newlywed, and doesn’t have the same bank account I’m sitting with.

I see the fear in his eyes. I have enough of my own problems, but this guy deserves a chance to explain what happened.

I start by asking, “Just so I’m clear, and my attorneys understand, the Monday you returned from your honeymoon was the same day that Morgenstern got ahold of you. Is that correct?”

He shifts, looking anxiously down at Andrew. “The company will cover it, right?”

“Cover what?” Andrew asks, sitting straighter on alert.

“I put in the order as he requested. He told me that Jackson recommended the buy, so we needed to take the loss.”

“Why would I recommend a stock that I wouldn’t be willing to invest in?”

Brent shrugs, trying to act casual, but the beads of sweat forming at his hairline tell a different story. “That’s what he told me.”

“I emailed you the Saturday before you returned to work that Morgenstern had called me in a panic. He wanted to sell the stock because it was plummeting. I didn’t give you an order or make a recommendation.

I stated in writing what he had communicated to me, and if you weren’t going to be back to handle it, I asked who was covering your clients.

” Weasel. “I have the email thread. You replied that you would be back. Did you handle your client’s business? ”

He may think we’re fucking stupid, but he inches closer to the door when he thinks people aren’t paying attention. I am. I’m watching him. He says, “A lot was going on.”

Nick’s sigh is audible all the way down the sixteen-seat table. He then asks, “Are you telling us that you did or didn’t do what your client asked? So we’re clear? Because over the weekend, you said everything was done according to regulation. Is that still the case?”

“Yes,” he says before the question is fully out of Nick’s mouth. “I did everything right and by the book.”

The white noise of the team of attorneys murmuring to each other rises, but then I say, “What about the first question Nick asked?”

“I answered his questions.”

I press harder because I’m caught up in this mess. “You didn’t answer if you did as your client asked.”

He pops his neck and shoots a glare. “It’s all in the summary report, Jackson. Look for yourself. I sold the stocks when he authorized me to do so.”

“On Monday?”

He looks at Andrew. “Why’s he even here? He’s not a CWM employee.”

Andrew’s expression hardens. “As an employee, you should know the role he’s played in CWM’s success in this market.

As a refresher, he helped navigate the changeover after the buyout from Manhattan Financial Group.

He brought in not new clients but helped retain the current clientele that his family’s company had built.

He was a broker and an advisor after working his way up from the mailroom starting in high school.

So we give him an office to show respect and our gratitude.

He’s a member of this team, even if we don’t cut him a paycheck anymore. ”

“That was a damn beautiful speech, Andrew. Thank you. The respect is mutual when it comes to you.” I stand because although I appreciate the accolades and Andrew having my back, I think I need to consult with my lawyers privately.

“As for Brent . . . I think another interview will be needed. Try to have a good day, gentlemen.”

As soon as I shut my door, it opens before I can sit down behind my desk.

Nick comes in and stands by the window. Crossing his arms over his chest, my brother-in-law looks at me and says, “Look, Jackson, the company can take the financial hit to settle. It won’t be pretty, but the press putting our reputation in jeopardy by letting this story circulate can do more damage to the future business if not contained.

We’re having to weigh our options. But as family, I’m worried how much this will take to fight regarding your case. ”

“Thanks for the pep talk, Nick.” Turning my attention to my monitor, I say, “You can see yourself out.”

“Nah.” He lowers his arms and sits across from me.

“We’re not going to pull that bullshit, not between us.

When I married your sister, I married into her family.

I take family very seriously. When someone comes after one of us, they come after all of us.

The company can’t protect you, but Andrew and I will to the best of our ability.

If you want to fight, we fight. If you want to settle to make this lawsuit go away, we’ll respect that decision as well.

But you have to tell us what it’s going to be. ”

“Manhattan Financial recorded all the calls. I know times change and permissions need to be in place, but the system is still the same. You need to have that investigated to see if the system is still running in the background by chance. It will be an immediate end to this.”

“It won’t be admissible in court because we have no right to record a conversation without permission prior to the call beginning.” Standing again, he crosses the office. “I haven’t told Natalie about the lawsuit, but I think you should. This isn’t something you need to go through alone.”

“And what is my sister going to do about it? She can’t make it go away.

She can’t make me feel better that some fuckhead is suing me for something I had no part of.

Don’t you get it, Nick? You’ve seen the files, the emails, the summaries, and the interviews.

It’s his word against mine, but either way, I lose.

” I stand, grabbing my jacket and putting it on.

“I’m sorry if I don’t have an answer for you in the time you have allotted. ”

“Fuck that, Jackson. It’s not my timeline. I’m trying to be?—”

“Don’t. Don’t be anything but a friend or my brother-in-law.

What I need right now is time to process this and to get my attorney’s advice before I can tell you how I’m feeling.

” I tuck my keys in my pocket and grab my phone.

“Because I’m feeling pretty fucked up over this.

I’m going home. I’m going to . . . I don’t know what I’m going to do.

All I ask is that my sister stays blind to this situation until I know what I want to do.

I don’t want to worry about her or my parents, and I will if they start worrying about me. ”

“Understood.”

I pass him but then stop and turn back. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Lock up when you leave.”

I cut through the cubicles on my way to the elevator, wanting to get out of here as fast as I can. I’d run home if it weren’t so far and I wasn’t in dress shoes. I take a car and wonder if I should give Marlow a heads-up.

I’m thinking she’s still mad about last night.

I would be, so I won’t blame her if she is.

I took out my problems on her when she didn’t deserve it.

After debating whether to return her calls, I decide to try to change the direction we’re headed and apologize.

I get dropped off two blocks down and rush through the store, grabbing what I need before walking through a crush of people heading home after work like I am.

When I open the door to the apartment, I already sense a shift in the air.

I don’t like it. Neither does my gut. Her coat isn’t on the hook next to where I hang mine by the front door.

“Marlow?” I call, noticing the perfume that usually greets me is fading.

Lingering particles caught in the air are all that remain.

I put the bags and the flowers wrapped in tissue down on the counter. “Marlow?”

Her laptop isn’t on the coffee table, and the charging cord isn’t running from the plug on the wall to the couch. Walking down the hall, I know before I see it with my own eyes. I know she’s gone.

Pushing open the cracked bedroom door, I walk in and straight to the closet. The space I’d cleared for her to hang her clothes is full of empty hangers. When I look in the corner where we stashed her suitcase, it’s gone. “Fuck!”

But then a shoe bin catches my eyes and then another. I open one of her drawers and so much is still in there. Rushing into the bathroom, some of her beauty shit is still on the counter, so nothing makes sense. I pull my phone from my pocket and call her like I should have done hours ago.

My call is sent immediately to voicemail.

Is her phone off, or is she not taking my calls? Huh . . .

Returning to the kitchen, I call the next best person to give me the answers I need. Tealey. Shoving the chicken, vegetables, and potatoes into the fridge, the meal I was hoping to make her as an apology is now on the back burner.

“Hello?”

“Tealey, it’s Jackson?—”

“I know. Technology these days,” she says, and I can only imagine an eye roll accompanied that statement by the sound of her grimacing tone. “You can’t prank anyone anymore.”

“What?” I don’t know what kind of crazy conversation I’m in, but I can’t get sidetracked. “Look, where’s Marlow?”

“What do you mean, where’s Marlow?”

I hold the phone out to check the time, considering how odd she’s acting. It’s past six o’clock, so it’s reasonable that she’s drunk or on her way to an inebriated state. Putting it back to my ear, I say it slower, “Where’s. Marlow?”

“On her way to LA. How do you not know this?”

I run my hand through my hair. Shit. “I was in meetings all day.”

“And she didn’t tell you? I’m confused, Jackson, but I’m also concerned for Marlow. She’s alone right now.”

I go to the bedroom, not sure what to do with myself other than pace like that’s going to solve the issue. “She called me, Tealey, but like I said, I was in meetings all day and couldn’t answer. Why are you concerned for her? What’s going on?”

“It’s her dad. He’s in the hospital.”

“Shit.” So many thoughts and emotions are crowding my head. I’m not sure which one to focus on. More importantly, what must Marlow be feeling? “What happened?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t have any answers. His housekeeper called her.”

I move into the office and pull my suitcase down from the closet. “What? Why not his wife?”

“I don’t know. She told me not to go with her, to stay, but now I’m thinking she shouldn’t be alone.”

“I’m going.”

“Wait,” she says, causing me to stop as soon as my suitcase lands on the bed. She sighs. “I want to go, but I don’t want to get in the way. Are you going tonight?”

“I’ll catch the first flight.”

“Okay. She hasn’t landed, but she’s supposed to call me when she does. What do you want me to tell her?”

The question stumps me because I don’t have the answer.

Does she want me there? She didn’t leave a voicemail, so I don’t know what she’s thinking.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I confess, “I was short with her last night. She made the food, but I had . . . there’s stuff going on with my work, and I . . .”

“She understands,” she says, no judgment in her tone. “We all have bad days. If your heart tells you to go, don’t think twice about it. Just go to her.”

“Okay. Thanks.” I go into the bathroom to pack my toiletries bag. “Do you know if she’s staying at his house?”

“I’m sure she will. I’ll send you the address before you land.” There’s a pause, and then she says, “I’ve never seen her happier than when she’s with you.”

My hand stops while packing my toothbrush. It’s not something she had to tell me, but I’m glad she did. I’m curious if it’s observation or . . . “Has she said anything to you?”

“She doesn’t have to. I know Marlow better than she knows herself or used to. She’s really come into her own with you. I think you both bring out the best in each other. Text me when you land?”

I toss my cologne in the bag. “I will. Thanks, Tealey.”

“No problem. Now go be there for your girl and safe travels.”

As soon as we hang up, I pull up flights and book the first one that will give me enough time to make it to the airport.

LA, here I come.