Page 36

The Brandon Chapter is Closed

M eredith

I hummed the funeral march as I entered Sabre’s office.

Grace and I had been told there were some updates at breakfast, and the mood had instantly shifted.

There was something sinister lingering in the air, and this was the last place I wanted to be.

Sabre’s office made me uncomfortable. Family, my ass.

I felt like I was being walked to my execution.

“You’re not dying today, baby.” Grizz chuckled, leaning forward to nip at my ear. He was sadly mistaken if he thought he was getting any right now. Although, I tucked away the idea of using Sabre’s office for a later time.

“Let’s get this inquisition over.” Grace flopped down in the chair nearest Sabre’s desk.

“What’s with the two of you? You’re both doom and gloom.” Sabre moved the other chair as close as he could to Grace’s before he sat down. Grizz guided me to the couch, sitting in the corner, letting me curl up against him.

“We’re both here, which means the bank has reared its ugly head.” Grace shot Sabre a look.

“Yes, but there are a few other things that need to be discussed first. The first one’s easy: Scrub wants to run Pumpkin’s DNA against his and JR’s. I don’t have a problem with it, and neither does Grizz, but we told him the two of you would have to agree.”

“Why would Scrub use his?” I asked. I looked up at Grizz for clarification.

“Clara showed up at our…” Grizz was having a hard time finding the right word. He’d pick one, but when he went to say it, he’d stutter, repeating the cycle.

“They have a tit show, Mer,” Grace filled in after a few rounds.

“How many times do you visit in a week?” I asked Grizz, knowing it was harmless. I wouldn’t look for a problem when there wasn’t one. However, I thought it might be fun to have a date night. I’d save that nugget for an appropriate time.

“Only to fix things.” He gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him.

I was teasing, and when he caught my smile, he continued.

“Anyway, Clara was working for Jigsaw off the books at the tit show. We know she was paying him on her knees, but it’s not a stretch to think he could be Pumpkin’s sperm donor. ”

“You’re Pumpkin’s father.” She was ours, and I wouldn’t let anyone convince her otherwise.

Grizz’s eyes became hooded, and his nostrils flared.

“I’m going to be the first one who christens my office,” Sabre chuckled, and Grizz settled back down. I laid my head on his chest, comforted by the heat still pouring off of him.

“Jig’s gone, so Scrub offered to run his.” Sabre filled in the rest of the story.

“Do you honestly think we should?” Grace asked Sabre. “I feel like this is a can of worms. Once it’s opened, we’ll never be able to keep it contained, no matter what happens.”

Sabre shrugged. “We’ll raise JR and Pumpkin as cousins either way, so I don’t see the harm in knowing.”

“Are you going to tell JR about Matt?” I asked Grace, genuinely curious.

“I never want to think about Matt, but JR has a right to know, and if he asks, we agreed to tell him.” She shrugged, matching Sabre. He held his hand out to her, and she laced their fingers together.

“If you agree…” I looked up at Grizz. “…I think we should allow it. We’ll know, and if Pumpkin ever wants to know where she came from, we can tell her the truth.” Grizz nodded, agreeing with me.

“I’ll let Scrub know,” Sabre said. “There’s more.”

“There’s always more.” Grace turned up her nose, and Sabre reached over to flick the end.

“Cyph’s been watching the bank since the news about Matt. They’re trying to figure out the best way to protect themselves, no matter who they hurt.”

“Why can’t they just let it go? They’re the ones who let Matt get away with it for so long.” Grace picked at an invisible piece of skin on her thumb.

“I know you’re tired of this.” Sabre tightened his hold on her, stopping the motion. “Cyph says they’re going to write off the losses, and you’ll be able to close Matt’s estate.”

“I’ve already decided. I’m going to sell the house, and all the money can go to JR. I’ll get Count to help me arrange it, but I want nothing from Matt or his cartel buddies,” Grace said.

Sabre made a noise and turned towards me. “Do you want to tell her?” he asked Grizz.

Grizz patted my ass, shifting so that we were eye-to-eye as I sat up. “Since the bank is going to close Matt’s file, they want to make an example out of you.”

“Why can’t they make an example out of the cartel? They’re the bad guys in all of this.” My only crime had been thinking I was in love with Brandon.

Grizz shook his head. “They could, but they think you’re the easier target. They’re right. The cartel could keep them in litigation for years, and that’s assuming Diego doesn’t sneak across the border. They’re the cartel for a reason, baby.”

“So, now what? Am I going to be broke? They’re going to take everything from me, even though I’m innocent?” My tone was rising, and I didn’t know how much longer I could sit here without losing my shit.

There was a knock on Sabre’s office door.

“The calvary,” Grizz told me, wrapping his arm around my waist. “It’ll be okay. Trust me.” He kissed me, sealing his promise.

“Come in,” Sabre called.

The door opened, revealing Emily and Cyph.

“You ready for us?” Cyph asked, and Sabre raised his hand to wave them in. They sat on either ends of the other couch.

Emily situated a stack of papers in her lap with a yellow legal pad on top. She raised her hands. “Before we start, I have to warn you. You can’t tell me anything that’s not public record. I have to say what my sources are, and ‘inside’ doesn’t help anyone.”

“I already told her the basics.” Cyph opened his laptop.

“It’s Monday,” she said. “The bank is open, and I’d like to call the fraud investigator assigned to a property Meredith is on. I have a plan, and I’m pretty sure it’ll work, but I’ve been waiting for the right time.”

“They waited too long, didn’t they?” Sabre asked her.

“I need a hobby. I have too much free time on my hands, and I’ve been going over different options ever since Count gave me the paperwork.

” She shrugged, pulling her phone out. Emily dialed, holding it up to her ear.

“Hello, I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me.

” She paused. “Great, thank you so much. Is it easier if I give you the address or the parcel number?” Another pause.

“Perfect, I’m looking for the investigator working… ” She rattled off a set of numbers.

Cyph turned his monitor in Emily’s direction. He’d written a name on the screen, and I assumed they were confirming the person Emily was waiting for. She nodded in his direction, and he turned the screen back towards himself.

“Hello, I was told you’re the person handling this parcel number.

” Emily rolled her eyes at us. Grace covered her mouth as she smiled.

“Yes, and that’s why I’m calling. My client was involved without her knowledge, and I hoped we could clear up this miscommunication.

” Emily drummed her fingers against the legal pad as she rocked on the heels of her stilettos.

I curled further into Grizz, and he wrapped both arms around me. It was hard listening to other people decide my life.

“Have you looked at the signature page for the six properties you’ve already foreclosed on?

” Emily’s lips lifted at the corner. “I can wait while you familiarize yourself with them. The first two are the only ones that have realistic signatures. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still not my client’s.

I have no problem ordering a handwriting analysis.

The last four have a vertical line as the signature. ”

We all watched as Emily’s smile turned into a full-blown smirk that resembled How’s.

“I thought you might say that, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to make this right.” She shifted, raising the papers in her lap to cross her legs at the knee. “That’s a shame, but I’ll make sure you get the credit. Have a good day.” She ended the phone call and looked directly at me.

“They’re coming after me, right?” I didn’t shy away from her stare when I wanted to bury myself inside Grizz.

“Not today. This won’t end tomorrow either, but it’s a start in getting them to close in your favor.

” She picked up her phone and dialed another number.

We all looked at Cyph to see if he knew what was going on, but he shrugged.

“Hi! I know. It’s been forever.” She smiled, her teeth perfectly straight and shiny.

“Oh, you are? Did they take you to that little restaurant on the island? They love that place.” Emily winked at me.

I was confused, and when I looked at everyone else, I saw I wasn’t the only one.

“Eric’s good. He’s busy doing his own thing, but I get to see him more often.

” Her lips twitched at the irony. “Oh, that’s really nice.

Please congratulate her for us.” She switched the phone from one ear to the other.

“You know I wouldn’t bother you, but there was no other choice.

I’ve been watching for weeks, but it didn’t work itself out. ”

I sat up a little straighter. We were getting somewhere.

“Would you? It’s a very simple matter, but when I called the head investigator, he didn’t see it my way.” She stuck her thumb up in the air. “I’m aware this is an embarrassing matter for the bank.” She paused, holding up her other thumb.

“Are you lost?” I whispered to Grizz.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but it sounds good,” he whispered in my ear.

“I can send you the parcel numbers for the lots, but I’d like the cases closed with no retaliation against my client and immediately removed from her credit report.

” She laughed. “Oh, I wasn’t done. The deals should have been red taped, and yet multiple supervisors mindlessly signed.

I recommend transferring the condo title to my client, free and clear, as financial compensation. ” Emily waited a beat.

Had she just won?

“You’ve tried to recruit me multiple times, but Mr. Nelson offered first, and you know how loyal I am.

I don’t want any animosity, but if I file this in New York, it’ll be hot gossip.

” She listened to whatever was being said on the other end.

“It’s always a pleasure doing business with you.

Say hi to my parents.” She ended the phone call, uncrossing her legs and flopping back against the couch.

“What the fuck was that?” I was the first one to find their voice.

“Mr. Carpenter is on the board of directors for the bank. He doesn’t get to sit on my parent’s yacht as an invited guest and ignore a personal matter for their daughter. Old money talks, and the Hastings are as old as they come.”

“What will you owe him?” Sabre asked her.

“I won’t. High society loves gossip, and they’ll have no problem shutting out the Carpenters.

They only arrived in New York at the turn of the twentieth century.

” She turned towards me. “Amongst everything else, like your credit report, the bank needs to pay off your condo, or Carpenter does. It’s cheaper than a scandal.

I’ll send him an email with all the information he needs and end it in a veiled threat. ”

“My situation isn’t worth getting in trouble over,” I said softly, lowering my head. “I can let my condo go. There’s no need to keep it, since we’re staying here.”

“There’s no issue here. He knows they’re in the wrong.

I just had to make him aware of the situation.

If the bank pays the mortgage off, we’ll probably get an NDA along with the paperwork.

I’ll check it, but you weren’t planning on running to the press, anyway.

If Carpenter pays, it could be a toss-up. ”

“Why would he pay? It’s a lot of money.” If I had been thinking straight, I would have known that money was no object, but I needed Emily to explain it to me.

“Don’t hold this against me. Tyler already knows, and I don’t care if you harass Eric.

” She winked. “Our trust fund payouts, if we were to take them, are three times what’s left on your mortgage for one month.

If Mr. Carpenter pays it out to save face, you don’t need to worry about him.

It won’t be overnight, but the bank will stop looking for ways to prosecute you, and if we don’t see the title in a few weeks, I’ll keep on him.

Mr. Carpenter doesn’t want me to call my father while he’s being hosted. ”

“Plug your ears,” Cyph told Emily.

“I’ll leave.” She stood from her spot. I didn’t want her to leave without knowing how grateful I was. I stood quickly, wrapping my arms around her.

“Thank you,” I said.

“It’s about protecting our family. You told me that,” she said to me before pulling away. The door closed softly behind her.

“Mr. Carpenter works quickly. He’s fired off a series of emails, inquiring about how they’re going to fix this. It’s all here.” Cyph was bouncing on the couch cushion.

Brandon wouldn’t affect my life anymore.