Merger to Marriage (Boardrooms and Billi - By Addison Fox Page 0,33
her posture stiff as she sat on the opposite end of the couch. “Who else have you struck deals with to pay back your mother’s theft?”
He was surprised at how fast she arrived at that conclusion before shaking his head at the evidence he needed to tell her the whole story. “I’ve managed six others so far. I’ve got three more to go that I know of after Craddick.”
“So you cut the deals, then sweeten them out of your own pocket to pay them back for the theft. Without anyone ever being wiser?”
An image of his first “fix” rose up in his mind’s eye. “I learned early on that trying to tell the mark what I was up to didn’t win me any favors. I nearly ended up in jail on my first fix. Haven’t made that mistake again.”
“You’re doing this all on your own. Why do you think your mother’s a threat?”
“She’s back in my life after being gone for a couple of years, which means I’m on her radar for some reason. All she needs to do is catch wind of the Craddick project and she’ll figure out what I’m doing.”
“So lay low on Craddick. Give him some space and let your mother fade away again.”
“He’s not going to take too many more proposals from me. Add on the fact that the man’s not doing all that much expansion any longer and I’m not going to be able to get my hands on a deal for him. I need to act on this one.”
“And he wants you to have a wife before he’ll do a deal.”
“Yep.”
She nodded, her face set in somber lines. “Tell me more about your mother.”
“She’s a world-class thief and con artist. She jumps from mark to mark, using them in between husbands.”
“So she’s not dead like your story last weekend suggested?”
“No. She’s not.” He lifted his gaze from his glass, unwilling to keep his eyes averted in the telling of his past. Every sordid detail. “When I was a child, she used me as part of her cons, often having me case out a place or help her fence the items. It’s amazing how much you can stuff in a Spider-Man backpack.”
“Holt.” Her voice was a whisper in the room but he ignored her.
“I knew what she was. Knew how she made a living and kept a roof over our heads, but I allowed it to happen until I was eighteen and could get the hell out of the house. I got a scholarship and never looked back. But until that time, I was as guilty as she was.”
“You were a child.”
“Convenient argument. But the stuff when I was sixteen and seventeen… Let’s just say I’m lucky I never got caught. Nor am I delusional enough to think she wouldn’t try to make it stick to me if I ever attempted to turn her in.”
“No one could hold you responsible.”
“I am. Was. I know what she is and I know what she’s capable of. She’s the stench that taints my life, and I allow it to keep happening.”
“You are not responsible.”
“She won’t spin it that way.” He waited a beat, then decided to share everything. Whatever Mayson already thought of his past couldn’t get any worse. “She’s working a con now, and things are going to get worse before they get better.”
“What does that mean?”
“She came to me last week looking for money. She claimed she needed it to make an investment, but it’s code for seed money.”
“Did you give it to her?”
“No.”
“So what can she do? Blackmailing you for it will only make her guiltier. You’ve got power now, Holt. And with the surveillance you’ve likely done on her, you can keep her out of your hair forever.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“But it can’t be that hard. You have proof. And you’ve kept business records of how you’ve paid back her crimes. No one would judge you for that.”
“I wish it were that simple, but it’s not.”
Mayson shook her head. “There’s no way she’s got that sort of power.”
“There’s every way. Trust me.”
“And that’s why you want to get married?”
“It legitimizes our relationship for guys like Craddick, and it has the added benefit of keeping you safe. If we’re married, you have legal rights to my estate. So does our child. She can’t touch it through you.”
“This is crazy. You’re talking like she’d harm you in some way. Or worse, harm an innocent child.”
“She’ll use whatever is in her way. Whatever she can find.