“Your mom died. So did your brother. I’m not feeling sorry for you. I’m sad for you. There’s a difference.”
He pulls up in front of the house, looking at it as if he’d rather be anywhere but here. We get out and go to the front door. He stops before ringing the bell. “You’re not going to say anything, right?”
“What would I say? I’m only here for moral support.”
He rings. Even the bell sounds rich. A woman opens the door and smiles. “Mijo!” She pulls him into a hug.
“Helen, this is Ella.”
“How nice to meet you,” she says.
I’m confused. Why is he getting such a good reception? “Hello, Mrs. Campbell.”
“Helen isn’t Dirk’s wife. She’s the housekeeper.”
Heat crosses my face. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
Helen laughs. “To be mistaken for Ms. Sylvia. Oh, the fun in that. Thank you, child.”
“I’m here to see Dirk,” he says.
Helen gestures to a room on the right. “If you’d like to wait there, I’ll find him. Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Water?”
“We won’t be here long. Thanks, Helen.”
She walks away, and we go into the room. “I feel so stupid. Of course your aunt wouldn’t answer the door.” I glance around. It’s one of the most ornate rooms I’ve ever been in. “I’ve never seen any place like this. It’s like a castle.”
“And Dirk is the fucking king.”
Helen hurries back. “Mayor Campbell will see you in his office.”
Liam glares. “Fuck no.”
“Mijo, watch your tongue.”
“Sorry. Helen, can you please ask him to come here?”
She gives him an apologetic look and looks like she’s about to cry. “He said he will only see you there. Nowhere else.”
“That’s how he’s going to play this?”
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“What’s so bad about meeting in his office?” I whisper to him.
“I don’t ever go there. It’s where Luke died.”
My mouth drops open. “That fucking prick.” I turn to Helen. “My apologies.”
Liam’s eyebrows hit the ceiling. “I didn’t think you had it in you, El.”
“I call ’em like I see ’em.”
“Maybe you should stay here with Helen.”
“What do you think, Helen? Should I stay here with you or go with him while he talks to Dirk?”
“If you go with Mr. Liam, I think there’s likely to be less shouting.”
I shoot Liam a smug look. “See? Helen’s a smart lady. You should listen to her.”
He tugs on my elbow. “Come on then, let’s get this over with.”
We turn down a hallway that seems to go on forever. I wish I could get a tour, because I’ll never again be in a house like this. Liam stops at a door on the right. He glares at it. How cruel must his uncle be to make him take the meeting in the place his brother died?
He sucks in a deep breath and knocks.
“Come in.”
Dirk sees me and stands. “Ah, Miss Campbell. How lovely to see you again so soon.” He turns to Liam. “I wasn’t aware you needed a chaperone.”
“Did you really think I’d have kept it on me, Dirk?”
He goes to the bar and pours himself a few fingers of whiskey. “What are you referring to?”
“Don’t be so fucking obtuse.”
He gets in Liam’s face. “Don’t disrespect me in my home.”
“How about we sit, Liam?” I walk to the couch and stare him down until he follows.
“I’d offer you a drink, but I hate to encourage an alcoholic,” Dirk says.
Liam’s jaw tightens. “I’m not an alcoholic.”
“Well, the apple can’t fall too far from the tree, now can it?”
“I’m only here for one thing, Dirk. Sell the company.”
“Surely you’re not talking about IRL.” He holds up his glass. “Best investment I ever made.”
“Sell it, or I’ll release the video.”
“Bullshit,” he says. “Like I said yesterday, you’d have done it by now if you have it.”
“I was living under your roof. I had my mom to think about. I couldn’t do it until now. Everything I said is true.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Maybe I am. Or maybe you have no fucking idea what’s on the video. You’re old. I’m sure your memory isn’t what it once was. You can’t possibly remember all the conversations you had in this house or how damning those conversations might have been.”
He walks over and hovers above Liam. The guy is intimidating if nothing else. “Are you threatening me?”
Liam laughs. “I am, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
He backs away and gestures to me. “You want your little friend here to know how disgusting you are?”