I unlock the door and he opens it slowly. “Can I come in?”
I blink my eyes a few times to snap myself out of it. “Yes. Sure. Sorry, you just caught me by surprise.”
I lock the door behind him and turn. He’s right there, so close I could reach out and touch him. It’s all I want to do, but I don’t. My body is drawn to his with a pull that’s surreal. It’s a test of endurance just to keep my hands at my sides.
“How are you feeling?” I ask referring to his ribs.
“Better now.” His eyes are such a beautiful shade of blue and so full of emotion, I almost believe that it’s me that makes him feel better. Then I remember the girlfriend that was in his Penthouse taking care of him and I force down my own desires. I walk back around the counter to put a safe distance between us.
“I’m glad you had someone to take care of you.”
He nods. “He turned out to be a pretty good guy.”
“Your brother?”
“Yeah. Him and Liv took care of me for a few days. Doctor gave me painkillers that knocked me out pretty good.”
Liv. Does he really need to bring her up? How insensitive can he be? “What can I do for you Jax?” My entire demeanor changes, my body might not know this man no longer belongs to me, but my brain sure does. I’m actually glad he brought her up, it has the effect of throwing a glass of cold water in my face. Waking me from my dreamy eyed stupor.
He furrows his brow, noticing the change. The temperature just dropped ten degrees, it would be hard not to. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No. Why would you think that?” I say, sarcasm unmistakable in my voice.
“What’s going on, Lily?” he walks to the counter.
“Nothing Jax. What did you want? I’d prefer to discuss whatever it is you came here for. I really have no interest in discussing your Penthouse romp with your girlfriend.”
“My girlfriend? What are you talking about?”
“Liv. I went to the front desk to see how you were feeling and they told me your girlfriend had checked you out and into her Penthouse.”
“Is that what this is about?”
“No. It’s about forgetting. I just need to move on with my life and you aren’t helping every time you decide to pop back into it.”
“You’re jealous of Liv?”
“I’m not jealous of anyone!” I defend myself a little too vigorously.
“Liv is Vince’s girlfriend. I was staying with Vince and Liv. In the second bedroom of the Penthouse they shared together.” He crosses his arms tightly over his chest. His jaw tightens and I can’t tell if it’s from the argument or the touch so close to his ribs.
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Just tell me what you’re here for.” My head feels so jumbled.
“You think so little of me that I would be over you so quickly? That I’d bring a woman to Vegas knowing you’d be there?”
Feeling painfully confused, I look at him, my emotions in turmoil, and he glares at me, waiting for a response. Only I have no idea what to say.
“I don’t know what to say, Jax.”
“You just said it all,” he says quietly, his handsome face looking forlorn. “I need to tell you a few things and then I’ll be gone. I won’t interrupt your life anymore after that. I promise.”
There’s a somberness in his expression when he continues. “Caden has been stealing from you for a long time.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Remember the auditor that came in? Mrs. Waters?”
“Yes.”
“She consolidated the ledgers from all sixty-two of your gyms to see if she could find any redundancies when she was here. Sixty-one of the stores were paying a management fee of a thousand dollars a month to Ralley Management Inc. for the last nine months.”
“Who is Ralley Management?”
“That’s what she wasn’t sure of. She thought maybe it was a note the gyms were paying back to Joe, so she didn’t mention it at first. But the checks were cashed on a City Bank account so she was able to verify the account owner. There was only one. Caden Ralley. He’s been syphoning sixty-one thousand dollars a month for close to a year. That’s why your cash flow was tight. It was hard to see it since it wasn’t a big amount for any one location.”
A knot forms in my throat and I can barely breathe. “I don’t understand.”
“You said yourself you leaned on him after your father died. He took advantage. Probably set it up with the stores when you were going through a hard time, so none of the managers bothered to ask you about it.”
The memory comes back to me. “I sent out an email telling the managers to work with Caden, that he would be helping keep the books organized while I was out for a while.” I sit down, feeling suddenly dizzy and overwhelmed. “I’m such an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. You were devastated when your dad died and taking help was a smart decision. Caden took advantage of you.”
I feel like such a fool. How could I have not noticed so much money disappearing. “What do I do now?”
“You need to report it. I’ll go with you to the police if you want tomorrow. But he needs to be arrested. He’s out of control and I know he’s planning on coming back here. Thinks you two can get back together now that we’re…” he trails off.
“Not together,” I finish his sentence with a low shaky voice.
He nods.
“Okay. He should be punished for what he did to you anyway.”
Jax attempts a smile. “You want me to pick you up in the morning and we can go together or you want me to meet you there?”
“I’ll meet you there. The thirteenth precinct is just two blocks over.”
He nods and turns toward the door. “One more thing.”
“There’s more?”
“I want to come clean about one thing too, Lily.”
“What?” My head is spinning, I’m not sure how much more I can take.
“The bank line of credit? They didn’t reconsider it and open it back up. I guaranteed it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I wanted to help. I can’t prove it, but I have a feeling my father used his influence to hurt you and make it look like I did it. He didn’t want me to invest in Ralley’s. Didn’t want me to stay in New York. I know you don’t believe me, but I had nothing to do with the bank pulling your line of credit, Lily.”