Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Yeah, I know. I called Nell to get my messages. Callie and I were walking by, we saw you in here setting up, so I thought I’d see what you wanted.”
I open my mouth to comment on my concern about Ava, but I think better of it. Ava wouldn’t appreciate my interference.
So I tell him something else.
“Yeah. I don’t know if you’re the person I should talk to or if it’s Hardy, but apparently there’s been some weird mix-up with my insurance.”
“Oh?”
Callie looks down at her feet.
Strange.
“Yeah. They just called me, said that they had held off on processing my claim pending an investigation.”
“An investigation into what?”
“An investigation into whether I trashed my own place. I didn’t even know an investigation was ongoing. No one asked me any questions. Not one phone call.”
Neither says a word.
I go on, “You know, I guess they thought I’m the arsonist who sets his own place on fire just to get the insurance money or something.”
Donny clears his throat. “I don’t know why they would think that.”
“I don’t either, but apparently they did an investigation, determined that I did not trash my own place, and now they’re ready to send an adjuster over and process the claim. Except…they refused to admit that they already did all that and that they already paid me and waived my deductible, which this guy who I talked to today—Nigel something or other—claims they never do.”
Donny glances at Callie and then flicks his gaze to the floor. Sheepish doesn’t look good on him. Donny Steel is not known for looking sheepish. None of the Steels are.
“Donny…” Callie says.
Donny looks up and meets my gaze. “Can we sit down for a minute, Brendan?”
“Yeah. Sure. Why?”
“I need to tell you something.”
“Is it bad?”
“Not at all. Though you may take it that way.”
Great. Just what I need. “I’m not sitting. You can tell me what you need to tell me right here, while we’re both standing.”
“Okay, have it your way.” Then he clears his throat. “The fact that your place got trashed is my fault.”
My mouth drops open, and I’m sure I look like an idiot about to drool. “You’ve got to be kidding me… You trashed my place?”
He shakes his head. “No, of course not. But Dale and I… We wanted to do some more investigating, see what else may be hidden in your place. So we… Rather I…”
“Let me guess. That gas line was never an issue, was it?”
“No. I felt terrible about it, so I ended it. But all it took was that one night for you to be out of your apartment for someone else to come in and… Well, you know the rest.”
“And Hardy couldn’t find out who did it. Neither could you.”
“No,” Donny says, “but now that Wendy Madigan has resurfaced and we shut down the human trafficking on our property, I’m pretty sure I know who was responsible for trashing your place.”
“Who?”
“The mastermind behind everything that has ever befallen our family. Wendy Madigan herself.”
“None of that is explaining—” I shake my head. “Two plus two equals four. Always.”
“Look, Brendan… Brock was supposed to take care of the insurance company. Make sure they didn’t call you. I know he did, but… Well, you know corporate red tape and all. Something didn’t get done on their end, and—”
“Save it. You paid my”—air quotes—“insurance claim. I should’ve known no insurance company would ever waive the deductible. Or pay so quickly and give me the amount I got. My bad.”
“We would’ve just paid you, Brendan, but we didn’t think you’d take it.”
“Damn right I wouldn’t have. And you can have it all back.”
“But it’s our fault your place was vandalized. If you had been there, it wouldn’t have happened. You weren’t there because we made up the gas line lie.”
“I will never be beholden to a Steel.”
Donny sighs. “You sound like your old man.”
I raise my eyebrows. “When has my old man ever said anything like that?”
Donny cocks his head slightly, but his voice is steady. “Your old man has made it very clear over the years how he feels about the Steels. He’s nice to us, acts respectful, but it’s clear he still thinks our family had something to do with his uncle’s death.”
I stare Donny Steel straight in his hazel eyes. “Yeah? Frankly I haven’t ruled that out either.”
“You do know that none of us were alive when that happened, right?”
“I’ve told my father that ad nauseam. I always thought he was chasing his own tail on that one. But now? With you people having a lien on this property? A lien, by the way, that you promised to lift.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Except…”
“For Christ’s sake. What now?”
“Nothing. I’ll take care of it.”
“And I will pay you back every cent you gave me to fix this place up.”
“You’re cutting off your nose to spite your face, Brendan,” Callie says, turning to me. “I don’t condone what Donny did. I really don’t.”