CHAPTER ONE
Skye
"You're joking, right?" I asked as I stared at my dad, my brother, and my uncle.
"Please, tell me you're joking." When no one answered, I shook my head. "If this is a prank, it's not funny. If you fess up now, I'll forgive you much faster than normal." Finally, after several minutes, Uncle Joe shook his head. He was a crooked cop, who often took bribes from people that had committed white collar crimes,
"I'm sorry, Skye," he began, and my heart stopped dead in my chest. "We're not joking."
Betrayal and anger burned inside me as I looked at each of the men before me. "Let me get this straight," I said as I pinched the bridge of my nose, hoping to understand my situation fully. "You took a loan from a loan shark, because the bakery was going under, and—when the loan shark demanded the loan in full—a friend of Uncle Joe's offered to pay it under the condition that I come live with him?"
I opened my eyes and looked at each of them. "Please tell me I'm misunderstanding you, and you're actually asking me for help paying the loan."
Brad, my brother, shook his head. "The amount he was asking for was too high," he argued, his brown eyes looking like those of a calf instead of his own. "There was no way all four of us could have afforded it, even if we’d asked for your help."
I crossed my arms and tilted my head at him. "How much was the guy asking for?" I asked, and they all stared at the floor, completely embarrassed. "Come on, you can tell me. How much was he saying you owed?"
Finally, Dad looked at me. "He wanted three hundred eighty-six thousand dollars," he admitted.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "This is why I warned you against refinancing the bakery with a loan shark," I said as I stared them down. "You do know the bank is always the safest route, right?"
Brad shook his head. "The bank wouldn't approve us for anything!" he exclaimed as he stared at me. "They said that we needed our scores to average seven hundred fifty, and Dad's score tanked us to six hundred thirty."
I raised my arms and shrugged.
"Hello!" I shouted. "I didn't become a real estate agent for nothing! Not only could I have helped you sell the old dump, so you could move to a much nicer location, where you would have a shit ton more business, but I could also have put you in contact with a friend of mine who works at the bank. She knows how to get people approved when the seller's amount doesn't cut it!"
I dropped my arms to my hips and shook my head. "What's even more annoying is the fact that you know I have accounts at a minimum of three different banks because I don't trust their two hundred fifty thousand insurance policy. You could have come to me, and I could have given you the money!"
Uncle Joe frowned in confusion. "What about that house you were buying?" he asked. "That had to have drained you." I rolled my head to the side and stared at him.
"I bought that outright with cash for one hundred seventy-nine thousand at a foreclosure auction," I informed him. "Besides, you all know that I don't do much with the money I make. I just do this because it's fun! If I wanted to, I could retire and move to Hawaii!"
All three looked stunned as they exchanged looks. When no one responded, I shook my head. "This is why I told you to come to me after you heard back from the bank. I would have just given you the money if you really needed me to."
Uncle Joe shot an accusing look at Dad. "I told you she'd never agree," he told him. "Now what are we going to do about Derek?"
I sighed and shook my head.
"You aren't going to do anything," I said as I looked at them. "You aren't allowed out of this house until I get to the bottom of this."
Brad frowned as I left the room to retrieve my purse and car keys. "What are you going to do?" he asked.
I stopped and stared down my wide eyed, gaping-mouthed family. "I'm going to pay Mr. Derek a visit and see if I can pay him back what he gave you," I told them as I pointed at Uncle Joe. "If you would give me his address, that would be most appreciated."
As if in a trance, Uncle Joe took out a pen and scribbled the address down on a sheet of unused legal pad paper. When he was done, he tore the sheet free and handed it to me.
I snatched it from his hands and waved at my family. "If you don't hear from me in an hour, call the police."
Dad frowned in confusion as he tilted his head at me. "But Joe is the police," he said, and I rolled my eyes.
"I mean someone who isn't always accepting bribes from snooty rich assholes," I snapped as I turned and marched towards the door. "I'll call you and tell you what he says."
With that, I hurried out the door and out to my car.
As much as I loved my family, there were plenty of days where I could just kill them all. I knew Dad was looking to refinance after the fire charcoaled the whole kitchen six months ago, and I knew I should have ignored his pleas and just paid everything for him. To me, money was no object, and I wanted what was best for them. It drove me crazy when they made any decisions like this on their own. Once more, it was up to me to clean up their mess.
CHAPTER TWO
Derek
"Hello?" I answered, pressing the button on my desk phone. The screen lit up immediately, showing surveillance footage of a woman driving a sleek, black Honda.
"Hello," she said as she leaned out of the driver side window, making it easier to see her face. "My name is Skylar Benedict. I'm here on behalf of my family, Gregory, Bradley, and Joseph Benedict."
I raised an eyebrow at the panel on my phone and nodded.
"Right, you're early," I pointed out as I pressed the button. "Come on in. I'll greet you at the door."
She nodded and waved a hand in acknowledgement as she disappeared into her sleek vehicle.
She was unexpectedly early, but I wasn't one to complain. I had asked that they send her by the end of the weekend, and it was only Wednesday. They made good on their promise, which made me happy. As I rose from my chair, I straightened my suit and started towards the front door. With my hand on the doorknob, I took a deep breath, mentally preparing for my guest.
"Hello," said the woman on the other side of the door when I finally opened it.
"Are you Derek Lanberger?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am," I said as I looked her up and down. "And you must be Skylar Benedict."
She nodded as I motioned for her to enter the room. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and it contrasted with her dark-blue business suit. Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds, but her expression was cold and set. That made it a little easier to take her seriously despite the fact that she was much shorter than I was. She looked as if she was here on business, and I had already assumed that she might see it this way. It was just a matter of changing that.
"Please, call me Skye," she said as she offered her hand along with a calm, confident smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." I smiled down at her as I took her hand in mine. It was soft and tiny, yet she gripped my hand firmly as she a
ttempted to shake my hand.
"The pleasure is all mine," I said as I smiled at her.
I leaned forward and kissed the back of her delicate hand. "If you will, please follow me." She nodded, and I closed the door and led her into my massive mansion.