Rising Tides
Page 52
"He'll buy us till May," Cam decided, and Ethan nodded.
"Or he'll make it April and skin the poor bastard for a bonus."
"Either way." Cam clamped a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "We're going to have ourselves another contract by end of day."
Below, Seth snorted. "Shit, he'll wrap it up by lunch-time. The guy's toast." Cam tucked his tongue in his cheek. "Two o'clock, soonest."
"Noon," Seth said, peering up at him.
"Two bucks?"
"Sure. I can use the money."
"you know," cam saidas he dug out his wallet, "before you came along to ruin my life, I'd just won a bundle in Monte Carlo." Seth sneered cheerfully. "This ain't Monte Carlo."
"You're telling me." He passed the bills over, then winced when he saw his wife come into the building.
"Cool it. Social worker heading in. She's not going to approve of minors gambling."
"Hey, I won," Seth pointed out, but he stuffed the bills in his pocket. "You bring any food?" he asked Anna.
"Oh, no, I didn't. Sorry." Distracted, she dragged a hand through her hair. There was a sick ball in the pit of her stomach that she did her best to ignore. She smiled, a curve of lips that didn't quite manage to reach her eyes. "Didn't you all pack lunch?"
"Yeah, but you usually bring something better."
"This time I've been pretty tied up putting food together for the picnic tomorrow." She ran a hand over his head, then left it lying on his shoulder. She needed the contact. "I just… thought I'd take a break and see how things were going around here."
"Phil just nailed this rich guy for a ton of money."
"Good, that's good," she said absently. "Then we should celebrate. Why don't I spring for ice cream?
You think you can handle picking up some hot fudge sundaes at Crawford's?"
"Yeah." His face split into a grin. "I can handle it." She dragged money out of her purse, hoping he didn't notice that her hands weren't quite steady. "No nuts on mine, remember?"
"Sure. I got it. I'm gone." He raced out, and she watched him, heartsick.
"What is it, Anna?" Cam put his hands on her shoulders, turned her to face him. "What happened?"
"Give me a minute. I broke records getting here, and I need some time to settle." She blew out a breath, drew one in, and felt marginally steadier. "Go get your brothers, Cam."
"Okay." But he lingered, rubbing his hands over her shoulders. It was rare for her to look so shaken.
"Whatever it is, we'll fix it."
He walked to the cargo doors, where Ethan and Phil stood outside arguing over baseball. "Something's up." he said briefly. "Anna's here. She sent Seth off. She's upset." She was standing by a workbench, with one of Seth's drawing books open, when they came in. It made her eyes sting to see her own face, carefully, skillfully sketched by the young boy's hand. He'd been more than a case file, almost from the start. And now he was hers, as much as Ethan and Phillip were hers. Family. She couldn't stand to think that anything or anyone would hurt her family. But she was steadier when she turned, scanned the quiet and concerned faces of the men who'd become essential to her life. "This came in today's mail." Her hand no longer trembled as she reached into her purse and pulled out the letter.
"It's addressed to 'The Quinns.' Just 'The Quinns,' " she repeated. "From Gloria DeLauter. I opened it. I thought it best, and well, my name's Quinn now, too."
She offered it to Cam. Saying nothing, he took out the single sheet of lined paper and passed the envelope to Phillip.
"She mailed it from Virginia Beach," Phillip murmured. "We lost her in North Carolina. She's sticking with the beaches, but coming north."
"What does she want?" Ethan stuffed hands that had curled into fists into his pockets. A low, simmering rage was already pumping through his blood.
"What you'd expect," Cam answered shortly. "Money. 'Dear Quinns,' " Cam read. " 'I heard how Ray died. It's too bad. You might not know that Ray and me had an agreement. I think you'll want to make good on it since you're keeping Seth. I guess he's pretty settled in there in that nice house. I miss him. You don't know what a sacrifice it was for me to give him up to Ray, but I wanted what was best for my only son."
"You ought to have your violin," Phillip muttered to Ethan.
"'I knew Ray would be good to him,' " Cam continued. " 'He did right by the three of you, and Seth's got his blood.'"
He stopped reading for a moment. There it was, in black and white. "Truth or lie?" He looked up at his brothers.
"That's to deal with later." Ethan felt the ache begin around his heart and move in to squeeze. But he shook his head. "Read the rest."
"Okay. 'Ray knew how much it hurt me to part with the boy, so he helped me out. But now that he's gone, I'm starting to worry that it might not be the best place for Seth there with you. I'm willing to be convinced. If you're set on keeping him, you'll keep up Ray's promise of helping me out. I'm going to need some money, like a sign that you've got good intentions. Five thousand. You can send it to me, care of General Delivery here in Virginia Beach. I'll give you two weeks, figuring the mail's kind of unreliable. If I don't hear back, I'll know you don't really want the kid. I'll come get him. He must be missing me something awful. Be sure to tell him his mom loves him, and might be seeing him real soon.'"
"Bitch," was Phillip's first comment. "She's testing us out, trying her hand at a little more blackmail to see if we'll fall for it the way Dad did."
"You can't." Anna put a hand on Cam's arm, felt the quiver of rage. "You have to let the system work. You have to trust me to see that she doesn't do this. In court—"
"Anna." Cam shoved the letter into the hand Ethan had held out. "We're not going to put that boy through a court case. Not if there's another way."
"You don't mean to pay her. Cam—"
"I don't mean for her to have one f**king cent." He prowled away, struggling to fight off fury. "She thinks she's got us by the balls, but she's wrong. We're not one lone old man." He whirled back, eyes blazing.
"Or he'll make it April and skin the poor bastard for a bonus."
"Either way." Cam clamped a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "We're going to have ourselves another contract by end of day."
Below, Seth snorted. "Shit, he'll wrap it up by lunch-time. The guy's toast." Cam tucked his tongue in his cheek. "Two o'clock, soonest."
"Noon," Seth said, peering up at him.
"Two bucks?"
"Sure. I can use the money."
"you know," cam saidas he dug out his wallet, "before you came along to ruin my life, I'd just won a bundle in Monte Carlo." Seth sneered cheerfully. "This ain't Monte Carlo."
"You're telling me." He passed the bills over, then winced when he saw his wife come into the building.
"Cool it. Social worker heading in. She's not going to approve of minors gambling."
"Hey, I won," Seth pointed out, but he stuffed the bills in his pocket. "You bring any food?" he asked Anna.
"Oh, no, I didn't. Sorry." Distracted, she dragged a hand through her hair. There was a sick ball in the pit of her stomach that she did her best to ignore. She smiled, a curve of lips that didn't quite manage to reach her eyes. "Didn't you all pack lunch?"
"Yeah, but you usually bring something better."
"This time I've been pretty tied up putting food together for the picnic tomorrow." She ran a hand over his head, then left it lying on his shoulder. She needed the contact. "I just… thought I'd take a break and see how things were going around here."
"Phil just nailed this rich guy for a ton of money."
"Good, that's good," she said absently. "Then we should celebrate. Why don't I spring for ice cream?
You think you can handle picking up some hot fudge sundaes at Crawford's?"
"Yeah." His face split into a grin. "I can handle it." She dragged money out of her purse, hoping he didn't notice that her hands weren't quite steady. "No nuts on mine, remember?"
"Sure. I got it. I'm gone." He raced out, and she watched him, heartsick.
"What is it, Anna?" Cam put his hands on her shoulders, turned her to face him. "What happened?"
"Give me a minute. I broke records getting here, and I need some time to settle." She blew out a breath, drew one in, and felt marginally steadier. "Go get your brothers, Cam."
"Okay." But he lingered, rubbing his hands over her shoulders. It was rare for her to look so shaken.
"Whatever it is, we'll fix it."
He walked to the cargo doors, where Ethan and Phil stood outside arguing over baseball. "Something's up." he said briefly. "Anna's here. She sent Seth off. She's upset." She was standing by a workbench, with one of Seth's drawing books open, when they came in. It made her eyes sting to see her own face, carefully, skillfully sketched by the young boy's hand. He'd been more than a case file, almost from the start. And now he was hers, as much as Ethan and Phillip were hers. Family. She couldn't stand to think that anything or anyone would hurt her family. But she was steadier when she turned, scanned the quiet and concerned faces of the men who'd become essential to her life. "This came in today's mail." Her hand no longer trembled as she reached into her purse and pulled out the letter.
"It's addressed to 'The Quinns.' Just 'The Quinns,' " she repeated. "From Gloria DeLauter. I opened it. I thought it best, and well, my name's Quinn now, too."
She offered it to Cam. Saying nothing, he took out the single sheet of lined paper and passed the envelope to Phillip.
"She mailed it from Virginia Beach," Phillip murmured. "We lost her in North Carolina. She's sticking with the beaches, but coming north."
"What does she want?" Ethan stuffed hands that had curled into fists into his pockets. A low, simmering rage was already pumping through his blood.
"What you'd expect," Cam answered shortly. "Money. 'Dear Quinns,' " Cam read. " 'I heard how Ray died. It's too bad. You might not know that Ray and me had an agreement. I think you'll want to make good on it since you're keeping Seth. I guess he's pretty settled in there in that nice house. I miss him. You don't know what a sacrifice it was for me to give him up to Ray, but I wanted what was best for my only son."
"You ought to have your violin," Phillip muttered to Ethan.
"'I knew Ray would be good to him,' " Cam continued. " 'He did right by the three of you, and Seth's got his blood.'"
He stopped reading for a moment. There it was, in black and white. "Truth or lie?" He looked up at his brothers.
"That's to deal with later." Ethan felt the ache begin around his heart and move in to squeeze. But he shook his head. "Read the rest."
"Okay. 'Ray knew how much it hurt me to part with the boy, so he helped me out. But now that he's gone, I'm starting to worry that it might not be the best place for Seth there with you. I'm willing to be convinced. If you're set on keeping him, you'll keep up Ray's promise of helping me out. I'm going to need some money, like a sign that you've got good intentions. Five thousand. You can send it to me, care of General Delivery here in Virginia Beach. I'll give you two weeks, figuring the mail's kind of unreliable. If I don't hear back, I'll know you don't really want the kid. I'll come get him. He must be missing me something awful. Be sure to tell him his mom loves him, and might be seeing him real soon.'"
"Bitch," was Phillip's first comment. "She's testing us out, trying her hand at a little more blackmail to see if we'll fall for it the way Dad did."
"You can't." Anna put a hand on Cam's arm, felt the quiver of rage. "You have to let the system work. You have to trust me to see that she doesn't do this. In court—"
"Anna." Cam shoved the letter into the hand Ethan had held out. "We're not going to put that boy through a court case. Not if there's another way."
"You don't mean to pay her. Cam—"
"I don't mean for her to have one f**king cent." He prowled away, struggling to fight off fury. "She thinks she's got us by the balls, but she's wrong. We're not one lone old man." He whirled back, eyes blazing.
