“Not if you sell your condo. It’ll get snapped up if you list it straightaway.” His father’s mouth twisted like a cat rejecting a worming pill. “Please.”
Jackson blinked. He couldn’t remember ever hearing Alistair Hale say “please.”
They left the site together, both driving back to the office, where they shut themselves away to deal with the tangle of events. By the time the afternoon had dragged into evening, Jackson was done. Any more coffee and he was going to burst out of his skin. But without more coffee, he’d never stay awake.
“I’m heading home. You should, too.” He stood, stretched, shrugged on his jacket. “And, for God’s sake, please think about talking to Mom.”
His dad’s phone rang. “It’s Landon.”
Jackson sat down again.
“Hello.” His father answered the call and placed it on loudspeaker.
“Alistair.” Peake’s voice was all business, lacking any hint of amiability. “We need to talk.”
“About anything in particular?”
Landon Peake scoffed. “I have my ear to the ground. And you have a crane in a similar position. Is that going to cause us an issue?”
“I don’t believe so.” His father’s reply was unemotional, although his pulse thundered visibly beneath his jaw. “And how do you know that, anyway?”
Peake ignored the question. “If you can’t pay, I’m prepared to take the house.”
Jackson sucked in a breath.
“Amity Court?” his father queried and they exchanged a blank look.
“Yes. I can see it has potential.” Peake drew out the word.
“You’d pay asking price?”
A chuckle echoed through the phone. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not how this works.”
“Then what?”
“I’ll take it in lieu of your interest. You’d still have to settle the debt, Alistair, but it would buy you a little more time.”
The cold fury rolling off his father was almost tangible. Jackson felt the same coursing through his blood. “We won’t be taking you up on that, Landon,” his dad replied through gritted teeth.
Peake paused. “Then make sure I get my money, Alistair. You can ask your wife exactly how serious I am. And my guys have been making friends with your boy’s young lady. I am not someone to mess about with.” Jackson’s phone and his father’s cell pinged at the same time.
Jackson opened the message. His fingers faltered as he studied the grainy image of two figures on a sidewalk in Pine Springs. Itwas a simple shot, an ordinary one. The photo looked as if it had been taken across the street from the general store. A passing car blocked the right-hand side of the picture, but over on the left was Leah, standing in front of a bulky man. His hands gripped the tops of her arms; the upper half of her body leaned away from him. The expression on her face wasn’t clear but her body language screamed discomfort. Shock and sickness tangled in Jackson’s gut.
“She’s not my young lady.” The denial was instinctive, driven by a fierce urge to distance Leah from this fucked-up situation. “She worked with my grandmother and she’s moving on soon.”
“Ah, you’re there too, Jackson! Helpful to speak with you both at the same time. Saves me a call.” There was a smile in Peake’s voice. “I’ve asked Repo and Little Jimmy to stick around the local area for a while. It’ll do them good to get out of Chicago and have a break. I’ll call again in two days and we can discuss your payment schedule in more depth once you’ve had time to think about my offer.”
Landon Peake ended the call and the sudden silence was heavy.
“Fuck.” Jackson looked at the photo again.
“You need to get her out of that house. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—she’s a complication.” His father’s face was grim. The phone rang again in his hand. “It’s your mother,” he muttered as he answered the call. “Hi... I’ll be home—”
His mom’s voice, uncharacteristically shrill, cut in over his dad—so loud, Jackson could hear every word. “The sunroom, Alistair! All the windows are smashed! I’ve just got back from the club and there’s glass everywhere...” Her words cracked and broke. An audible sob echoed over the line. His father’s face paled; he was out of his chair and grabbing his jacket immediately.
Jackson opened his messages and typed with shaky fingers.
You OK?
