“I know exactly whatshesees inhim. I have no idea whathesees inher.”
Luke’s phone rang, and Ivy could have shouted for joy. This conversation couldn’t end soon enough. Talking about her dad had been hard. Talking about her mom in front of Gil and Emily? The worst. She just wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out.
“Yeah, baby.” Luke’s entire face softened, and even without the endearment, Ivy would have known who he was talking to. She hadno doubt that all three of the men in this room were formidable. She’d done her research and knew what it took to become a Secret Service agent. Wimps need not apply. But listening to her tale of woe, they’d all shown a softer side that she doubted they made a habit of putting on display.
Except for Luke with Faith. Apparently, that was on display all the time. It was so sweet, it hurt to watch. But at the same time, she couldn’t pull her eyes away. She was still staring at him, so she didn’t miss the moment his lips flattened into a tight line. His eyes cut to hers, and there was nothing sweet about the look he gave her.
“I’ll find out. Yeah. Come to the office. Love you too.” Luke set his phone and both arms on the table. “Ivy?”
Here we go again.“Yes?”
“Why would that guy think you have access to millions of dollars?”
She sat up straight, and Gil didn’t try to stop her. He also didn’t remove his knee from where it pressed into hers. And while his arm dropped from her shoulders, it only went as far as the back of her chair. His fingers rested lightly on the outside of her arm. “No one knows about that money.”
Luke’s expression was unyielding. “Morris must have taken a liking to you, because Faith says he did not go easy on ol’ Leon. And Leon says you’re worth millions. Millions only you can access. He claims he doesn’t know more, but he was promised a hefty paycheck after you turn loose of the cash.”
“But no one knows—”
“Ivy, you’re too smart for this,” Zane said. “I believe that until now you didn’t know anyone else knew, but obviously someone does. And contrary to what some people will lead you to believe, I don’t enjoy being a jerk, so please know I’m not trying to be one now. But you’re going to have to tell us the entire truth about themillions of dollars you have access to. If you don’t, you’re tying our hands, and either you wind up being tortured again or one of us winds up dead. I’m sure, given what happened last spring, you can appreciate the fact that none of us is too keen on option number two.”
“Zane.” Gil’s voice held a sharp edge, and based on the way Emily, Luke, and Zane looked, it wasn’t an edge he made a habit of using. “Enough.”
“She has to—”
“She will. She probably already would have if you’d give her half a second to pull her thoughts together.”
Emily and Luke both pursed their lips together in a way that made Ivy think they were amused. Zane glowered but didn’t say anything else.
“Buttercup.” Gil’s lips brushed against her ear, and he whispered, “You need to tell us everything.”
She never talked about the money. Rarely thought about it. She had no plans to ever touch it until she needed it for the prosthetic. But Zane had laid it out for her. And Gil’s soft request confirmed that Zane wasn’t being overly dramatic or nosy. So what else could she do? “After the accident, Dad received a huge settlement. He didn’t sue, but the company paid out big-time. Between the company he worked for and the manufacturer of the equipment that the safety failed on, he got close to twenty million dollars. And he spent very little of it.”
“How little?” Gil’s question was probing, but he asked it in a soft voice, and it didn’t feel as intrusive as it might have if anyone else had asked.
“Less than five hundred thousand.”
“Estate taxes would have taken a huge chunk.”
“Close to half.”
“You have access to over nine million dollars?”
“No. I have access to a little over twenty million. I invested it, it grew, and I haven’t touched it.”
The room went still for a few moments. Then Gil asked, “Is there a reason you didn’t mention it earlier?”
“It’s blood money. It’s not the kind of thing I would use for a vacation or a new house or a new car. That would be reprehensible. The only thing I would ever use it for is to bring a new prosthetic to the market.”
No one said anything, and when the silence became oppressive, Ivy shifted in her seat so she could see Gil’s face. He wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at Luke and Zane, and a lot was being communicated. “Gentlemen, I speak three languages, and that doesn’t count my Latin, which isn’t shabby. Unfortunately, I don’t speak US Secret Service agent. Would you care to fill me in?”
Neither Luke nor Zane spoke, but with simultaneous chin lifts, they handed off the responsibility to Gil to answer her question. He rolled his head, first in one direction, then the other before he took her hand.
“This changes everything.”
“Why?”
“Have you ever heard of ransomware?”
