“So.” Luke spoke in a way that made it very obvious he was bringing them back to the point. “Your mom went on a crime spree and was sent to jail. Wade took her back even after she got out, but I’m guessing that’s when he made some significant changes to his will?”
“He did. Despite everything she did, the will stipulated that Mom got everything of his, including a hefty life insurance policy and some investments. He left her well provided for, but he didn’t leave Mom the settlement money.”
“Did your mom know he left it to you?”
“No one knew.”
“How tight is the will?”
“Indisputable.”
Zane cleared his throat, and his annoyance was thinly veiled. “Can you lay it out for us?”
“At the time of his death, the total amount was a little over twenty-five million dollars. Estate taxes took over half of it, and I’ve used some of it for my business, but mostly it sits there and grows.”
Anyone who thought money could make you happy would only need to take one look at Ivy Collins’s face to know that it wasn’t true.
“He didn’t leave it to me outright. There were restrictions. It was to be used for college and for my future business pursuits. Dad made some very specific stipulations, including that I wasn’t to give the money away—to a person or a charity or anything—for a minimum of thirty years.”
“Wow.”
Ivy glanced around the room, then focused on Gil. “I need a break.” The whispered words cut through him.
“Of course.”
She stood, and Gil and Luke jumped to their feet. Gil pulled her chair away. “I remember where the restroom is. I’ll be right back.”
He considered following her, but she shouldn’t be able to get into trouble between here and the restroom. No one spoke as she left the conference room.
In the stillness of the office, they heard her walk down the hall, then open the restroom door. When it closed, Zane and Luke turned to Gil. Zane went first. “You sure know how to pick ’em. She needs some serious protection. Life insurance. Ransom and hostage protection. Key man coverage for her business.”
“She may have all of that.”
“Unlikely.” Zane spoke and Luke nodded.
“You need to talk to her about it.” Luke spoke and Zane nodded.
Great. They were tag-teaming him. “Why me?”
Zane and Luke shared a look that clearly indicated they thought he was being ridiculous and they were annoyed by it. Gil might have found them to be ridiculous and annoying, but he wasn’t sorry they were assuming he would be the one to take the lead. “Fine.”
Emily leaned toward him. “Do you think her mom could be after her for the money?”
Gil wouldn’t lie to her. “I think anything is possible.”
No one spoke for several minutes. Then Zane rapped his knuckles on the table as if he were bringing a courtroom to order. “It’s not really any of our business, but what did Ivy’s mom steal from y’all?”
Gil didn’t try to hide his frustration. “Not talking about this, Zane.”
“It must have been big.” Luke directed his remark to Emily and Emily, the traitor, nodded, eyes wide in confirmation.
“What happened?” Luke kept pushing.
Emily didn’t come to his aid. “Gil, you might as well tell them.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Seems like there’s a lot to tell,” Zane chimed in. “Her mom stole something of value. Then went to jail over it.”
