“None. You won’t find anything. They’re in the same boat.”
“I’ll need their names.”
“I’ll email them to you.”
He seemed so certain of himself. “And another thing. If you want the Professional Rodeo Association to take notice, you’ll need to do more than provide some trumped-up tribute event. I’m sure they are a dime a dozen.”
“Fine. So what do you have in mind?”
Huffing, I realized I’d raised my voice several times with my father. It was entirely different behavior around him. Somehow, I liked the new me. “A charity event that will benefit various animal rescue organizations and the people decimated by fires.”
“There are expenses!”
“Of course. We’ll calculate a percentage. People understand there are expenses. In addition, Axe is not riding. I’ll do what I can using his help to find past champions.”
“We don’t need his goddamn help.”
“Take it or leave it, Dad. That’s my final offer. Oh, and I will have full autonomy over the event.”
He opened his mouth to object, his entire face pinched, but thought better of it.
With my eyes pinned on him, refusing to blink, I was prepared to stand there until he made a decision.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
“Alright. Then I’ll get to work.” Spinning around, I headed for the door. I honestly wasn’t certain if I was happy or not. The event had complete disaster written all over it.
“You should know I have enemies, Kenzie. Just watch yourself.”
A nasty retort was on the tip of my tongue about how it was likely half the town, but I refrained. He was my father and for a few seconds, I’d witnessed something I never thought I’d see.
A moment when he was proud of me.
So instead, I walked out.
Maybe there were some redeeming qualities after all.
CHAPTER 24
Kenzie
Greed.
Why was it that there didn’t seem to be a business who wasn’t tempted by taking shortcuts?
For the first time in as long as I could remember, I almost felt sorry for my father.
I’d buried my head into the books, surprised he’d presented me with the volume of information that he had. Plans. Financials. Approvals. He might have fired a couple of attorneys, but from what I could tell, they’d served him well. But the pressure had continued to build, banks and other financial institutions sending threatening letters. Maybe that’s why he’d almost begged me to return.
To save face. His reputation meant everything to him.
I’d already started running checks on the investors personally. Two had been council members, which was in my mind a conflictof interest, but with one dying, the remaining investor on the council had limited say in swaying decisions. From what I could tell, the two new members had other interests in mind including other, even larger real estate developments in the works.
That alone was enough to pitch a huge red flag. However, when talking with the council members, I’d need to be very careful with what I said to them. From what I could tell, my father hadn’t been lying about the stadium and the correct steps had been taken to ensure approval. While I’d only utilized my skills as an attorney on three land development deals, I’d garnered enough knowledge to realize that projects in the millions were a powerful lure for corrupt activities.
I sat back. If there was one thing I couldn’t stand, it was greed and I could smell it a mile away. What I also knew was that my parents’ ranch was located smack in the middle of several significant real estate developments. Or potential deals. All I’d had to do was look at the skyrocketing values of the land over the last two years.
If someone were to get ahold of the acreage at a reduced cost, especially if the property went bankrupt and was forced into an auction situation, that someone would stand to become extremely wealthy.
