Page 26 of Wicked Heat

She moves from the table onto the couch next to me. “You’re not stupid, Bree. Don’t start being stupid now.”

“I’m not.”

“The guy’s got pride. He doesn’t want to ask Daddy Dearest. He wants to twist the knife. So he goes to you because you’ll go to Damien. And you know Damien will ask to see the images. And even if Ash had nothing to do with the kidnapping, that’s going to twist the knife in Daddy’s gut just a little.”

“Ash isn’t like that. I don’t think he would ever be that vile, but he certainly wouldn’t be now. He and Damien are close. He and Nikki, too. And he loves those kids to pieces.”

She shrugs. “Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t.

I can only shake my head. “Why don’t you like him?”

She snorts out a laugh. “Are we back in junior high? Dammit, Bree, the guy just lost about three mil. You must look like a damn easy way to refill that coffer by getting cash from Damien without Ash having to lose face by asking Daddy himself.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Lost three million?” I’m completely baffled. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been talking about it for a millennium now.”

“Three mil? You never said that.”

“Sure, I did.” Her brow furrows. “Didn’t I?”

That banging-my-head-on-the-wall thing is looking pretty good. “Just tell me now.”

“Some investor backed out a few weeks ago. I don’t know the details, but it’s a big deal. Now some other investors are threatening to pull out, and that would totally screw up his company going public. Or make him lose some other lucrative contract. I’m not sure. I just know that the loss is what they call a Big Freaking Deal for him.”

I try to follow, but my idea of high finance is keeping a balanced bank account. Still, I’ve spent enough time around Damien to grasp the general concept. “Is this one of the things you read on the internet two minutes ago?”

“No. At the clinic a few days ago. Guy who came in with a sick ferret left the Wall Street Journal in the waiting room.” She shrugs. “I grabbed it to read while I was watching Beyonce-the-bull-dog. What?” she adds when she sees my expression. “I don’t only read gossip mags.”

Despite the entire fucked up situation, I smile. That’s my bestie. Then I actually process what she’s saying, and I frown.

She points at me and nods. “Yeah, see. You get it. Whatever fell apart set him back big time.” She cocks her head and purses her lips. “He needs to get that money.”

“He’s not like that,” I insist. “Besides, from what I’ve overheard, he can afford to lose a few mil.”

“Overheard?”

I shrug. “I’m pretty much invisible when I’m doing the nanny thing. I hear stuff. Ashton Stone is doing just fine financially.”

“Maybe,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be pissed about the loss. I mean, the guy could be rich as Midas and still want to refill the coffer.”

“Like I said, Damien would give him the money in a heartbeat.”

“Sure, but Ashton Stone is the kind of guy who’d be too proud to ask. So he sets this up knowing you’ll go to Damien. Because how else are you gonna get the money?”

And isn’t that the question of the hour? At the moment, Damien really is my best bet, but I just can’t bring myself to ask him.

I take a few deep breaths as I gather my thoughts. “Look, maybe Ash is pissed about whatever fell apart. But pissed is one thing. Getting his hands on kidnap tapes and then blackmailing me is something entirely different. And stupid since, hello, I don’t have millions, and there’s no guarantee I’ll rush to Damien. And Ash isn’t a stupid guy.”

Ari shrugs. “Okay, so, maybe it’s not about the money. I mean, we’ve already said that this blackmailing bastard must know you don’t have any. Maybe it’s about the danger. He’s not racing professionally anymore, right? Guy like that probably misses it.”

“Not him,” I say, knowing that she’s going to call me an idiot. And she’ll be right. Because from what I’ve seen and heard, Ashton definitely still chases the thrill.

“Dammit, Bree.”

I shake my head. “Topic closed.”

“You can’t just⁠—”