Page 154 of In Spades

I looked up at him with wide eyes as he pushed his way into the room.

“M-Mr. Solomon—” Rich stammered.

Will was in a crisp black pants and tucked-in dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar. His light brown hair was styled and the beard he had last night had been reduced to a thin layer of sandpaper stubble.

“I’d advise you not to say anything without a lawyer present,” he barked.

I looked back at Steve and Chase. What the hell was happening?

Chase offered a covert wink before going stone-cold again.

Steve stepped forward, unlatching a set of handcuffs. “Richard Davidson, you’re under arrest for embezzlement and fraud. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

“What?” he shouted, pointing his meaty finger at me. “This is preposterous! Miss Boyd is the one who?—”

“You really wanna go there?” Will said, stepping between Rich and the chair I was sitting in. “I know everything.” A cocky smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “And apparently your snitch of a brother-in-law does, too.”

“Hands behind your back, Davidson,” Steve said as he rounded the desk. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?”

Rich glared at me through the sliver between Will’s arm and his ribs.

Steve clicked the handcuffs in place. With one hand on the cuffs and one on the back of Rich’s shoulder, he asked, “With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

Rich sneered at the four of us. “Fuck you.”

Steve shrugged. “Good enough for me. Let’s go. I’ve got shit to do today and I don’t wanna be late to poker.” He looked at me, pinning me with a definitive stare. “See you there, Kris.”

Employees and guests alike froze in time, watching as Steve and Chase perp-walked Rich out of the building.

“Did that really just happen?” Hannah Jane asked from her spot outside of Rich’s office. She pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh my God, I think I had a heart attack.” She looked down the hall of the admin wing, where Steve and Chase had disappeared through the doors that led to the lobby. “What the ever-loving fuck, Solomon?”

I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Deep, body-wracking shudders pulsed through my extremities as I hunched forward and sobbed over the pile of termination paperwork.

Beth looked wholly uncomfortable. “I’ll give y’all a minute,” she said before scurrying out.

In the blink of an eye, Will crouched down at my side, put his arms around me, and pulled me into his chest. “Hey,” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

“A-Am I f-fired?” I choked out, gasping between words.

“No, sweetheart.” He kissed my temple, wiping my tears away with his thumbs.

I gratefully accepted the tissues Hannah Jane handed me and dabbed my eyes. The woman really was prepared for any situation.

“I’m sorry to interrupt this sweet little moment y’all have going on,” Hannah Jane said. “But what the hell was that?”

Will didn’t even bother looking at her. His eyes were on me. “After the sale of the inn went through, my accountants were going through the books and suspected someone was embezzling money from the inn. That’s the real reason I was staying here back in August. I put some spyware on the computer server and talked to the employees.”

“So, it was Rich and he tried to pin it on Kristin?” Hannah Jane asked.

Will nodded. “I didn’t know that was his end game, but Elena forwarded me an email that Brantley sent her, spilling everything Rich had been up to. He got immunity in exchange for his testimony. Rich was planning to skip town after he pinned it on Kristin.”

I tensed at the sound of his ex-fiancé’s name.

Will’s voice softened. “Elena sent it to me as a gesture of good will, I guess. Though with her, you never actually know. She was probably just trying to get her job back.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead. “But she doesn’t matter. Never did. Not like you.”

35

WILLIAM

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