Page 59 of Provoke You

17

You Don’t Have to Be Afraid

Ela

Old Ben looked exactly how I remembered him, with a white beard, and white hair. Even in this heat, he wore his signature brown cardigan that made him look like a college professor from some old movie.

“Ben, this is Matt. He saved my life when we went to see you at the lake house.”

“Matt, good to meet you.” He shook Matt’s hand with a genuine smile on his face. If he didn’t trust Matt before, he seemed to be okay now.

“Nice to meet you too. I hope you have some good news for us.”

Always to the point. Matt couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries.

Old Ben shrugged. “Yes and no.”

“Do we have to do this here?” I asked. This was Grans’s final resting place, not Starbucks.

“I’m afraid so, Rose.” Old Ben and Grans never agreed on what to call me. She preferred Ela, but Old Ben insisted on Rose. “No one can see us together. Your dad thinks I’m no longer interested in the LeBlanc affairs. I’d like to keep it that way.”

“What do you mean? Dad loves you.”

“Andre isn’t the man he used to be. Money has messed with his head.” He poked his temple with his index finger.

I agreed with him on that front. Dad changed after Grans passed away, but we all did. “He has a tough job.”

Matt and Old Ben exchanged meaningful looks, but I ignored them. “What made you think of this place?”

“After you visited the lake house, I got a call from Mrs. Turner. She explained what happened and also explained that Matt and his crew had very strongly suggested she accompany them to New Orleans.”

“I’m sorry about that. We were desperate.” Matt Shrugged.

“I understand. No need to apologize. I will need you to keep her safe a bit longer, though. If that’s not too much of an imposition.”

Matt regarded Old Ben for a long moment before he nodded. “Not at all. What exactly do you think will happen to her if she returns?”

My head hurt. Every time I tried to understand what was happening around me, my temple throbbed. Matt had confirmed the company Dad was dealing with had a reputation of doing shady deals that were borderline illegal. They saw me as a threat because Dad could potentially lose the authority to sell my hotel. To me, killing a person over a ten-million-dollar deal didn’t make sense. But Kitt had said he’d seen people get killed for way less than that.

Dad should have known better than to get into a contract with people like that. But I truly believed he wasn’t aware of their clandestine dealings. He didn’t believe me when I told him I suspected foul play, but that could just be our screwed-up relationship. Maybe if he heard it from Old Ben, he’d reconsider.

“You have to talk to Dad. Tell him his new investors are shady as fuck.” I covered my mouth. “I’m sorry. Forget I said that last part.”

He smiled, shaking his head. “You haven’t changed at all. I hope you know that I never stopped watching over you. I was so happy when you graduated culinary school, though I was disappointed when you didn’t reach out to me.”

I glanced down at my hands. Of course, he had expected me to call after I graduated. It was what Grans would have wanted me to do. She wanted me to take over the family business after graduation.

“I wasn’t ready. Dad didn’t think it was time.”

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks. You know that.”

“If it doesn’t matter what he thinks, why are we in here, hiding from him?” Matt said. “How do we stop him?”

“As it stands, Andre has full authority to dispose of the LeBlanc fortune, and that includes the Baroness.” Old Ben adjusted his cardigan. Even in the shade, the heat had to be unbearable for him.

“So we can’t stop him?” Matt looked at me with such pity that it was like a kick in the gut.

“There’s a way.” Old Ben peered at me. “Tell me you’re ready to take over. I’ll start the paperwork tonight. You’ll replace him in two weeks and save your hotel.”

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