Prescott’s face turned a dark red. “What have you done, Junior?”
“You were going to let me take the fall, but I turned it all around on you,” Lee said. “Right now, the FBI is going through our offices.”
“They can’t do that,” Prescott said, but uncertainty filled his eyes.
“They can if you give them permission, which I did only a few hours ago.”
Prescott’s face paled, and Victoria looked like she was about to pass out. But then Prescott’s anger returned with a vengeance.
“What the hell have you done?”
“For once in my life, I made my own decision. Have a nice life in prison. Both of you.” Then he turned around and headed for the exit, plowing into Blue.
She nearly fell over, but he grabbed her arms and kept her upright.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes lighting up. “I know you.”
A wry look twisted her mouth. “Don’t throw up on me this time.”
He made a face. “Then maybe I should leave.”
Before anyone could stop him, he ran for the door.
Chapter Thirty-Five
So much for saving Jack’s party. Then again, maybe it had been beyond saving the moment Prescott and Victoria had RSVP’d yes. Everyone stood in the room in shocked silence, and Maisie fought the crazy urge to laugh or ask about the canapés. Blue was looking out the door after Lee, like maybe she was worried about him. Leave it to Blue to worry about a man who’d been falling down drunk both times she’d met him.
“Is it true?” Addy asked her father, her voice hard.
“This is ridiculous,” Prescott said. “This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. You’re ruining Georgie’s party.”
“Answer her question,” Georgie said, raising her voice with each word.
Prescott started to say something, then stopped and started again. “Your brother is exaggerating. I might be in asmallbit of trouble, but I have it under control.”
Dottie laughed. “A small bit?”
Prescott became enraged. “You.You did this.”
He lunged for her, but River and Jack quickly bodychecked him, holding him back. Not that Jack needed the help. He could have held Prescott back with one arm. Still, she liked that they’d acted together, that they weren’t awkward with each other.
“That woman is a conniving witch!” Prescott shouted.
Victoria, who’d turned the photos over as if to hide her indiscretion—or maybe the questionable mole—looked up with flashing eyes. “Sheis. She can read teacups.”
That earned her a disgusted look from Prescott, who shook off River and Jack. They stood by, ready to grab him if he tried to go for Dottie again.
“I refuse to take any more disrespect from my ungrateful children. I’m leaving.” He grabbed Victoria by the arm and headed for the front door, walking at a pace that indicated he would be driving straight to the airport in an attempt to waylay whatever was happening at his office. If the Feds hadn’t been combing through his papers, catching every single altered figure, he surely would’ve stayed until the bitter end to make every last person miserable.
“Prescott, my shoes,” Victoria squawked as she shuffled along in her three-inch heels.
“Good luck!” Addy called out after them. “I know for a fact there isn’t another flight to New York until morning. Plenty of time for the Feds to find everything. Being arrested isn’t a big deal, Dad! Happens to the best of us.”
Maisie finally let herself laugh then, because Adalia would know. Of course, she’d been arrested for destroying her own art, which had been stolen from her. Not for stealing someone else’s money.
Her father didn’t turn back to look at her, but his scowl deepened.
Before he could leave in a huff, the door to the street swung open so hard it would have broken his nose if he’d been any closer. Too bad.