Page 143 of Brutal Kingdom

JORDANNA

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I ignore the man standing next to me, twirling his signet ring on his meaty fingers. I thought the history etched and hanging from these walls was beautiful, once. Now it feels like a lifeless shrine built on lies, as cold and impersonal as this town, and the people who run it.

“Why?” I ask, needing answers from the one man who seems to have them all. “Why was stopping me so important to you?”

“You’ve been researching this town’s history. I’m sure you’ve put it all together by now.”

“Nothing in my research explains why something that happened over a hundred years ago is the reason you’re doing this to me now.”

“That’s why you were always doomed to fail at this. You don’t have the legacy and heritage behind you. The conviction that’s needed to survive in this town. What happened all that time ago is relevant and important to me, because in my family loyalty means something and revenge has no expiration date.”

“I’m not the woman who didn’t marry Kenneth Ruttledge.”

“No, but you are related to her.” His voice is full of contempt for a woman he’s never met. And for me, because her blood flows through my veins.

“So’s Bella, and yet you’re helping her steal an inheritance that isn’t hers.”

He laughs. “Helping her? I’m not helping, little girl. I’m controlling.”

I turn to look at him. “What?”

“That’s right. The Lance’s aren’t who you think they are. When they rolled into town, acting all high and mighty, I already knew what was really going on. They were running on fumes from residual stock dividends and the family’s trust. A classic case of wealthy on paper. But broker than you, if you really wanna know the truth.”

“Then how do they afford the tuition at school? The house? The trips?”

“Bella’s college fund. Her grandparents set that up years ago. It was the one thing her father could never touch.”

“They have businesses and charities.”

“Those?” He cackles. “Those are mine. I let Johnathan set them up and market them for donations and investments, but really they’re shell companies. The house they live in. I own that too. They get to keep up appearances and I let them because I knew a huge pay off was coming.”

“Good on paper, means good enough to get a loan. Why didn’t they do that?”

“When people like the Lance’s are over extended, there are only three ways to get additional financing. By stealing from clients, taking out a marker with bookie or making a deal with someone they know. They did each one and got sloppy. The bookies wanted their money and after the whole Penn debacle, no one will ever go into business with them again. Then there’s the people suing them for restitution.”

“The Lance’s haven’t been sued for anything.” I searched and didn’t find any civil suits or criminal charges filed against them.

He sneers at me. “You’re supposed to be the smart one, Jordanna. All the things Bella does. The ways she acts out and hurts people. Do you honestly think no one has ever thought to sue her for harassment, assault, personal distress? The folks she’s run out of town. Do you really think the descendants of those founding families went quietly? And what about the people who invested in Johnathan’s oil wells? They were out of a lot of money. Not everyone took that loss quietly.” His eyes gleam. “I’m the reason you found no evidence of these events on paper. I paid them off. I settled their bills.Imade sure they still looked like American Royalty.”

“A deal is only a good one if it’s beneficial to your bottom line. You just said Johnathan’s broke, so it sounds like you footed the bill for years, for nothing.”

“It was never for nothing. I did my homework. My family hasalwaysknown about the inheritance. I kept the Lance’s afloat all this time, waiting for this day to come, and I gave them all the tools and resources they needed to win.”

“You want the inheritance, and thought the Lance’s would honor whatever deal you made?” I scoff at the absurdity of it all. “Hate to be the one to point it out to you, but you messed up. Because once Bella and Logan get married, you won’t see a dime of that money.”

He nods, jaw tightening. “They thought they could outsmart me and bring the McKays into this, but I already knew Johnathan couldn’t be trusted. They were so desperate to maintain their lifestyle and status that they never read the fine print on our contract. Bella can keep her money. I just need her shares of the company.”

ECS is publicly traded. If he’s gone through all this to get shares in the company, that means… “You’re making a play to take over.”

He smiles now. Wide and creepy, reminding me of a hyena. “Smart girl, indeed. I’m almost sorry I didn’t meet you first, so I could have offered you the same deal.”

“You still could. I’m still fighting for my inheritance.”

“Yes, but Bella is already so close. And now, the McKay’s are an unexpected perk to the deal. The Lance’s owe me so much, they’ll do whatever I say.” He laughs, twirling his ring again. “I’ll have the heirs of two founding families under my thumb, and finally have full control of the most powerful families in this town, which as I’m sure you know means, that influence will extend to various institutions and corporations throughout the country.”

His smile slips. “It’s been amusing watching you go up against Bella, but it’s time you accepted you have no chance of winning. I have unlimited resources, and the town council on my side. I can drag this out forever. Think of how much this will cost. Or are you okay with your mother pouring more money into an unwinnable case? Tell me, how’s her little design business going?”

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