Page 28 of Tempest

Ryan watched Ivy tug her six-foot brother down the hall and tried to suppress a smile. He’d been right all along about Ivy. She was a ball of fire, and she would burn anyone or anything who tried to hurt someone she cared about. Couldn’t ask for anything better than that in a person. Loyalty wasn’t an easy thing to find.

The red-haired woman stopped him and gave him an appraising look. It took only ten seconds of having her eyes on him and he felt the need for a shower. This one was going to be trouble. He put out his hand. “I’m Ryan Cordell, Ivy’s boyfriend.”

“I’m Sherry Lane. Bill and I were together for a year. He was in bed with me when his heart gave out, and I like to think that his last moments were happy.”

So that’s how it was, Ryan thought. He knew from the information Lucky had gathered that Bill had spent the last ten years of his life with a string of exotic dancers. Sherry Lane must have been the latest. “That’s nice.” What else could he say? He slipped his arm out of her grasp and headed toward Ivy. The next couple of hours were going to be interesting, that was or damn sure.

The group entered the office, and Ryan noted that Mr. Garret Small was anything but. He stood as tall as Ryan and Colin and was built like a bull. He was probably in his late fifties and had a sharp set of eyes that missed nothing. Introductions were made and everyone found a seat.

Garret had a booming voice as he offered his condolences to the group. “It’s good to see you kids again. You two did a great job with the service and reception. I knew your daddy for a lot of years and I figured he was too mean to die so young.”

“Amen,” Ivy said quietly.

“Let’s get started, then. I’ll read the beginning of the will and then skip to the part that concerns Ms. Sherry Lane, and then we’ll get to the rest of it after she leaves.”

“I want to hear the whole thing. There is no reason for me to leave before the will is read completely,” Sherry stated shrilly.

“Well, Ms. Lane, that’s not how it’s going to happen. You will not be welcomed or allowed to remain after I read the part of the will that concerns you. Bill made that very clear in his instructions. Should you have objections, you are free to seek counsel and make those concerns known via the court.”

Ryan watched her settle back into her chair and glare at the lot of them. He figured they’d be lucky if that’s all she did. His best guess was that she was banking on a big payout from her relationship with Bill Bellows. An exotic dancer in her thirties would keep company with a man in his sixties for only one reason, and it wasn’t for the stimulating conversation.

“All right, let’s get started,” Garret said as he slid his glasses on. “The first part won’t take long.”

Ivy reached over, held Ryan’s hand, and let out a small breath. He covered it with his and gave her a little squeeze. No matter what kind of parent Bill Bellows was, he was her daddy, and marking the end was going to be tough. As the lawyer read the first part of the will, Ryan let his mind play over the information that Lucky had sent him this morning. They had a lot of people to look at, and he was going to add Sherry Lane to the list. She seemed desperate enough to make a lot of bad decisions, and he wanted to make sure that none of them involved Ivy.

Whoever had taken a shot at Ivy wasn’t done, and based on the next hour or so, whoever it was might become a lot more motivated. Bill Bellows’ company had land up in the Barnett Shale Field and in the Permian Oil Basin. The drilling was about done up in Denton, but Midland was just getting started.

The sharp sound of Sherry’s voice took him out of his musings. He looked over at her red face and knew she hadn’t gotten what she hoped for. The woman clearly wanted a bigger payday, and she seemed like someone who would do anything to get it.

“That can’t be right. Why would my Bill leave me only a lousy quarter of a million dollars? The man was richer than a sultan,” Sherry shrieked.

Garret sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of his face. “Ms. Lane, these are the wishes of Bill Bellows. Had he wanted to give you more, he would’ve. I suggest you thank your lucky stars that you were given anything. He made the amendment to his will only two months ago, so I would encourage you to be grateful.”

“Grateful…my ass.”

Ivy leaned over to Colin and said, “When are they coming to take out the trash?”

“Not soon enough, sister. This one is worse than the last one, and that’s saying something.”

Sherry stomped her foot and let out a cry of frustration. “He promised me more.”

“Was that before or after you screwed him to death?” Ivy asked.

Mr. Small pressed a button on his phone. “Ms. Walsh, can you have Tyrone come in and escort Ms. Lane out of my office?”

“Certainly,” the woman responded.

Garret stood and crossed his arms. “Ms. Walsh has a packet of information for you regarding the distribution of funds.”

The door opened and a large man entered. “Ready when you are, Ms. Lane.”

“Thanks, Tyrone,” Garret said. “Please make sure that Ms. Lane gets safely to her car.”

“Will do.”

Red faced, Sherry Lane gathered her things and then gave them a parting shot. “This isn’t over.”

Tyrone held the door and rolled his eyes as he followed the angry woman out of the office.

---