Page 112 of Dr. Stone
After cracking open a much-needed beer on Seb and Darcy’s newly remodeled patio, I leaned back and smirked at him.
“Two more weeks, and your little lover will be living here—endless nights of passion in this charming beach house you two managed to snag.”
Seb chuckled, giddy as hell to finally be staring down his wedding day.
“This wedding’s going to be grand scale, you know. Margot Aster wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“When do you leave?” I asked.
“Tomorrow. Darcy’s already there. I surprised her by having the yacht anchored offshore.” He smirked into his bottle.
I tipped mine toward him. “Bringing in theVanguardfor the vows? Nothing like sealing the deal on open seas, my friend,” I teased.
“Well, the wedding will be on land,” he said, taking a sip. “The yacht is for my lady’s bachelorette party for the time leading up to the wedding.” He arched a knowing eyebrow at me. “I still can’t believe you’re not coming.”
“My sorry ass isn’t flying across the world just to mingle with everyone our families thinkhasto be in attendance for special occasions. You know it’s nothing against you and Darcy. I’m really happy for you two.”
“Thanks, man,” he said, clinking his bottle against mine. “No offense taken, good friend. You and John are one and the same, except he is beingforcedto attend whether he likes it or not,” he added with a laugh. Then he looked past me. “The gang’s all here,includingbaby brother, D. Stone. Looks like we might actually have some good shit to bury this fucker.”
“Let’s hope,” I said, looking over and seeing Titus and Dorian both at Jim’s side, knowing Dorian was probably involved in my personal shit because he and Hawk had been overseas together for the past couple of weeks.
“I heard a bit about what’s going on. How are you doing?” Dorian asked me.
“I’m hanging in there,” I said. I wasn’t used to my brother acting concerned for me…it didn’t happen often, so I wasn’t sure what to say.
“I just didn’t—I wasn’t aware of how serious your feelings were for your girlfriend, and I’m sorry to hear what happened,” he said, clearly as unaccustomed to feeling pity for me as I was to be receiving it. “I just can’t believe some rabid little weasel hadthe nerve to try to mess around with my brother? It’s fucking bullshit.”
“Thanks, Dorian,” I nodded, letting both of us off the hook of this awkward yet genuine exchange. “Now, tell me you guys have what I need to bury this prick,” I said to Jim and Titus, taking a seat around the circular couch.
The salty, cool air blowing in from the Pacific helped keep my nerves at bay, but God, I needed some answers.
Titus leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Looks like we have enough shit on this fucker to have him pack his bags and leave the state,” he said in a low, clipped tone.
“What happens when you fuck an heiress, knock her up, and then threaten her with a scandal if she doesn’t get rid of the child?” Dorian asked, his expression cunning but dark.
“What?” I said, incredulous that this asshole had the nerve to pull that move on a woman not only once, but twice. “This mother fucker is one hell of a psychotic fuck, threatening women the way he does. How did he manage to get aroundanyonewho associates with people in our family circles?”
“Who knows,” Dorian said. “He probably met someone who knew someone’s kid at that fucking Porsche dealership.”
“Which heiress?” I questioned.
“Gillian Ward,” Titus said. “She told me something a few nights ago when I hooked her up with a gallery contact in Paris. She was drunk and trying to hit on your brother,” he rolled his eyes. “But she mentioned that some guy named Jonathan got her pregnant, and now she’s convinced Dorian will never date her because of it. The name Jonathan rang a bell since that piece of shit had the audacity to insult me and Andie, too. So, I pressed her for more info, hoping to dig up something that’d let me bury him just for the satisfaction.”
“Pregnantanddrunk, eh? Seems to be the Ward family way,” I shook my head at the disregard the Wards typically showedanyone who’d give them the time of day…they werenew money,after all. “Well, I figured you’d be shuffling through your private investigators to nail his ass, but you found dirt without even looking. I guess that says it all.”
“No shit,” Dorian said. “I guess she ended the pregnancy because he threatened toruin herif she made it public. I suppose she drunkenly wanted me to be aware of all her innermost secrets in case I wanted to date her one day. Sloppy drunk dramatics, of course,” Dorian smirked.
“The start to every promising marriage,” I answered. “You’ve always landed the good ones, haven’t you?”
“Wait, which Ward family are we talking about here?” Seb asked as Dorian and I laughed. “From Cambridge Steel or?—”
“No. The shipping magnates,” Dorian finished. “She’s not innocent by any means, but that family’s reputation is built on legacy and control. If they knew Jonathan blackmailed their daughter?” He shook his head. “They’d erase him. Quietly and permanently.”
“Does she have proof?” I asked.
Dorian nodded. “She didn’t say, but I could tell she’s holding something. I think she’s scared, but if you needed her, I could push. She’s obviously interested in a date, so I could make it happen if need be.”
“It’s all the info I need,” I answered. “Knowing how these families work? All he needs to know is that it takesonephone call from me, and then he’ll know what it feels like to be publicly crucified. He won’t be able to get a job at Wienerschnitzel when I’m done with him. That predator fucked around in the wrong circles.” I turned to Jim. “And I need to thank you for having your teams dig into whatever dirt that asshole tried to use against me. You helped protect my career and my life from his bullshit.”
