Page 40 of Ms. Fortune
I realized I was feeling sorry for myself and wondered if Banner was right about me being addicted to sympathy. It wasn’t something I ever asked for, but because I lived with misfortune at every step, it was the way many related to me. There was nothing anyone could do to turn my luck around, so they were left feeling sorry for me. Pity might be the only emotion I knew how to handle when it was handed down from others.
Risky had been the first to come along who handed me a wealth of endless compassion and empathy since my grandparents had passed. He forced me to look outside myself for the cause of every mishap, and once I identified the reason, it was much easier to avoid a repeat incident. Plus, ditching the problematic people in my life, who were all too willing to take advantage of my self-recrimination, cut down the number of catastrophes significantly. I just needed to get better at recognizing the foes hidden among my so-called friends much faster.
I dug my phone out of my pocket so I could figure out where I was going to spend the night when the sound of a chair scraping across the concrete patio caught my attention. I blinked at the older woman who sat herself across from me and settled in like she owned the place.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Her voice was cultured and smooth. Her hair was the color of snow and twisted into a fancy style at the back of her head. She wore an expensive leather trench coat that matched the gloves on her hands, and boots with an insane heel, considering the weather. She was absolutely stunning and looked vaguely familiar.
“Not at all.”
The brewery was crowded, and places to sit were limited. I didn’t need to have the entire table to myself. I felt I needed to give her a warning, just in case she was hoping to make a new friend or be entertained.
“I’m not the best company right now, but help yourself.” I glanced down at my phone and saw I had several missed calls from Risky and a text message from my mother, which I had no plans to answer.
“That’s fine. How about I talk and you listen?”
My head jerked up, and I stared at her, unsure if it was worth putting her in her place or if I should get up and walk away. I’d already fought with Banner tonight. I didn’t know if I had more energy to go back and forth with a stranger.
“I’ve had a rough few days. I’m not in the mood for small talk. Sorry.”
I downed the beer in front of me and got ready to leave when her words stopped me in my tracks.
“My name is Karsen Booker. Declan Risk used to work for me.”
I realized the reason she’d seemed familiar was because I’d often seen her gracing the headlines and breaking news topics along with pictures that didn’t do her beauty justice. She’d also gone viral more than once for her unconventional politics, and the long-held speculation by many was that her career was funded by a criminal enterprise. It was well known that Karsen Booker was not a woman you wanted to cross. She was a powerful friend and a terrifying enemy. She’d retired from politics and withdrawn from the public eye several years ago, but not an ounce of her commanding and charismatic aura was lost. She looked camera-ready right now, and equally capable of making anyone who crossed her disappear.
I inadvertently sat up straighter and put my guard up. I doubted this woman was going to murder me in cold blood in front of a crowd, but I got the sense that if she decided to go that route, she would get away with it.
“Declan called me last night and explained what’s been happening to you. I’m sorry about your grandparents’ property and the car accident. I’m sure things have been frightening for you. Once you get the payout from the insurance company for the fire damage, let me know how much they pay you, and I’ll double it. You can rebuild or sell it all off and start oversomewhere else. Sometimes a well-timed retreat is the best way to win a battle.”
I rubbed the end of my cold nose and watched her without blinking. I felt like I was sitting across from a poisonous snake, and one wrong move would end up getting me bit and filled with venom.
“How did you find me?”
No one knew I’d left Banner’s after our confrontation. I’d only entered the brewery on a whim.
The older woman shrugged, and the corner of her mouth lifted in a slight grin. “A lot of people owe me favors. I called one in after I learned about the fire so I could be directed to your current whereabouts.”
I snorted. “Are the people who owe you favors the same people who owe them to Risky?”
A genuine smile crossed her beautiful face. “Risky? Is that what he’s calling himself these days? It’s cute.”
I sighed and reached out to fiddle with the empty pint glass. I was full of nervous energy, and that was my only outlet. “Cuteisn’t the first word that comes to mind when I think of him.” Not after I’d witnessed him kick someone off of my deck. Speaking of the unspeakable, “I hope your favors extend to making bodies vanish.”
The older woman hummed in agreement. “They do. Not that Declan needs my help for something as simple as that. However, I feel partly responsible for the mess he got himself into after he retired. I’ll clean everything up and not hold it against him.”
I huffed and averted my gaze. When I turned my head, I locked eyes with a towering beast of a man standing not too far away. He was handsome in a rough and brutal way. His hair was salt-and-pepper, but his age was hard to pin down. He was older than my table companion, but had a youthful vitality that gave him an air of agelessness. He had a scar running down one sideof his face that was distracting. He appeared immune to the cold, standing off to the side in nothing more than a dark pair of slacks and a black sweater. It occurred to me that the former politician in front of me probably had to travel with security. This guy looked like a perfect fit for the job. No one dared to get within ten feet of him, clearing a wide circle around the table where I sat with the older woman.
“I think you’re fully responsible. You brought Risky home and turned him into someone who could drop bodies without remorse. Then he retired because he wanted a normal life. But your family has done everything they can to drag him back.”
She shook her head, but the nearly white strands of her hair didn’t move. “I agreed to let Declan go when he told me he wanted to quit. I was sad the family business was going to lose him because he was very good at what he used to do. I saw no issue with him wanting to start over with a clean slate.
“It’s regrettable my daughter wasn’t truthful with me about her attachment to him when she took over. I knew the two of them had had a fling, but Declan had never been serious about any of his romantic partners. Dealing in secrets and subterfuge leaves little room for the honesty needed to maintain a healthy relationship. I should’ve known Charley was in over her head with him. She takes after me in matters of the heart.” Her gaze softened as she looked at the massive man watching her from afar. “Unfortunately, she takes after her father in everything else. I know she did her best to hurt you, but I promise the situation is under control now. Charley will no longer interfere in your life or your relationship with Declan.”
I lifted my eyebrows and sarcastically asked, “Did you ground her? Or maybe you sent her to her room without dinner? What exactly is the punishment for attempted murder?”
By the way the older woman stiffened, I could tell she wasn’t used to anyone talking back to her in such a caustic way.
“If she doesn’t back off, then I won’t protect her from Declan. She knows the only way she retains control of the family business is because I allow it. She’s afforded certain liberties because her father and I are an impenetrable fortress that surrounds her. If I lower the drawbridge, it’ll become a bloody fight to the death to see if she’s capable of holding on to the throne I handed down to her. Not only business competitors, but extended family have had their eye on my operation since the start. I raised my children in a den of vipers.”
