Page 181 of The Renegade Billionaire
Grey peers over my shoulder at my letter with tears in his eyes.
When I glance around the room, I find everyone fighting emotions they didn’t show the last time we were here. Perhaps there’s hope for them after all.
“There is also a turn of events I was not anticipating,” Mr. Coop says, interrupting the silence. “It appears that Alistairhas been embezzling money from Montgomery Media for the last five or six years. A disgruntled employee brought it to my attention yesterday.”
He looks almost joyful, but I’m not sure I’m following.
“That means a forensic accounting has been initiated for everything Alistair has ever touched. Including the people he paid for information that may not be, shall we say, ethical.”
“Harry,” Madison says without a single ounce of emotion.
Mr. Coop nods. “Don’t get me wrong, I think Grey’s PI should keep looking for that Sam man and the paper trails between him and Harry, but this will certainly shine a light on the dark side of the media.”
“That’s…” I don’t know what to say.
“You reap what you sow,” Madison says.
“Th-thank you for this,” Archie says, standing abruptly. “If you don’t need me for anything else, I have a plane to catch.”
“There are papers that I need you to sign,” Mr. Coop says. “Then you’re free to go. If you’d like to follow me to the conference room, I have them all laid out for each of you.”
My siblings and mother walk out of the room. I’m still an afterthought in their lives, but the pain of their rejection no longer stings because I’ve found my own family, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep them safe, happy, and loved.
EPILOGUE II
MADISON
Six Months Later
“If you guys don’t hurry the fuck up, I’m going to be late,” Grey growls from the bottom of the stairs.
It’s his first full day back in almost five months, and the only thing he’s unpacked since he bought the house from Moose is a desk. I wrangled everyone to at least get his bedroom set up.
“We’re coming,” Braxton shouts back. “We told you to go ahead. Weren’t you supposed to be there hours ago anyway?” He walks out of the bathroom and meets me at the top of the stairs. Savvy and Clover slip out of a guest room, and we all head downstairs to the perpetually cranky new assistant football coach.
“Yes, I was. And that’s why we didn’t have to do this shit right now.”
I place my hands on my hips and glare at him until he gets uncomfortable. It’s my new favorite party trick.
“Fine, I told Coach B. I wouldn’t be there until warm-ups today anyway. I thought I was going to have an important call to take.”
“More important than football?” Braxton asks, but I know he’s just trying to wind Greyson up, so I elbow him in the gut.
“We got a hit on Sam,” Grey mutters.
“A—a hit, like you killed him?” Clover backs away from the grumpy CEO.
“What?” Grey snaps his head up, shock registering in his expression. “No, I don’t kill people, Clover. Jesus. What I mean is, my PI found him, and the police took him in.” He turns his glare on me, but something shifts in his gaze as he stares. “Harry was with him. They were running another con together at a fifty-plus community in Arizona, but from what I can tell, all the money they stole is gone.”
I’m too stunned to speak. Harry disappeared shortly after Alistair was arrested, almost as though he knew his time was coming to an end. But I wasn’t expecting this.
“Whatever happens,” Braxton says, tugging me into his side, “he did it to himself.”
“I know. I just feel bad for his dad.”
“Roger was the recipient of a new grant that will allow him to hire some help and not have to work as much,” Grey says.
“Greyson,” Braxton growls.
