Page 86 of Enticing the Fixer

I shrug. “People are greedy. Especially when you know what buttons to push. I’m no different than they are. I would have paid ten times as much to ensure Kinsley’s business was safe. But they didn’t know my weakness, and I knew theirs. It pays to do your homework.”

She shakes her head and gnaws on her bottom lip. “Jack would have adored you. I wish you could have met him. Your loyalty to his daughter would have warmed his heart, and your cutthroat business tactics would have been an adrenaline rush for him.”

“Thank you.” Regret that I’ll never meet him weighs heavy on my shoulders. Kinsley has lost so much in her life. For once, I want to give her something. Hell, I want to give her everything. If she’ll ever take my call. “I’m sure I would have liked him. He did an amazing job of raising Kinsley. She’s a strong and stubborn woman.”

“Whatever she’s mad at you about, she’ll forgive you.”

“I’m not so sure of that.” I rest my hip against the desk.,

“She will. She might be pissed, but she’s an intelligent woman. Once she finds out how hard you’ve worked to save the company and to solve all her problems, she’ll swoon at your feet.”

I chuckle and shove off the desk. “You don’t know her that well.”

She smirks. “I think I do, but I’m also getting to know you. You won’t give up until you get what you want.”

Once the door closes, I snatch a photo of Kinsley with her father. He has one arm around her shoulders, and she’s laughing at something he said. In the background, large snowflakes fall around them. I don’t know the location, but if I had to guess, it’s a ski lodge in Colorado. Will she ever be that carefree again?

I set the photo on the desk and call her number. Three minutes and ten attempts to ring her later, my shoulders ache with a stabbing pain. Valeria’s wrong. She’s not going to swoon at my feet. I’ve fucked everything up, and money isn’t going to fix it.

There’s one last number to call before I contact Truman. The least I can do for her is to fix all her problems before I disappear and spend the rest of my life miserable and alone. The good thing is, I’m already used to living that way.

“Hello?”

“Ethan Rossi?”

“Yes?” He asks with a mixture of irritation and curiosity.

“This is Leo Radcliff. Your hostile takeover is finished. I’ve bought out Curtis Bryant and Preston Quinn. With their stocks combined with Kinsley’s, we have the controlling stock in the company. So you can forget whatever plan you had in motion. It’s not going to work.”

Chapter Forty-Five

Kinsley

Leo. Again.I click off my cell phone and hold it tightly in my hand. What I need to say to him needs to be said in person and not over the phone. “Girls, I’ve got to go.”

“Be careful,” Ann calls out as she dusts another figurine.

“Of course.” Not that I’m worried about being with Leo. I was delusional for those ten seconds when I went all conspiracy theory on him. He’s not a plant. He’s not trying to buy the company out from under me. He didn’t kill my father or anyone else. He’s not the violent type. And just because he has money doesn’t mean he’d pay someone to do the dirty work for him, either.

And he’s the only person who can help me figure out who’s behind this plot to steal my company and if my father’s death was more than an unfortunate accident.

“If you need anything, let us know.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “And if you need me to kick his ass, I’d love to. You know I love a good fight. Just because I’m pushing for you to make amends with him doesn’t mean I’m going to let him off without an ass chewing. No one breaks my friend’s heart and gets away with it.”

“Stop.” I roll my eyes. “Leo is….” Honorable. Loyal. Dependable. Intelligent. Yeah, you get the picture. He’s perfect. “He’s a great guy. It was ridiculous of me to get angry with him. You were right. It’s not like I opened my checkbook and showed him my end balance. Or what I spent my money on. And why would I complain about my boyfriend being a billionaire?” I waggle my eyebrows. “That’s kind of–”

“Stupid?” Ann says.

“Dumb?” Emma chimes in.

I shake my head and walk to the front door. “I was thinking more along the lines of narrow-minded.” I’m blessed to have the love and support of my family and friends. Without them, I’d still be wallowing in self-pity and doubt.

After I spin to face them, I say, “But let’s end on non-greedy. That one makes me sound like a better person. I’ve got to find Leo and apologize for acting like an ass.” And jump into his arms because I miss him even though it’s only been a couple of hours.

I rest my hand on the doorknob. “Thank you for dropping everything to come and rescue me earlier today and for letting me vent. I wouldn’t know what to do without the two of you.”

“You’d be miserable and alone.” Emma throws her arm over Ann’s shoulder. Their similarities end at the curve of their cheekbones and the set of their eyes, but their closeness will never be broken.

“I love you girls. I’ll fill you in tomorrow on how the night goes.” I want what they have. Not the two brothers because I don’t have a sister and…. Well, Jagger is cute.

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