Page 181 of Mad As Hell

“That’s diabolical,” she murmured.

“And brilliant,” I chimed in.

Ryan laced our fingers. “Thanks, baby.”

Mr. Harris nodded slowly. “What about Cabot?”

“Technically he still has the higher financial portfolio, but it’s a house of cards. He’s been shuffling money around, and it’s spread thin. He needs an influx of cash soon. They both do.”

“Sooner than later.” Bishop’s lips thinned. “The deal with the Russians is going forward. Beckett and Gary need to get the money together, or things will start going bad. You can’t just break a deal with the Russian mafia.”

“That’s why he’s determined to have the wedding happen soon.” I frowned. He was gambling his future on a payout of the trust fund that had been set aside for me. That money would set him up. “And probably why he wants me to get pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Knight’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “Aren’t you still in high school?”

“He knows about my will,” Mr. Harris murmured, thoughtfully rubbing his jaw.

“Your will?” Knight asked curiously.

Mr. Harris hissed out a breath. “I knew Beckett would be able to manipulate Ryan by threatening Cori, so I rewrote my will. The bulk of my estate goes to their children.”

“Smart,” Royal mused, nodding slowly as he agreed with the plan.

I nodded. “Yeah, well, Gary’s counting on me to get pregnant so we have access to that money too. The plan is for me to get knocked up, and then he generously offered to let me hand off my baby to nannies.”

“Fucking hell,” Royal hissed, leaning back and crossing his ankle over his knee. He looked offended at the idea, and I kind of liked him at that moment.

Ryan shook his head. “We’re fighting wars on too many fronts. We have to figure out a way to minimize it. Royal’s right—we’re spread too thin.”

“How?” Bex asked, her voice hesitant as she looked around.

But no one seemed to have an answer.

My stomach sank as I leaned back against Ryan. Like he sensed my worry, he wrapped an arm around my waist.

Mr. Harris finally let out a shaky breath. “We still have several days. We’ll come up with a plan.”

“And if we don’t?” Royal demanded, his tone biting. “Then all of this is for nothing.”

Mr. Harris sat up a little straighter, his eyes sharpening as he looked every single one of us in the eye. “I’m not dying without knowing I’ve destroyed everything Beckett Cain has built.”

CHAPTER 47

MADDIE

Despite the lingering doubt about how we would stop our fathers, the guys seemed able to set it all aside for Thanksgiving. They played touch football out in the yard with Corinne, though half the time it seemed like she was the football based on how much they carried her around. Bex and I joined them, and I wasn’t sure why Ryan put me on the opposite team from himself until he tackled me and pinned me to the lawn to kiss me senseless while everyone laughed.

Knight tried pulling the same move with Bex, sans kissing. Apparently Court wasn’t happy about it, because on the next play, he tackled his half brother with enough force to knock his leg off.

Yes. His leg.

Apparently his left leg from the knee down was prosthetic. When Bex and I stopped and stared, He nonchalantly explained he’d lost it when an IED exploded under his humvee the previous year. He grinned at us while strapping it back on, not seeming bothered by the injury at all. Cori, also clearly used to it, even stopped to help him.

Dinner was calm and fun, but I could see the strain on Mr. Harris. His hands shook as he tried to eat dinner, and he left before dessert was finished. He asked Cori to take him upstairs and read him a bedtime story, and she happily scampered off.

The staff started clearing the plates, and I immediately got up to help them. Ryan stopped me with an amused look. “They’ve got it, Mads.”

My eyebrows crawled up my forehead. “Wow. You can’t even stop being a douche on a holiday where you’re supposed to be thankful for all you’ve got.”

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