Fast Money: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

  Mercer took out his phone and checked his account. “Nice doing business with you.” He smiled and was out the door in a flash.

  Before anyone could say a word, Uncle Joey took charge. “Now that he’s gone, we can solve this little dilemma.” Jackie and Carlotta both began to protest. “Not a word! Both of you sit down.” Now he was getting flustered, and I tried to hold back a smile.

  “Since you both want the money, I’ve decided to split it up,” he announced. That silenced them. “Two point five million is enough to keep you happy, but I think Shelby should get a share as well, since she’s had to deal with this mess.”

  This surprised me, but before I could say anything, Carlotta jumped to her feet. “But Joseph! That money belongs to Miguel and me. I know you didn’t say it was ours, but I thought after everything we’d been through it was only fair and right that we get it. If it wasn’t for me, we wouldn’t have been able to get the money in the first place. I’m the one who knew the passwords to their bank accounts.”

  “Thank you Carlotta.” Uncle Joey was wondering what he ever saw in Carlotta. Had it always been about the money? If it wasn’t for Miguel…how could he keep his son and live with this woman? “Please sit down, I want to hear what Jackie has to say for herself.”

  Jackie shook her head, keeping her gaze in her lap. After a moment of silence, she finally glanced up. “Divide it how you like. I quit.” With tears in her eyes, she jumped up and ran from the room.

  Uncle Joey pursed his lips, but his heart was breaking. He realized that he loved her and didn’t want her to go. But he couldn’t keep them both, and there was Miguel to consider.

  Carlotta was relieved to have her gone, but could tell that Uncle Joey was upset. She made a soothing noise and attempted to help him feel better. “Darling, I’m sorry she was upset. I guess money really does bring out the worst in people. It’s hard to believe she was willing to kill for it.” She shuddered, hoping to sound sympathetic and repulsed at the same time.

  Uncle Joey wasn’t fooled. In fact, things were becoming clearer to him by the moment. “Well, that leaves Shelby.” He glanced at me. “How much do you think she should get?” He directed this question to Carlotta. I wisely kept my mouth shut.

  “Oh, I don’t know. She’s already had the money for about a month. She could just keep the interest. I think that would be fair.” Carlotta was hoping I would agree and that Uncle Joey’s reputation would scare me into complying with her wishes. How had Ramos ever thought she looked down on organized crime? She was already a master at it.

  I focused on Miguel and realized he was worried. He was thinking his mother was going to blow it, and this man whom he had come to admire was going to send them away. He was sick of worrying about his mom’s schemes, especially since the last one had nearly killed him. But he didn’t know what to do. Maybe his father would let him stay, no matter what his mother wanted.

  It was the kid’s worry that decided me. “Fine,” I said with reluctance. “I’ll make the transfer.” That’s what I was there for, and what Uncle Joey did about Carlotta and Jackie wasn’t my problem.

  Uncle Joey sighed, but gave me a tight smile. “Very well,” he agreed. “Carlotta and Miguel, you may go home. I will meet you there shortly.”

  “But the driver…” Miguel said.

  “Oh right,” Uncle Joey said. “I’ll have Jackie…” He flushed, realizing that was no longer possible. “Just wait in the conference room for me.” His growling tone let them know of his frustration, and they fled the office.

  As soon as the door shut, he glanced at me. “I’m not used to this bickering between women.” His eyes glowed with speculation, knowing I must have lied to him when I denied I could read minds a month ago. “Now that I know you have your powers back, you can help me with this problem.”

  “Wait a minute,” I broke in. “Who said my powers were back?”

  His brows rose in surprise, then his eyes narrowed. “Nice try Shelby, but you can’t fool me. I had a feeling you were lying before I left for Mexico, and now I know you are. The way you purse your lips and fidget in your seat gives you away. Face it, you’re just not a very good liar.”

  I opened my mouth to deny it, but what could I say? He was too good at this and I was out of my league.

  “I need your help with this situation, and in return, I’m sure we can come up with something to compensate you for your ability.”

  He sounded so reasonable and compromising that I didn’t know if I’d ever have a better chance than now to bargain for what I wanted. I could still deny it, but knowing him, he could just threaten my family again and I would lose any bargaining power I had.

  He could tell I was waffling, so he continued with his plea. “You know what Jackie and Carlotta were thinking. You can help me figure out what to do. I didn’t realize Jackie felt so strongly…and Carlotta is not what I thought. I don’t know how to take care of this. I could really use your help.”

  It had surprised him that Jackie would hire an assassin, although it showed a lot of spunk, and now she was gone. “Jackie’s gone,” he continued, “and Carlotta…I’m beginning to think I never knew her. It seems all she wants is money. I’m usually not so blind. Then there’s my son.”

  He glanced at me and smiled, his eyes lighting with joy. “Can you believe it? I have a son? It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time, and I guess lately with everything that happened with Kate, it really hit me, that I had no one. Now I have a chance again. But with Carlotta, it’s not so easy. How can I keep him without keeping her?”

  He actually touched his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. I’d never seen Uncle Joey so unsettled and emotional. He was always in control and coldly detached, with his clothing immaculate, his shoes polished, and not one hair on his head out of place.

  “There is a way.” I gave in, jumping on my chance to keep him out of my life. “But you have to promise me full immunity…or whatever it is you call it.”

  His movements stilled, and he considered my proposal. If he agreed, he’d lose his right to my powers, but maybe there was a way around it. He twitched and glanced up. Had I just heard that? My smile was all the answer he needed.

  “I might be willing to consult with you once in a while,” I said. “But only by my choice and not yours.” He was listening, so I continued. “Certain conditions would have to apply, mainly that it wouldn’t put my life in danger. I’m getting tired of getting shot at.” He nodded his agreement.

  “Plus you would accept it if I turned a job down,” I said. “I would only work for you if I wanted, and not because of any type of coercion on your part.” He pursed his lips, but motioned to continue. “And last, of course, you would pay me.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was doing. It felt like I was bargaining with the devil himself. But what choice did I have? He knew about my power. I had to make some concessions or he wouldn’t even consider it.

  He was thinking that I drove a hard bargain, but at least he’d have access to my ability. In his dealings, he’d always known everyone had a price. He’d just have to make his offers enticing enough that I’d always agree to what he wanted. It was something he was good at.

  Oh please! If he thought he could always buy me out, he was in for a rude awakening. Of course, part of what he was thinking was true. I did want some of the five million, but wouldn’t most people? Dammit! I decided not to ask for it. I wouldn’t be bribed. It was the only way this might work out.

  “Agreed,” he said. “Now tell me how to take care of this situation.”

  I let out a breath of relief, and tried to keep my cool.

  “All right,” I began, jumping in before he could change his mind. “First of all, I think I know a way to get rid of Carlotta and keep Miguel. As you’ve already guessed, Carlotta is only in it for the money. She’s planning on taking it and leaving you. She figures that since she is the mother of your son, you won’t harm her.”

  I let him digest this news
before I continued. He was taking it pretty well, which made me realize he had already accepted what motivated Carlotta. Now was the hard part. Should I tell him that Miguel probably wasn’t his son? Maybe it was better to save that for the end.

  “The best way to get what you want is to give Carlotta the five million with the understanding that you get to keep Miguel. She can visit or talk with him at any time. He just lives with you now. If she doesn’t agree, then she doesn’t get the money. Tell her you’re prepared to pay for his schooling and college education. Remind her that once he is eighteen, he can live where he chooses.”

  “But what if he wants to live with her?” Uncle Joey asked.

  “He won’t,” I said with a smile. “He idolizes you. You saved him from something he views as his mother’s fault. As long as he knows his mother is taken care of, he’ll be happy to not worry about her anymore. I don’t think Carlotta realizes how deep Miguel’s loyalty to you has become, and it would be best if you didn’t share that with her.”

  Uncle Joey relaxed in his chair. This was going much better than he thought. Only he couldn’t give Carlotta the full five million since it had cost him close to two million to get her and Miguel out of that mess. But once he pointed that out to her, he was sure she would agree to his reasoning. Three million was still a lot of money.

  “So how do I get Jackie back?” he asked. That would be the hard part.

  I thought about it for a moment. He was right about it being hard. “She loves you. I don’t understand it, but she does. Somehow, you’ve got to get Jackie to realize that you’re kicking Carlotta out because you want to be with her. Can you do that?”

  “I’m not used to groveling,” he said. “I don’t even like people who grovel. So how am I supposed to get her back without groveling? That’s something I just won’t do.”

  “She wouldn’t expect that from you,” I assured him. “In fact, she’d probably want something a little more dramatic. Like kidnapping her and locking her in your room until you can convince her that she is the love of your life.” Uncle Joey raised his brows, thinking I had read too many romance novels. “Hmm, you might be right about that. So…you figure it out. I’m sure you can come up with something. Just make sure Carlotta is out of the picture first. That’s very important.”

  He huffed, thinking I had a low opinion of him if I didn’t think he already knew that.

  I smiled and shrugged. “Well, that about covers it. You might want to make Miguel’s parentage official by legally adopting him or something. Just in case…you know…Carlotta decides he’s not really yours.”

  “I can just get a blood test,” he said.

  “Umm…not a good idea.” I shook my head. “How much do you want him as your son?”

  “He is my son,” he said in a low voice. “He looks just like me…well…a lot like me at that age.” He thought it over and realized I had a point.

  “Miguel wants to believe you are his father, but he’s not sure. Carlotta is using that card right now, but she’s not sure either. If you go ahead with a blood test, well…you see what I mean. If it doesn’t come back positive, you’ll lose him.”

  Uncle Joey thought it over. He didn’t need a blood test to accept Miguel as his son. But if he ever did, he could make sure it came out right. He glanced at me sharply, had I just heard that? Hmm…this was harder than he remembered. He had a lot of secrets he didn’t want me to know.

  “Just a thought,” I said. “But for the sake of your son, you might want to consider going straight. Get on the right side of the law and all that. It would be sad if he ended up in jail or killed by one of your enemies.”

  He smiled at my audacity. “You’re good for me, Shelby. I appreciate your suggestion. I’ll consider it.”

  Was he making fun of me? I couldn’t tell. “Why don’t we make that transfer?” I said brightly, changing the subject. “Then I can get out of your hair.” The further from him, the better. It just wasn’t good to get involved in his life.

  “Yes,” he agreed. “Let’s do that.” He was thinking that I had a lot of potential, but with our arrangement, there was a chance that I could find out a lot of his secrets. He was pretty sure he could trust me, but it wasn’t something he was used to. Most of the people who knew too much about his personal life didn’t live very long.

  “Hey, you know my secret, so let’s just call us even and move on.”

  He smiled widely. “You do have a head for this,” he exclaimed. “Maybe I should adopt you too.” He laughed, loving the look of horror on my face.

  “Ha, ha,” I said, hoping he’d think I knew it was a joke. He didn’t.

  We spent the next few minutes doing the money transfer. I sighed with a tinge of regret when the full five million left my account. Then I felt selfish and shook it off. I didn’t need his money. As I stood to leave, a thought occurred to me. “Did you know Mercer had replaced your driver?”

  “Of course,” he answered.

  “So you knew Jackie’s plan all along?”

  “Yes, Shelby. There’s little I don’t know.” He opened the door. “Oh, and you’d better give Chris a call. He’s probably frantic by now. I’m sure he’d be happy to pick you up.” I narrowed my eyes at his presumption, and he smiled. “If I were you,” he said softly. “I wouldn’t tell him about our little arrangement. He would probably do something stupid if he knew that I knew your secret, and that you’re working for me again…even if it’s only occasionally.”

  He shut his office door before I could reply. Damn. It hit me that the only time I swore was when I was around Uncle Joey. It figured. At least I didn’t have to worry about the money anymore. Even better, I had withstood the temptation to bargain with him about keeping some. The interest was still mine and that was better than nothing. That was positive, and probably a good place to start when I talked to Chris.

  But was Uncle Joey right? Should I tell Chris? He would probably be upset, but would he be upset enough to do something stupid? I remembered his thoughts from a few days ago when he wanted to put a few bullets in Uncle Joey, but I knew he would never do something like that for real. Still, maybe I shouldn’t tell him the whole story.

  Carlotta and Miguel were in the conference room, and looked up at me as I walked by. I paused outside the door. “Uncle Joey would like to see you now,” I said sweetly. I knew he didn’t, but I was mad at him, so this was my way of getting even.

  Carlotta glared at me, wondering if Joseph was really my uncle. If that was the case, it made sense that he sent the money to me, but why I was willing to part with it didn’t. She’d have to keep her eye on me.

  Miguel glanced at me with sudden interest, and I realized he thought we were related. That would make me his cousin. Then he thought it was too bad I was so old.

  “Thanks,” Miguel said. “See ya.”

  I twisted my lips into a semblance of a smile. I wasn’t that old. Carlotta looked down her nose at me, and I hoped that was the last I’d see of her. I got to Jackie’s empty desk and paused. She was gone along with Mercer. I didn’t think I had to worry about Mercer anymore, but decided to call Chris before leaving the office anyway. He answered after the first ring.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m still at Thrasher Development, but I’m done. I just have one problem.”

  “If it’s just one, then it must not be too bad, unless he found out your secret. So what is it?”

  I wasn’t ready to tell him about that, so I went with the immediate problem. “I don’t have a way home. Do you think you could come get me?”

  “Oh…that’s the problem? Your life wasn’t threatened or anything like that?”

  “Not exactly,” I hedged. “But I’d rather tell you about it when you get here.”

  “Okay,” he paused. “You do know I’m in court don’t you?”

  “So…does that mean you can’t come?” I asked.

  “Basically. At least not until we have a recess. I shouldn’t
even be talking to you right now.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll figure something out.”

  “The courthouse is only a few blocks from Thrasher,” he said. “Maybe you could come over here and when there’s a break, I can take you home.”

  “Sure,” I agreed. “I’ll walk over. Should I go to your office or the courthouse?”

  “The courthouse,” he answered. “I’m in the same courtroom as before, room 401.”

  “Okay. The courthouse it is. See you in a bit.” I disconnected and sighed. I did not want to go to that courthouse. Just the thought of going over there made my stomach clench. But going was better than staying here. I glanced down the hall toward the opposite side of Uncle Joey’s offices. There was an apartment down there that Ramos often stayed in. How was he doing? If Uncle Joey was here maybe Ramos was too. Should I go knock on his door and see if he needed anything?

  I wandered in that direction and then thought better of it. That’s when I noticed the door was ajar. Was someone in there that shouldn’t be? I knocked on the door and it opened wider, allowing me to sneak a peek inside. I couldn’t see anyone, and feeling like a trespasser, decided to leave it alone.

  Reaching to pull the door closed, I heard footsteps inside. Jackie stepped into view and saw me standing there. Surprise and something like embarrassment flushed over her features and she glanced down the hallway behind me before ushering me inside.

  “Are they still here?” she asked.

  “You mean Carlotta and Uncle Joey?”

  “Yes,” she said. I nodded and her shoulders sagged. “When I left, this was as far as I got,” she explained. “Ramos isn’t here and I just couldn’t leave yet. I can’t stand it that Carlotta has taken advantage of Joe. He never falls for that kind of thing. It must be the kid. He’s always wanted a kid, and now she’s digging her claws into him. She’s going to bleed him dry.”

  “Come on Jackie,” I chided. “You know Uncle Joey’s not like that. He’s a lot smarter than you think.”

  “I hope so.” She shook her head. “You probably think I’m crazy. I guess maybe I am, but I love him. All these years, I never knew how much until she came into the picture. I hired Mercer to threaten you so you’d give me the money. I suppose he saved you from the Mexicans so it worked out all right. When you didn’t show up last night, I decided it would work just as well to take the money in front of Joseph, rather than behind his back, but I didn’t expect him to outbid me.” She laughed bitterly. “I thought if I had the money, he’d have a reason to come after me. But now I have nothing.”