Page 87 of Nefarious
A body slid onto the stool next to him. He turned and came face to face with Geraldo. “Geraldo. I’m surprised to see you here. Did someone put chum in the water?”
“As a matter of fact, they did.” His accent was so subtle, but when it came out, it always gave Dane the impression he was talking with a Telenovela villain. Selena had no accent at all. Her father hadn’t raised her bilingual in the hopes of acclimating her to this country where, as he’d often complained, English as a second language somehow marked him as less formidable. Dane knew better than to underestimate Geraldo.
“And who do I have to thank for your odious company?”
Geraldo waved a finger to the bartender and indicated he’d have the same as Dane. “I understand you took my daughter out for dinner, recently?”
“Ah, Val.” It was only a matter of time before she used those pictures to get under Geraldo’s skin. If she’d played them now, then Geraldo was a missile she’d armed and sent directly at him.
Geraldo showed no reaction. “How do you think your new girlfriend would feel about that?”
“What, are you going to blackmail me? You don’t think my reputation precedes me?”
Noelle might get upset over seeing him with Selena, but he wasn’t worried enough to fall under anyone’s coercion.
“I think you overestimate your charm, Dane.” He took a sip of the scotch that had arrived. “Do you wonder why Val tipped me off?”
“Val has her reasons. They usually aren’t what you might expect.” Dane had known her a sight longer than Geraldo. “She may be hoping you’ll tell Noelle so she’ll leave here in a shameful public display. Maybe she just wants me to come back to her.” Dane shrugged. Val’s motives were never obvious.
Geraldo’s smile barely touched his lips. “I’m not so sure. After all, Val has betrayed you on more than one occasion.”
“Are you referring to her choice to return to you—what was that? Three years ago?” Dane sucked on his teeth. “I’ve forgiven that. She thought she was protecting me after all.” He told himself to shut up, but Geraldo’s smug confidence made him want to punch him. He hated that Geraldo still thought he’d won this many years later.
Geraldo sniffed in disdain. “Protecting you from what? If Val wanted to protect you from heartache, then why did she leave you? And if she wanted to protect you from me, then why did she ask the board to vote you out?” He tilted his head, watching Dane.
Dane tightened his fist and let it go. “You’re lying. She tried to bring them around afteryouinstigated a jealous witch hunt. When she couldn’t win sympathy for me, she advised me not to fight against it.”
“Don’t you ever wonder why? Why not fight against it? You could have swayed the board to take your side. You were always well liked.” He laid a hand on Dane’s knee and squeezed. “Think about it, Dane. Why would Val want you to leave your company quietly? Was she protecting you? Or did she sacrifice you to suit her own needs?” He released his grip and pulled out a cigar from his suit pocket. “Do you mind?” He lit up the cigar without waiting for an answer.
Dane barely registered the question. “You aren’t making any sense. It’s me you came after. You were punishing me for taking Val from you for that one night. You’ve always resented me for taking her away for good. You resent me now because she followed me. Look at you, even now, trying to manipulate me toward whatever end. What are you up to?”
Geraldo shook his head. “I’ve never held a grudge against you. You’re right about me wanting revenge. But not against you. Although I confess, I never cared whether you suffered collateral damage. I don’t like you, and I don’t want my daughter near you. I think you are every bit as devious as Val is, but you were always her pawn, same as me. I realized what she is a little too late. Maybe the gentlemanly thing to do would have been to warn you sooner. But would you ever believe me? Would you have even cared?”
“I have no need of warning. I know what Val’s capable of.” He gritted his teeth. “But you’ve forgotten history. Val quit the company, too. If she was trying to protect her position there, she had a hell of a way of showing it.”
“Actually, I gave her a choice. I wouldn’t have tolerated her to remain on the board if she’d stayed with you. She could have left, and you might still be on the board.” He chewed on the end of the cigar. “You know, it was her idea to vote you out—to prove to me that she didn’t care about you, that that night had meant nothing—to save herself.” He barked a laugh. “I almost believed she cared about me. Then she walked away right after you left. Turns out, she was just rearranging the pieces on her chessboard.”
This all sounded way too familiar. “But why? She could have just asked me to leave with her.”
“And take the chance you’d choose the company over her? Oh, Dane. She wanted to make sure that her constant companion remained by her side. So congratulations, she did choose you over me. You win.”
“Then why hasn’t she ever given me another chance?”
“She plays a long game, Dane. And she won’t trust you until she’s won.” He puffed on his cigar once more and stubbed it out. “She doesn’t think you have it in you to beat her, you know. She’s had you on a string long enough.”
“But it’s you she’s always competing against. She’s never let go of her resentment against you—over losing our company.”
“Not at all. She resents losing control ofyou. I’m just an excuse—a convenient straw man.”
Dane felt nauseous. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because she pointed me here to cause you trouble, and I don’t like being her monkey. I should tell you that I came to find you yesterday, but you were occupied with other affairs. I sent some photos off to Val. I’m sure she’ll be interested to see you’re making the most of your time here.”
What would Val do if she knew Dane had already conquered Noelle and hadn’t returned immediately?
The pictures of Selena might not devastate Noelle, but Val could reveal every detail of his plan to compromise her, and that would be the end.
Worse. She could ruin Noelle’s career with an email to the board. But only if she got there first.
