Page 330 of Summer Heat
“He’s here because he’s lusting after a certain dancer in the show. And I don’t do business at the theater.”
“Where do you do business, then? A back alley?”
As soon as the words leave my lips, I wish I could take them back. That’s not an arrow I meant to fling. And no one gets away with insulting Gabriel Miller like that.
He laughs softly. “What makes you think I’m a criminal?”
But then this is Gabriel Miller, who values honesty above everything. And I remember what Harper told me, that he would be honest with me too. He might evade the question, he might refuse to answer, but whatever he said would be the truth.
“You’re friends with Damon Scott.”
“Ah, that.”
“And you’re a member of the Den.”
“A founding member, actually,” he says. “But your father did business with me. How bad can I be?”
His tone is blithe because we both know that my father was involved in a lot of underhanded dealings. I’d never have guessed it, but it all came out in court. The bribes, the dummy corporations. God. Of course Gabriel Miller managed to keep his name completely out of court documents, only supplying the evidence that the prosecutor needed to begin his investigation.
I take a step forward, moving out of range of his hand. Then I turn to the window, looking out over the city. A storm has crept across the skyscrapers, catching the spires and stair-step slopes in its gray net. It will be raining by the time we leave.
“I buy and sell things,” he finally says. “Like most businesses do.”
“What kind of things?”
“Other businesses, mostly.”
But not entirely. “Drugs. Guns?”
“If the money is right, anything is for sale.”
“People?”
“I bought you, didn’t I?”
His presence is warm and solid behind me, making sure I don’t escape. Or keeping everyone else away? I’m not sure, but I know that he’s not here to make my life easier. He’s here to use me, exactly as he said he would. To show everyone how low my father has fallen, that even his daughter is ruined.
“What did my father buy from you, anyway?” I say, bitterness tinging my voice.
“I bought something from him, actually.”
I turn in surprise, forgetting to hide my face. “You did?”
I never knew the details of the transaction that ruined everything. That wasn’t part of
the court case. But it was common knowledge in the city. Gabriel made sure of that.
“His shipping company. It was failing, and he was looking for a buyer. I met with him a few times. My lawyers met with his. We made an offer. He accepted.”
My eyes widen. “No.”
Daddy owned several businesses, but his international shipping business was the largest one. His bread and butter. The bulk of his wealth. It had been in trouble, even before the mess with Gabriel Miller? I don’t want to believe that, because he should have told me. I should have known.
Gabriel watches the clouds, his golden eyes reflecting the rolling darkness. “Only after the papers were signed did I find out he had secretly sold off the company’s most valuable assets to other holding corporations, thus rendering my purchase almost worthless.”
My mouth drops open. Nothing Daddy did should surprise me anymore, but somehow it still does. After all the lectures he gave me about integrity and family pride. After the chili juice on my fingers. I had come to see him as ten feet tall, some kind of paragon of morality.
“How?” I manage.
