Page 108 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
“He won’t hurt you, Emmy.”
“You just said he would threaten me.”
“Yeah, he will. But not with physical violence. My guess is he’s already done some digging and found out you’ve got money. That’s probably where he’ll start. I can see him blackmailing me. He’ll probably threaten to hack your bank account and empty it.”
“Good luck, Draven.”
My father was paranoid about security and cyber-attacks. He had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars keeping all of us physically safe. But Trent Austin had spent millions protecting his fortune and those of his children. Even though he hadn’t personally inherited the fortune from my grandfather, he had always made sure my money and my brother’s were secure.
“His hacker is good. It could happen,” Nick said.
“It’s doubtful,” I said, “but they’re welcome to try. In fact, I hope they do try and that when they hit up against my father’s security blocks, it pisses them off.”
“If he gets in, you’ll never see that money again.”
“If that’s what it takes so you don’t have to commit a felony, fine by me.”
“Honestly, Emmy? I don’t know if I can let it come to that, to risk you losing everything just for me.”
“He’s a manipulative asshole. Don’t you dare give into him, Nick,” I said. “It’s not right. And if you don’t stand up to him, he’ll never quit and leave us alone.”
“I know.” He let out a long sigh and his shoulders fell. Nick carried so much on those shoulders. I wished his family would stop adding to the load. I hated to see him like this, defeated.
“I despise your dad!” I shot up from the couch and started pacing in front of the fireplace.
“He’s not my favorite person either.”
“What else? Other than going after my money, what else would he do?”
“I don’t know,” he said, raking a hand through his hair. “He’ll get creative.”
“Is there anything we can do to get him to back off?”
“Not really. When I talked to Dash today, I asked him to help explain to Dad why I’m not doing it. I think he understood but at the end of the day, Dash is always going to be loyal to Dad and that fucking club.”
“Then we’ll just have to deal with whatever comes. I’m not scared of Draven. He can push as hard as he wants, I’m not giving in. And neither are you.” I continued pacing, mentally noting everything I was going to say to Draven the next time I saw him.
“Come here, Emmy,” Nick said.
“No. I’m too angry to sit.”
Nick grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me across the space between us, directly onto his lap. “I love that temper, Emmy. I love that it’s for me. I’m telling you all this so you’ll be prepared. But I don’t want you getting yourself worked up and worried. We’ll do like you said. Deal with it as it comes. Okay?”
I nodded.
“It means the world to me that you’d give up your money just so I can avoid adding another black mark. But I don’t think—”
Pressing my fingers to his lips, I silenced his argument. “It’s just money. It’s not what matters. This is,” I said, placing my hand on his heart. “Please don’t give into him.”
“I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Easter Sunday. A day that reminded me of pastel frilly dresses. My father had always insisted I wear some elaborate little-girl ensemble for the annual brunch my family hosted at our New York estate. Our staff would spend the week preparing the gardens with hidden treats. All of the children, including my brother, would race outside to see where the Easter goodies had been hidden.
All of the kids except me.
