The Private Serials Box Set(103)
“The way I see it,” I said, slowly turning my glass of scotch in my hand, “your negotiations are with me from here on out. From what Lena’s told me, most of your money came from the merge of her father’s company with yours. You got most of your wealth directly from your marriage to her. She deserves all your money for what you put her through, so walking away with two million and your lives is more than you deserve.”
“How are we supposed to live our lives with only two million dollars?”
“That’s not my problem to solve,” Lena stated coolly. “However, if you’d prefer to keep all the money you’ve practically stolen from me, I’m sure it’ll come in handy when Edgar comes for you. Although, I’m not sure if he makes the effort to find you he’ll let you live.”
Jessica looked at Derrek with legitimate fear in her eyes and it occurred to me that perhaps he hadn’t been very forthcoming about all his dealings with Edgar. I watched as she mentally put two and two together, watched as she considered what Lena had said, and saw the moment she realized the lives of her children were more important than money.
“Sign the papers, Derrek,” Jessica said, her words harsh and angry. He sighed loudly, but then pulled a pen from his jacket and signed the documents, and slid them across the table to me. I felt Lena relax against me just a little when the papers were in my hands and I could only imagine the relief she was feeling at that moment. For once, she’d won a battle against him. For once, she was going to get what she deserved, something that was taken from her. If I hadn’t been sitting across the table from her now ex-husband, I would have turned and kissed her gently, showed her exactly how much I understood what those papers meant to her.
I pushed the papers in front of her, and handed her my own pen. She took it from me, smiling, and signed her name next to Derrek’s for the very last time without hesitation. I put the papers back in the envelope, making sure the clasp was shut, and looked to Derrek.
“I am going to fax these to our lawyer, and once everything is finalized I will be in touch. Do not leave Athens. If you leave without seeing this plan through, Edgar will find you and there won’t be anything for me to do to save you or your family.” My eyes darted to Jessica and I saw the fear in her eyes as she nodded slightly. She understood the severity of the situation.
“You want us to just sit around waiting for you?” Derrek asked, sounding annoyed.
“I’ll remind you that I’m the one with the plan. If you follow my instructions everything will be fine. You have my word.”
“Your word means shit to me.” Derrek’s voice was angry now, and a red flush was moving over his face. He was coming to terms with the fact that I’d outsmarted him, that I’d accomplished the exact opposite of what he’d originally hired me to do. I’d ruined him. Or so he thought.
“How you proceed is entirely up to you, but I can assure you that trusting me is your best bet. I won’t try to convince you. I’ve told you everything I am willing to share; the choice is up to you. Regardless, I’ll contact you when it’s time for the next move.” I took a cell phone out of the bag. A burner phone. Some cheap piece of crap that I knew couldn’t be traced. I slid it across the table to him. “Until then,” I said as I stood from the table and pulled out Lena’s chair. I took her hand gently and led her out of the restaurant, noticing that she never once turned her head to look back at what she was leaving behind.
We walked silently through the hotel to the front desk where I inquired if they had a fax machine I could use. We were led to a private office and left to our own devices. I pulled out my cell phone and called Parker. He answered with a hopeful voice.
“Hello? Preston?”
“It’s me.”
I heard him sigh in relief. “I’ve been waiting for your call. I thought I would hear from you yesterday and when I didn’t I started to worry.”
“Sorry to worry you. We’ve been trying to acclimate ourselves and also working on Derrek.”
“How is Lena?” His tone was even more concerned when he spoke her name. His protective older brother persona extended to Lena and I was never more thankful for the way he cared about her. It made my next move so much easier.
“She’s doing as well as can be expected.” My eyes moved to her as I spoke and she gifted me with a small smile. It wasn’t the gorgeous smile that reached her eyes, but it was the small troubled smile I’d grown accustomed to recently. She was worried, and a little bit sad as well. I opened my free arm to her and she came to me instantly, wrapping both her arms around my waist and pressing her cheek against my chest. “I’m going to fax you the divorce papers. I need you to get them processed immediately, and get the money transferred as soon as possible. We need to rush this.”
“I’ll do what I can. The money shouldn’t be a problem, a day or two at the most. But it might be a few more for the divorce to be finalized.”
“Just do what you can. And Parker?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
There was a long silence, but finally he responded with, “You know I’d do anything for you and Lena.”
“Yeah.”
“Tell her I say hello.”
“I will.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as everything is finished.”