Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(99)

“I don’t know, Hudson. The guy isn’t the easiest person in the world to deal with, okay? That’s all I can tell you. He’s a loose cannon. I suggest you pay him off and be done with it. You’ve got the money.”

Hudson stiffened at Jones’s last comment. “It’s not just about the money. It’s the principle. I don’t like letting some lowlife blackmail me, especially when I have no guarantee he’ll keep his word.”

“I think he’ll honor the agreement.”

“How long will it take to get the DNA results?”

“A week or longer.”

“Why? You’ll have my sample today.”

“I have to take it with me, fly to Arizona, get Matisson to swab his cheek and then ship it off. Who knows how long the lab will take.”

“It shouldn’t be more than two days. I’ve checked. There are labs with that turnaround time.”

“Shorter might be possible. I’ll try, but we’ve got to get this right.”

“Yeah, I know.” Hudson clenched his free hand, wishing he could plant it in Matisson’s face.

“So, what do you say? Should we do this deal—get it behind us?”

Hudson walked over to the window and gazed out at the lush landscaping. If a million dollars could prevent Cort Matisson from selling his story, maybe Hudson was being stupid for resisting. And if the money was going to help a dying woman, he could even justify it.

But would the money really go to Julia? That was the question. And if Matisson was that desperate to help his daughter, why wouldn’t he let Hudson meet her? “No.”

“No?”

He heard the amazement in Jones’s voice.

“What are you thinking, man? You have a public image to protect.”

“If Matisson sells his story to some magazine, he’ll incriminate himself at the same time. If he offers me the proof I’m asking for, we can keep the past just between us. Surely he’d prefer to avoid an attempted murder charge.”

“This dude is crazy,” Jones said. “He’s willing to risk his freedom.”

“Then tell him to go for it.” Hudson hit End before he could change his mind. The thought of reading Matisson’s story in the next issue of People magazine made him feel ill. But he wouldn’t be able to respect himself if he gave in to this bastard’s demands, not without doing his homework. He refused to be that big a fool.

Bruiser came out of the room where the meeting was taking place. Hearing his approach, Hudson looked up.

“Hey, you off the phone? That was the investigator, right?”

“Yeah.”

“How’d it go?”

Hudson shook his head. “I won’t give that no-good bastard a dime—not unless he’s willing to prove who he is and why he needs the money.”

Bruiser rubbed his big hands together. “I could’ve guessed that’d be your decision.”

“The truth is the truth. Whatever happens, I’ll just have to face it.”

“You’re a stubborn son of a bitch,” his friend said with an affectionate smile. “But in this instance, I’m glad.”

*

Ellie switched the phone to her other ear. “He did what?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Bruiser responded.

“He didn’t mention it, no. He called me after the meeting to let me know that the owner of the team—”

“Craig Thompson.”

“Yeah—sorry, I’d forgotten his name.” She’d been too immersed in what she was reading when Hudson had checked in. She’d grasped that he was staying a few more days to fulfill some commitments, but she hadn’t paid much attention to the details. “Anyway, he told me Craig asked him to play some golf and then meet a friend for dinner tonight—but he didn’t say he’d heard from Jones, and I didn’t ask because I’d rather not keep hammering him about it. Matisson is weighing on his mind enough as it is.”

“We talked about it during the meeting and then again after, while he was waiting for Craig. Now that he’s refused to give Matisson the money, I think he’s just holding his breath, waiting to see what happens next.”

Ellie had been reading the file as quickly as possible, but it was thick, and she was being careful not to miss anything. She hadn’t made it through all the material yet. “I hate that after doing what he did when Hudson was born, Cort Matisson is trying to hurt him again—even if he’s doing it for the sake of a sick daughter. He walked off and left Hudson to die. He has no right to come back to him for help.”

“While I pity the daughter—provided she’s truly suffering—I agree. If that old man goes to the press...”

“It’d be a stupid move. Hopefully he’ll hold off, continue trying to work out a deal with Hudson.”

“Except Jones says Julia’s not doing well. So Matisson’s in a big rush.”

“Then he should offer Hudson proof of her illness. That’s all Hudson requested.”

“Jones says he won’t.”

She bit her lip as she gazed helplessly at all the paper she’d organized into various stacks. There was nothing tangible in what she’d read, nothing that could help Hudson as things stood. “I wish there was something we could do to get the proof he needs.”