Night After Night, page 21
part #2 of Reliance Group Series
There was no outward animosity between them from that morning’s discussion. As far as Zoe was concerned, it was a waste of energy to dwell on something that was already done and couldn’t be changed.
But deep in her heart, in the part that had been steadily falling for Sean, she felt a normal amount of hurt and disappointment that he’d kept the truth from her. But she also understood that he’d been trying to protect her from the pain of knowing the extent of her father’s deception. And to Sean’s credit, he’d been man enough to apologize, to admit he’d been wrong.
For her, Sean’s ability to express regret, and mean it, was huge. Because the only other man she’d ever fallen in love with had lacked any kind of decency when it came to lying to her and, worse, betraying her trust. For nearly a year Ian Croft had carried on a long-distance affair with another woman, and even after Zoe had confronted him with proof of his infidelity he’d expressed no remorse or contrition for his behavior. Nor had he ever apologized for breaking her heart.
Instead, when she’d asked him why he’d cheated on her, Ian had simply told her that she was sweet and classy and good for his image as an attorney, while the other woman he spent time with on his business trips was the kind of woman he could fuck.
As far as explanations went, it was a huge blow to Zoe’s feminine pride, and his brutal comment had caused her to question her sexuality—until a pep talk with Jessica and a couple pints of Ben & Jerry’s had helped Zoe come to the conclusion of just how much of a self-centered asshole Ian was and that she deserved so much better than being some man’s arm candy.
She was smart enough to know that there were very few similarities between Ian and Sean, if any at all. Despite Sean’s withholding the truth about his father’s involvement with hers, Zoe instinctively knew that Sean would never deliberately hurt her. And that was what made all the difference in the world to her and made forgiveness possible.
Sean had insisted on doing the dinner dishes and was currently in the kitchen cleaning up, and while Zoe was tempted to call it an early night and crawl into bed and succumb to a deep sleep, there was one more thing she’d spent the entire day avoiding that she needed to take care of.
Before she changed her mind, she pressed the speed dial on her BlackBerry for her mother’s cell phone. Even before the line began to ring, Zoe’s stomach knotted in dread, because she knew the upcoming conversation wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. But talking to her mother was necessary, because Zoe needed to hear from Collette exactly what she knew of Grant’s arrest twelve years ago.
There was a three-hour time difference between Las Vegas and New York, where Collette was vacationing, which put it close to ten o’clock at night on the East Coast—as good a time as any to get the answers to the questions that had been on Zoe’s mind since that morning.
“Zoe!” her mother exclaimed breathlessly as soon as she connected the call, just seconds before it would have gone to voice mail. “Tell me you’ve finally heard from your father.”
Of course, the first thing on her mother’s mind was that damn missing alimony check. “No, I haven’t,” Zoe said, unable to keep the annoyance from her voice. “I called because I need to talk to you about Dad.”
“What about him?” Collette’s voice was clipped with impatience.
Zoe clutched her cell phone against her ear, already feeling the tension between herself and her mother rising, and knew it was going to get a lot worse. “About his arrest twelve years ago.”
A dead silence descended over the phone line. Zoe knew she’d caught her mother off guard, and it didn’t take Collette long to recover.
“Zoe, is this really necessary?” her mother asked, her tone brusque. “It’s late and I’m entertaining.”
“Yes, it’s very necessary.” Zoe refused to let her mother dismiss her or brush off something that was so important to her. Not this time.
“Fine. Give me a second.” Collette didn’t even try to disguise the fact that she felt put out by Zoe’s insistence on having this particular discussion with her.
Zoe glanced toward the kitchen, catching a glimpse of Sean as she listened to her mother tell someone that she needed to take this call and would be back in a few minutes. A male voice responded in the background, then a door shut, and Zoe’s mother was back on the line, more annoyed than she’d been a few moments ago.
“Why is this so important now, Zoe?”
“Because Dad isn’t on a business trip as he’s led everyone to believe,” she said, not mincing words but getting right to the point of the matter. “He’s gone missing, and he’s taken a lot of money with him. Money that doesn’t belong to him, but to the clients who invested in the Meridian project.”
“How do you know that?” her mother asked, her tone cautious.
“George at the office confirmed that checks are bouncing and money is missing from business accounts that only he and Dad have access to. There is also an investor claiming that Dad owes him millions of dollars.”
“Unbelievable,” Collette muttered in disgust. “I should have guessed something was up when I didn’t receive my alimony payment.”
Zoe shook her head at her mother’s inconsiderate attitude. Of course, for Collette, it was all about the money she was out. Never mind the hundreds of other people who’d trusted Grant Russo with their investments and were now left wondering if they’d ever see another dime from him.
The one thing that really stood out for Zoe was the fact that Collette wasn’t at all shocked by what her daughter had just told her—and Zoe called her on it. “You don’t sound surprised to learn that Dad was most likely operating a Ponzi scheme under the guise of taking investments to develop the Meridian project. Is that because he’s done it before and that’s why he was arrested twelve years ago?”
When Collette didn’t respond right away, Zoe went on, unloading the frustration that had been building within her. “I was only fifteen at the time, but I remember things, Mom. I remember loud, angry arguments between you and Dad about him being at the police station, and how he wanted you to take me to Europe for the summer to get me away from everything.”
Other memories came rushing back, painful ones that had opened Zoe’s eyes to just how manipulative and self-absorbed her mother truly was. Collette had agreed to take Zoe out of the country, for a price—Collette wanted a divorce, along with a hefty payout above and beyond monthly alimony. Zoe’s father had obviously wanted to protect her from the scandal of the arrest and trial, while her mother had used her daughter as a bargaining chip for monetary gain.
“Your father’s arrest was a misunderstanding,” her mother said, refusing to admit the truth even now.
“Dad’s arrest was legitimate,” Zoe refuted in a straightforward manner her mother couldn’t argue with. “But he cut a plea deal that sent his partner to jail for fifteen years, while Dad got off with a slap on the wrist in comparison.”
Out of the corner of Zoe’s eye she saw Sean in the kitchen again, and she knew he was done with the dishes but was giving her privacy to talk to her mother. Zoe wasn’t modifying the level of her voice at all, so she was certain he could overhear her side of the conversation—not that she cared. She had nothing to hide from Sean and wanted him to know she was on his side when it came to what had happened between her father and his.
“Fine. It’s true,” her mother replied irritably. “What does it matter now? It’s done and over with.”
“It’s not over with, Mom.” This time, Zoe’s voice did rise in pitch, and she didn’t even try to temper it. “Did you not hear what I just told you? That Dad is being accused of scamming people again? God knows how many lost their investments!”
“They aren’t my problem, Zoe. My missing alimony check is.”
Zoe’s jaw dropped open, and she promptly snapped it shut again, stunned by her mother’s careless reply—though she shouldn’t have been surprised. Collette didn’t possess the capability to feel empathy for anyone but herself.
“I need to go,” Zoe’s mother said, making it clear she was done with the conversation.
“Fine.” Zoe didn’t push the issue. There was no reasoning with her narcissistic mother, so why even try? “Goodbye, Mother.”
The line disconnected, and Zoe laid her head against the back of the sofa, closed her eyes, and released a heavy, defeated sigh. She’d called her mother hoping to get answers and closure, and instead Zoe had been forced to face the fact that Collette just didn’t care about what Grant Russo had done in the past or even was doing in the present. As long as it didn’t directly affect her in any way.
“I thought you could use some chocolate.”
Zoe opened her eyes to find Sean standing next to the couch, a plate stacked with brown squares in one hand, a glass of cold milk in the other, and a charming smile on his lips that instantly lifted her spirits.
She sat up and took a closer look at what he was offering and laughed. “Brownies? What did you do, whip up a batch while I was on the phone with my mom?”
He set the milk and treats on the coffee table within Zoe’s reach, then sat down on the sofa next to her. “I wish I could take the credit, but they’re store-bought.”
Regardless, she appreciated the sweet, thoughtful gesture after dealing with her mother’s cool and indifferent behavior. “Hey, it’s chocolate. It’ll do. Thank you.”
She picked up one of the squares and took a bite of the moist, fudgy cake, the taste immediately making her feel better. Or maybe it was Sean’s presence that calmed her. Either way, she was grateful for both, and that revealed far too much of her feelings toward Sean.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She heard the concern reflected in his deep voice and shrugged. “I should be used to my mother’s self-centered personality, but I just don’t understand how she can be so cavalier about something so serious that has hurt so many people. Twice now.”
Sean relaxed against the cushions and stretched an arm along the back of the couch, the tips of his fingers close enough to touch Zoe. “Maybe she’s that way because she’s been through all of this with your father before.”
“It’s just not normal.” Zoe took a drink of milk, knowing that Sean was giving her mother the benefit of the doubt. But Zoe knew Collette so much better than he did, and she didn’t deserve his consideration. “I know there’s nothing she can do about the things my father has done and she’s not responsible for his actions, but she can at least show a little compassion about the situation.”
Zoe set the glass of milk back down on the table and waved a hand in the air between them, refusing to let any further thoughts of her mother bring her down. “There’s no changing her, so I just need to let it go.”
But the one thing Zoe couldn’t stop thinking about was the fact that during her father’s arrest twelve years ago, while she’d spent the summer in Europe having fun, oblivious to her father’s trial and what he’d ultimately done to Casey O’Brien, she was pretty certain that for Sean there had been no escaping the painful trial process or listening as Grant Russo betrayed Sean’s father.
There was so much she didn’t know about Sean. Other than telling her that he was an only child and his mother had passed away when he’d been twelve, he never spoke of his past and childhood. But now Zoe was genuinely curious about how it had been for him, growing up without a mother and living with a father who’d ended up in jail by the time Sean had turned eighteen.
With the intention of getting the answers to her questions, she finished her brownie and felt a tug of awareness in her belly as Sean’s dark blue gaze watched her lick a smudge of chocolate from the corner of her mouth. As she remembered everything that had happened between them just that morning, the slow burn of renewed lust prickled along her skin.
Pushing aside her sudden craving for more than just chocolate, she offered Sean a smile that would, she hoped, encourage him to open up to her. “What was your childhood like?”
Sean frowned at Zoe’s unexpected question and the genuine interest glimmering in her eyes. Just a moment ago the air in the living room had been thick with the erotic memories of what had transpired between them this morning and everything that hadn’t. While he was grateful for a change in topic, he wasn’t thrilled about the subject she’d chosen. He wasn’t comfortable talking about himself, especially his past and childhood.
“Why does it matter?” he asked, unable to mask the reluctance in his voice.
She shifted on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her and turning so that she was facing him straight on. “It couldn’t have been easy, having your mother die when you were twelve. Were your parents married at the time?”
God, Sean so didn’t want to have this too-personal discussion with Zoe. He didn’t come from a conventional family, nor did he have a traditional kind of upbringing. Far from it. He’d been raised by a con man and turned into one himself. He had a criminal record that would never be erased, mistakes he’d made that could never be forgiven, and his father was serving a fifteen-year term in prison for investment fraud. There was nothing pleasant about Sean’s youth or the man he’d been shaped into because of his father’s lifestyle.
She was waiting patiently for Sean to respond. Her expression was soft, caring, and kind. He didn’t deserve any of it. Zoe Russo was much too good for him, and she didn’t have the good sense to keep her distance from a man who was all wrong for her, in so many ways. This morning’s tryst proved as much, that she was opening herself up to him and setting herself up for heartache in the end.
As much as he wanted to get up and walk away from the dreaded conversation, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to get the truth out in the open, all of it, and show her exactly what kind of man he was. And if Zoe was smart, which he knew she was, she’d shore up those walls to protect her own emotions and leave with her heart intact once they found her father and the case was over.
“My mother and father never married.” Sean saw the immediate surprise widening Zoe’s eyes and knew this was just the beginning of the shocking details he was about to share. “In fact, for the first twelve years of my life I only saw my father occasionally. My mother and I lived in Henderson, where she was a waitress at a coffee shop, and my father preferred the excitement and opportunities available for him in Las Vegas. When Casey came around, he always came bearing gifts for the both of us, as if that could make up for his absence.”
And for Anna it had been enough. Sean, not so much. When he was a child, all he’d wanted was for the three of them to be a real family, which included a mother and father who were married, lived under the same roof, and spent time together like normal families.
“That must have been difficult,” Zoe said quietly.
Sean’s lips tightened as he remembered those old days and how much he’d resented his father. As a kid, Sean had been painfully aware of how much his mother loved Casey, and despite his wandering ways, Anna had always believed that one day he’d change and settle down. But what she never knew was that Casey loved the thrill and excitement of being a hustler, a man who always looked forward to the next con. And he’d never give that up for anything or anyone.
“When I was twelve, my mother was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer. It was so invasive that within months she was gone,” he said, feeling that familiar tightness in his chest whenever he thought of his mother’s quick passing. “My father wasn’t there when she died, and I was sent straight into foster care until he showed up a few weeks later to claim me.”
Compassion softened Zoe’s features. “I can’t even imagine what that was like for you.”
It had been hell for the twelve-year-old boy he’d been. He’d felt so lost and alone, and the time he’d spent in foster care believing he’d been completely abandoned had only cultivated his anger and bitterness toward his father. But at least Casey had shown up, instead of leaving Sean to the state’s foster system. That was more than he’d expected his absentee father to do.
“I came to live here in Vegas with my father, who had absolutely no idea what to do with a defiant, rebellious kid with a huge chip on his shoulder,” Sean went on. “So, he did the only thing a seasoned con man knew how to do. He taught his kid the tricks of the trade and recruited him to help whenever he needed it.”
Zoe stared at Sean, her expression appalled. “He made you con people?”
She sounded so incredulous and looked so outraged on his behalf. While it would have been so easy to pin all the blame on his father for corrupting him, Sean had been genuinely intrigued by Casey’s lifestyle and what he did for a living. At twelve, Sean had been drawn into his dad’s world of cons and scams and eventually embraced it because it was the one thing that bonded him and his father. And even after Sean was old enough to realize that what Casey did was wrong, by then he’d been hooked, too—and was equally good as his father in using his charm and wit to his advantage.
“My father didn’t force me to do anything, Zoe,” he finally said, and looked her in the eye, knowing the next part of his story was going to change everything between them. As well as make her realize that he wasn’t the kind of man she should pin her hopes on. “Even after I knew better, I didn’t stop. A part of me liked the thrill and excitement of a good con. Just like my father did.”
“Oh.” The one word was spoken with shock.
Yeah, oh. And that wasn’t even the worst of his offenses.
He leaned forward on the sofa cushion, clasped his hands between his spread legs, and tried to relax his clenched jaw. “I’d just turned eighteen when my father was arrested, along with yours, for investment fraud.”
“Did you know about the Ponzi scheme?” she asked before Sean could continue.
“No.” He shook his head. “When I asked my father what he was doing, he’d only tell me that he was working on something big and he didn’t want me involved.” At the time Sean had been annoyed that his father had excluded him, but in hindsight he’d wondered if his dad hadn’t been trying to protect him somehow, just in case something went wrong—as it had.
