Escaping Shadows, page 15
“At least he’s trying,” Ryker said from Kord’s other side.
“Look how happy it’s making G. That’s what matters, even if I hesitate to trust him right away.”
“You’re looking out for the woman you love. Nothing wrong with that,” Granger told Kord.
Kord nodded and kept within earshot in case Georgie needed him. Otherwise, he sat with Granger, Olivia, Ryker, Kenzie, Stone, Damon, and Hunter Townsend. He was sure his table talked amongst each other, but he wasn’t listening. He kept his eyes and ears on Georgie to make sure she was safe.
* * *
Georgie couldn’t stop smiling. Her grandpa was here, talking to her friends. He wasn’t being snobby. He wasn’t treating them as if he were above them. He listened to Harper talk about her bar. He listened to Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter talk about Shadows Landing. He was enthralled with Skeeter’s history of the Greysons. When Skeeter got to the fishmonger part, her grandfather burst out laughing.
“Well, that certainly explains my grandfather’s language. No one could cuss like Granddaddy could. I’d love to see all the documentation when you have time. That must have been quite a lot of research.”
Georgie felt as if she were living in a dream. The grandfather she thought indifferent to her was here, trying to learn about her life while listening and participating in conversations with all of her friends.
“Where are you staying, Dell?” Maggie asked.
“My assistant booked a hotel in Charleston.”
“We have a room available at our place,” Maggie told him, “If you want to stay closer to Georgie, that is. I’m sure it’s not the suite you have reserved, but it’s a five-minute drive from Georgie.”
“I’d love that. Thank you.”
Maggie made a call to her mother and set it up. “They’re all ready for you. Would you like our guy, Timmons, to come get your bags?”
“No thank you. I’ll have my assistant deliver them.”
The door opened and Lydia ran in with all of her children. Her eyes narrowed on Dell as she and the kids marched forward. “Are you going to treat Georgie right or will I need to take you outside and give you a talkin’ to?”
Little Lindsey shook her head, sending her pigtails flying. “You don’t want a talkin’ to. You usually get a time out.”
“Miss Georgie is our friend,” Landry Jr. said, crossing his arms and glaring at her grandfather. “And you don’t hurt our friend.”
“Or we’ll hurt you,” Lacy said with a glare only a pre-teen could give.
“Lacy, for a threat to be taken seriously, you need details,” Lydia informed her before turning to Georgie’s grandfather. “But if you do hurt Georgie, I will get my children all hopped up on sugar and caffeine and lock you in a room with all of them for the entire day.”
“So far that’s not needed, but thank you, Lydia.” Georgie turned to her grandfather and explained how she babysat the kids.
“All of them?” he gasped before catching himself. “That’s quite a talent.”
“From oldest to youngest,” Georgie said with a smile to the kids. “Landry, Lacy, Levi, Leah, Lindsey, Lyle, Leo, and little Lennie. They’re wonderful children. And this is their mother, Lydia. Her husband is deployed overseas.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. You can call me Dell.”
“Mr. Dell, why did you let your family hurt Miss Georgie like that?” Landry Jr. asked.
“Yeah, Mom would tan our hide if we were disrespectful like they were to Miss Georgie,” Lacy added with another pre-teen glare.
“Darn right I would. Why are you here now?” Lydia asked.
Georgie should step in, but as much as she loved having her grandfather in her life, what they said was true. He’d never been there for her before, so why now?
Her grandfather frowned. “I should have tanned my son’s hide, but I was away a lot, just like your daddy is. I was too focused on building the family company to know how my own child was being raised. He was raised by nannies, and I expect they let him do whatever he wanted. It was only after my wife passed and I retired that I began to see what was going on. I feel deep guilt and shame for what happened. And while I am not physically tanning their hide, I am not sitting back and letting their behavior go unchecked.”
“He’s taken away their allowances,” Kord told the kids who all cringed.
“How do you know that?” her grandfather asked Kord, who now had Leo up on his shoulder.
“You do know Ryker Faulkner, right?” Kord tilted his head toward Ryker. Ryker glared. It actually made Georgie battle down a smile because right now he glared a lot like Lacy, a twelve-year-old girl.
Dell stood up and walked over to Ryker and held out his hand. “Dell Greyson. Thank you for taking Georgie in and teaching her the ropes. I respect you greatly. The work you’ve done from shipping technologies to your other ventures is cutting edge.”
“Funny to hear you say that since your son encroached on my patents and I had to sue him.”
Georgie saw her grandfather deflate. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. What happened?”
“My wife made their attorney cry in court.” Granger held out his hand. “Granger Fox. I’m the town sheriff and Kord’s best friend. My wife is Ryker’s attorney, Olivia Townsend-Fox.”
Dell’s lips quirked up into a smile as he looked at Olivia. “You made Borden cry? I would have paid good money to see that twerp get his comeuppance. I’m guessing some of this technology you have is a way to hack into secure documents. Tell me what I’m missing.”
“Sir?” Ryker asked.
“What did you find out? I saw the money leaving the accounts. I saw the sales of stock. I did not see what they needed that money for.”
“Pull up a chair, sir. We have a lot to cover.”
* * *
Georgie sat by her grandfather as he and Kord filled him in on everything they knew. Her grandfather listened and asked questions. By the end, he looked his age and then some. Deep frown lines marred his face and pain lingered in his eyes.
“Thank you for looking out for my granddaughter and, even while you didn’t mean to, for my legacy. A legacy that will be changing right now. I will correct all the mistakes of the past before we move on to the future of Greysons. But, Mr. Faulkner?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t ever hack into my accounts again or I’ll have you arrested.”
Ryker smirked. “I’d love to see you try to prove it, sir.”
Georgie held her breath, but then her grandfather burst out laughing. “Have any companies you’re looking for an investor in?”
Ryker stood and shook his hand. “Your granddaughter will be the first person I call if I ever open my companies for investors.”
“Good answer.” Her grandfather turned to her and Kord and gave a tired smile. “Can you drive an old man to his hotel for the night?”
“Sure thing,” Georgie slipped her hand through her grandfather’s arm. She said goodnight to everyone as they walked out of the bar.
“I’m really glad you told me where you were, but I have a secret to tell you,” her grandfather said as they made their way to Kord’s SUV down the street.
“What’s that?”
“I knew where you were two days after emailing you. I sent a private investigator to find you and make sure you were okay. I didn’t want you ending up like Sofia.”
“Thanks for caring enough to check on me. I didn’t think anyone cared beyond how they could use me for a pawn in whatever game they were playing.”
Hisssss.
“What the hell is that?” Her grandfather yanked her back at the same time Mean Abe the alligator stalked from the shadows.
“Abe,” Kord warned. “G, go get Gator.”
Georgie would have, but Abe ran forward, right toward her grandfather. Without thinking, Georgie stepped to the side and leaped right on top of Mean Abe. The hard, pointy scutes lining the top of his body dug into her chest as his thick muscled tail tried to flick her off. She had to squeeze her thighs as if riding a bucking horse to stay on as she slammed her hands down on his snout.
Her grandfather was screaming, but she didn’t hear it as she felt Kord jump on behind her to help pin Abe down. There were shouts off in the distance, but Georgie was so focused on keeping her hands away from Abe’s bite that she didn’t realize anyone had come until she saw Gator’s legs appear in front of her.
“Way to go, Miss Georgie. Classic capture move. Now, to get Abe relocated. Skeeter, grab my truck, will ya?” It was then she noticed Turtle was on Abe’s tail as well. “Hey, Bull. Do ya mind me borrowing that fancy tie of yours?”
Her grandfather looked to be in shock as he pulled his tie from under the sweater and yanked it off. He handed it to Gator while never looking away from Georgie sitting on Mean Abe.
“Hold ‘em tight,” Gator instructed.
Georgie’s hands were shaking from the exertion of clamping the gator’s strong jaws closed. Gator crouched down and slid the still-tied tie around the gator’s snout and pulled, tightening the tie before wrapping it around the jaws.
“You can let go now, Miss Georgie. Well done.”
Georgie sat back as Abe tossed his head around, but now without his snapping jaw, all he could do was bruise you with a hard hit. Skeeter pulled up in Gator’s truck with the wooden box in the back. Together, they lifted it down. Gator placed a rope around Abe’s snout while Skeeter got a piece of jerky from the truck. Both ends of the box were open as Gator tossed the extra rope through the box. Skeeter grabbed it and then Gator moved to the other end of the box with Skeeter. He pulled the rope tight, but Abe refused to go in.
“Go ahead and get off,” Gator instructed at the same time Skeeter tossed a little jerky into the crate. Georgie rolled off, but even before she could jump up, Kord had her in his arms while Turtle shoved Abe from behind, sending him into the crate. In a split second, both ends were closed and Abe was locked in the crate. “Great job, everyone. I’ll just take this ornery fella back home. Tomorrow, I will buy you a drink.” Gator winked at her and worked with the guys to lift Mean Abe into the back of his truck.
“You,” her grandfather started to say but stopped and composed himself. “You jumped on the back of an alligator to protect me.”
“I got it on video!” Landry Jr. shouted.
Kord set her down and she looked up at him with a thousand-watt smile. Gator had taught her how to do that on the large stuffed gator in the bar, and she’d tried once on Bubba, but Bubba was pretty tame. To actually do it on Mean Abe was a thrill unlike anything she’d ever felt. It was probably the same as jumping out of a plane. “I did. I told you I’d changed. Let’s see any Back Bay society woman do that.”
“Or man,” Kord added as he gave her a wink. “Great job, G.”
Georgie took Kord’s hand in hers and her grandfather’s hand in her other. “After all the excitement, let’s get you to the Bell’s house. Oh, and just nod and smile at Timmons. He only speaks in millennial. Also, his manbun seems to be getting bigger and bigger. If you really want to make him happy, tell him it looks great. To me it looks as if a fluffy cat has curled up on his head, but he’s very proud of it.”
Her grandfather seemed to be in shock but nodded and followed her the rest of the way to Kord’s car. She told him a little about Shadows Landing as they drove to the large Bell Estate. Mrs. and Mr. Bell were waiting on the steps and Timmons stood next to them with a sweet, goofy smile on his face. That was just Timmons, the happiest, kindest person she’d ever met.
Her grandfather choked back a laugh and then cleared his throat. “Very nice hair, young man.”
“Thanks, fam. I didn’t want to be canceled when I realized I was getting older and this Gen-Z can get salty. That would be a big yikes. So I had a glow up. I’m not nearly as bougie as you are though. That’s goals right there. I want to be my own main character so I can get shipped, you know?”
“Shipped where? Like shipped off in the military?” her grandfather asked.
Timmons laughed as he walked up the steps with her grandfather. “I’ll tell you all about it, fam. I just love your vibe, Gramps. I can call you that, right?”
“What language is he speaking? I just learned all of his millennial sayings, but I didn’t understand any of that,” Georgie whispered.
“Gen-Z,” Kord said with a chuckle. “I caught most of that since I hang out with Quad a lot.”
“Great, now I have to start all over.”
“I bet Lacy will teach you if you ask.” Kord kissed her temple and pulled her to his side as the Bells took over talking to her grandfather. “Now, let’s get home. After seeing you tackle an alligator, I have ideas.”
Kord’s hand drifted down and squeezed her ass before turning to open the car door for her.
“That’s such a coincidence,” Georgie said as she slid into her seat. “I have ideas too.”
Kord got into the car and sped down the driveway. “Are these ideas naughty or nice?”
“Hmmm,” Georgie purred. “I always thought being naughty was nice.”
Turned out Kord agreed. It was very nice when they were oh, so naughty together.
20
“Look at the contract,” Ryker said to her. “Right here, hidden in the clause on manufacturing. Do you see it?”
Georgie scanned the language and frowned. “That’s a huge penalty for missing the timeline.”
“Correct. And why isn’t it under the penalties section? This is becoming more and more common. Hide all the bad things in sections that they normally wouldn’t be in. You wouldn’t believe how many people start off reading these contracts, but then they zone out and miss half of what’s in it, especially the back half of the contract.”
Georgie’s phone vibrated and Ryker nodded at her to get it.
“It’s Heloise,” Georgie said with surprise. “I didn’t think she’d actually call me back.”
Ryker sat back in his chair and waited for her to answer the phone.
“Hello?” Georgie said, putting it on speaker.
“You’re alive!” Heloise said in her sweet French accent.
“Did you think I wasn’t?” Georgie asked.
“Actually, yes, I did. I asked friends all around Europe and no one had seen you. John Shaw simply didn’t speak of you. It was never brought up why you were suddenly gone and the timing after poor Sofia’s illness. I was quite frankly afraid you’d overdosed too, and they were hiding your death for some reason.”
“Thank you for caring enough to look for me. I didn’t think you’d care.”
“Mon Dieu, you’re my only sister! You were always so kind to me.”
Georgie paused. She didn’t know if she wanted to blow up Heloise’s marriage, but maybe it was for the best. Maybe Heloise was a pawn just like she was. “Did you know he and my parents drugged me the other day with GHB? They kidnapped me as they tried to get me to sign over my trust fund to them.”
“Tu es sérieux, ou quoi?”
“I’m very serious,” Georgie responded.
“I am so sorry, Georgina. I do not understand.” Heloise paused. “This is because of the rumors, isn’t it?”
“What rumors?”
“That your parents are going bankrupt because of their deal with Pardia and the settlements. John Shaw tried to withdraw money from my trust fund. My father stopped the transaction and called me to the office under the guise of working on a deal to benefit John Shaw.”
“What’s the real reason he called you home?” Georgie asked.
“To begin divorce proceedings. We’re making sure the assets are as separate as possible. We can’t find a way to get the shares of our company back. Luckily it was a small enough amount that we still retain complete control. What can I do to help you, ma sœur?”
“I’m going to take over Greyson Holdings. As you know, it’s the holding company for the Greyson Family Enterprises Trust. My grandfather is the trustee of GFE and my father is the president of Greyson Holdings. Considering you own interest in several of the companies the holding company privately owns, and that you own stock in several public companies where we are also major stockholders, I’d appreciate your support.”
“A moment.” Georgie waited as the line went silent. A minute later, she was back on. “I’ve told my father. He agrees with me. The Blanchet family fully supports your takeover of the companies under the Greyson Family Enterprise, if you can get your grandfather on board. Please let us know if we can help in any way. If I may ask, where are you now?”
Before she could speak, Ryker did. “Right this moment she’s in my office.”
Georgie was expecting Heloise to respond, but a male voice did instead. “And whose office is this?”
“I presumed you were listening, Mr. Blanchet. This is Georgina’s very good friend, Ryker Faulkner.”
A low male chuckle sounded over the phone. “Chérie, when you go for a family coup, you sure do know the weapons to bring to the table. My assistant has been trying to get a hold of you, Monsieur Faulkner, to discuss global shipping for our cosmetics, but has had some trouble getting past your assistant. Last time, he ended the call in tears.”
Georgie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
“If he didn’t follow the instructions on how to submit a request, Elsa can get a little testy.” Ryker pushed a button, and a moment later Elsa strode in. “Elsa, I have Mr. Blanchet on the line. Let’s set a meeting to discuss a shipping contract.”
“Is his assistant going to cry again? It’s very unprofessional.”
Georgie took a deep breath as she heard Heloise giggle in the background.
“Non, I believe this might be best settled between myself and Mr. Faulkner,” Mr. Blanchet said with a hint of amusement to his voice.
“Very well. I’ll email you the details.” Elsa turned and left.
