Maddox by Melanie Moreland

Author:Melanie Moreland [Moreland, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Maddox
Publisher: Moreland Books Inc
Published: 2018-07-09T04:00:00+00:00

Maddox

AIDEN AND BENTLEY arrived together, both looking confused. When they saw my face, their expressions turned to concerned. Immediately, they sat with me at our boardroom table, all in our usual spots. Bentley at the head of the table, Aiden to his right, and me to his left.

I wondered as I looked across the table if today would be the last time we sat that way.

In front of me were two envelopes. Bentley’s gaze flicked to them briefly, then he returned his stare to me.

I spoke. “Before we start, how is Emmy?”

Bentley sighed. “Grieving. I hated to be the one to tell her what Aiden discovered, but I think that perhaps it gave her some peace. She’s mourning Jack’s loss, but she has her answer. She can move on.”

“She’s strong. She’ll be okay.”

“Yes, she will. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I know.”

Our eyes met, his worried, mine anxious.

“What’s going on, Maddox?”

I ran a hand over my face. “The night we had dinner with The Gavin Group, I saw a woman who looked familiar. It happened so fast I convinced myself I had imagined it.” I inhaled and blew out the air. “But I hadn’t. It was Jill.”

“That girl from university?” Aiden asked.

“Yes.”

“Fuck,” Bentley swore.

“She showed up on Tuesday night, insisting we talk.”

Aiden scowled. “What the fuck did she want? Is she bothering you?”

My hands curled into fists on the boardroom table, my knuckles turning white from the pressure.

“Bothering is one word.” I gritted my teeth. “She’s blackmailing me.”

They looked startled, sharing a glance, then returned their attention to me.

“With what?” Aiden asked calmly.

I slid the larger envelope his way. He opened it, his eyebrows rising as he looked at the pictures, but he said nothing. He passed the photos to Bentley.

The silence screamed in my face.

Bentley passed them to me, and I tossed them on top of the envelope.

Bentley stood and paced. “This happened that spring. When I left university to open BAM, didn’t it?”

“Yes. You were busy and rarely home, and Aiden was swamped with finals. It was a short, destructive relationship. You met her one time, and it was brief and not particularly pleasant.”

“I didn’t like her.”

“No, neither of you did, which probably made her even more interesting to me.”

He stopped pacing, bracing his arms on the back of a chair. “You changed after you split. You were withdrawn for a long time. But you never talked about it.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I was embarrassed, horrified, and ashamed, Bent. I broke it off and avoided her at all costs. She left at end of term for an acting job, and I thought I would never have to think about it or her again. Until she showed up the other night.”

I pushed the other envelope his way. He opened it, scanning the document I had created on our heavy, embossed company letterhead.

Bentley read it and scowled, lifting his eyes to meet mine, then handed the letter to Aiden. He read it slowly, his brow furrowed as he made his way through the short document.

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