Page 45 of SEAL's Resolve

“He’s broke.”

Kristi gasped. “That can’t be true. Hugh has a large trust fund left to him by his grandfather.”

“That was true at one time, but not now. At his current spending rate, he’s six months away from insolvency.”

“This doesn’t make sense.” She looked puzzled. “He’s always had a good head for business. Did he make some bad investments?”

“More like bad bets.”

“Gambling? I don’t understand. I’ve never seen him gamble or heard him talk about it.”

“Want to see a copy of his casino markers?”

“How could I not know this?”

“How much does he owe?” Rafe asked.

“I’m still digging, but the current total is $200,000.”

Rafe whistled softly.

Kristi stared at the sniper with wide eyes.

“Oh, man.” Eli shook his head. “Ward’s toast if he doesn’t pay that off in a hurry.”

“That’s just one casino,” Jon murmured. “I think he has markers at other casinos, too.”

“But casinos don’t have leg breakers,” Kristi said. “Won’t they wait until he can pay them?”

“That’s not how the process works.” Rafe laid his hand over hers. “If he doesn’t pay them by the agreed upon date, they’ll take him to court and force him into bankruptcy. He’d recover from that eventually, but no one will trust money to a hedge fund manager who can’t handle his personal finances.”

“I don’t understand why Hugh didn’t use what’s left in his trust fund to pay off the debt.”

“He’s draining the trust fund at a rapid rate,” Jon said. “My guess is he’s making large payments to several casinos to keep them off his back and maintain his lifestyle.”

“What about his investments? Can he liquidate those?”

“He’s been selling his stock for the past year, a little at a time. He sold the last of it two weeks ago.”

Kristi jerked. “But that’s when…” She groaned. “Oh, no.”

“What is it?” Rafe asked.

“That’s when Hugh began pressuring me to accept his proposal.”

Had Ward assumed that Kristi would bail him out of debt once they were married or was something else going on? “Financially speaking, what would happen if you and Ward married?”

“Not much change. I’m not giving up Kristi’s Bridal, and Hugh planned to work for Dad. He mentioned life insurance policies, but I think a husband and wife should have life insurance with the spouse as the beneficiary.”

Ice water flowed through Rafe’s veins. “Did he mention a specific amount?”

She shook her head.

He glanced at Jon. “Find out.”

“On it.”

Rafe turned back to Kristi. “You have a trust fund.”