Page 45 of Forever Golden
“And did you ever stop to think that maybe I don’t want that hanging over my head anymore? That you’ve brought more to the damn table than I have?”
“I’ve never thrown that in your face,” Mom snaps. “You havemorethan done well for yourself, regardless of how and where you started. Which is why I don’t understand any of this.”
Staring at her, he lifts his hands when a simple answer falls from his mouth. “If there’s more to take, Pam, why not take it?” he reasons. “I’m building a legacy. Anempire.Why create a limit when there isn’t one?”
Mom’s quiet, like she’s trying to process Vin’s words. “Shouldn’t there always be a limit, though? A line we’re not willing to cross just to add a few more zeros to our bank account?”
He stares at her with hellfire in his eyes, not saying a word, which says it all.
“Guess that answers my question,” Mom scoffs, staggering back a bit after having the wind knocked out of her.
Vin lowers his head and takes a deep breath. “That’s not what I meant. Of course, there are boundaries.”
Mom throws her hand up, clearly fed up with the course of this conversation.
“Iknewthe moment you got involved with your fucking family again it’d be our downfall.”
My brow tenses when she says those words, because I don’t understand what it means. I set my confusion aside for now, to listen closely and make sure I don’t miss anything.
“Pam, if you just return my ledger, I’d be glad to have a peaceful, civilized conversation with you about this, but the information you took was important and it’s also confidential. You could get me in deep shit if I don’t have it back in my hands immediately.”
She glares at him and I haven’t seen this side of her before. Maybe it just took her eyes being opened for her to come around.
“You’ll get your ledger when I get the truth.”
With that, she turns to leave, and I forgot to mention that being high also makes me slow. Which is why my reaction time is for shit right now and I’m caught.
She stops dead in her tracks, staring at me with mascara streaking down her face. I’m frozen there, unsure of what to do, unsure of whether I should explain why I was eavesdropping, but before I can even think of an excuse, she walks away.
Doesn’t speak. Doesn’t rat me out to Vin. Just walks away.
For a moment, I’m stunned by her reaction, but then I come to my senses and sprint back to the elevator, grateful I’m barefoot so my exit is silent.
I’ve got no idea what I just witnessed, but I now know there’s some sort of ledger and Vin’s just been bested by the woman he’s mistreated for years.
I’m not into that sort of thing, but karma’s definitely come back to bite him square in the ass.
Standing in the elevator, I pull out my phone and send a text.
West: We need to talk. Can you meet me tonight?
Ricky: The pier. Twenty minutes.
Chapter 16
WEST
“You’ve gotta be shitting me. You’re fucking high?”
Ricky spots it right off the bat, the second I walk up on his car wearing a dark hoodie and sweats. No doubt, my red, dilated eyes gave me away.
“Listen, some shit went down,” I say, ignoring his question.
He lowers the driver’s side window a little more, glancing around before he speaks. “You’re gonna get us caught. You know that? Sooner or later, someone’s gonna spot us out here.”
“I played it safe,” I explain. “Left my car in a parking structure a few blocks away, then walked here.”
One of his brows shoots up, then he looks me over from head to toe. “Your dumb ass thought walking a few blocks through the hood in three-hundred-dollar sneakers wasplaying it safe?” He shakes his head at me, then laughs.