Chapter 3

Andrew

I spent the rest of the night pacing around my study. Rick was in a spare bedroom, just a few doors down from my own. Liam insisted I let him leave, but I wasn’t stupid. If I let Rick go, he would disappear, and I’d lose my chance at punishing him for his actions. He broke into my home. He tried to rob me. Retribution had to be paid.

The night seemed to drag on forever. By the time the sun rose, I was more confused than ever. My anger had faded just enough that I no longer wanted to physically harm Rick. I knew it would be wrong to kick his ass, no matter how badly I wanted to. Instead, I wavered between calling the police or taking Rick up on his offer.

I pictured the cops showing up outside. In my mind, I could see them dragging Rick out of my house and tossing him in the back of a squad car. The image was a pleasant one. It filled me with a sense of vindication. But the more I thought about it, the more Rick’s offer appealed to me.

It wasn’t a secret that my accounting department was suffering. After losing Margie, I was beginning to wonder if we would ever find someone permanent. Hopper Antiquities’s finances were floundering. I knew it. Rick knew it. Even Liam knew it.

“Mr. Andrew,” Liam said from the hallway. He pushed open my study door an inch. “I brought you coffee.”

“Thank you, Liam.”

He nodded and set the cup down on my desk. I ignored it. As I continued to pace around the room, I noticed Liam was still there. He stood off to the side of the room, watching me with slightly narrowed eyes.

“What is it?” I snapped impatiently.

“I only wondered if I should take something up for Mr. Newman,” Liam said. His voice was calm, but his words were pointed.

“He’ll be fine,” I said shortly.

“Mr. Andrew,” Liam began. “I feel it’s my duty to tell you, your father never would have kept a man hostage this way.”

“Hostage?” I scoffed. “Rick Newman was stealing from me!”

“I understand that,” Liam said. “Your father would have forgiven him, worked things out in a civil way. He wouldn’t have used threats or fear to…”

“To what?” I snapped again.

My anger was suddenly back. I glared at Liam. He stared back at me impassively. He wasn’t afraid of me. He never had been. Still, it angered me even more to see how little my fury affected him.

Liam shook his head. “This is wrong, Mr. Andrew, and I believe you know that.”

“It’s none of your concern,” I said. “How I handle this is my business.”

“You’re right,” Liam said. “I just thought you would do well to remember your father’s lessons. Think for a second about him, his legacy. How would he have dealt with something like this?”

“I’m not my father.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed. He nodded once and then turned away from me. Without another word, he disappeared into the hallway.

I sighed and sank down into my chair. The coffee Liam brought sat untouched on my desk. I glanced at it but made no move to drink it. My stomach was tied in knots. When I went to bed the night before, I never imagined I would be awoken to this.

My options hadn’t changed. I could either call the police or allow Rick’s daughter to sort out my financial problems. Neither option felt right, and yet, only one truly benefited me. As satisfying as it would be to watch Rick get carted away, my business would still suffer afterward. I would still suffer afterward.

With a sigh, I got to my feet and walked slowly through the house. Liam was nowhere in sight. I assumed he’d retreated into his own bedroom to hide from the shame he now felt because of me. My stomach tightened again, but I pushed the thought away and kept walking.

When I reached the room where Rick was staying, I didn’t bother to knock. I shoved it open with a bang and stepped boldly inside.

“Hello again,” I said.

Rick was perched on the edge of the bed, his feet barely touching the floor. I never realized how small of a man he was until that moment. He couldn’t have been more than five feet, three inches. His toes grazed the carpet as his sallow face turned upward.

His green eyes were wide as I walked over to him. He flinched when I pulled up a chair to sit right across from him. His kind-hearted nature from before was gone. His eyes darted from my face to the door and then back again. He was terrified of what I might do.

I cleared my throat and interlocked my fingers over my stomach as I leaned back in the chair and eyed Rick with amusement. Seeing him fearful didn’t do anything for me. It didn’t fill me with any sort of sadistic pleasure. It didn’t ignite a fire in my belly. It did nothing at all to improve my sour mood, but in that moment, it was nice to know I held all the power.

“I’ll make this perfectly clear,” I said slowly. “If you want to avoid jail, you will have your daughter come to me. Here. She’ll stay here in this house while she works on the company’s finances. That way, I can be sure you two aren’t planning something behind my back.”

“Planning something?” Rick asked with a frown. He shook his head sadly. “Who do you think I am, Andrew?”

“A thief,” I said simply. “Sophie will stay here. She’ll work for me. And if she doesn’t, I’ll have you arrested and be done with this mess.”

Rick just stared at me. He seemed afraid to talk. My patience was running thin. I’d been up all night. I was exhausted and just wanted to get on with my day without having to look at Rick’s face any longer.

“Do we have a deal?” I snapped.

Rick jumped. “Yes. We have a deal.”

“Monday,” I said. “Have her here then.”

“Okay.” Rick nodded.

I nodded back and got to my feet. With that settled, I could get on with my day. There was so much to do, and this Rick mess had only gotten in the way of my productivity.

“May I leave?” Rick asked nervously.

“Yes,” I said, without turning around. “But if she’s not here on Monday morning, I’ll have you arrested and prosecuted. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” Rick said. He nodded and got shakily to his feet.

“She better be as good as you claim,” I said shortly. “I’m only willing to make this deal because my company needs the help. If Sophie is unable to fix our finances, then all of this will have been for nothing. So, for your sake, I hope she’s as smart and capable as you say she is.”

“She graduated at the top of her class,” Rick said proudly. The fear suddenly disappeared from his eyes. In its place was something akin to annoyance. It seemed I’d finally struck a nerve. “She’s more capable than anyone you currently have working for you. I can promise you that, Andrew.”

“Good.” I nodded and turned away from him.

I led the way out of the room. My back was to Rick as we walked down the stairs toward the front door. I longed to disappear into my study, the one place I could let go of all my anger and stress. My work was calling to me. I had artifacts to catalogue and emails to answer.

We reached the front door, and I glanced behind me. Rick was hurrying toward the exit, his short legs still shaking slightly as he moved.

“One more thing,” I called out to him. Rick turned around slowly, his eyes searching my face. “If I find out you and your daughter are, in fact, plotting something, I’ll throw your ass in jail without a second thought.”

“We’re aren’t plotting anything.” Rick sighed. “I’m not the man you think I am. I wish you could trust that, Andrew.”

“You’re a thief,” I said simply. “That’s all I need to know, Rick.”

With that, Rick hurried out the front door. It slammed shut behind him, and for a second, I worried I’d never see him again. I imagined him leaving town, fleeing my anger, and never looking back. He could easily disappear and renege on our deal.

I couldn’t give those thoughts too much credence. It was going to be a busy day, and I needed to get to work. I turned away from the door and hurried down the hall. My study door was still open, and when I stepped inside, I saw Liam sitting in an empty chair.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked with a sigh.

“How did that go?” Liam asked, gesturing toward the door.

“Rick’s gone,” I said. “You’ll be happy to know I let him leave in one piece.”

“That’s not funny, Mr. Andrew.” Liam’s tone was sharper than I’d ever heard it.

“He’s fine, Liam.” I sighed. “He’s gone now, so let’s just put this behind us, shall we?”

“What deal did you make with him?” Liam asked. “Is Sophie coming to work for you?”

“She is.” I nodded. “She’ll be here Monday morning.”

“Here?” Liam frowned.

“Yes.”

I walked behind my desk and sat down. Liam’s eyes were still trained on me. I could feel his questioning gaze like a burn to the back of my neck. For a few minutes, I tried to ignore it, but it was too strong.

“What?” I snapped. I jerked my head up to glare at him.

“Why is she coming here?” Liam asked. “Instead of meeting you at the office?”

“She’ll be staying here while she works for me,” I said simply.

“Mr. Andrew…” Liam began, but I cut him off with a look.

“That family obviously can’t be trusted,” I said. “Rick just broke into my house. Why would I trust his daughter?”

“Because she’s going to help you,” Liam said softly.

“So, Rick claims,” I said. “At least if she’s here, I can watch her. I can make sure those two aren’t planning something behind my back.”

“You’re being paranoid,” Liam said.

I shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m not going to take that chance.”

“You can’t just keep someone prisoner in your home,” Liam said.

“Prisoner?” I laughed. “You’re being dramatic, Liam. Sophie will be free to leave whenever she wants to. But if she does so before I say she can, her father will be arrested. It’s that simple.”

“And how long do you plan to keep her here?” Liam asked.

“Until her work is done.”

“When will that be?” Liam asked.

“When I decide she’s finished.”

Liam sighed heavily, but I’d already turned away. My desk was covered in documents I needed to sort through. I didn’t have time for any more distractions.

“Leave me to my work, Liam,” I said. “Please.”

“You’re making a mistake,” Liam said.

He stood up and let himself out without another word. It wasn’t often that Liam voiced his opinions so freely. After all, he was my butler. There were times, though, when his position in my life became blurred. He sometimes forgot to see me as the man I was and, instead, saw only the boy he helped raise.

Most of the time, I was happy to take Liam’s advice. He was wise, smarter than most, and my parents had trusted him implicitly. They loved Liam and so did I. Still, this time, I knew he was wrong.

Rick Newman had proven himself to be a snake. I wasn’t going to let him close enough to try to steal from me again. His daughter could work off the debt Rick now owed me, but once that was done, I was finished with the Newman family. For good.