Going Down Fast (Billionaire Bad Boys 2)

“Well, he was sick and he did a lot of damage. Especially to Maxie. And that’s the other reason I came. I’m not sure where things are headed with us, but I know where I want things to go.” And he was bringing her there at her own pace. “But if Maxie and I do end up together, and you can’t give your blessing, you need to say nothing at all. She doesn’t deserve your disapproval. Not after all Keith put her through.” He met his father’s stare with a challenging one of his own.

Let him think about all he’d said today and come to terms. Or not. Nothing would change how Lucas felt about Maxie or what he wanted for their future.

* * *

For the first time since starting work, Maxie called in sick. She woke up queasy, which turned into real nausea. She figured she had picked up a virus similar to the one Lexie had had a week or so before. Instead of pushing herself to try and get into the office, she took the day off.

It didn’t help that she was in a complete panic because, to date, they hadn’t found the USB drive Vincent Bernardi wanted, and she didn’t know if they ever would.

At the thought, she ran for the bathroom and emptied what little she’d been able to eat this morning. She washed up and brushed her teeth, then returned to the family room to rest on the couch.

As for Bernardi, she couldn’t forget him because he was always around. He didn’t approach her, her security guard made certain of that, but she’d noticed him outside her place of work during the day and hanging near their apartment building in the evening. She ran into him at a coffee shop, where he merely nodded at her with a knowing smile. His obvious intent was to let her know he wasn’t going anywhere… and she owed him his property.

While home for the day, she looked through all her personal things again just in case Keith had put the flash drive in, say, her jewelry box, but nothing there.

Before coming home from work, Lucas had gone to meet with Julian Dane, fulfilling his promise to Kade to make sure he steered clear of Kendall. She wondered how that meeting was going. He’d had a lot of stress in his life lately, and she’d done what she could to soothe him at home.

He hadn’t talked much about his conversation with his mother and father, but he wasn’t happy with them. She knew what it was like to be estranged from your parents. Her father had never bothered with her, not even as a child. And she and her mother had so little in common they couldn’t be in the same room without her mother criticizing everything about Maxie’s life. Over time, she’d found it easier not to have much to do with her at all.

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But that wasn’t how Lucas lived his life. For all his family’s flaws, he loved them. She hoped that over time they’d accept the truth about Keith and open their hearts to the son they had left.

She shut the television and straightened up the family room, then returned to her bedroom to grab clean pajamas, shower, and change for bed. She’d been sleeping in Lucas’ room and had no desire to change things. She’d grown used to being wrapped in his arms, and she even admitted to herself that he’d done everything in his power to allow her the independence she needed. She wasn’t looking to the future, but now was pretty damned good.

Her gaze fell to the box she’d left in the corner. The baby’s items from the storage unit, a distinct reminder of the past. The painful lump immediately formed in her chest.

Maybe it was time to let these items go. She couldn’t rewind events and change the outcome, and she needed to be able to enjoy the life she’d created and was living now. Every time she caught sight of the box, she was dragged back into suffocating memories. They’d always be with her, but she couldn’t deny that getting rid of the box was a symbol of being ready to move on.

She sat down on the floor and opened the flaps on top. First she pulled out the soft blue blanket with a satin fringe. She rubbed the gentle material against her cheek, closed her eyes, and allowed herself to shed a tear for what she’d lost. And what she decided she’d never have. She couldn’t imagine taking that risk ever again. Not when the agony of the loss was so acute and the spiral of depression had been so deep.

She opened her eyes and folded the blanket. Next came the little bear she’d found in a department store baby department. She touched her nose to the stuffed animal and smiled, putting it on top of the blanket. Next came the mobile. Blue and yellow in color, it had plastic arms from which hung adorable baby sheep. Without batteries, the music didn’t work, but she’d been so excited to use it.

She lifted it into the air, and one arm fell off, revealing a hollow inside. She picked up the piece, intending to insert it back into the main mobile, when a small blue chip fell out of the hollow arm and dropped to the floor.

She blinked, disbelieving what was right in front of her eyes. “It can’t be.”

She picked up the item and held it in the air. Sure enough, it was a flash drive.

“That son of a bitch!” He’d known she kept the baby stuff all along. He must have known she never opened that box, the memories too painful, so he’d stashed Bernardi’s information where nobody would ever think to look. A place that was sacred to Maxie… but why would Keith care about her feelings at all? He’d put on such a big show about her getting rid of everything related to the baby, she’d never, ever think he knew about this box or go into it if he had.

But his death had left her holding the proverbial ball, and in his arrogance, he’d never planned for that eventuality at all. The selfish bastard. She packed up the box of items, planning to donate them to Goodwill. And with the drive in hand, she waited for Lucas to come home.

* * *

Lucas walked into the restaurant where he was due to meet with Julian. Before the settlement meetings over Blink, Lucas hadn’t seen the man in years. Even when he was involved in the early stages of development, Julian had begun to move in groups that partied far more heavily than Kade and Derek’s friends.

He caught sight of Julian waiting at the bar, and he gestured as he walked past the hostess stand.

He and Julian exchanged formal hellos, and Lucas settled into a seat next to him.

Julian looked healthy. His dark hair was cut short, his eyes clear. No sign of any drug use as far as Lucas could tell. Not that he was an expert.

“I’ve been clean for years,” Julian said as if reading Lucas’ mind.

He didn’t have any reason to doubt him. “Glad to hear it.”

“So what can I do for you?” Julian asked. “You called this meeting.”