Beauty and the Billionaire Bachelors

“You aren’t getting the money and you aren’t releasing the story.”

Cole was behind her. She felt the warmth of his body as he laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, trying to convince him she could do this.

Cal sat on the couch, crossing a leg over his knee. “See, what you don’t get is that I have dirt on you.”

“What you don’t get, is that I have way more on you,” she hissed.

He raised his arms in the air. “My hands are clean. I had nothing to do with your internet heist. You can’t trace that to me. Not even the accounts. You know they are ghost accounts.”

Abby reached in her pocket and held up a thumb drive. “But I have every other piece of dirt on you I could find.” She slammed the drive on the coffee table. “And that is just one of many, many copies.” She tilted her head in his direction.

Cal reached for it, but Deacon cut him off. “Don’t touch it,” he snarled, knocking Cal back on the couch.

“You collected evidence against me? Against your own family?”

Abby nodded. “You wanted me to be hacker. Don’t you remember? You created this little skill I have.”

“But you’re using it against me? You’re turning on me?”

“It’s all there, Cal. And if something happens to me, or to one of them there are plenty of copies that can be discovered that will incriminate you. You’ll be in prison the rest of your life.”

He looked at her and then his eyes flicked to Deacon and Cole. “Fuck.”

Deacon collected the drive from the coffee table. “We’ll take this as one of the insurance pieces that you aren’t going to release that story about Abby.”

Cal turned his head, ignoring the three of them.

“Let’s go.” Abby feathered her fingers through Deacon’s strong hands and then Cole’s. “I want to go home.”

They followed her outside, closing the door to the compound behind them.

Abby felt her knees buckle, but Deacon held her steady. “I think you better ride home with me, sweetheart. Cole can drive your car.”

“Of course.” Cole looked for her keys.

He buckled her in the front seat as Deacon stuck the key in the ignition. She looked at them. “That drive is blank.”

“What the fuck?” Deacon stammered.

“I had to think of something. It was all I could come up with.”

Cole laughed so hard he almost hit the top of his head on the inside roof of the car. “You are the smartest woman I know, Abby.”

She bit the inside of her cheek. “I can hack him now and get the insurance policy. If you want, I can do it?”

Deacon shook his head. “I think he’s scared shitless. We’ll worry about that later if we have to. I have a feeling he isn’t going to bother any of us.”

Cole kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you at the house.”

“I’ve got a meeting.” She remembered the design team expected to see more details about Soar.

Cole shook his head. “No. The three of us are taking the rest of the day off.”

“And doing what?” she asked.

Deacon’s hand squeezed her thigh. “What we do best.” He winked.

Epilogue