Waterfall Kisses (The Kisses 9)

The door to the meeting room opened and Bastian and Gabe sauntered in, followed by three police officers.

“Toby, I think it best you leave with these nice gentlemen,” Gabe announced, indicating to the armed guards. “Oh, and yes- we were all outside listening to everything.”

“But, how?” Toby searched the room with his eyes, desperately looking for a way out of the situation. As soon as he realized there wasn't one,

the fight drained from his body. “He already told you all everything. This was a trap.”

“Yes, it was Toby.” I crossed my arms. “I'm sorry, but it had to be done.”

“I just wanted to win. Just once,” Toby whispered as he walked to the door. “It's not fair.”

One of the police officers put his hand on Toby's back, leading him out of the room. I watched as the door swung shut and then let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed into a chair. It was done.

“Well, that went well,” Bastian observed. “You did a nice job, Charlotte.”

“She did a great job,” Leo corrected. He moved to stand behind me, putting his good hand on my shoulder. “I need to thank all of you. For helping me with this.”

Gabe grinned. “It was actually kind of fun. Though, next time I want Charlotte's job. I want to be the one who gets the confession.”

“There better not be a next time,” I told him. “No more secrets.”

“Agreed,” Bastian, Leo and Gabe said at the same time.

I looked at the three men in my life and smiled. Leo had explained everything to Bastian and Gabe on the plane ride back to Miami. They had actually taken it better than I had, though I was fairly certain the only reason Leo wasn't sporting black eyes from the two of them was because he was already beat up from his accident.

“What happened with that slush fund money?” Gabe asked, picking up one of the mugs and playing with it.

“The accountants tracked it. It was withdrawn for cash from the bank across the street from where Toby was staying. Leo was on the island at the time,” I explained. “They did a little more digging, and from what I could understand of their banking-legalese terms, it's pretty obvious that Toby took it for his gambling.”

“I wish I could have helped him,” Leo said quietly.

“What? They guy just tried to blackmail you and stole money from you, and you wish you could have done more?” Gabe shook his head. “You're too nice, Leo. I'd be doing a tap dance of glee right now.”

“I think it's sweet,” I countered. “You don't want anybody stuck in that hell.”

“You tried, Leo,” Bastian said with a shrug. “You can't save everybody.”

The fact that Leo still wanted to help Toby, despite everything, showed how good Leo was. He was a good man. I loved him even more. Toby threw away a friendship worth more than anything that blackmail could have given him.

“Well, I need a drink,” Gabe announced, putting his arms across Bastian and Leo's shoulders. “Drinks down at the bar on 13th street?”

“God, yes,” I answered. “It's not even ten in the morning, but I want something.”

Bastian laughed. “You had a rough week. I should give you the day off or something.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” I replied. “You're not going to do it though, are you?”

Bastian thought for a moment, pushing Gabe's arm off his shoulder. “Nah. No day off.”

“Just come play hookey with me,” Leo whispered. “Gabe'll back us up.”

“I am sticking with no more secrets,” Gabe replied, holding up his hands. “Look at me, being the good person.”

“I'll buy you a drink,” I offered.

“Are you sick with a cold or the stomach bug?” Gabe immediately asked, pulling out an imaginary pen and paper to take notes. “I gotta make sure I tell your boss the right thing.”

All four of us dissolved into laughter, with Bastian holding his sides. It felt good to laugh after the past couple of days. Bastian pretended to punch Leo's broken arm. Leo made a show of wincing and then threatening to push him out window. Gabe mimed opening the window. They looked like twelve-year-old boys having a good time. It was hard to believe they were billionaires.