Waterfall Kisses (The Kisses 9)

“Yes. The longer I let it go, the more successful we were because of the extra money, the more ashamed I was of it.” He sighed. “When the blackmail started, they only wanted a little bit of money. When you have a billion dollars, a hundred grand is pocket change.”

I nodded. It was strange how keeping a ten thousand dollar bet quiet was worth hundreds of thousands, but money was no object to Leo now. It was no longer about the amount, but what had happened and making sure that people weren't hurt by it. It wasn't just me that would be furious. That money had been Gabe and Bastian's.

I took a deep breath. I didn't know what to think, though I could feel the fury building in my stomach. I closed my eyes, trying to center myself.

“What about the slush fund?” I asked. “You said that it was related to the blackmail? Are you using it to pay the blackmail?”

“I promise you, I had nothing to do with the slush fund's missing money,” he said quickly. “But I can't tell you more on the radio. I need to talk to you in person.”

“Okay.” I opened my eyes and looked around. Murdoch had his arms crossed and was pretending to sleep in the driver's seat while Elijah leaned nonchalantly against a pylon, managing to look relaxed and deadly at the same time. “Well, I'm here by your boat with just these two scary men watching me. I'm not happy about what you just told me, Leo. But, I'll be here.”

Leo revved the engine. “I'm coming back in. Will you give the headset back to Murdoch?”

“Leo, be careful,” I blurted out. I knew he would be, but I needed to say it.

“I'll go slow,” he promised. I could hear the promise in his voice and I knew he meant it. Or at least, he meant slow for him. “Charlotte?”

“Yes?”

“I didn't take that money.” He paused, and I heard the boat engine rev again. “I think I know who did though.”

“You can tell me when you get here,” I told him. “Just get here.”

“One more thing,” Leo said. “I love you, Charlotte. I have for a long time.”

I smiled without thinking, wishing that he didn't melt me so easily. I was angry, but he was on that dangerous boat that I hated. The boat that only added to my nightmares of being left alone. I didn't want my last words to him to be those of anger. “I love you, too, Leo.”

With a lump in my throat the size of Texas, I pulled off the headset and handed it back to Murdoch.

“Okay, boss.” Murdoch picked up a tablet from the passenger seat and tapped it twice. “Computer says you're lagging slightly on the right. Be sure to compensate.”

I put my hands on the side of the boat, trying to keep my thoughts from spinning so wildly in my head. Leo was on his way back and he had an idea of who took the money.

Blackmail. I hated the word.

I took a deep breath. This was a lot to process. The man I loved had done a terrible thing. Granted, he wasn't an ax-murderer, but he had done something worth blackmailing over. I hated the way my stomach clenched when I thought of how he had kept this a secret all these years. Yet, the guilt of that decision had eaten away at him for the past five years to the point where he thought he didn't deserve me.

I hit the side of the boat with the palm of my hand, needing to vent the frustration. How could Leo have done this? He had been perfect until now.

I knew the answer, but I still needed to ask the question. He had done it to make his friends enough money to start their business. It was done with the best intentions. He had saved us, even if he had risked everything to do it.

I hated the shades of gray that left me. What he had done was wrong, but had created the right outcome. He had made all our lives better because of his arrogance. If he had just told us all from the beginning, none of this would have happened.

I had to wonder, would Bastian and Gabe have signed off on the bet if Leo had just asked? I wasn't sure. It was possible. Bastian and Gabe were risk-takers. There was a chance that Leo could have done it with their blessing. I wasn't sure if that lessened his guilt or not.

Not really, I decided. He should have asked. He should have told us instead of calling it a loan. Just because I understood why he did it didn't mean I agreed with him.

And now he was being blackmailed. And the slush fund was still an issue.

What if they were connected? Whoever knew this secret of Leo's would have to be close to him, maybe even close enough to access his money. I knew we gave limited access to secretaries and assistants when we had big projects or big clients to woo.

Could one of them still have access?

I shook my head. That didn't make any sense. The accountants were too careful and the passwords changed too often. It had to just be a coincidence. With the app coming out, someone must have just forgotten to mention a big dinner or an emergency flight to the accountants. It honestly wasn't that much money in relation to what billionaires could spend, so it had to just be some sort of oversight.

I sighed and looked over at Murdoch. He was frowning at the tablet and telling Leo something about one of his engines. I hoped Leo got here soon. Maybe, once I could talk to him in person, I would feel better. Maybe I wouldn't feel so lied to.

“Mr. Westbrook?” Murdoch's concerned tone caught my attention. “Leo?”