Impulse (Billionaire Secrets 5)

“He couldn’t see that.”

He sighed. “Dad refused to see. The fight got so ugly that he brought you into it. Said that you were unfaithful for moving on to another guy.”

“We had broken up by the time I moved on to Gary,” she pointed out.

“I know, but Dad didn’t care,” he said. “My father was so angry at the thought of me forging my own path that he wanted to hurt me as much as he could. Bringing you into the argument was the final straw. I told him that he was out of line, but he kept going on and on about how you weren’t good enough and...” His voice trailed off.

She reached for his hand. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want, but I won’t be upset, okay?”

“The things he said about you were terrible, Heather,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to dredge up the past when Dad came back into my life. I didn’t want to hurt you or make you think less of him. Dammit, I’ve screwed things up.”

“Everyone makes mistakes,” she said gently. “You made a mistake and now you’re trying to own up to it.”

“Dad said that even though all I was good for was factory work, he still thought that you weren’t good enough for me,” he said. “He said if I was going to end up being popular at school I should have chosen a more popular girl to date.”

She chewed her lip, stunned by the revelation. Onslow’s resentment of her seemed to go back even further than she had thought. He had held on to a grudge for years and then finally confronted her at the dinner last night. “Oh, Simon.”

“I defended you,” he said. “Warned him not to talk about you, and that pushed him over the edge. He got in my face. Honestly, I thought he was going to punch me. My own father.”

She gasped. “Did he punch you?”

“No, but I could see in his eyes that he wanted to,” Simon answered. “All my life he belittled my intelligence. My accomplishments. When Dad realized that he was wrong, that I was going to be a success on my terms, he lashed out at the one person who supported me. And that was you, Heather. He hated the fact that you were right about me, and that he was wrong. During the fight he kept saying he never wanted any of my money, probably because he was embarrassed. Accepting money I made from Dover would be admitting that he had been wrong about his own son. Plus, he seemed to believe that I thought I was better than him because of my degree and my work at Dover.”

“He did seem to hint that he thought you’d look down on him for having less money, now that you’re a success,” she said.

“I would never do that.”

“I know, but if your dad is insecure he’ll see things that aren’t there as long as they confirm his fears,” she said.

They sat together in silence for a long moment.

“I know you don’t want me to go ahead with this, but I want to know who these kidnappers are,” Simon said finally. “Handing them a paltry amount of money doesn’t sound like the way to get my dad back. I won’t risk them holding him for further extortion down the line, and I won’t fail my dad.”

Arguing the point further wasn’t going to stop him. She could see the determined set of his jaw. He was going to go through with this no matter what. That terrified her. Going up against people who had threatened his father with a knife on camera was so dangerous, but if there was a chance these criminals would go back on their word she understood why Simon was going to take this chance.

“So, what’s your plan?” she asked.

“Jake and I are still working on it,” Simon replied. “Jake will be there to help me catch these guys in the act, so don’t worry. I’ll have a professional with me at all times.”

At least he wasn’t going to be totally reckless. Having backup was for the best.

“So, what now?” she asked.

The buzz of his phone interrupted them and he took it out of his pocket to look at a text. “It’s my accountant. The money is being counted. After that, the million dollars will be sent down here in an armored truck.”

THE TRUCK ROLLED INTO the underground parking lot under cover of darkness. Heather was standing by his side, half a dozen of Dover’s best security guards waiting with them. After the text from his accountant Simon had spent the day going over a plan with Jake, and now that night had fallen one million dollars was within his grasp.

“How did the money get counted so fast?” Heather asked.

“Scores of people counted it out,” he explained.

He hadn’t wanted to burden her with this, but she had insisted she come down with him to make sure the money was secured. Without even thinking Simon reached for her hand, desperate for the reassuring warmth of her touch. When this was finally over, Simon knew that she would be the reason he managed to get through it without going insane. She had been brave enough to tell him about the argument she’d had with his father. And then she had listened without judgment when he had told her about his own argument with his father from years before. As hellish as this ordeal was, there was no way he’d be able to get through it without her.

The truck came to a halt and security guards muscled their way out, weapons at the ready. Jake jumped out of the truck, holding a duffel bag in his hand. “My team will be guarding the truck until the exchange is made,” Jake said as he approached them.

“That isn’t money you’re carrying in that bag?” Heather asked.

Jake shook his head. “No. This is the equipment Simon requested.”