Dark Ties (Made Men 9)

“No. Just telling you so you’d know this has been a waste of your time and mine.”

Her curiosity satisfied, Haley turned to leave, patting the side of her pocket, proud of herself that she hadn’t resorted to using her inhaler again.

“Not even to make Ms. Brooks’ dreams come true?”

Haley stopped dead in the thick carpet.

“You’ve given up a very lucrative career to support Ms. Brooks’ cause—”

“Moonbeam is my cause, also—”

“With my backing,” Mr. Beck continued, as if she hadn’t spoken, “Moonbeam can accomplish what neither you nor Nadia assumed was possible.” Desmond Beck spread the papers within the folder to show a glossy picture of a vacant mall that Haley had no problem recognizing.

She looked from the picture questioningly.

“I just bought this mall. That’s what I was finalizing before meeting you.”

“Malls aren’t exactly a sound investment.” Haley wanted to kick herself for offering the unsolicited financial advice.

“I didn’t buy it for an investment.”

Her breath caught at his words. Stepping closer to the table, she spread out the drawings that had been partially obscured by the picture. “You’ve turned them into small apartments.”

“Yes. There’s also a variety of restaurants, a laundromat, a thrift store, and a grocery store. The runaways you’re trying to help can work in the stores to make their own money for what they want. It’s been designed to allow the teenagers to be a self-contained community where they can get the therapy, education, and skills they need until they’re ready to be on their own.”

What Desmond Beck was showing her was the dream that Nadia and she had been striving for. It was like he had reached into their deepest desires and was tormenting her with what could be. “There’s no way you would be willing to finance Moonbeam to this extent.” She stared dumbfounded down at the drawings, there was even an area of the mall sectioned off where the teens could go to school and receive the counseling they so desperately needed.

“I would,” he stated implicitly.

Haley straightened from the table, closing her mouth. “In return for having me at your beck and call?”

Beck gave a curt nod, seemingly not angered at her play of words.

“I won’t do anything illegal,” she repeated, pretending to stand on the moral high ground, sincerely hoping she could. In all honesty, she might be willing to allow all kinds of offenses to make their dream come true. Would they let her keep an inhaler with her in prison?

“What I need is someone honest to look over any files I give you and tell me if they are on the up and up or if they’re hiding something, and if they are, what are they hiding? Can you do that?”

Haley didn’t have any doubts she could. She had been gifted with the particular ability to read a column of numbers like most people could solve a crossword puzzle.

“Yes,” she assured him, her breath catching in excitement. She was going to be able to pay Nadia back for her belief in her—

“There’s only one thing, or clause, I will expect from you. If you can’t do that, then all of this is a no-go.”

Haley wanted to cry when Beck shuffled all the drawings back within the folder. She knew he had been full of crap … All rich assholes were—

“I expect your complete loyalty, Haley.”

Haley lifted her eyes away from the folder he was deliberately holding just out of her reach. The magnetic pull of his gaze held her captivated.

“I want your loyalty completely. I will be given first priority when I call, despite any other plans you may have scheduled. I won’t care whatever the reason; I will expect the job I want done to come first. I will give you a monthly retainer; some months, I won’t require your services, and others, you will spend in a hotel. I will give Moonbeam enough money to develop the plans, including building the stores. Ms. Brooks and you will have to come up with further financing to furnish the apartments, pay any of the utilities, and whatever more costs arrive. My pockets will not be bottomless. If Ms. Brooks’ meeting with Dante Caruso goes well, he may give you the rest of the funding you need, but my involvement with Moonbeam will end. I have other charities that need my attention that don’t have the same extremely capable coordinators at the head.”

He was going to donate that huge sum and wouldn’t expect detailed summaries on how Moonbeam went going forward? Jeez. Was she dreaming?

Haley racked her brain for the negatives if she agreed to his job offer. The tedious boredom of doing the same thing every day would be broken. That was also in the plus column.

“I prefer to work by myself. Would I have to work with others?” she asked hesitantly. She would work next to Attila the Hun if she had to get the funding, but she was, for the moment, in a position of power and was smart enough to use the opportunity while it lasted.