“Jesus.” I ran a hand over my face. “I need to get Fee out of this and fast.”
“Yes.” He stood. “Wyatt and I will run with this. You do what you do—”
My personal line rang, interrupting him. I glanced at the screen and held up my finger, hitting the speaker button.
“Smithers.”
“Hal, it’s Jonas Peters.”
“Scott’s guy,” I mouthed to Reid.
“Right. What can I do for you?”
“Scott is willing to make a flat, one-time offer so they can move ahead with the divorce and start fresh.”
I snorted. “Your client needs more than a fresh start, Peters. Based on what I saw, he needs a stint in rehab.”
There was a pause, then Jonas cleared his throat. “I can’t comment on that, Hal. You should advise your client to take the offer. She seems like a nice enough person, and I’d hate to make this ugly. Scott has no issue pushing back. As for the company, you can’t get meat from bones, if you catch my drift.”
My patience snapped.
“Send an offer, and I’ll review it with my client. One million isn’t going to cut it. As for the company, I don’t care how much bone is showing—I can find all the hidden flesh. And since Fiona isn’t in the same rush your client is, we’re happy to go to trial, have auditors comb the books, and dig through personal finances for the past ten years. I have an incredibly diligent and thorough investigative team. I bet we’ll find a feast fit for a king.” I paused. “You can pass that along to your client. Get it to me ASAP—the longer I wait, the more I’m going to fight you.”
I hung up.
Reid threw back his head in laughter. “Thank God I’m not on the opposing team.”
“Use that drive and find me everything you can. If he plans to fight, he is going to regret it.”
He slid the drive into his pocket. “Done.”
It was well after six when Fiona came into my office, carrying a stack of folders and a cup of coffee.
“It’s decaf,” she informed me, setting it beside my elbow.
I grimaced. “It’s hot water, then—why bother?”
“Maybe one of the reasons you have trouble sleeping is the fact that you drink coffee constantly. And your fridge is filled with soda—sugary, caffeine-laden soda. You need to cut back, and that might help.”
“Your perfect ass pressed against me helps a lot,” I retorted. “So does fucking you hard.”
Rene froze partway through the door. I met his amused but startled gaze.
“Sorry, I thought you had left,” I mumbled.
“I am most certainly leaving now.” He spun on his heel, calling over his shoulder. “I’d wish you a good evening, but apparently, you are well ahead of me on that.”
I heard the door close, and I dared to look at Fee.
Her eyes were fixed on the carpet, and her fingers worked nervously on the hem of the jacket she had draped around her shoulders.
I drew in a deep breath. “Fee, I’m sorry,” I said sincerely. “I thought we were alone. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
Her mouth twitched, once, twice. She leaned back and laughed. Long, melodious peals of laughter. For a moment, I stared, drinking in the sight of her amusement, then I joined her.
“I’m such an ass,” I stated.
She wiped her eyes. “Yes. Yes, you are, Halton.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re forgiven. Try to rein it in, okay?”
I picked up my coffee and took a sip. It wasn’t bad as far as caffeine-free shit went. “Thanks.” I lifted my mug in salute of it and her acceptance. Her easygoing nature was amazing to witness. I had never known another woman like her.
“May I talk to you?” Fee asked.
I grimaced. “Of course. You know that.” The look on her face made me anxious. “Which hat am I wearing for this conversation?”
“My attorney.”
“Ah.” Her answer eased some of the tension I felt. What I had been expecting her to say, I wasn’t sure, but her attorney, I could handle. I made an over-the-top action of doffing a hat which made her smile. “Ready.”
“I’ve been thinking about Friday.”
“And?” I prompted. I had been waiting for this conversation.
“I want to accept Scott’s offer and be done with it.”
I wasn’t surprised, but I had to admit, I was disappointed. I wanted to go after the bastard and make him pay for everything he had done.
“Let’s not jump too fast, Fee. In fact, Jonas called earlier, and I told him to send an offer—an official, written one—not something thrown on the table by his client while high.”
She looked past me, over my shoulder, her gaze unfocused. “I’m not a vindictive person, Halton.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I got that.”
She held up her hand. “I grew up simply. My father wasn’t wealthy, and when he died, there wasn’t anything left for me except enough to pay for the funeral. He didn’t even have life insurance. I worked while putting myself, then Scott, through university. I enjoyed working until Scott decided I wasn’t good enough to be part of his firm. I volunteered as much as I could since he insisted I wasn’t allowed to work anymore. He felt it would reflect badly on him if his wife worked, while none of the other partners’ wives did. But I liked to stay busy. Maybe his offer doesn’t seem like much to you, but I can get a little place, put the rest aside, and move on with my life. Find a job I enjoy and work there instead of having to work someplace I dislike. I don’t plan on sitting around and spending money. That isn’t me.”
I resisted asking her if she disliked working here—for me. It made sense she would want a clean break once her case was settled. I didn’t like it for some reason, but it made sense.
I knitted my fingers together and studied her. “I’m going to be blunt. As Scott’s spouse, legally you are entitled to fifty percent of your net worth as a married couple. Including his shares in his company since I plan to get that ridiculous piece of paper struck down. That also means you inherit half of the debt.”
She blinked. “Debt? Scott never had any debt. He paid the house off quickly and…” Her voice trailed off as I shook my head.
“Reid was here earlier with some information. Scott took a second mortgage out some months ago. I can argue the house was solely in his name, therefore the debt is his, but we could lose. Reid also found a lot of cash withdrawals from various accounts—even from Scott’s retirement fund.”
“Is he broke?”
I shook my head. “No. But he is depleting his resources, and it worries me. At some point, there won’t be anything left.” I didn’t say anything about the idea he was skimming from his own company and hiding the money. I would use that when and if needed.
Fee’s eyes widened and filled with sadness. “You were right, weren’t you? It’s drugs.”
“I haven’t confirmed it yet, but I think so, yes.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe he’s throwing his life away like that.” Her gaze dropped, her voice quiet. “I feel as if I need to reach out to him to try to stop it.”