any financial problems we had he could blame on me.” Rachel blinked in dazed disbelief like a prisoner coming out of a dark cell. “What has he been doing since then?”
“I don’t imagine he’s quit gambling.”
“Obviously not if he came to me for the cash he needed to get into a high-stakes poker game.”
“Mr. Winslow said he’d be right up,” the receptionist said with a polite smile before returning to stuffing envelopes.
“So, what’s your plan? You’re not going to ask Carson for the money, are you? Brody works hard to keep his father completely in the dark.”
“And that will work to our advantage.”
She frowned at his cryptic reply, but had no chance to ask for clarification because a thin, gray-haired man in his mid-sixties appeared in the doorway that led to the rest of the building.
“Follow my lead,” Max murmured as he stepped forward with his hand extended. “Max Case. Thank you for taking a meeting with me on such short notice.”
“Not at all. I was intrigued by your call.”
“This is my associate.” Max stepped to one side so Rachel came into view.
“Rachel?” Carson’s smile faltered. “How are you?”
“I’m wonderful. And you?”
While pleasantries were exchanged between Rachel and her former father-in-law, Max observed the interplay with interest. There was no obvious animosity between the pair. Did that mean Carson had no idea what had transpired in his son’s marriage?
“Let’s head back to my office,” Carson said.
Once inside the spacious corner office, Max wasted no time in getting to the point. “You’ve probably figured out by now that Rachel was the one who pointed me in the direction of Winslow Enterprises.”
“I’ll admit it clears up how we came to your attention.”
Max smiled. “After doing some research on your company, I was able to determine that it’s positioned to break out, but you lack the capital and the skilled management to take you to the next level.”
Frustration and resignation tightened Carson’s mouth into a grim line. Beside him, Rachel had gone so still, Max wondered if she was holding her breath. He matched her immobility, letting his words penetrate Carson’s defenses. From what Max had gathered from his sources in Biloxi, ever since Carson had handed the business operations over to his son, the company was floundering.
Carson was at a crossroads. He needed to decide if he was going to let his son take over and risk the company’s future, or sell the business and enjoy his retirement.
“What’s going on in here?” an unfriendly voice demanded from the doorway.
Rachel shifted in her seat to confront her ex-husband. Her knees bumped Max’s thigh. A tremor passed through her, heightening his determination to give her closure with her ex. By the time Max finished with Brody, the guy wouldn’t dare bother Rachel or her sister again.
Carson hit his son with a meaningful look. “Max has come to us with a proposition.”
“Is that so.” Brody’s lip curled. “And what is she doing here?”
Rachel inclined her head, all nervousness mastered. With a half smile, she said, “If it wasn’t for me, Max would never have become interested in Winslow Enterprises.”
The return of Rachel’s confidence eased Max’s tension.
“Of course, my brothers are not convinced that your company is large enough for us to pursue. But after we get a look at your books, I’m sure they will be persuaded.”
Brody’s gaze bounced between his father and Max. Anger melted into uncertainty. “Well, it’s not for sale.”
“You don’t get to make that decision,” Carson reminded him, his voice tight with reproof.
“Why not? You’ve put me in charge, haven’t you?” Brody seemed to have forgotten that this family squabble was in front of witnesses.
His father’s gaze flicked in Max’s direction. “We’ll discuss this later. Right now I’m going to take Max on a tour of the facility.”
“Let me do it,” Brody said.
The tension between father and son tainted the air like exhaust as Brody led the way out of the office. But instead of taking Max and Rachel on the tour his father had suggested, Brody steered them into a conference room and shut the door.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here,” he snarled.
“We’ve got a lot of nerve?” Rachel began, her fingers curled into claws as if she’d like to rip her ex-husband’s eyes out. “You bastard. I want the money you stole from Hailey.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“She’s been paying you for her college.”
“So?”
“We agreed as part of our divorce settlement that I would pay you for her education. You had no right to go behind my back and demand money from her, as well.”
Brody laughed. “Too bad.”
“I want every penny back that she gave you.”
“Not going to happen.”
“You haven’t had time to lose all of it.”
“I haven’t lost any of it.”
“Good. Then you can return the hundred thousand you stole from my sister.”
“I didn’t steal anything from Hailey or you. She agreed to pay me.”
“Because she didn’t know I was already paying you.”
“And whose fault is that? You were always so determined to keep her in the dark about everything. Our marriage. Her education. You made it so easy for me to tell her anything I wanted and have her believe it.”
Max decided it was time to step in. “Return the money.”
Brody heard the threat loud and clear. “Or what?”
“Or I’m going to make your father an offer on his business he can’t refuse and a team of accountants will show up to do due diligence and your father will learn just how much money you’ve embezzled from this company over the years.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But Brody’s bluff fell flat.
Max snorted in disgust. “I can see why you lose at poker as often as you do,” he said. “What do you think is going to happen when your father realizes that you haven’t kicked your little problem the way you claim you have?”
“You’ve been stealing from the company?” Rachel looked almost sorry for her ex-husband.
“More so after you two divorced,” Max interjected.
“Have you lost your mind?” Rachel questioned. “After he paid off your gambling debt with the Menks brothers, he swore if you gambled again he would sell the company and cut you off without a cent.”
Max chipped in. “Imagine how unhappy he would be to hear that you never had any intention of quitting.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” Max couldn’t believe the guy thought anyone would believe the words coming out of his mouth. “My brother used to be a professional gambler. When he reached out to his contacts they put him in touch with a number of people you’ve borrowed money from. Your associates were happy to shed light on your past dealings with them.” Max shouldn’t have enjoyed twisting the