Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 90

*Michael*

I waited for twenty minutes outside a seedy bodega; the sidewalk in front of the store was glowing from the neon signs in the window. The entire place smelled of stale beer and urine. Just when I had enough and was contemplating walking away, a man in a black tracksuit bumped into me, slipping a large padded envelope under my arm.

“Watch where you’re going next time,” he called as he walked away from me.

I tucked the package further under my arm and walked away from the fluorescent lighting. As I rounded the corner, I pulled out the envelope and ripped it open. I kept walking, seemingly aimlessly as I pulled the contents out. A pile of papers was crammed inside, and on top was a bright yellow note.

*So far I’ve been able to trace 100 million to an offshore account. The account is registered to a women’s boutique that doesn’t exist. The funds haven’t moved since the original hack. I’ve included all of the evidence I found. P.S. Don’t forget to pay the man.*

I shoved the papers back into the envelope, stuffing everything into my suit jacket. I found it strange that Blaine would go to so much trouble to steal such a large amount of money from me, yet not use even a cent of it. I rounded the other corner and headed down a dark alleyway, littered with garbage.

The only light came from a cigarette a man was smoking on a fire escape a few floors up.

Attached to the ladder of the fire escape was a black duffle bag, exactly where Delany said it would be. I grabbed the bag, having to stretch to my full height to reach it. I pulled the envelope I’d been carrying with me, bulging with twenty thousand dollars, and stuffed it into the bag. Taking a step back I tossed it to the bottom landing of the fire escape.

I nodded at the man sitting a few stories up, his face carefully hidden in the shadows. He nodded back to me, the only way I was able to tell was from the way the glowing end of his cigarette bobbed slightly.

I was on high alert as I made my way out of the alleyway and through the dark streets of New York City until I made it to my parked car. Getting in, I couldn’t help but sigh with relief at having a stack of evidence in my suit jacket. I would win this game in the end.

I shoved the key into the ignition and headed back toward the office, where I could stash this information somewhere safe.

As I drove, I couldn’t help but think of Shelby. Thankfully, since I’d moved her into the new house in the gated community, she hadn’t received any more threats. I got constant updates from her bodyguards about anything suspicious, and things had been surprisingly quiet.

She’d be coming into town first thing in the morning to start her new internship that afternoon and was excited to get settled. We’d spent the evenings apart but were texting each other about everything we planned to do this weekend.

Heat started flowing through me at the thought of getting some much-needed alone time with her. If her text messages were any indication of what she had planned, I figured we wouldn’t be getting much sleep.

I pulled into the empty parking lot and headed up to the top floor. Flicking on the lights as I went, I headed into my office where my phone was already ringing. I picked it up as I set the large envelope on my desk.

“Hello, Michael?” Lucille’s voice called as soon as I put my ear to the phone.

“Lucille? Is everything okay?” I asked.

“I’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour, but your cell phone keeps going to voicemail, I figured I’d try your office on the off chance you were still at work. What are you doing at work so late?” she asked.

“That’s not important, Lucille. Tell me what happened,” I said with my heart racing at the possible reasons she was calling so late.

I’d turned off my phone, not wanting to call suspicion on myself, and knowing that Bruce would track my phone if he noticed I’d slipped away. He’d advised me not to go personally to get the information from Delany, but I didn’t want to risk losing it. I also couldn’t have anyone else put themselves at risk, so I snuck away for the evening.

“I received another letter from Blaine,” Lucille finally answered.

“What is he threatening now? Are you safe, Lucille?” I asked, my heartbeat increasing with every word from her.

“Yes, Michael. I’ve followed your instructions. It wasn’t a threat this time. In Blaine’s letter, he explains that he’s finally received the help he needs for his gambling addiction. He says he’s a changed man and regrets the actions of his old life.

“He would turn himself in to the police, but he’s fallen in love and has decided to start his life over on the other side of the country with this woman,” Lucille said.

I could hear her turning the letter over in her hands.

For a mere moment, I let myself believe it could be true. That I could move on with my life, without the threat of Blaine always over my shoulder. However, I knew it couldn’t ever be like that. The entire letter was complete and utter bullsh*t.

“It’s a ruse. Just a ruse, Lucille,” I said in exasperation.

“I figured as much, but I wanted to let you know,” Lucille responded, sounding slightly disappointed.

“Will you give the letter to the bodyguard I have stationed in your lobby? I would like to see the letter for myself. Don’t let your guard down, Lucille. Nothing’s changed,” I said with a sigh.

“Of course, I will. Michael, do me a favor and go home. Get some rest. You can’t fix everything by keeping yourself up all hours of the night,” Lucille said.

“I appreciate your concern, Lucille. I promise that I’ll head home soon,” I said.

“That’s what family is for,” Lucille said before hanging up the phone.

I let my head sink into my hands and let out a big sigh. Lucille was right. I needed to get home and get some rest.

***

The glow of my laptop screen illuminated the master bedroom of the townhouse. I’d tossed and turned in the dark room, but the silence only amplified my racing thoughts. I figured if I wasn’t going to sleep, I might as well try to be productive.

A text from Shelby came through, with a happy ding, echoing off the bare walls.

Shelby: I hope you aren’t still working. I was just headed to bed but wanted to let you know I’m so excited to see you tomorrow.

Michael: I can’t wait to see you tomorrow either. I love you, Shelby.

Shelby: I love you too, Michael.

I set my phone down on my chest and rested my head against the headboard, closing my eyes. I was so ready to spend the rest of my life with Shelby, never having to sleep in an empty bed again. As I imagined what our future would look like together, I couldn’t help imagining a small bassinet next to the side of the bed.

A small cooing would rouse me from my sleep, and peaking over the edge, I would see a beautiful baby with Shelby’s delicate little nose. I’d pick them up and wander downstairs in the dark to warm them a bottle, letting Shelby get some rest. We’d spend the quiet moments of the early hours together until they were back asleep and I could let them rest peacefully back down in their bassinet.

I’d missed out on that part of being a father, and a large part of me ached for that experience. I wanted to be able to be a part of my child’s life and to watch them grow. I wanted to build a bond with my baby and hear their little footsteps running down the hall when they heard me get home from work.

Another message came through and broke my daydream before the ache became too much to bear.

Stewart: Hey I had to stay late at the office because of a business emergency. Looks like I’m going to stay at a hotel rather than make the trek back home. Do you want to get a drink before I head to my room?

Thirty minutes later I was sitting at a bar waiting for Stewart to show up. It was unlike him to be late. I ordered a drink and turned my attention to my phone, mindlessly scrolling through my emails just for something to do. Out of nowhere, I felt a small hand on my shoulder, nearly making me jump.

“It looks like you could use some company,” a woman in a dark red dress said as she slid her hand down my back.

“I’m actually waiting for someone,” I answered, doing my best to shake her hand.

“I could wait with you,” she said seductively brushing her brown hair over her shoulder, exposing even more of her skin.

“That’s really okay,” I said, trying not to be rude.

She set her hand on my knee, before aggressively sliding her hand up my thigh. I pulled her hand from in between my legs, standing to get more distance between us.

“Hey! I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I have a fiancee,” I blurted out, anger flowing through my veins.

I didn’t wait for the woman’s response, before walking out of the bar.

***

The next morning, I woke from a fitful night’s sleep to my phone ringing.

“Hello?” I answered with a raspy voice still filled with sleep.

“Michael, I can’t believe this is true,” Shelby’s voice was filled with emotion.

“Shelby? What’s wrong? Did something happen to you?” I asked, switching the call over to speaker phone so I could check for any security reports from Bruce.

“I’m fine, but I don’t know if we are,” Shelby said with a shakiness in her voice.

“What do you mean?” I was confused.

There was silence on the other end of the call until a link came through my inbox.

“I need you to explain this,” Shelby said. I could hear that she was holding back tears.

All I could do was stare at the website she sent over.

“Oh f*ck,” was all I could manage.