I looked back towards the hallway that led to Melanie and grinned.
A baby means a larger payday for her… and with the information I have… that means more for me too.
34-Griffin
I had only been home for five days, and Kyle had been back less than forty-eight hours before we were back on a plane to North Dakota.
His assistant had called mine frantic, while also trying to bully the pilot into getting the company jet ready in the next thirty minutes. Once I got him to calm down and explain that Melanie had been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and that Kyle was demanding the plane be ready by the time he arrived, oh, and demanding that I get my ass there too, I was able to get the pieces moving.
First, I called the pilot myself and promised him a large bonus with an extra hundred dollars for every minute he shaved off of an hour. Then I got to work on figuring out how to fast track Melanie’s care. Thankfully, they had taken her to one of the top rated hospitals in North Dakota, and I had a few connections that were able to get me in touch with the Chief of Staff there.
I didn’t bother to pack a bag for the trip, while I usually preferred to travel with my own supplies, I knew that I could easily have clothing and essentials delivered if we were stayedovernight. Fifteen minutes later, I was on the phone with the hospital and in the car heading to the airport.
“Who is in charge of the department?” I growled as I stepped out of the car and onto the tarmac. Kyle was standing near the plane with a bag and a scowl that matched my own as the wind whipped across the open space. “I don’t care if it’s his day off. You have a choice: I can either write a check large enough to help you do something great with the hospital or I can write a check large enough to replace you. Choose wisely. Then write a number down and send it to my assistant; you’ll have a donation when Melanie Landon is home safely.” I hung up on the frantic Chief of Staff for Sanford and slid the phone into my pocket and grunted at Kyle.
“What the hell was that?” He lengthened his steps to match mine as we approached the stairs.
“Just making sure Melanie had the best care available.” I ignored the look he gave me and climbed the stairs two at a time.
After having lived in some of the largest cities in the country for most of my life, I was feeling very uncomfortable about trusting a hospital in North Dakota with the well-being of Melanie and her unborn child. It wasn’t even just my own feelings for her that were the problem; it was the idea of how devastated my best friend and his family would be if anything else happened.
“What’s going on with you and my sister?” Kyle demanded as I sank down into a seat.
I kept my face carefully neutral. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t do that. My sister is vulnerable, what are you doing?”
“I’m not doing anything.” I said evenly.
“I’m not stupid Griffin. I just had one friend break her heart… I’m not in the mood to lose another.” Kyle snapped.
“Don’t compare me to him.” I warned. “I understand your fears and I’m not trying to pursue your sister… I’m trying to help her. If, or rather, when that changes— I will talk to you.”
I wasn’t going to ask Kyle’s permission tohelphis sister, regardless of my feelings for her, and right now that’s all I was guilty of doing. She needed us.
“When?” Kyle’s eyes darkened, and his jaw ticked.
“Kyle. I’ve always liked your sister, this has never been a secret. Hell, even Ben knew it. But I’ve always been respectful of her relationship, her feelings, and our friendship.” My voice came out harsher than I intended, and I groaned. “This doesn’t need to be a thing right now. Melanie is not ready for me to be chasing after her. I don’t want to be some rebound. I have more to offer than that and she’s worth more than that.”
He stared at me with a small frown for a moment before his face relaxed and he nodded.
“I shouldn’t have compared you to Ben. Even though I didn’t realize what he was up to, I know that you aren’t the same kind of man he is.”
I tilted my head in acknowledgment and let it go.
“I want to update you on everything we found. I’ve got to warn you first, though… It’s a lot, and it’s bad.” I grimaced, “You probably don’t need to see the security footage, but you should know there were a lot of women. More than I’ve even told Melanie about.” His eyebrows rose at my admission, and I continued. “Based on what we’ve found so far, physical infidelity isn’t his only marital sin… he’s been hiding assets from Melanie for years. There’s some fraudulent activity too that the IRS and SEC will probably be interested in.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kyle looked down at the screen I had pulled up. “Why would he hide money from her?”
“He was hiding properties too. My guess is that he was preparing for the day that she found out about his affairs. Either that or he was just hiding it from the IRS and knew she wouldn’t condone that kind of behavior.” I swiped to a different screen and showed him the list of NDAs we had uncovered.
“That many women?” he leaned back in his seat and wiped a hand down his face. “He put my sister at risk that many times?”
“She got tested.” I said softly.
“That’s good.” He said distractedly, his eyes focused on the window. “I wish I understood why.” It was said quietly, almost like an inside thought that had slipped out.
“I don’t think he even knows why.” I admitted. “I think in his twisted head, he believes he loves her and that sex with random women really is nothing.”
