“I knew you as Allie Sinclair. How the hell was I supposed to know you were a fucking Ingram?”
“I’m sure you came across the names of the board members during your research. The name Richard Sinclair didn’t ring any bells?”
“I didn’t know your father’s name was Richard. If you recall, you weren’t exactly bringing me home to meet your parents.”
Allie pushed sideways past him and into the Great Room.
“Damn it. Goddamnit to fucking hell.” Hudson was tight on her heels. “By the time I realized the connection, we were . . .”
Stopping short, Allie whirled around. Her stare was absolutely furious. “I get it. By the time you realized the connection you were already fucking me across the living room floor. No reason to mess up a good thing when you could keep stringing me along till the deal was done.”
“I should have told you, but I wanted time to get to know you again. I was afraid you wouldn’t give us a chance if you knew.” The silence in the room became tangible and he waited for some sign, any sign, that she might forgive him.
“You could have stopped the deal.” Her voice wavered to the point of cracking.
When he didn’t answer, Allie grabbed her purse off the chair and headed toward the elevator.
Hudson followed. “It wouldn’t have made a difference,” he offered as some sort of consolation. “Your father’s company is a sinking ship and he knows it. If it wasn’t me moving in to salvage Ingram, it would have been someone else.”
“But it wasn’t someone else, Hudson. It was you. You were the one responsible for all of this.”
The hell if he was taking the bullet for Julian and her father. “I wasn’t the one bartering your affections.” He knew damn well it was a cheap shot and he regretted the words the minute they left his mouth.
Fuck.
Allie flinched and tears sprang to her eyes as she turned to punch the call button. He wanted her to punch him instead. Use him to bear her pain. Let him feel her anger and disappointment in his skin. And when she was finished, let him hold her as she cried.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have . . .”
“Why not? It’s true, isn’t it? Last night, right before he attacked me, Julian told me I was no better than the whores he paid.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I hated him for that, but he was right. My engagement was nothing more than my parents selling me to the highest bidder.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “The worst part is, I didn’t even care. All I kept thinking was how none of it mattered because after all these years we could finally be together.”
Allie stepped into the waiting elevator and pressed the button. “You were the one person I thought I could count on.”
Hudson raised his arm to stop the door from closing. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” His throat was raw and a blazing pain burned the center of his chest. As he looked at her, he could see the resolve in her eyes, along with the heart-wrenching betrayal that was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He relinquished his hold on the elevator doors, letting them slide closed.
And just like that, she was gone.
Four Days Later . . .
Allie slipped her sunglasses on and started the engine of her silver BMW. She’d spent the past four days holed up in her brownstone, letting her bruises heal while she tried to sort out the mess that had become her life. It had taken countless hours of soul searching and an obscene amount of Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip, but she was finally ready to confront her parents.
Ready to start living life on her own terms.
And she had to do it all on her own. No Astor Place brownstone. No Barneys credit card. No trust fund disbursements. Nothing. She would live within the means her new job allowed, just like any other twenty-seven-year-old.
Nerves churned in Allie’s stomach as she merged onto the highway. She tried to distract herself by running through the rest of the items on her list. The next step was finding a roommate. Rent in Chicago was sky-high, and even though her job at the Harris Group would pay more than her previous position, it was hardly enough.
Allie hit the speed dial for Harper’s cell and waited while the phone rang over the car’s Bluetooth system.
“Jeez, I thought he’d never let you up for air,” Harper said without so much as a “hello.”
“What?”
“Hudson.”
Allie’s heart lurched at the sound of his name. Of all the times for the queen of nicknames to change her ways. She could have handled any of the annoying terms of endearment Harper was so fond of using, but hearing Hudson’s name echo through her car made a lump form in the back of Allie’s throat.
“I mean I can only assume he’s the one responsible for your terrible case of the flu,” Harper said, stressing the last word sarcastically. “Seeing as how you haven’t taken so much as one sick day in the past three years.” Allie steered her car onto the exit ramp as her friend prattled on. “I also assume he’s had you tied to his headboard this whole time, which would account for all the unanswered texts.”
“Are you done?” Allie asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She could make all the lists in the world, but it wouldn’t erase his image from her memory . . . or his touch.
“For now. What’s up?”
“Any chance you’re free for dinner?”
“Blue Agave do-over?”
Allie could almost hear Harper salivating over the phone. “Sure.”
“Excellent. Let’s make it early so I have an excuse to skip the gym.”
In spite of everything, Allie smiled.
“Oh, and do you have a costume? A few bars are waving cover charge if you dress up.”
Allie had completely forgotten it was Halloween. “Let me text you when I know what train I’m taking.” She stopped at a red light and pulled the schedule out of her purse. Trains out of Lake Forest weren’t as frequent in the afternoon, but there were a few options that would get her back into the city in time to meet Harper for dinner. And with any luck, she’d have a new roommate by the end of the night.
“Train?”
“Yeah, I’m headed to my parents’ house now, but I’m taking the Metra back.”
“Why the hell would you do that?”
Because I can’t very well tell them to let me live my own life and then drive away in the car they bought me, now can I?
“I’ll explain everything tonight.” Revisiting the events of the last week wasn’t something Allie wanted to do over the phone. In fact, she’d probably wait until she had at least one margarita in her system before laying it all out.
“You better. And I want the director’s cut, not some PG-13 version.”
“I promise I’ll tell you the whole story,” Allie said as she drove through the gates of Mayflower Place. She knew Harper would be disappointed when she realized there were no juicy details to share. But she also knew her friend would be livid when she heard what had happened. Julian and Hudson both better hope they didn’t cross paths with Harper Hayes anytime soon.
Then again, maybe that’s exactly what they deserved. And then some.
***
Four days.
Four days since Hudson last saw his brother. Four days since he’d resigned himself to the fact that Nick was so far down the pharmaceutical rabbit hole he wouldn’t hit bottom until he was six feet under. With no words adequate to describe the terror of the what-if’s, Hudson had found himself slammed facefirst at a crossroads that left him with only one choice: admit Nick to rehab.
Strict policies had prevented Hudson from seeing Nick during the detox phase, but now that he was moving into the treatment wing he was allowed visitors. As Hudson approached the reception desk, he found himself not wanting to be alone in this. The impulse to reach out to the one person he knew would reassure him was overwhelming. Except when his fingers curled, all he got was a handful of air.