Allie made a mental note to ask Raj for images of the guards.
‘How can we get to them?’ she asked next. ‘I mean, you say they’re in it for the money… could they be bribed? Like, if we offered to pay them more than he was paying, do you think they’d help us?’
He considered this. ‘It could work. I don’t think most of them are with him because they agree with him or they like him. But you’d need a lot of money.’
‘Money isn’t a problem.’
Christopher shot her an amused look. ‘Where are you going to get that kind of money, Al? Mum and Dad have never even seen the kind of money we’re talking about. These guys will need real money.’
She opened her mouth then closed it again.
He didn’t know what had happened. Didn’t know about their grandmother’s will. She didn’t have to tell him. She could tell him it was Isabelle’s money she was talking about.
But she wanted to tell him. Because she wanted to know how he’d react if he knew.
The students who’d been sitting by the door talking, walked out of the room. Now it was just the two of them and the guards.
‘The thing is… Lucinda,’ she said cautiously. ‘When she died she left me… a bit of money.’
‘Did she now?’ His gaze sharpened. ‘How much is a bit of money?’
‘A lot.’
‘Right.’ He leaned back into the soft leather chair and studied her, realisation dawning in his eyes. ‘She leave you everything, Allie?’
She thought about Nathaniel and Isabelle – how an inheritance had destroyed their relationship, their family, their lives. A parent’s decision – something neither of them could control – had all the impact of a wrecking ball.
But Christopher had done the same thing to their family when he walked out. Maybe there was nothing left to destroy.
She lifted her gaze to meet his. ‘More or less.’
He blew out his breath. When he spoke his voice was low. ‘Allie, our granny was a billionaire. Does that mean…?’
‘That I’m a billionaire now?’ she asked. The word sounded insane. But she’d seen all those zeros. And there was no point in denying the truth, to herself or her brother. ‘I think so. Kind of. Yes.’
He stared at her for a long second and then, a smile slowly spread across his face. His shoulders shook with suppressed mirth. Until he threw back his head and laughed.
‘Bloody hell, Allie. That is amazing. I am so freaking glad she left it to you and not Nathaniel.’ He slapped his hand on his knee and the guards both glanced at him reflexively. ‘He’s going to be so deeply pissed off when he finds out. First his dad, now Lucinda – twice he’s been left out of massive wills that could have given him everything he wanted. That is…’ He wiped his eyes ‘…perfect.’
Even as Allie smiled, she watched him closely. But he gave no hint of rancour or rage. Not even the slightest flicker of indication that he wished Lucinda had left the money to him instead of her.
She allowed herself to relax a little. ‘Well, I don’t feel rich,’ she grumbled. ‘For one thing, I’m still in sodding school…’
For some reason, that left Chris doubling over with laughter.
‘Oh, our family,’ he said, as his laughter subsided. ‘What a strange, messed up bunch of crazy rich bastards we are.’
23
After she left Christopher, Allie pelted it up the stairs, adrenaline bubbling through her veins, sending her heart racing. She had all the information she needed now to present her plan to Isabelle and Raj. If they agreed, the whole thing could be over tonight.
It was time to talk to Nine.
She’d appeal to his hatred of Nathaniel. Offer him a lot of money.
It would work.
But when she burst through the door of Dom’s room, prepared to launch into her spiel she found everyone gathered at one end of the room, listening to voices emerging from speakers.
The tension in the room was palpable; no one spoke or moved. Everyone seemed glued to the voices.
Before she could ask what was going on, Dom caught her eye and held up a hand for quiet.
Allie closed the door behind her carefully.
Dom spoke into the radio. ‘What are you seeing right now?’
Raj’s voice crackled through the speakers. ‘We’ve personally identified two of Nathaniel’s vehicles here. We’re seeing guards in black uniforms in the grounds, apparently patrolling.’
Dom and Isabelle exchanged a look.
Isabelle took leaned towards the radio. ‘What’s your assessment, Raj? Is this the place?’
There was a pause before Raj replied.
‘I think so.’ But he struck a cautious note. ‘I need clearer identification. It could still be a decoy.’
Isabelle bit her lip. Allie could see she was trying to contain her frustration. There was so little time. They were so close.