Danielle turned to Nicole. “How does he know this stuff about me? My name, my financial situation?”
Nicole shrugged. “He’s rich and he’s decided he wants something from me. He probably had a private investigator put together a file on me and everyone close to me.”
“Don’t forget, I’ve been researching Red Jameson for a long time. Anyone close to him gets the same treatment,” Kane smiled. “It’s nothing personal.”
“Leave Danielle out of this, it’s between us,” Nicole said.
“I tried to leave her out of it, but she’s chirping away like a little bird in my ear,” he said. “So I think maybe I’d like to sweeten the pot a little bit. I’d like to help Danielle.”
“You don’t want to help me,” Danielle said, shaking her head. “You’re only interested in trying to intimidate people.”
“That’s far from the truth,” he said, turning back to Nicole. “So let me help you with your decision. All I’ve asked is that you spend some time in my company. For a few days on a tropical paradise having your every need met, I’m willing to give you quite a bit in return. One, I’ve offered to keep Red’s name out of the media in connection to those things we discussed.”
Nicole nodded warily. “I understand that.”
“And further, I’ll go another step to show you my heart’s in the right place, Nicole. I want to help you and the people you care about. So if you come with me to the Caymans, then I’ll pay off Danielle’s student loans and credit card debt. Almost one hundred thousand dollars wiped away, she’ll be free and clear.”
“He’s lying, Nicole,” Danielle told her. “Don’t listen to his bullshit.”
Kane looked back at Danielle. “You really don’t know me.” Something about the way he said it silenced her. A certain gleam in his eye, a tone of voice—something in him shifted and suddenly his full presence was palpable in the car.
Suddenly you realized that you were sitting next to a man who had more wealth than small nations, who could literally buy and sell you. He could pick up a phone and have someone killed, make someone disappear, or he could wipe out hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt the way someone might pick up the check for lunch at the corner deli.
“So, Nicole, what’s your answer? A few days with me, no strings attached, nothing required but a little of your time. And in exchange you get so much more for the people closest to you.”
“Don’t do it Nic,” Danielle muttered.
“Just let me think for a second,” Nicole said.
“This offer is only good for the length of this car ride,” Kane told them. He glanced at his gold Rolex. “I never make bad deals, Nicole. In fact, the main reason I’m as wealthy as I am is because I refuse to make a deal unless it benefits me most. I don’t like feeling as though I’m getting the worse end of things, but for some reason, it’s different with you.”
His eyes fixed on her. She couldn’t look at him.
What would Red tell her to do? She wondered. Of course he’s say that Kane Wright was a snake, untrustworthy, all of it.
But then again, Red wasn’t here. And because of that, she was on her own, dealing with a shark in deep waters with nobody to help her.
“I’m fine,” Danielle told her. “I don’t need his help.”
But Nicole wasn’t so sure. She’d seen Danielle crying not that long ago, opening bills and shaking her head, saying she didn’t know how much longer she could last in the city.
“If I say yes, how can I be sure you’ll keep your promises?”
“If you say yes right now, I’ll get on the phone with my accountant and put the word in to take care of Danielle’s financial situation immediately. By the end of business tomorrow, she’ll be free and clear. Before you and I even get on a plane together, your best friend will have a new lease on life.”
Nicole glanced at Danielle. She was shaking her head no, but somehow Nicole couldn’t believe her. “I’ll do it,” she said. “I’ll go with you.”
“Nicole, don’t!” Danielle cried.
Kane Wright smiled like a proud father. “Good decision, Nicole. You won’t regret it.”
“Of course she will. She’s not a prostitute.”
“I never claimed she was. Nicole doesn’t have to have sex with me, I’ve made it very clear that all I’m asking is for some time together.”
“That’s bullshit. What man goes through this much trouble for a woman he doesn’t want to sleep with?”
“I never said I didn’t want to sleep with her. I said that I wouldn’t have any expectations that she’d do so on this trip. The deal is simply for some of her time. It’s a good deal, especially for you Danielle.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Regardless, by this time tomorrow you’ll have no debt. Your credit cards and student loans, even your rent for this year—will be paid in full.”
Nicole looked at him and he smiled at her.
She knew she couldn’t trust him, and yet—for the first time—she wondered if she’d somehow misjudged Kane Wright.
***