Billionaire On Fire: The Complete Series (A Bad Boy Alpha Billionaire Romance) (14 page)

"Mmm hmm," I said
as I took a bite of the cake and licked frosting off of the fork.

"Six months after Quinn
died, I learned that I was the beneficiary of her life insurance policy,"
he began. "I didn't want the money because there was no amount of money
that was going to ease the pain of losing her, but I got the check anyway. So,
I decided to do something productive with it, and I invested it in a business,
and now..."

"Now what?" I
asked. I could feel the weight of his burden in his sigh. "It's okay, Cam,
you can tell me whatever it is that's bothering you."

"I don't know, Alex, I'm
not sure you're going to like what I have to tell you," he said as he
looked down at the sleeping dog at his feet.

"You're going to have to
take a chance," I said reaching out for his hand and squeezing it. He
looked at me for a few moments before he began to speak again.

"My business is a
security company. It's run by my best friend, Leo, and we've built it into a
very profitable company over the past ten years," he said carefully.
"Now we've been offered a contract that will send our profits through the
roof and garner a lot of attention."

"Okay, so what's the
problem with that?" I asked feeling a lump forming in the pit of my
stomach, but wanting to hear him out.

"The condition of the
new contract is that we have to publicly support our client," he said
holding my gaze. There was a fierce intensity in his eyes and I knew that what
he was going to say next was going to be the deal-breaker. "We're going to
sign a contract to provide security to Richard Metzler during his campaign, and
for that we're going to make an enormous amount of money and get a lot of
publicity."

"And this affects me
how?" I said pulling back a bit. I could feel the tension between us
building as I looked at him. Everything in me said to get up and walk away from
this situation.

"I...I wanted you to
know that I've got a lot of money and that I'm going to be in the public eye
after we sign the contract," he said hesitatingly. "I know how you
feel about wealth, but I wasn't sure how..."

"I see," I said
holding his gaze. My protective inner voice screamed, "Run!" but the
voice of the woman who had already fallen for Cam begged me to stay. "I
don't know, Cam."

"Okay," he shrugged
as he let go of my hand and picked up his coffee cup.

I knew I was disappointing
him, but I didn't know how I felt about this development. The guy who I'd
thought was a working-class firefighter with a painful past had suddenly
morphed into a rich guy who was about to become very well known. If I stuck
with him, I was going to be subjected to the glare of the spotlight, too.

"Look, Alex, I know it's
a lot to throw at you tonight, but I felt like I needed to tell you before Leo
and I go public with it," he said squaring his shoulders as he waited for
me to speak.

"I don't know,
Cam," I said softly. "I just don't know if I can deal with this right
now. There's a lot about my history that I don't want being publicly consumed,
but I also don't want to throw out what we share."

He set his cup down and
reached for me and without a word I melted into his arms. I leaned against his
chest as he wrapped his strong arms around me and rested his chin on top of my
head. I closed my eyes and tried to think clearly about this revelation.

"I'm scared, Cam,"
I whispered as I turned my head to look up at him.

"I am, too, Alex,"
he said softly as he bent down and kissed me.

I felt the familiar surge of
desire flow through my body as I kissed him back, and all of my defense
mechanisms crumbled as he slowly ran his hands down my body. Everything about
this felt right, and yet I couldn't let go of the small nagging doubt that
fluttered around the edge of my brain.

"Cam..."I gasped as
I pulled back and looked into his emerald eyes. I wanted him, there was no
doubt about that, but could I live with the reality of his life?

My phone cut through the
heavy weight of expectation as it rang in my purse. I leapt off of the couch
and ran to answer it.

"Alex, it's
Leslie," the nurse said. "I think you need to get back her. Liz is
having a rough time and she's calling for you."

"I'm on my way!" I
cried as I looked at Cam and motioned to the truck. I hung up and said, "I
have to get back to the hospital. Liz needs me."

"I'll take you," he
said as he grabbed his coat and keys and headed to the garage with Tesla close
at his heels. He turned and said, "Not this time, girl. I'll be back in a
bit and we'll go for a run. Stay."

Tesla immediately backed up
and sat on the kitchen floor looking up at Cam as if she completely understood
what he'd asked of her. I marveled at the obedience as I slipped my coat on and
headed out the door.

"Thank you, Tesla,"
I said as I passed the patient pup and patted her on the head. She let out a
soft woof and then lay down on the floor with her chin between her paws.

Cam drove as fast as he could
without putting us in danger of getting pulled over as I looked out the windshield
wondering if Liz was going to be okay.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE

Cam

I
didn't say anything as I drove Alex to the
hospital. I knew we were going to have to talk about what I'd told her, but I
also knew that this was not the right time to broach the subject. Alex was
worried about Liz and she needed to handle the situation before we could talk
about our future.

"Do you want me to come
in with you?" I asked as I looked over and saw a lone tear running down
Alex's cheek. She reached up and quickly wiped it away as she nodded.

I parked the truck on a side
street and took her hand as we walked to the hospital entrance. Alex asked for
Liz's room number and then headed for the elevator.

"I'm scared, Cam,"
she whispered as we ascended to the sixth floor. "I don't know what to do
to help her if she won't let me."

"I know," I said taking
her hand and squeezing it gently. "We'll figure it out...together. But
first, let's just see how Liz is doing and find out if she needs anything,
okay?"

Alex gave me a look of
gratitude before she stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. She held my hand
as we walked down the hall to Liz's room, but dropped it just before we walked
through the door. For a moment, I felt hurt, but when I saw Liz lying in the
bed looking very small and pale, I understood Alex's impulse to protect her and
hung back in the doorway.

"Liz? It's Alex, I'm
here, sweetie," Alex said softly as she sat down on the edge of the bed
and took Liz's hand.

"Alex?" Liz mumbled
as she tried to open her eyes. "Alex? I don't feel so good."

"I know, sweetie,"
Alex said smoothing her hair as she held Liz's hand. "They're trying to
figure out why, so you need to help them, okay? Tell them everything so they
can fix you."

"I did," Liz said
softly as she forced her eyes open and looked at Alex. Tears welled up as she
spoke, "I told them everything. I don't know why I'm feeling so bad,
Alex."
 

"Are you sure,
Liz?" Alex asked as she leaned forward. "Are you sure you told them
everything you can possibly think of?"

"I'm not doing drugs, if
that's what you're asking," Liz said as she clung to Alex. "Everyone
thinks I'm a drug addict, but I'm not. I swear I'm not."

"I believe you,
Liz," Alex said looking away from her friend. I could tell by her expression
that she wasn't entirely convinced that Liz was telling the truth, but that she
didn't want to challenge her friend while she was struggling with such a
serious problem. "We'll figure out a way to make it all better,
okay?"

"You don't believe
me," Liz said in a flat voice. "I can always tell when you don't
believe what I'm telling you."

"Liz, look, I believe
you," Alex said as she sat back. "I'm just really worried about you.
I want you to get help."

"Fuck you, Alex,"
Liz said in the same flat tone. "You don't believe me. Get out."

"Liz, don't do
this," Alex pleaded.

"I said, get out,"
Liz repeated as she pulled her hand away and looked out the window. I could
hear the pain in her voice and I knew she wasn't kidding. She looked back at
Alex and yelled, “GET OUT!"

Startled, Alex stood up and
rushed out of the room without looking back. I thought about following her, but
thought better of it when I looked back at Liz and saw her hunched over holding
her head in her hands.

"Liz, are you
okay?" I asked as I walked across the room and sat down in the chair next
to her bed. "You know she just wants what's best for you."

"I know," Liz
sobbed into her hands. "But I can't get anyone to believe me! I swear I'm
not taking drugs, but I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"All right, let's say
that I believe you -- because I do," I said looking at her tear stained
face as she raised her head. "The question is what's going on? What's
happening to you?"

"I don't know!" Liz
cried as she ran her hand through her hair. "All I know is that I'm tired
all the time, I'm tripping and falling down a lot, and I can't think clearly. I
thought it was because I was stressed out and tired, but after last night I
know it has to be something more than that, I just don't know what it is and
the doctors can't figure it out."

"So, that would indicate
that we need to approach this differently," I said as I thought out loud.
"We need to look at this like a fire."

"What are you talking
about?" Liz asked as she wiped her face and looked around for her water
glass. I grabbed it off of the nightstand next to her bed and handed it to her.
She reached out to take it, but it slid through her fingers and spilled down
the side of the bed pooling on the floor as she yelled, "Dammit! This is
what I'm talking about!"

"Hang on, Liz," I
said as I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and mopped up the water. "I
know it's frustrating, but let's go through what's happened and see if we can't
pick out some common details."

"Screw that!" she
shouted. "I'm tired of questions I can't answer and accusations that are
going to cost me and my best friend our educations!"

"What are you talking
about?" I asked genuinely confused by her outburst.

"Didn't Alex tell
you?" she said. "Victoria Metzler and her gang of mean girls has
accused Alex and I of cheating on our practice exams and the school has ordered
an investigation."

"Yeah, so?" I
replied not following.

"When they do an
investigation, they also put a hold on any scholarship or loan money until they
figure out what happened," she said wryly. "They don't like throwing
good money at bad students."

"So you've been accused
and they've withheld your money?" I asked.

"Exactly, only the
problem is that if we don't pay our tuition on time we get dropped from our classes
and can't be reinstated until the next term, which is after graduation,"
she said. "We're set to graduate at the end of this term so that means we
have to wait until next fall!"

"But if you didn't
cheat, they should be able to clear you immediately, right?" I said trying
to understand what the problem was.

"We didn't cheat, but
Violet hates us and she has pull with the department head and the nursing
internship supervisor, who both have to be character witnesses for the
investigation," she said hitting the bed with the palm of her hand to
underscore the problem. "Neither one of us cheated, but we have no way of
proving that beyond a shadow of a doubt, and the program doesn't want to lose
the donation that Violet's dad made to the school. She wants us out, she gets
what she wants."

"That's a shitty thing
to do," I said shaking my head.

"Yeah, well, have you
met Violet Metzler?" she asked sarcastically. "She's shitty human
being."

"Indeed," I said
thinking about how this shed new light on my contract with Richard Metzler and
suddenly understanding Alex's hesitation when I told her about it. "So,
what if we find a work around?"

"How in the hell are we
going to find a work around for this?" Liz asked with an exasperated sigh.
"It's not like Alex and I are millionaires who can finance our own
educations. If that were the case, neither one of us would be worked up about
this, you know?"

"No, but I think I have
an idea," I said rubbing my chin as I wondered how I was going to make it
all work without Alex finding out.

"What are you going to
do? Pay the bills, Mr. Big Shot?" Liz shot back as she rolled her eyes.

"In fact, I am," I
said still thinking about how all of this was either going to work
spectacularly well or blow up in my face. "Don't tell Alex, though,
okay?"

"Dude, I'm not saying a
word," she said shaking her head. "But if she finds out, you're going
to be answering to her in a way that...well, just don't let her find out."

"Look, I'll front the
money and when the scholarships come in, you can pay me back," I said as I
pulled out my phone and started transferring money to the account I used for
personal business. "Is there anything else that needs to be paid besides
tuition?"

"Alex's rent," Liz
said. "Don't tell her I told you, but her landlord is a stickler, and one
late rent payment means she'll be served an eviction notice. It was part of her
lease agreement because Mr. Deaver had had too many college students flaking
out on rent. But like I said, do not tell her I told you. She'd kill me."

"I'm not saying a
word," I agreed. "Don't you, either."

"Scout's honor,"
Liz said holding up three fingers and giving me a solemn nod. "Or however
that goes."

"Quick, give me the
numbers," I said as I dug in the nightstand and found a pen and a pad of
paper. Liz quickly scribbled the numbers on the sheet and gave me Alex's
landlord's address before handing the paper over.

"I hope you know what
you're doing, dude," she said with a lopsided grin. "You have no idea
how mad Alex will be if she finds out."

"Finds out what?"
Alex asked as she walked into the room with a tray full of food and drinks.

"Finds out I've been
mainlining heroin here in this very room," Liz quickly shot back.

"Don't be smart with me,
Banks," Alex said. There was an edge in her voice that hadn't been there
before she'd left the room, and I wondered what she'd done besides get snacks
while she was gone.

"I'm not being
smart," Liz said as she took a slice of apple from Alex and bit into it.
Quietly, she said, "I'm sorry, Alex."

"It's okay,
sweetie," Alex said sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know you're
stressed out. I'm just worried about you, and I can't figure out how to
help."

"I know," Liz said
as she leaned over and gave Alex a hug. Her voice dropped to sad whisper,
"I really don't know what's wrong with me, Alex."

"I know, Liz," Alex
said patting her best friend's back. "But we're going to find out. Don't
you worry, Liz. We will."
 

#

At
Alex's insistence, I left her at the hospital
with Liz while I went home to check on Tesla. I knew couldn't pay the tuition
bill until the university offices opened back up on Monday morning, but I could
find Alex's landlord and take care of that, so the next morning I drove over
and paid her rent through the end of the term.

"Who are you?" the
landlord asked suspiciously. "Does Miss Pierce know you're doing
this?"

"Look, you're getting
your money, aren't you?" I said as I handed him the cash. "Why ask
questions? Now give me a receipt and send a receipt to Ms. Pierce so that she
knows she's paid through to the end of the term."

"She's not going to like
this," he said as he went to his computer and printed a receipt for me.
"And what am I supposed to tell her when she comes asking who paid
this?"

"I don't care how you
explain it, so long as you don't say a word about me," I said as I walked
toward the door. I turned and added, "And if you do, rest assured that you
will regret it."

I called Alex to see if I
could bring dinner to the hospital for her and Liz, but her phone went directly
to voicemail, so I ordered dinner to be delivered and headed home to call Leo.

Leo and I arranged to meet at
O'Neil's to discuss our plan for Metzler's announcement. When I arrived, Leo
was entertaining a group of attractive young women who were skimpily dressed.

"Cam, I want you to meet
the girls," Leo said holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and gesturing
to his companions with the other. "Girls, this is Cam."

"Hi, Cam," the
pretty young things said in unison. I smiled and waved, then turned to Leo and
tipped my head toward a back table.

"Sorry, girls," Leo
said with the proper amount of regret, then turning to the bartender said,
"Billy, buy these beautiful ladies a drink on me."

We moved to the back table
and sat down before I could order a drink, so Billy had the waitress bring me a
beer and a shot. I downed the shot and then said, "Okay, so what's our
plan for Metzler's announcement?"

"Well, we both need to
be there with the security team," Leo said. "He's requesting extra
security for the first couple of weeks, so I've hired two more guys to work
into the rotation."

"What the hell,
Leo?" I said looking at him. "We never talked about these guys! How
do we know they can be trusted? Jesus!"

"Hey, I've been doing
this for almost ten years," Leo said defensively. "I know what the
fuck I'm doing, Cam, so back off."

"But you never run
anything by me anymore," I protested as I took a swig of my beer and
slammed the glass down on the table. "If we're going to do this together,
then you have to treat me like I'm actually a part of the team, Leo."