Ruthless Heir (Ruthless Billionaires #5)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Harper

Move in with Asher?

“No. Absolutely not.” I shake my head so hard I feel like it’s going to snap off my body and smash on the floor.

Josh pushes off the kitchen door and glares at me. His face is military stern and the warmth that previously shone in his eyes has fizzled into the air. “Harper?—”

“No, Josh.” I throw the cleaning towel back on the rack and step away from the sink.

He has a dishwasher but I was doing the dishes by hand to take my mind off things. I’ve had such a shitty day dodging calls from the loan sharks. Now this.

“Listen to me. I’ve done my best to sort out this situation for you.” He pushes his shoulders back and puffs out his chest like we’re gonna fight. “I’m not going to be in New York. I’m gonna be gone for nine months, then I’m moving to North Carolina with Lisa.”

“I know, but why can’t we just extend the lease here?”

“Because the ship has sailed. The landlord has already put the place on the market and he’ll have people viewing it in a few days. I’d have to reapply and pay the higher cost. Also, I doubt they’re gonna just rent it to me for two months when they could get someone who wants it for longer.”

“We could ask. You’ve been here for nearly ten years. I’m sure they’d be willing to come to some agreement for two months.”

“No. Because you may need it for longer. We don’t know if you’ll get campus housing by the time college starts.”

My pulse races, a drumbeat of dread. I can’t believe this is happening. Or that Asher seems to be my only option.

I gaze at my brother, knowing I’m out of options but still wanting to resist.

Josh was away for most of the day. We spoke before he went out, and of course he raised hell about last night. He said he was going to check things out regarding a place for me. I never expected him to come back with this crazy solution.

Live with Asher. And Asher agreed.

I’m not sure how I should feel. The natural reaction most people would feel is gratitude. I do feel that on some level but that little part of me that’s still stuck in my emotions from the past feels like shit.

Josh would only ask his best friend if I could live with him because he knows he won’t touch me. And Asher would only agree for the same damn reason. It’s like putting flowers next to a lion.

Josh walks up to me and rests his hands on my shoulders. “Sis, Asher has plenty of space in that big old house of his and he agreed to have you stay with him. Also, staying with Asher is free . It means I don’t have to cough up more money I need to be putting aside for Lisa and me.”

Of course . And now I feel like such a jerk. He’s spent thousands on me just in the last year. I shouldn’t even be asking him for more just because I don’t want to stay with Asher.

His eyes soften again, becoming more like the version of him I’m used to.

“It’s just for a few months, Harper. Unless you have another idea this is your best option.” He nods with conviction, as if to give his words more weight.

“Alright.” Although I agree, I’m going to brainstorm with Beth again when I see her tomorrow.

Her doors would be open to me if her place were bigger. She has an already cramped one-bedroom apartment. Also, I’m not too keen on staying with her because of all the men who frequent her home on a nightly basis. We’d all drive each other insane.

Beth knows people. Not the good kind of people, but people . The kind who have contacts. One of them is bound to have someplace I can stay. So that may be an option. If not, then I’ll have to suck up my pride and stay with Asher.

Josh looks more at ease on hearing my acceptance. “You’ll be fine at Asher's place. This is a good chance for you to cool off before college starts. I’ve also put two grand in your account for living expenses. I’ll put some more in at the end of the month.”

“No, no. You shouldn’t have done that. And you mustn’t give me any more.” Listen to me talking. As if I’m in a position to turn away money. “You’re right. You need to save for you and Lisa. I need to get my shit together.”

“Harper, I didn’t mean that to sound like I wouldn’t help you.”

“I know, and it didn’t sound that way. I’m just telling you that I know what I need to do. I’ll get a job. Something I can do for the summer and continue when college starts.” I do my best to make it sound like I just need something to cover my day-to-day expenses. If only Josh knew I need so much more than that.

“Okay. But I need you to tell me if you ever get stuck. You’ll be able to contact me by email. I might be delayed in responding because of a bad signal, but you know the drill.”

“Thanks. And thanks for the money.” I won’t even contemplate spending that money on trying to find some fleabag motel. This is New York. Anything I find, no matter how fleabag-ish, will cost an arm and a leg.

“No worries. Let’s call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I have to spend the next few days packing before I head out to Florida for the weekend. I think we should plan to move you into Asher’s by Saturday. That way I can see you off.”

I nod slowly, stifling the reluctance I feel curdling in my stomach like sour milk.

I survived Nick. How is it possible that I feel more helpless than ever? I’m twenty-two and can’t take care of myself. That’s terrible.

There's nothing physically wrong with me, and I can’t even lean on the accident which happened over four years ago to explain why I’m in such a mess.

This is all happening to me because of bad decisions. I can blame Nick all I want but I need to take some responsibility, too.

I could have left him at any point. Instead I chose to stay even when I felt there was something up with him. Now I have to fix this mess and hope I can get my life back on track.

“Is there anything you need me to do?” Josh’s soft voice pulls me from the doom of my thoughts.

“No. What about me? Can I do anything else around the apartment?”

Josh releases me and smiles. “No. Not tonight. You’ve cleaned up the place well.” He looks around the sparkly clean kitchen then back at me. “I don’t think there will be much left for the cleaners to do.”

“It’s the least. You’ve done so much for me.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Get some sleep, Sis. I’m exhausted and you must be, too. We’ll catch up in the morning.”

“Alright.”

We turn off the lights and head to our rooms. But I can’t sleep yet. There’s too much on my mind. The stress of everything is freaking me the fuck out.

I change into a pair of tattered PJs and prop myself against the stack of pillows on my old bed. As I rest my head the swirling patterns on the ceiling greet me and when I shuffle onto my side my gaze lands on my collection of classical literature and music books on the shelf.

This apartment holds the rest of my belongings and special memories. Memories I cherish for the simple fact that I remember them.

I lived here throughout my senior year at high school and six more months after. I was still in rehab at the start of freshman year at UCLA, so I started in the spring semester and caught up over the summer. I don’t have any other breaks in my studies but it feels like I’m a year behind everyone else, as I’ll finish college when I’m twenty-three.

Josh got this place when he was eighteen. I don’t remember, but he told me he couldn’t wait to move out of our family home. Clarissa, our stepmother, had been a world-class bitch who made our lives hell.

I’m glad I don’t remember those parts of my life or her getting married to my father. The few months I had to deal with her after Dad’s death were more than enough.

The other painful thing I don’t remember is my mother’s passing. After the accident I woke up from a coma still believing she was alive, but I’d lost her when I was fourteen. Mom had a rare lung disease that was incurable.

When Dad told me she was gone the pain I felt was like pouring acid into an already festering wound. Then, in the same breath, I discovered that he had chronic heart failure and only had months to live.

My chest tightens at the memory and I grab the nearest pillow to press it against me in an attempt to hold in the pain that still feels fresh.

I guess I’m thinking about my parents and the past because the version of myself that existed back then hadn’t fucked up her life yet.

The worst thing I’d ever done at that point was throw myself at Asher.

On that humiliating night I poured my heart out to him, hoping for something more than friendship, only to be met with a pitying look.

He said I was like a sister to him. A sister . The word echoes in my mind, sharp and cold. That was when I left.

It’s funny I remember running toward my car and driving away but I don’t remember the actual accident.

Maybe there’s a reason for that. I was told it was a head-on collision. I don’t think I’d ever be able to drive again if I remembered.

I know I’m lucky to be alive. The strong part of me is trying to give me the pep talk I’ve fueled my mind with for years.

In a Wonder Woman voice it says that if I can make it through so many nightmares, I can make it through anything, including my current disaster.

I just don’t know how.

I’ve never had to dodge loan sharks before and I’ve never owed anyone money.

This is my first debt. I don't even have a credit card.

Foolishly I listened to stupid Nick when he wanted us to get a house together.

We got together at the start of my sophomore year. Nick was a music manager who managed big-label bands. He intrigued me from the get go because he was almost ten years older than me, was successful, and truly swept me off my feet.

After almost a year of dating we moved in together in his apartment. Six months later he suggested buying a house together. I was so excited to own a home with him I missed all the warning signs that something was wrong.

The first red flag reared its head when he asked if I could get a loan for a deposit in my name. He said he had bad credit and would be turned down.

I thought nothing of it. I’d always had good credit and at the time had secured a six-month internship with a theater. I was part of their orchestra and my work with them would go toward my college credits.

The next red flag was who we got the loan from. I still remember Nick taking me to this dimly lit office to meet Vito. The air smelled of cheap cigars and danger. It was the kind of place you just know you shouldn’t be in. But Nick said we could get a low interest loan with a higher amount.

We got seventy thousand dollars. And that led to the next red flag. The money was deposited in Nick’s account.

That was the turning point for us. He was different after, controlling and volatile.

Nick started using more hardcore drugs and became violent. Violent with me. It was like the old him had been a mask the entire time and he’d unleashed the real him.

“I’m sorry. I just get angry because things are hard. I’ll never hit you again,” he’d say . And I believed him.

I believed him to the point where we kept adding more money to the loan in an effort to make things better—less hard. That’s how it got to be as big as it is.

But none of it was used for the original purpose of buying a house.

I kept hoping for him and our situation to change when he started doing business with these investment type people. But they turned out to be just as shady and disappointing as Nick.

I felt like such a fool when the lawyers revealed that Nick had spent the money on drugs, booze and high-end prostitutes.

He was a monster.

But nothing was as bad as watching Nick murder those people at that convenience store in cold blood like a wild animal starved for blood.

Nick was acting weird before we even left the house. He also seemed to be high on shit. I didn’t want to get in the car with him but I was too scared to say anything. Now I wish I had.

All I managed to do was prep a message to send to Beth in case I needed her.

Nick took me to the convenience store and used me as a decoy. While I was paying for snacks he pulled a gun I didn’t even know he had and shot the cashier and his wife. Just like that they were gone.

One minute they were talking about their upcoming family vacation and the next they were on the ground dead, lying in a pool of blood.

While I was screaming Nick simply stepped over their bodies as if they were never real living people, then filled up his rucksack with the cash in the register. After that he grabbed me, placed his gun to my head and forced me to go with him.

Beth was the only one who knew about Nick’s turn to the dark side. We made a pact that if I ever called her and didn’t start talking straight away, she was to call the police and get them to track my number.

That’s what I did. And that’s how I saved myself.

As Nick carried me off and drove away in his car I feared that he’d kill me too, since I saw what he did. I also feared that I’d be seen as an accomplice to the murder because Nick made me look like I was helping him.

The only thing that kept me alive until the cops caught up with us trying to cross the state line was Nick’s twisted idea of love for me. It was even more twisted that that night was my only way out of our bad relationship.

Luckily the police had the surveillance footage from the convenience store so they were able to see that I was being used.

I was asked to testify against Nick, which I happily did, and as I did it I looked him in the eye from the witness stand so he’d know I helped put him behind bars.

My phone rings on the nightstand and I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound.

I don’t need to look at it to know who’s calling.

I already spoke to Beth and it’s late, so the only person it could be is the man I’ve feared speaking to for the last few months.

Vito—the loan shark.

The knots in my stomach grow tighter and the air in my lungs stalls.

Deciding to be brave, I sit up. Dodging his calls will only make things worse.

I pick up the phone, confirm it’s him, then drag in a deep breath and summon all the courage I’ve ever had so I can speak to him.

“Hello.” My voice sounds child-soft, a cautious rasp.

“I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to speak to you again.” Vito’s voice is smooth, but is filled with a precarious edge.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get to your calls. I’ve been working hard.” A half-truth mixed with a lie.

“Be that as it may, you’re late. Your last payment was made three months ago. You know I don’t like waiting.”

“I know. It’s just that with everything that happened with Nick?—”

“I want my money!” His voice sounds like thunder rumbling through the phone. It ripples through the line and shakes my soul.

I swallow hard, trying to control the tremor trembling through me. “I know, Vito, I’m sorry. I just... I don’t have it right now.”

“That’s not my problem. I’ve been very understanding about Nick.” His voice dips menacingly low, the tone cutting into my core. “But I have my limits. You’ve only paid back twenty thousand on the loan. You still owe me a hundred grand.”

“I’ll get it, I swear. I just need some more time.” Oh God. I’m in no position to make any promises.

“You have one month, but I want twenty g’s.”

“Twenty grand?” I almost choke. “I’m not going to be able to get twenty thousand dollars in a month. I was planning on paying the five thousand dollars in arrears.”

“Sweetheart, you’ve already broken the terms of our agreement with your late payments. And there’s a thing called interest .”

“But it’s twenty grand.” Tears sting the back of my eyes and I shudder from deep within my core.

“My dear Harper, you know the rules, so I hope for your sake you find a way. If you don’t pay things will get... unpleasant .”

Fear claws up the walls of my chest, making my insides feel raw. He means he’ll hurt me.

“Do you understand me?” he checks.

I nod quickly although he can’t see me. “Yes, I understand.”

“I’ll give you the courtesy and get the boys to check and call you every week to see if you’re on track. Speak soon.”

He hangs up before I can answer. I don’t even know what I’d say.

The air burning my lungs whooshes out and I grab the bottle of water on the side. I open it and take a gulp to soothe my throat but it doesn’t work.

I’m fucked. How in the ever-loving fuck am I supposed to find all that money in a month’s time?

The answer is: I can’t.

The only thing I have going for me is that Vito doesn’t know I left L.A.

I’m so stupid. Moving in with Asher is the very least of my problems.

As it stands now, I may have to run again.