Page 9 of Betrayal

“To Anna, and my dad.He won’t get the chance again.”Cas made the vow.“Are you sorry you’ve bought the building?”

“It was a coup, making the purchase before Nick,” Hunter mocked himself.

“Saysthe crappy blogger Bizgos.He’s more malicious gossip than business commentator.”Casildo scowled at a waiter who came too close.

“Forget the blogger.In six months, I’ll transfer the building back to your father at cost price plus interest on my loan.We agreed.”Hunter lowered his voice.Even a friendly café could trade in secrets if Nick Richardson or one of his minions made the right offer.

“Are you worried about the money?”Casildo and his father had exhausted all their options before approaching Hunter.

Hate was a destructive emotion, but Hunter could make an exception for Nick’s humiliation of father and son Hariri.“If it starts snowing in Sydney, I’ll start worrying about the money—"

“Don’t underestimate climate change.”Casildo visibly relaxed.

“My question is about what we need to do to sign a lease with Changing Minds without raising suspicions about my purchase of the building.”

Hunter had twigged a moment too late he was the unscrupulous buyer who’d cancelled Anna’s lease.Her rage at the perceived injustice was incendiary, like her appearance.Whereas her attempt to control her temper was instructive—a hard-won self-discipline matching her intelligence and passion.

“We need a new story—a bit of fact, a bit of fiction to cover our tracks.”Hunter studied Casildo.“I’m capricious.Now I own it, I’ve changed my mind.Or maybe I’ve over-committed myself.I want to jam as many tenants onto two of the vacant floors—"

“And you want to lease out the third floor to a nearby business to house a bunch of ankle-biters?”A wide grin split Casildo’s face.“Capricious investors don’t do good deeds, Hunt.Remember, you don’t want to give Nick any more points to leverage.”

“No one need know.”

“What sort of rent are you planning?”Pretending to be a hard-headed businessman looked almost funny on Casildo.

“I haven’t decided.”But he’d balance Raed Hariri’s needs with Anna’s.

“I rest my case.Plus, I don’t trust Bizgos not to still be sniffing around!””

That blogger’s a pain in the butt.”The selling power of the father-son-battle-to-the-death story frustrated the hell out of Hunter.What a bloody mess!“Let’s say I’ve seen a gap in childcare provision in the area.”Hunter frowned, while he rearranged some ideas.“I’m converting the third vacant floor to a childcare centre, and I might, just might, be prepared to negotiate a long-term lease with a suitable client for part of it.”

“Part of it?”

“The market’s shifted.The renovation will cost money.I doubt Changing Minds will want to wear the full cost of refurbishment.I doubt they need all the places.”

“Anna Turner will make mincemeat of you.”

“I’m planning to offer her what she wants.”A delicate negotiation when he was curious to taste her.He’d shared an almost innocent flirtation with her over non-alcoholic beverages, parted on bad terms, and she fascinated him more than he wanted to admit.Curiosity was allowed.

“Mm.”Casildo remained unconvinced.

Hunter shrugged.“The key point is—this was and, in six months, will again be your father’s building.He needs to be happy with any building works I authorise and comfortable that the final rents and tenants will ensure his finances are ring-fenced from further raids.”

“You’re going to improve the building, bring in new tenants with long-term contracts for his benefit, then hand it back to him at cost plus interest?”Casildo stared into his empty cup.“Are you sure you don’t want the partnership Dad offered?”

“I don’t want a partnership.More than that, I don’t want my ‘sire’ to bankrupt your father as payback for my perceived sins.”Hunter had had years to fight his rage at Nick into a low voice and a relaxed body posture, making his anger invisible to the casual observer.

“‘Sire’ is a fancy word for pond scum.”Casildo touched his arm in understanding.“You’re not responsible for Nick’s twisted ego.”

Hunter’s mother’s death two years ago had brought Nick Richardson back into Hunter’s life, and maybe Hunter should have handled that better, but he’d deal with what he had now.He’d learned to live with a lot of losses, but seeing Raed Hariri’s good name tarnished while he was simultaneously beggared wasn’t going to be among them.“Maybe we should have a rift in our friendship.”

“I’m not going to like this.”

“If I was heard badmouthing your dad, it might get Nick off my back for a bit.”

“I told you I wasn’t going to like this.”

“If Nick hears your dad screwed me on the price—a sleeper clause in the contract that requires the buyer to pay for building defects, and I announce a heap of defects—Nick might lose interest in his loser son.”

---