Page 108 of Don't Bet On It
“Can you think of a better word?”
I honestly couldn’t. “I need those names.”
“I take it Ryder and Sharon are about to be taken out of the equation.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it, but that’s exactly what’s about to happen.” I took a deep breath. “Also, thank you for understanding that I need to do my own thing.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever understand it. I do accept it, however. You need to be you, Ronan. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that.”
“Better late than never, right?”
“Yes, I guess we have that going for us.”
Something was better than nothing.
29
TWENTY-NINE
Iwas relieved for Ronan when he came back with good news. It was bad enough that my mother was involved in this. If his father had been a member of the team on top of that, well, it would have been catastrophic.
Ronan caught everybody up on Ryder’s plan. He seemed uncertain when laying out Sharon’s part in it, as if I would be surprised or somehow hurt. At this point, I knew Sharon too well to be appalled. I honestly didn’t care what she did or how she did it. I was well aware of what she was capable of, and what Ronan was suggesting was certainly in her wheelhouse.
“So what do we do?” Olivia asked when Ronan had finished his story.
“I go to the board members who are compromised and tell them to resign,” Zach replied. “If they don’t, I’ll threaten to take the information public.”
“Wouldn’t that hurt you?” I argued. “Like, if that information came out, wouldn’t that hurt the whole organization?”
He shrugged. “It’s not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. This is Vegas, though. That sort of thing isn’t unheard of.Random people won’t care. The only ones who will care are other casino owners, essentially.”
“Do you think they’ll resign?” Ronan asked. “Won’t they lose money if they give up their seats?”
“We’ll offer to let them keep their shares but not their voting position,” Cora replied. She’d joined the party when she’d heard we were plotting something. “My guess is they’ll quietly resign their seats.”
“But you can’t be certain,” I prompted.
“I can’t be certain, no,” Cora agreed. “It is the smart move. If I had to guess, I would say that Ryder has already approached them. It will likely be a relief if we do the same.”
“And the board meeting is tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yes.” Cora looked thoughtful when her eyes landed on me. “Your mother could be in a precarious position when this is all said and done. It’s not as if Ryder is going to stick his neck out to protect her.”
I’d already thought about that. “I have another idea.” I licked my lips and forced myself to remain calm. “I could approach my mother for the proof she has on the board members. That way, we could be certain it never gets out.”
Cora’s brow furrowed. “And you think your mother will hand over that proof?”
“I have some money put away.” My stomach constricted. “It’s not a lot, but my mother would do almost anything for a tangible chunk of change. I’ve managed to save five grand. I can see her handing over the proof for that amount of money, especially when I tell her Ryder won’t be coming through with what she needs.”
Cora was quiet for a long time. I was convinced she was going to shut down the idea until she shook her head. “I’m going to give you ten grand for your mother, and I’m going with you.”
I was thrown. “You’re… What now?”
“I’m going with you,” she insisted, not backing down. “We’ll talk to your mother—together—and I’ll handle the payout. You won’t be dipping into your savings for this.”
“She’s my mother, though,” I argued.
“Yes, and Ryder is my ex-husband. Your mother wouldn’t even be involved if he wasn’t such a piece of shit. This is not your responsibility. It’s mine.”
