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.But he didn’t know what to do.Maybe his father would let him stay, no matter what his mother wanted.It was the kid’s worry that decided me.“Fine,” I said with reluctance.“I’ll make the transfer.” That’s what I was there for, and what Uncle Joey did about Carlotta and Jackie wasn’t my problem.Uncle Joey sighed, but gave me a tight smile.“Very well,” he agreed.“Carlotta and Miguel, you may go home.I will meet you there shortly.”“But the driver…” Miguel said.“Oh right,” Uncle Joey said.“I’ll have Jackie…” He flushed, realizing that was no longer possible.“Just wait in the conference room for me.” His growling tone let them know of his frustration, and they fled the office.As soon as the door shut, he glanced at me.“I’m not used to this bickering between women.” His eyes glowed with speculation, knowing I must have lied to him when I denied I could read minds a month ago.“Now that I know you have your powers back, you can help me with this problem.”“Wait a minute,” I broke in.“Who said my powers were back?”His brows rose in surprise, then his eyes narrowed.“Nice try Shelby, but you can’t fool me.I had a feeling you were lying before I left for Mexico, and now I know you are.The way you purse your lips and fidget in your seat gives you away.Face it, you’re just not a very good liar.”I opened my mouth to deny it, but what could I say? He was too good at this and I was out of my league.“I need your help with this situation, and in return, I’m sure we can come up with something to compensate you for your ability.”He sounded so reasonable and compromising that I didn’t know if I’d ever have a better chance than now to bargain for what I wanted.I could still deny it, but knowing him, he could just threaten my family again and I would lose any bargaining power I had.He could tell I was waffling, so he continued with his plea.“You know what Jackie and Carlotta were thinking.You can help me figure out what to do.I didn’t realize Jackie felt so strongly…and Carlotta is not what I thought.I don’t know how to take care of this.I could really use your help.”It had surprised him that Jackie would hire an assassin, although it showed a lot of spunk, and now she was gone.“Jackie’s gone,” he continued, “and Carlotta…I’m beginning to think I never knew her.It seems all she wants is money.I’m usually not so blind.Then there’s my son.”He glanced at me and smiled, his eyes lighting with joy.“Can you believe it? I have a son? It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time, and I guess lately with everything that happened with Kate, it really hit me, that I had no one.Now I have a chance again.But with Carlotta, it’s not so easy.How can I keep him without keeping her?”He actually touched his hair and rubbed the back of his neck.I’d never seen Uncle Joey so unsettled and emotional.He was always in control and coldly detached, with his clothing immaculate, his shoes polished, and not one hair on his head out of place.“There is a way.” I gave in, jumping on my chance to keep him out of my life.“But you have to promise me full immunity…or whatever it is you call it.”His movements stilled, and he considered my proposal.If he agreed, he’d lose his right to my powers, but maybe there was a way around it.He twitched and glanced up.Had I just heard that? My smile was all the answer he needed.“I might be willing to consult with you once in a while,” I said.“But only by my choice and not yours.” He was listening, so I continued.“Certain conditions would have to apply, mainly that it wouldn’t put my life in danger.I’m getting tired of getting shot at.” He nodded his agreement.“Plus you would accept it if I turned a job down,” I said.“I would only work for you if I wanted, and not because of any type of coercion on your part.” He pursed his lips, but motioned to continue.“And last, of course, you would pay me.”I couldn’t believe what I was doing.It felt like I was bargaining with the devil himself.But what choice did I have? He knew about my power.I had to make some concessions or he wouldn’t even consider it.He was thinking that I drove a hard bargain, but at least he’d have access to my ability.In his dealings, he’d always known everyone had a price.He’d just have to make his offers enticing enough that I’d always agree to what he wanted.It was something he was good at.Oh please! If he thought he could always buy me out, he was in for a rude awakening.Of course, part of what he was thinking was true.I did want some of the five million, but wouldn’t most people? Dammit! I decided not to ask for it.I wouldn’t be bribed.It was the only way this might work out.“Agreed,” he said.“Now tell me how to take care of this situation.”I let out a breath of relief, and tried to keep my cool.“All right,” I began, jumping in before he could change his mind.“First of all, I think I know a way to get rid of Carlotta and keep Miguel.As you’ve already guessed, Carlotta is only in it for the money.She’s planning on taking it and leaving you.She figures that since she is the mother of your son, you won’t harm her.”I let him digest this news before I continued.He was taking it pretty well, which made me realize he had already accepted what motivated Carlotta.Now was the hard part.Should I tell him that Miguel probably wasn’t his son? Maybe it was better to save that for the end.“The best way to get what you want is to give Carlotta the five million with the understanding that you get to keep Miguel.She can visit or talk with him at any time.He just lives with you now.If she doesn’t agree, then she doesn’t get the money.Tell her you’re prepared to pay for his schooling and college education.Remind her that once he is eighteen, he can live where he chooses.”“But what if he wants to live with her?” Uncle Joey asked.“He won’t,” I said with a smile.“He idolizes you.You saved him from something he views as his mother’s fault.As long as he knows his mother is taken care of, he’ll be happy to not worry about her anymore.I don’t think Carlotta realizes how deep Miguel’s loyalty to you has become, and it would be best if you didn’t share that with her.”Uncle Joey relaxed in his chair.This was going much better than he thought.Only he couldn’t give Carlotta the full five million since it had cost him close to two million to get her and Miguel out of that mess.But once he pointed that out to her, he was sure she would agree to his reasoning.Three million was still a lot of money.“So how do I get Jackie back?” he asked.That would be the hard part.I thought about it for a moment.He was right about it being hard.“She loves you.I don’t understand it, but she does.Somehow, you’ve got to get Jackie to realize that you’re kicking Carlotta out because you want to be with her.Can you do that?”“I’m not used to groveling,” he said.“I don’t even like people who grovel.So how am I supposed to get her back without groveling? That’s something I just won’t do.”“She wouldn’t expect that from you,” I assured him.“In fact, she’d probably want something a little more dramatic.Like kidnapping her and locking her in your room until you can convince her that she is the love of your life.” Uncle Joey raised his brows, thinking I had read too many romance novels.“Hmm, you might be right about that.So…you figure it out.I’m sure you can come up with something.Just make sure Carlotta is out of the picture first.That’s very important [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]