The Fidelity World: Retribution Read online

  Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Romig Works, LLC. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original The Fidelity World remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Romig Works, LLC, or their affiliates or licensors.

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Dedication

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Andrea Bills

  Retribution

  Andrea Bills

  ABOUT THE FIDELITY WORLD

  Welcome to The Fidelity World, where love and lust make for strange bedfellows. Explore the Costello family’s underworld dealings, the enterprises of the Demetri family, or tackle the old world money and politics of the Montagues and Fitzgeralds. Whether you’re an Infidelity Corporation client or employee, a family member or a friend, these engaging story lines have something for everyone. Get ready to enter a world where entrapment, love, betrayal, cunning, and deception abound, where you decide whose relationship is an agreement, and who will experience true fidelity.

  To Aleatha, thank you for the countless nights I lost sleep reading your words. Thank you for accepting me as the crazy fan I am. Mostly thank you for taking a chance on me! I’ll be forever grateful.

  To Helene, without you this book would have never seen the light of day!

  Even though we’ll never see eye to eye on #teams we can for a short time both be #teamcole

  I love you!

  Prologue

  Cole

  “Grandpa, how are you feeling today?”

  “Just as well, son; just as well.”

  It was the same response he gave every time Cole visited his grandpa. Cole still couldn’t believe his grandpa was in the God-forsaken nursing home in the first place. His parents were up to something. They were always up to something. They had spent their entire lives mooching off his grandpa. They had been entirely too adamant about him going to the nursing home.

  “How’s school going, Cole? You’ll be graduating soon; have you settled on your plans for college?”

  “It’s going well, Grandpa. I’d like to attend West Virginia University just like you did, sir.”

  “A fine school. You’ll love it there.”

  “You’ll have to come with me to tour it,” Cole said enthusiastically.

  He watched his grandpa’s face fall, and he knew there would be no touring anything together. His parents had somehow convinced the staff that his grandpa shouldn’t be allowed to leave the nursing home for off-site visits of any kind.

  “We’ll see,” was all his grandfather said in response.

  They spent the remainder of the visit talking about sports and family stuff.

  Cole kissed his grandpa’s cheek and said his goodbyes when he noticed his grandpa’s eyes beginning to get heavy. The nurse had just given him something. Cole was suspicious of even the staff’s intentions when it came to his grandpa. For all he knew, they were on his parents’ payroll and slipping his grandpa something to make him worse.

  As Cole left the nursing home, he took in the vehicles lining the parking lot. His truck stuck out against all the polished and shiny new vehicles. Cole still drove his grandpa’s old Ford. It had seen its better years about twenty years prior, but Cole refused to give it up. The thought of spending an ungodly amount of his grandpa’s money on a new one seemed frivolous. Plus, his driving the truck pissed his parents off. They couldn’t stand the idea that someone might see him driving it and think they were anything less than filthy rich.

  His phone rang; his boss from the restaurant was calling him.

  “Hey.” Cole answered.

  “Hey Cole, we’re dead today, so why don’t you take the night off?”

  “Alright.”

  “Sorry about that. I know you’re saving up for college, but we’ve only done a couple hundred dollars’ worth of business all day. It’s not looking much better for dinner; with this beautiful weather, everyone will be grilling out at home.”

  “I understand Mr. Reckard. I’ll see you later this week.”

  “See ya then, Cole.”

  Cole dropped his cell onto the seat next to him. Even though Cole didn’t love his job, it was better than being at home; he hated being there even more. His old truck roared to life, and he maneuvered his way through the back roads until he hit the interstate. Country music blasted through the speakers, and Cole lost himself in the bluesy tones of the oldies. The ride wasn’t far, but the dread of spending the day in his family’s presence had him driving a bit slower to extend the trip.

  As he pulled into the driveway, he took in the gigantic structure he called home. A place his father or mother hadn’t worked a day for. Cole had been mortified when his mother had the entire front of the house rebricked last summer and threw a temper tantrum when the contractor told her the color brick she had picked had been discontinued. Brick was brick. The house didn’t even need new brick and Lord only knew how much it had cost his grandfather. The only thing his mother ever put any effort into was whining and spending money.

  His grandpa had built his company from the ground up as a young man with nothing more than a dream; a dream that one loan officer at a bank had decided to stand behind. Now, years later, the company was practically running itself and had successfully opened their very own charity organization. The scariest part was Cole’s mother and father had taken a big interest in the charity side of things. Once they had successfully tossed his grandpa in the nursing home, they had taken over the charity. Since then his parents were living even more extravagantly than before. It was sickening.

  Cole dragged himself into the house. A buzz of voices greeted him from down the hall as he made his way toward his room. He looked around to see if any of the housekeepers were loitering the hallway before he pressed closer to the door. He recognized his father’s voice instantly.

  “It’s done now, Martha. Get over it!” His father yelled at his mom.

  “Rob, it’s too far. If you don’t want to spend the next five to ten years in prison, you’ll put that money back.”

  “I can’t.”

  “What do you mean you can’t?” Cole’s mother demanded.

  “I owed the money.”

  “Dammit Rob! Who to this time?”

  Cole held his breath as he waited for his father to answer. His father was notorious for gambling, so Cole knew his mother wasn’t shocked at his father’s response.
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  “It’s handled. We won’t get caught. That’s Derek’s job.”

  Hearing his older brother’s name, Cole felt sick to his stomach. Cole’s older brother, Derek, had never had any qualms about spending the money placed in his bank account whether he worked for it or not. Cole had been holding out hope that his brother wouldn’t go as far as to be in cahoots with his parents. Now, it seemed Cole’s thoughts on Derek had been naïve.

  When Derek had taken a job in the accounting part of their grandpa’s company, Cole had been optimistic, thinking maybe Derek was like him, and wanted to earn his way in life. After the conversation he had just overheard, and knowing Derek’s position, his heart sunk. Cole couldn’t help but wonder why he was so different from the rest of his family.

  “I want to know who you owe the money to, Rob.” His mother demanded again.

  Footsteps came closer to the door. Cole rushed to his room before he got caught eavesdropping. Rage burned inside of him. As much as he wanted to storm into the room and demand his own answers, Cole knew it wouldn’t do him any good. His parents knew where his allegiances lie. They were constantly making sure he knew how they felt about him going to see his grandpa and refusing to live on his grandpa’s dime.

  Cole wasn’t sure when or how, but he swore then that he would find a way to figure out just what his parents were doing. Then not only would he stop them, but he planned to completely ruin them. He wouldn’t be happy until they were behind bars for all that they had done. If his brother was in on it, then Cole would see to it that he paid as well.

  The people on the other side of the door may be his flesh and blood, his livelihood even, but Cole’s only loyalty was to his grandpa. It fell on Cole’s shoulders to ensure that his grandpa’s legacy would live on the way it should.

  Chapter One

  Cole

  Ten Years Later

  “What is it now, Mother?” Cole answered.

  “Cole, I just read the minutes for the monthly board meeting for the Foundation. It has you on the docket. Why didn’t you tell us you were looking to be voted back in?” His mother’s voice had taken on the annoying high-pitched shrill it usually did when she was pissed.

  His mother was still rambling when he hung up his phone and turned it on silent. Cole’s sour mood, and having to listen to his mother’s shrill voice, had his mind falling back to the day his life had changed forever.

  Cole had been a freshman in college when his mom had sent him the text. A fucking text. The woman couldn’t have picked up the phone to call her son to tell him that the only person he had ever considered family had passed away. She had texted him. He had been in his Biology class at the time.

  Cole still remembered stumbling out of the room in a daze. Jason had been in class with him, and he had somehow managed to get Cole back to his dorm room. His grandpa’s funeral proceedings had been a blur. Cole had managed to stay sober through the entire four-day experience, but once he made it back to his dorm room, he sunk into one case of beer after another.

  Leave it to his grandpa to manage to tell Cole to get his shit together even from beyond the grave, though. His grandpa’s attorneys had called him one week after the funeral to set up a private meeting. There Cole was given a letter his grandpa had left for him.

  Dear Cole,

  I miss you so much my son. My time here in this nursing home has further confirmed what I have always known: you are my true heir. If you’re reading this, that means in less than twenty-four hours your parents will find out that I haven’t left them a single thing. That’s not to say I left it all to you, either. My company will be left to Meryl and his family. Meryl has run it for me this past decade as if it were his own. If I know you, you’re nodding your head in agreement with me right now. As much as you loved me, my company was never anything you were interested in.

  You were also never interested in my money. Guess what, I don’t give a rat’s ass. There’s no one else I’d rather leave it to. Let it be known that I am not just simply giving it to you, though. There are stipulations. First and foremost, you must finish college. Not just finish but excel to the best of your ability. I hope I’m there to watch you cross that platform dressed in blue and gold, but if I’m not I have a feeling you’ll spiral downhill after my death. Don’t. Get up, get yourself together, and take yourself to class. Study hard and make something of yourself. Once you have graduated, with honors, you will have access to your new fortune.

  Secondly, and this is the most important, you are not to give a single cent to your parents. I spent my entire life letting them mooch off of me and use me for their financial gain. You will not live that life. Should you decide to go against my wishes and give them money, be warned that I have taken necessary precautions to catch you. You will lose it all, and all of it will go to them. If you give them an inch they will take a mile, so in turn if you give them a cent, I will give it all to them. I know you though, and I know that shouldn’t be a problem.

  Now on to my final piece of business: your parents have weaseled their way into running the foundation. If my speculations are correct, they’re only handling the foundation because they’ve found a way to skim money from it. I haven’t been able to prove it yet, but Gary from Smith and Kelly Law has been working tirelessly on trying to prove my theory. Connect with him if you choose to, or don’t; I don’t care. This is your life. I want you to live it to the fullest. I would tell you to make me proud, but I know you will; you always have.

  Until we meet again my son. I love you, and I’ll be missing you.

  Grandpa

  Cole’s hand trembled as he set the piece of paper down. He didn’t dare look across the table at the attorney because he knew that the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks would fall. Even though Cole never considered himself much of a macho man, he feared once he let the tears fall for his grandpa they’d never quit. The one man who had loved Cole unconditionally was gone. No one else on the planet gave a shit whether Cole lived or died now.

  “Mr. Bennett, I know this is a hard time for you, but I have some documents I need you to sign. As your grandpa’s executor of estate, you need to handle his final wishes.”

  “I just need a minute,” Cole grunted as he stood up and left the room.

  He made his way to the restroom where he splashed cold water on his face repeatedly. When he finally raised his eyes to look at himself in the mirror, he was ashamed. He had spent the last week drinking himself into oblivion. Cole wasn’t even sure his professors would allow him back in, let alone if he could pull himself together enough to graduate with honors. The one thing he did know was that his grandpa had believed in him, and he had enough of his grandpa’s grit left over to try.

  Rising to his full height, he strode back into the attorney’s office with his head held high and intent in his heart. He signed all the paperwork that was required of him. Then he asked for directions to the attorney’s office that his grandpa had mentioned was looking into his parent’s money laundering. Cole shook hands with the attorney, pocketed his grandpa’s letter, and left.

  The drive over to Gary’s office was short; before Cole knew it, he was face to face with the man who would hopefully help him take his family down once and for all. The older man laughed when Cole introduced himself, causing Cole to give him a questioning look. Then the man walked over to a small canister on his bookshelf and pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of it and shoved it in his pocket.

  “I’m sorry; did I miss something?” Cole asked.

  “Your grandpa bet me that you wouldn’t show up for a few years after his death. After listening to him rave about you over the years, I knew you would be here today.”

  “Really?” Cole asked, not sure how to take the man’s comment.

  “He told me that you would be notified of his final wishes one week after his death. I knew you’d be on my doorstep that very day, and here you are.”

  “Here I am.”

  Chapter Two

  Anni
e

  “Sit down and shut your filthy fucking mouth!” Trey spat.

  Annie’s legs instantly gave out, and she plopped down onto the couch in Trey’s apartment. Her friend, Samantha, had begged her not to move in with Trey, but Annie had been blinded by love.

  “I knew better than to trust you. Now, here we are. What am I going to do with you?”

  “She can’t tell anyone anything, Trey; doctor-client privileges.” Annie stuttered, hoping it would soothe Trey’s uncontrollable temper.

  “Shut up, bitch!” He roared as he launched a vase across the living room.

  Annie knew the sound would cause the older gentleman from across the hallway to come over and check on her. Tears started to pool in her eyes as she thought of what Trey might do to him. He was the sweetest man, and Annie looked at him as a father being so far away from her own. She wanted to curse herself for leaving her small town and thinking she could make it in a city that devoured country girls like her for breakfast and then spat them back out more cynical and battered.

  Had she known that Trey had placed an app on her phone that gave him the ability to listen in on her conversations, she would have never gone to a therapist. As soon as she had arrived home she had known something was up. Without even saying a word he had slammed her into the wall so hard the drywall had splintered. Her head was pounding, but after months of living under Trey’s heavy hand, she had learned to keep going through the pain.

  “You’re not going back to that woman. If she calls you, you’re going to tell her that you were just mad at me and made it all up.” Trey told her as he knelt in front of her so they were face to face.

  Annie felt herself nod in agreement. She already missed going to the psychiatrist’s office. There Annie had been free to talk about the things Trey did to her. She could cry or scream, all without any judgement. Now, she was back to living in her personal hell all alone. Samantha would have listened to her, but Trey had ruined that friendship weeks after Annie had moved in with him. Samantha hadn’t gone away easily, but now if Annie happened to pass her on campus, Samantha wouldn’t even make eye contact with her. Annie didn’t blame her; Samantha had tried to warn her about men like Trey, but Annie wouldn’t listen.