Chapter 12: Collect A Debt

Katie's stubborn streak was flaring up again. She was drop-dead gorgeous on the outside, but tough as nails inside. No way was she backing down. "Fine, you said it. If you can't get the money back, don't blame me for taking away your CEO title," Dawson said. He turned and walked away, smug as ever. People from the company had gone after this debt countless times and failed. Even the family had tried pulling strings on the street, but it didn't help. Dawson didn't believe Katie could pull it off, either. Katie left the Norman residence feeling totally deflated. For all her bravado earlier, only she knew how hard it would be to recover that sum from Thalvara Trading Corporation. She'd spoken in the heat of the moment. When Wesley got back, he found her sitting in the living room, brow furrowed, lost in thought, and not even noticing him walk in. "What's wrong, wifey? Why so down?" Wesley set his things down, crossed the room, and lightly put an arm around her shoulders. He leaned in to breathe in the scent just behind her ear. "You smell good." At first, Katie didn't react. When she finally did, she jerked away. "What are you doing? I told you not to touch me whenever you feel like it. Did you forget our agreement?" "Hey, the agreement doesn't say I can't put my arm around you. And anyway, is there any part of you I haven't touched? You know my strengths, and I know your weaknesses. No big deal. Why get so angry?" Wesley sounded so sure of himself. It just made her angrier, but she had no comeback for that last part. She thought about how other husbands stepped in when their wives hit a wall, how men were supposed to be a woman's solid backing. She, on the other hand, had married a delivery guy. What could a freeloader who lives off her possibly do to help? Then there was the family pressure. Everything landed on her shoulders. The more she thought about it, the more upset she felt. Tears shimmered on her lashes and pooled at the corners of her eyes. "Hey, don't cry." Wesley sat beside her and wrapped his big hand around her small one. "Tell me, did something get under your skin? Let me see if I can help. Oh, look at you, so upset." He reached up and gently wiped away her tears. The more he wiped, the more upset Katie felt. She pouted and muttered, "From now on, you don't touch me unless I say so." "I won't touch you. I won't, okay?" Wesley promised easily. He said it, but he still held her soft, pale hand, giving her fingers a little squeeze now and then. Maybe because she was so upset, Katie let it go. "Even if I tell you, you can't help," Katie grumbled. "See? If you don't tell me, how would you know I can't help?" Wesley studied her.  In that moment, her fragile look struck him as oddly endearing, stirring a tenderness in him. Katie thought he had a point. Two heads are better than one.  What if he actually came up with some wild idea that worked? So she told him about the debt. "Thalvara Trading Corporation?" Wesley shook his head with a wry smile. Hadn't he just taught Dustin a lesson? A million bucks was pocket change to him if he wanted. Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. "Honey," he said, brushing away another tear from Katie's cheek with his broad fingers.  "You kill, you pay with your life. You borrow, you pay it back. They owe you money. Ask for it. If you don't go, how do you know they won't pay?" "Me? Go ask?" Katie blinked. So many had tried and failed, even with the family pulling underworld favors. Nothing had worked. She was just a woman, not a pro debt collector. Would they pay up just because she showed up? "See? If you don't try, how would you know?" Wesley patted her shoulder.  "Some things are easier than you think. You won't know until you try. How about I go with you to Thalvara Trading tomorrow morning? Sound good?" "Stop calling me honey." Only then did Katie snap out of it. How had she let him call her "honey" for so long without protesting? He was just a decoy. "Fine, I won't. Katie, you won't know unless you try. Go in person tomorrow. I'll drive you, okay?" She blinked a few times, thinking it through. There was no better plan. As for suing, it would take too long. Besides, even she knew that when she was dealing with a local tough, suing wasn't the smartest move. The sum wasn't even that big. It wasn't worth provoking thugs over a measly million and risking the Norman family's future business. "All right, let's do that. I'll go with you tomorrow," Wesley said. He stood, grabbed his little suitcase, and headed upstairs. As for sharing a bed with Katie, he knew he didn't stand a chance that night. Only after he left did Katie touch her face and realize she'd been crying.  For someone as fiercely proud as she was, crying in front of a man was almost unthinkable. "When did I get so fragile?" "Is it because I have a husband now?" But that didn't make sense. He was a fake. Katie couldn't figure herself out. She didn't even notice that after sleeping with Wesley, just having a man around was starting to change her, little by little. Being a girl and being a woman are two different things. Early the next morning, Milina made breakfast. Katie didn't rush to the office. She waited for Wesley to accompany her in collecting the debt. After breakfast, Wesley drove Katie's Maserati toward Thalvara Trading Corporation. "No license? Who'd believe a guy that good behind the wheel doesn't have one?" Katie thought. Soon, the car rolled to a stop outside Thalvara Trading Corporation. "Katie, you go on up. I'll wait here," Wesley said. At that point, Katie wasn't backing down. Pride wouldn't let her turn tail at a critical moment. Just because others couldn't do it doesn't mean you can't. She wouldn't know how hard it really was until she went. Even so, she didn't believe she could reclaim what the family had failed to recover. She only went because she refused to admit defeat, and she had no other options. She couldn't let her uncle take her CEO position without a fight. She'd poured her heart into that company. No way was she giving it up. What surprised her was that before she even reached the door, a big bald man in a crisp suit came out with several underlings, all wearing ingratiating smiles.