Somebody to Love Read Online Free Page B

somehow. “Parker, anything that you bought for you or Nicky or the house is yours. Everything else, I’m afraid, falls under Harry’s assets, which the Feds have seized. The investigator is aware that you’re living here, and you have a little time to, ah, pack.”
    “My God.” She squeezed her little finger and glanced at her pal, who was frozen.
    “It’ll be okay,” Lucy murmured automatically.
    Harry cleared his throat. “Obviously, Parker, having these vultures pick over our belongings is not my choice. I’ll get everything back.”
    “Really,” she said faintly.
    “Eventually. I’m a little…constrained for the immediate future.”
    “A little constrained indeed,” Vernon said.
    That was one word for it. James rubbed his forehead. Wicked headache coming on.
    “So.” Parker shook her head. “About my trust fund, and Nicky’s. Don’t you need my signature to just…empty it? There must be something left.”
    Nope. There was nothing, and Harry had only needed James himself to file the paperwork. Poor planning on her part, that was for sure. At any time since her eighteenth birthday, she could’ve taken full control of that money. When her son was born, same deal.
    She never had.
    “Your signature wasn’t required,” Harry said. “Nor was your consent.”
    “Your consent was not required,” Vern said, nodding cheerfully. There was a crash and a curse from somewhere in the house.
    Parker took a deep breath “Wow, Harry. So it’s gone? That was a lot of money.”
    “Yes, Parker!” Harry barked. “I’m sorry to say you’ll have to make do for a while. Until I can recover some losses.”
    “How long will that take, do you think?”
    Again, Harry’s eyes sought out James.
    Shit again.
    “That’s undetermined right now,” James said. “Your father is being sentenced Monday morning.”
    Parker’s hand went to her mouth. “Oh, Dad.” Twice in one day. “Can I do anything?”
    “Like what, Parker?” he asked.
    “I—I don’t know.”
    “I’ll be fine. I have a great team.”
    “A great team!” Vernon agreed.
    Lucy got up from the window seat and went to Parker’s side. Took her hand. Good girl, James thought. Parker would be needing her friends, and so far as he could tell, Lucy here and the Paragon of Perfection otherwise known as Ethan Mirabelli were her closest. Or so it seemed from those dreaded family events he’d attended.
    “It’s really nothing,” Harry said. “I’m not even sure I’ll have to serve any real time.”
    James was sure. Oh, yeah. Harry was looking at somewhere around five years. His case wasn’t the clusterfuck that some Wall Streeters had been involved in of late, but it was a clear-cut case. And after Bernie Madoff and the Occupy movement, there wasn’t a judge in the country foolish enough to go easy on a case like this.
    “As I said, you’ll have to move,” Harry added. “I’m hoping you’ll take Apollo.”
    You know, James had to wonder sometimes what the hell was wrong with Harry. He loved the guy, yeah. But he was a pretty big idiot around his daughter. And yep, here it came.
    Parker’s voice hardened. “Take Apollo? You’re worried about your snake, Harry? How about your grandson? The one you robbed? Where should I take your grandson, Harry?”
    “I’m sure his father would take him.”
    “I’m not living away from my son!” she exclaimed. Her ears were burning red now.
    “You can both live with us, Parker,” Lucy said. “We’ll figure something out.”
    “No! Lucy, thank you. But no. Harry, Ethan and Lucy just got married. I’m not moving in with them! What about your apartment? You could sell that and—”
    “Parker,” James said as gently as he could. “The SEC has seized all your father’s assets. The apartment, this house, the place in Vermont…everything.”
    She glanced out the window. “There goes the Steinway. Holy crap.” She swallowed, then looked at James, her expression bleak. “When do I have to be