LONDON RAIN, Part 21

The initial shock of her question instantly wore off and was replaced by an unyielding tension. J.R. was ready for a fight.

"Where the hell did that come from," he angrily responded. "Thought you said he was off limits."

Sue Ellen didn't flinch. "Off limits to you, not me."

"Is that why you came here tonight? To protect his sorry ass?"

"You know it's not," she calmly replied. J.R. gave her a skeptical look, but she continued anyway. "Knowing you like I do, I had a feeling you wouldn't just turn the other cheek after he dropped that bombshell about the movie then hit you. Now tell me what you have planned for him."

"And if I don't?"

"Don't make me your enemy again, J.R."

"That may be unavoidable. I'm gonna do everything in my power to stop that movie from being seen, Sue Ellen. And that may spill over onto you."

Sue Ellen nodded. "Understood. But if I can stop the deal and get the film back, say in the next forty-eight hours?"

J.R. studied her for several moments, his merciless gaze startling her but she didn't shy away. Showing even a hint of weakness while negotiating with him would ruin any chance she had.

"Forty-eight hours is acceptable," he finally said. "But not a minute longer."

"Agreed. Now what else is there?"

J.R. admired her nerve. She had come a long way from the shy girl he had married so long ago. Yet he also realized if he told her his plans, the deal to acquire Lockwood's company might be in jeopardy. However, if he didn't tell her, she would be lost to him again. With that thought, no more debate was needed. She was much more important than any scheme to take Lockwood down.

"Okay," J.R. finally acquiesced. "Your brilliant husband took out a loan on Lockwood Entertainment for about a fifth of what it's worth. Now he's defaulted and the loan has been called in. I've made arrangements to assume the debt. The company will be mine in a day or two."

Sue Ellen blankly stared at him trying to comprehend the chain of events he had just given her so succinctly.

"I'll be damned," J.R. marveled, the look of confusion on her face making him realize she didn't know how far her husband had slipped. "You didn't know he was in trouble, did you?" Then he realized something equally as important. "That's why he was so upset tonight about being investigated. He didn't want you to find out."

"What the hell have you done to him, J.R.?" She angrily replied.

"Me?" The accusation caught him off guard. "I didn't do a damn thing!"

"Then how did you find out about the loan? Did you set him up? Because no banker would allow you to just assume the debt unless you were the one financing it."

"I don't give a damn about owning Lockwood Entertainment," J.R. coolly responded, now on the defensive. "Hell, up until this afternoon, I didn't give a damn about Lockwood. But not even I would use mob money to finance a deal."

Sue Ellen visibly paled, her gaze becoming distant as she mentally merged the pieces of both J.R.'s plan and Don's financial missteps into one cohesive, appalling realization. Don must have gone to his old school mate Jake Jackson for the loan. Jake ran a local book and she had always suspected he had ties to British organized crime.

"Don was right," she finally said, glaring back at J.R. "That rat detective of yours has been working on this longer than just the past few days, hasn't he?"

"No, Don is not right," J.R. echoed, irritated at Lockwood being mentioned in any kind of good light. "I didn't call Ratagan 'til after you and I met up at Harrods. He updated the file on Lockwood then."

"You have a file on him?" Sue Ellen was dismayed.

"I started one back when you were seein' him in Dallas," he casually replied.

"Why do you even bother, J.R.," she said wearily.

"Standard operatin' procedure, honey. You know that. Everyone who is even remotely a threat is investigated."

"Don is not a threat! He never was." She angrily answered back. "I can't believe this. You acted like you couldn't wait to get rid of me back in Dallas then I find out you were playing the jealous, jilted husband and had the man I turned to investigated. Now you've done it again! What's the point, J.R.?"

"What's the point?" J.R.'s tone was now deadly serious. "You are … and John Ross. If you're gonna live over here with Lockwood then I wanna know what he's up to." She looked away from him. "Sue Ellen, supposin' Lockwood had defaulted on his loan. What do you think would have happened when his creditors came callin' for repayment while he was off somewhere playin' Mister Big-Shot director? Don't you see how alone you and John Ross are in the city?"

"Damn it," Sue Ellen whispered, frightened by the fact that J.R. was right. She looked back at him, the anger in her eyes making them darker. "How much does he owe?"

"Half a million dollars."

Sue Ellen shook her head in disbelief, reacting as if she had been hit. It took her a moment to recover; the details about her husband just kept getting worse.

"You're right," she quietly replied after a moment. "That isn't a fifth of what it was worth when I turned the company over to him." She shook her head again. "He told me everything was under control."

The disappointment and uncertainty in her voice should have been a victory for J.R. It was anything but.

"Darlin'," he gently said. "I never meant for you to find out this way. I thought you knew."

"And I'm sure that makes the deal even sweeter for you," she snapped back.

"No," he quietly responded, stung by the contempt in her voice. "I never factored you into this deal."

"You go after my husband, you go after me," she said bitterly.

"Fine. We can play it that way." The contained fury in J.R.'s voice made it drop to an ominous level. "If you're gonna draw lines in the sand, then so be it. But damn it, Sue Ellen! Don't you realize what could have happened if I hadn't stumbled onto this? These people don't foreclose on your house or have your car towed away when you default. They make an example of you and strike back where it hurts the most. Besides Lockwood Entertainment, what is the one thing that means the most to your husband? If he's a smart man, it's you. And what means the most to you? John Ross. I'll be damned if I'll apologize for interferin'."

Tears welled up in Sue Ellen's eyes as the seriousness of the situation crashed down on her, along with her disappointment in Don.

"Call it fate or destiny," J.R. said, trying to gentle his tone. "But whatever it was that brought me to London, I'm grateful. I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn't found out."

Sue Ellen quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at J.R.

"Let me pay off the debt, J.R."

"Why? So you can give Lockwood back his company as a Christmas present?" The sarcastic tone dropped from his voice as quickly as it had appeared. "He is not gonna be rewarded for this fiasco."

The mockery in his voice didn't stop Sue Ellen. If anything, it made her more determined. All personal feelings stopped and her business acumen took over. Just like she had learned years ago from the man she now faced.

"If I reacquire Lockwood Entertainment then I'll be able to control him a whole hell of a lot better than you could if you just destroyed it outright. Besides, having a little leverage against him might be useful one day."

That sounded like a move out of his own playbook and it impressed J.R. "Damn, woman. Where'd you learn to play this game?"

"Where do you think? You gave me one hell of an education."

"Well, I'm impressed."

J.R. gazed at her for a moment, taking in every fine detail of her face. She was one exceptionally bright, beautiful lady who was completely in charge of her life now. And this previously unknown self-reliance and determination he was discovering in her turned him on as much as her touch ever did. If only he had known what an astute businesswoman she was, he would have brought her in on his business long ago. Or at least consulted with her. Damn, the pillow talk they could have had about the Cartel back in Dallas.

"I can't let you buy it outright," J.R. finally continued. "The deal has already been made. But go ahead and make arrangements to buy it back from me once I've acquired it."

He knew the best revenge would be turning the company back over to Sue Ellen. Lockwood wouldn't be able to control her – hell, he wasn't even sure if he could control her himself. But Lockwood would now be stuck wondering about his own destiny and who was controlling him.

"Under what terms?" Sue Ellen warily asked, expecting the worst but prepared for it.

"I'm payin' it off at one million dollars, just to make sure the debt is settled outright with no repercussions. So, factor in a twenty percent profit margin and we'll call it good."

The profit margin was outrageous and J.R. knew it. But once he said it, it seemed to break the tension between them. A faint trace of a smile showed in Sue Ellen's expression.

"Twenty percent," she replied, reluctantly amused at his audacity. "You basically just told me you deserve what equates to a finders fee and you want twenty percent. You'll get ten percent, which is the going rate."

"All right, then. It's a deal. I was gonna give it to you for five, but ten will do just fine." A flash of temper shot through Sue Ellen's eyes but J.R. headed her off. "Always start low when you're negotiatin', darlin'. Always start low."

Sue Ellen arched an eyebrow as she studied him. Rarely did J.R. shy away while being observed by a rival but he did then. No one had ever been able to see right through him the way she did.

He found he didn't mind, though. He actually enjoyed it.