Free The Black Sheep and the Princess by Donna Kauffman Page B

Except Finn had been rebelling against his father, his own wealth, and his defacto place in the world, pretty much, it seemed, since birth. He’d intentionally aligned himself with the camp outcasts and all but dared anyone to challenge his choice in friends. In fact, he had challenged them, and their preconceived notions, all the time.
    Kate had secretly admired, even coveted, his rebellious nature. But it wasn’t Finn’s gleaming perfection that had caught her eye, or fueled her midnight fantasies. The source of every single one of those had been Donovan.
    â€œSo if Finn spent years tearing down his father’s empire while you were chasing bad guys and Rafe was doing God knows what, when did you start this joint venture?”
    â€œAbout eighteen months ago. Once Finn had everything set and control over his own destiny, so to speak, he brought us in.”
    â€œDoing what, exactly?”
    There was a pause. Then he said, “Helping people.”
    She glanced at him. “In what capacity, exactly?”
    â€œIn whatever capacity they need us. I’m all for justice and the American way; it’s part of why I became a cop. I’m proof positive you can make anything out of yourself if you want it badly enough. This is the land of opportunity. Only, some folks don’t always get a fair shake. Either because they can’t help themselves, or because the system fails them, which it often does. Having been on the inside of it, it’s an understaffed, underpaid, overworked system, which, frankly, works far better than it should given the circumstances it operates under. I credit that to the human spirit of those involved. But there are insurmountable obstacles, both within and without. We…overcome those obstacles for people who otherwise can’t do so on their own.”
    â€œAnd how do they pay you for these…services you provide them?”
    â€œThey don’t.”
    â€œFinn ended up with that much?”
    Donovan smiled. “Let’s just say it was more than enough seed money to start a global chain of your camps. In our case, we rather enjoy spending all of Harrison’s ill-gotten gains helping people. And Finn’s smart about money. He knows how to make money with money. Without stepping on anyone to do it.”
    She glanced at him. “So, I’m one of your charity cases, then? Although I suppose the irony of you having to rescue me is somewhat satisfying, I’m still having a hard time with—”
    â€œIt’s not charity,” he said, cutting her off abruptly. “We fix things that need fixing. Things that shouldn’t have gone wrong in the first place. People benefit, yes, but they’re far from charity cases. They’re victims in need of a little extra help. When the system doesn’t work, or simply can’t work, we do. All three of us spent a lot of time trying to work it from the other side. Now we work it from our side.”
    She sat back a little, surprised by the vehemence of his response. “Okay. So it’s a noble endeavor. I still don’t see where I rate your assistance. Even you admit you still thought I was living the high life, perhaps just dabbling in this little camp venture. Surely there are other, far more pressing cases out there.”
    â€œThere always are. More than we can do anything about. But we’re not a charity. We don’t advertise. We’re not Make-A-Wish. And it’s definitely not about being noble. If anything, it’s a purely selfish endeavor.”
    â€œYou help people out of jams and don’t charge them. How is that selfish?”
    â€œWe pick and choose who we help. Our reasons are our own. Sometimes because it’s the right thing to do, and sometimes because it feels good to stick it to someone who needs to be stuck.” He tensed his shoulders, then flattened them out, as if purposefully trying to control his temper. And she was reminded