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I sat forward in my chair and gripped the edge of the desk. “Wow. You really went there, huh? You sure you aren’t just worried someone might think you caught the gay from me?”
There was barely concealed anger behind his eyes. “We talked about this when you were younger. You knew what was expected of you, and you agreed. You married Brooke.” He leaned toward me, resting his elbows on the desktop and jabbed a finger in my direction. “Keep her happy. We lose her family connections, then you might as well kiss seventy percent of our business goodbye. You’re worried about me making the receptionist cry? Or not paying your little friend? Imagine devastating seventy percent of the staff when we have to lay them off.”
I cracked my knuckles, knowing he was right but hating every minute of it. “Don’t put all of that on my shoulders. It’s not my fault if you can’t hang on to clients without me marrying their daughters. My father wasn’t married for most of his career. He still managed to build this business into what it is.”
Harold slammed his fist down on the table. “I built this company into what it is by keeping your father out of those meetings! I’ve clawed it back from the brink of his disasters time and time again. He got to la-di-da around with his trailer trash girlfriends, while I did all the fucking work, fixing everything he broke! While he was telling you to marry for love, it was me arranging your marriage, making the connections you needed to take over for him. Now that it’s time for you to step up, you throw it back in my face?” He pushed to his feet, leaning heavily on the desk. “Every cent you’ve ever spent was thanks to me. That house you live in. That car you drive. I tolerated your miserable fucking father every day to get this company to where it is. But I won’t do that again with you. You’ll sign over your share, or you’ll fall in line and do as I say, Vaughn.”
I stood, mirroring his aggressive posture. I didn’t believe for a second there was no money. He was a con man through and through. Anger pulsed inside me, hot and violent. “I’ll fall in line? Or what, old man? What the hell are you going to do?”
His smile was one of a snake. He’d clearly already thought this through. “Does your friend out there have an alibi for your dad’s murder? The police chief and I play golf together regularly. Would be real easy for me to plant the idea Bart’s live-in surrogate son was fucking his pretty new fiancée. Seems like a good motive for murder if you ask me.”
Ice filled my veins. There was already evidence that pointed to Kian. He couldn’t afford any more.
Harold eyed me with a look that was stone-cold determination. “There’s more than one way for me to make sure you keep Brooke happy, Vaughn. And away from Miranda’s little ho of a daughter.”
The tentative hold on my anger snapped the moment he mentioned Rebel. In a heartbeat, chairs went skittering across the room, and I fisted my fingers in his shirt, hauling him up and against the wall. “You don’t know a thing about Rebel, so keep her name out of your fucking mouth.”
The door flew open behind me, but I barely noticed. I was too caught up in defending what was mine.
“Kian is the best man I know. He’s good and honest and so fucking kind he’d probably forgive you for the shit spewing from your mouth. If you knew anything about him, you’d see in a heartbeat he’s a better person than Brooke could ever hope to be, and yet you dismiss him, just because he’s a man? You hypocritical, homophobic piece of shit.” I drew one arm back, my fist shaking, just begging to be let loose.
“Do it,” Harold sneered. “Go on, Vaughn. You know you’ve always wanted to. Ever since you were a boy. I’m more than happy to have a potential assault charge to use as leverage to get you to do exactly what I want.”
Kian’s arms came around me from behind. One across my chest while the other untangled my fingers from Harold’s shirt.
“Let him go,” he said softly in my ear. “He’s right. This entire office is filled with witnesses, and they’re all staring. Let him go.”
I couldn’t. The rage had a grip on me I couldn’t release.
Kian only held me tighter. “Your dad wouldn’t have wanted this. Whatever is going on, we’ll work it out.”
I let go.
Harold chuckled, like he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. “See you soon, Vaughn. Get Brooke out here. We should set up a meeting with her parents. I’m sure they’d love to see their son-in-law now that he’s proudly taken the reins of the family business. We’ve all been waiting for this for a very long time.
“Get me out of here,” I murmured to Kian. “Before I do something I probably won’t regret.”
He herded me back through the office, scattering a small crowd of people who had gathered to watch the showdown with open mouths.
The elevator was already waiting, the doors binging open the moment Kian punched the button. He pushed me inside and waited for the doors to close.
And then his lips hit mine.
16
KARA
The ‘others’ had names.
Winnie. Vivienne. Georgia. Nova.
After days of being locked in a small room with them, I’d learned all sorts of things. Winnie liked country music and line dancing at her local bar. Georgia loved horses but couldn’t ride, because her family had never had the money for lessons. Vivienne was stunningly beautiful and came across like a stuck-up ice queen, but she was actually sweet and kind if you gave her a minute. And Nova had a self-deprecating humor that was funny, even in the situation we’d found ourselves.
They knew nothing about me though.
Because what was there to say? I was a stupid girl who’d thought she could take on a man like Caleb Black? I was ashamed of myself in so many ways. Landing myself in here was just another to add to the already long list of failures.
I shifted uncomfortably on the bed that had been brought in for me.