Page 7

SEVEN

Merritt stared out the side window as the plane banked around the mining camp before lining up for landing. If not for the bright-orange hard hats, she could almost imagine the scene below her as a refugee camp in the African mountains.

The makeshift office buildings and barracks made from shipping containers were so similar to what she’d seen in other parts of the world that she expected to see children darting out to watch the plane approach at any minute.

Too bad the only person stepping from the office was her stepbrother, Silas.

Even from her position flying above, his tension as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the plane screamed contentious. How had the two of them gotten to this?

They used to be friends. Best friends, really. Aside from her dad and her uncle Nolan, Silas had been her only supporter in their family .

The only one who truly saw her.

Leaving had been the best thing she could’ve done for herself, but she hadn’t realized how much it would change everything.

She slid her fingers along her necklace and closed her eyes. As silently as she could, she took a deep breath to calm herself before she had to engage yet another family member who’d rather she be anywhere but there.

Probably preferably six feet under.

The tires jolted on the ground, snapping her eyes open and her shield up. She hated the icy cold that settled in her gut. Hated how it twisted her into someone she didn’t recognize. But she didn’t know who she could trust, especially in her family.

“Thank you for flying Rebel Air.” Tiikaan’s cheeky voice came through the headset, startling a huff of laughter out of her. “Your captain asks that you remain in your seat with your seat belt on until we come to a complete stop.”

He turned to her and winked. She rolled her eyes, but warmth melted the ice in her gut. She shouldn’t allow it to, but something about him made her comfortable.

“We hope you’ll enjoy your stay in…” He pretended to look around confused before continuing. “The middle of nowhere Alaska.”

“Thanks, Mr. Rebel.”

“Um… I didn’t know my dad was here.” He glanced into the back seat.

Did he not take anything seriously?

“It’s Tiikaan or Rebel, but definitely not Mister, remember?” He shook his head as he pulled the plane into the designated spot.

“Thanks, Tiikaan.” He nodded at her emphasis of his name. “Why don’t you follow me to my office so I can put my things down, then I’ll give you a tour. Unfortunately, I’m afraid you’re going to be a little bored.”

He shrugged off her comment, though a muscle ticked in his cheek like he was gritting his teeth. “I brought a book.”

And now she wanted to know what kind of books this provocative man read. Was it all classics like Hawthorne’s Tangled Tales ? Whatever it was, it probably had a lot of adventure. He didn’t seem like a man who would do anything tame.

Her stepbrother’s form stomping toward the airstrip forced her to refocus on why she was there––saving her father’s legacy and unraveling the mystery of his last message.

Even if she just wanted to tell Tiikaan to fire up the engine and take her anywhere but the Alaskan Brooks Range.

Her phone chimed the text and email sounds almost one right after the other, and she wished the mine site didn’t have such good Wi-Fi. She glanced at her screen, smiling at the text that came in from her uncle Nolan, the company’s chief operating officer.

Nolan: Remember to tell Greg in safety that he still owes me a beer next time I’m up there and that he needs to pick a better team to back.

The corners of her mouth twitched as she responded.

“Merritt,” Silas hollered as he got close .

Why couldn’t all her family be as easy to get along with as Nolan?

Her hands shook as she shoved the phone back in her purse, and she clenched them to hide the trembling that coursed through her. To stuff down the need that filled her to let her dad’s dynasty crumble. But she’d never been able to let her dad down, even in death.

“Morning, Silas.” See, she could be friendly.

“Did you get the latest request for funds I sent over? We’re falling behind schedule because you and Rachel keep stonewalling me at every turn. It’s almost like you want this mine to fail, despite it being Dad’s dream.”

Well, good morning to you too, brother.

Merritt barely refrained from rolling her eyes and stepped around him toward the offices. In truth, part of what Silas said might be true. Between her grief and trying to figure out if his death was the accident it appeared to be, she couldn’t conjure up any excitement for her dad’s last venture.

Rachel was a nightmare to work with, and Merritt still hadn’t gotten a grasp on everything that had to happen to keep the mine moving forward. Not that Silas had been much help with that.

“I’m still getting up to speed, Silas.” She turned to him as he stepped up beside her and matched her pace. “But some of these cost projections seem off, and there are concerning gaps in the environmental impact report. I need full transparency before releasing more company funds.”

He clenched his jaw, looked off to the side, and angrily mumbled something too quiet for her to hear. Heat filled her chest. Now she knew how her dad had felt when Silas would get in trouble in high school and he’d do the exact same thing.

Annoyed and apprehensive.

Though probably the last was just her. She couldn’t imagine her dad anxious about much. She needed to get over that quickly if she had any chance of finding out the truth.

“Silas, I need you to level with me. These numbers aren’t adding up, and there are gaps in the environmental reports. What’s going on with this mine?”

“You’ve been gone for years, Merritt. Things have changed. I’ve been the one here, making sure this mine gets up and running. It’s not my fault if you can’t keep up.”

Merritt bit back the sharp retort as she stopped, placed a hand on Silas’ arm, and prayed he’d get over himself enough to help her out.

“I know I’ve been away, but I’m here now.” She softened her voice, hoping he couldn’t hear the hurt she couldn’t push down. “We used to be a team, Silas. Can’t we work together on this? For Dad’s sake?”

“For Dad’s sake?” Silas scoffed, his resentment and bitterness clear. “That’s rich, coming from you. You think you can just waltz back in and take over, no questions asked? I’ve been the one living up to Dad’s impossible standards while you were off playing hero.”

Merritt bristled.

“You think this is easy for me?” She took a breath so she wouldn’t yell. “I’m doing the best I can, Silas. I didn’t ask for this, but I’m here now. I need your support, not your attitude.”

“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Silas muttered under his breath as he charged ahead of her.

“Do you think it’s what I want to be doing? You haven’t had to uproot your life. I have. Me. So a little understanding and patience from you would be appreciated.”

“Patience?” Silas paced away, then spun back.

“Do you know how many years I’ve worked under Dad, bending to his will, learning how he expects the business to run to have all that ripped from me and given to you? Do you know what it was like feeling like everything I did fell short of his expectations when you could do nothing wrong?”

“Silas, I didn’t?—”

“So excuse me if my patience is thin for the one person who wanted nothing to do with the family legacy that gave her the ability to do whatever she wanted.”

For a second, Silas’ face fell before he stiffened and stomped off with a quick, jerky step without a look back at her. She stared after him. Was there any way she could repair their relationship? Could she trust him enough to?

“You okay?” Tiikaan’s soft question startled her.

“Yeah.” She forced her shoulders back and nodded toward the office. “Let’s get you that tour.”

And get her heart rate settled. If all her days started out with bears and growly brothers, she wasn’t sure she’d survive long enough to find out the truth about her father.