Page 19 of Double Down

"Why now?" I ask, though I think I know the answer.

"Because I said so.” He gives me a flat look.

I return it. It’s Maverick's father that ends up offering more, explaining as the silence stretches.

“We’re moving forward with expanding our empire into Europe. As a result, there are certain agencies that we’re falling scrutiny to. While we handle this, an opportunity has arisen that we can’t reject outright. Our presence is required overseas in multiple areas to build relationships. To put it bluntly, we’ll just be spread too thin to try to manage Savannah on top of everything else. This is your chance to prove you have what it takes to earn your birthright. Savannah is home. The crown jewel in the Titan empire."

I keep my face still, but my heart hammers, and sweat prickles down my spine.

“That is part of it,” my father nods. “The bigger part is the reports I have gotten from your babysitter. You four clearly have too much time on your hands. You need something more productive to do. Before you destroy the legacy that we’ve created.”

He wants to split us up, and he’s using Phoenix as an excuse.

Or maybe she put something in her little report I didn’t sign off on. She'll pay for that later.

I lift one hand and pick up a pen sitting in front of me. I need something to hold on to, because any time Phoenix enters the conversation, I’m ready to fly off the handle.

Not to mention the fact that our entire lives, we’ve been groomed to believe that the four of us will be running our empire…together.

We’ve always been…us. Friends. Brothers.

And then there’s Phoenix. I’ve only just gotten her back. Under my thumb. I have no intentions of letting her go any time soon.

But then again, Storm doesn’t plan on letting her go at all.

If our parents manage to split us up, where would Phoenix go?

Who would she choose?

She should choose me.

She owes me that much.

They can’t just separate us, damn it.

Because the truth is, I know she won’t choose me.

She’ll leave. Again.

The pen snaps in half, ink spraying across the surface of the table. Phoenix lets out an inaudible gasp and half-rises, but Atticus shakes his head at her. Reminding her to stay offscreen.

"We're a year from graduating," Maverick mutters, not even flinching at the ink and mess on my hands.

"And you've had more hands-on experience than most of your professors," my father replies. “I don’t expect you to fail, evenif you’re young and idiotic in your decisions outside of the business.”

Atticus speaks, voice calm. "What are the expectations?"

My father's gaze sharpens. "Profit. Control. Order."

Of course. It always comes back to control with him.

"You will increase net earnings by fifteen percent by the end of the quarter," he says. "Or you will all be cut off."

Atticus goes very still. Storm doesn't move.

I can't breathe. I knew the other shoe would drop; I didn't think he'd make the setup quite this blatant.

"And if we don't reach your…challenging benchmark?" I ask.