Page 31

Rhys

T he next day, Scott navigates the late-morning traffic as I gaze out the window. My mind is miles away, locked in a different kind of motion. My stomach is full from my two breakfast meetings, and I have a full schedule for the day ahead, but mostly, I occupy myself with missing Jade. I wonder what she’s doing, how her commission is coming along. I miss being able to talk to her.

When we reach the office, Mackenzie intercepts me as soon as I step into the lobby. “Morning, Rhys,” she greets briskly. “You’ve got a message waiting that you may want to address right away.”

I nod, her anxious demeanor telling me all I need to know. Another voicemail from Justin has landed in my inbox. “Thank you. I’ll check it once I’m upstairs.”

We stride side by side toward the elevators, the quiet ding announcing our ascent before the doors close us off from the rest of the world.

“Crystal is for sure not making it to the Montana retreat,” I tell Mackenzie. “She mentioned that when I talked to her yesterday, and I wanted to pass it along for your planning.”

Mackenzie nods. “Okay. We need to get her parents’ address. The meals we sent couldn’t be delivered to the address I had on file.”

My brow furrows. Huh. “Okay, you can probably just email her, right?”

Mackenzie nods, tapping a note into her phone without missing a beat. “I’ll start there for sure. Your first meeting is with HR at eleven twenty—bonus plan review.”

“Thanks, Mackenzie,” I say, grateful for her efficiency.

The elevator stops at our floor, and I head down the hall to my office. Behind my desk, I power up my laptop and let out a deep breath, bracing myself for whatever Justin has to say this time.

When the program comes up, I hesitate only a moment before I open the voicemail file.

“Hey, Rhys. I talked to Crystal today.” Justin’s voice crackles with urgency, and I lean closer, straining to catch his message over the bluster that whips around him. I’m getting every other word. He says something about Crystal and his shares. And how he left to protect us, nothing new, just harder to understand with the wind tunnel he seems to be in.

“Please watch your back. You can’t trust anyone,” he adds. “I know it’s hard, but Mason, Austin, and Theo are involved in this mess. I know it.”

His warning sends a jolt through me. This again?

“Thanks for everything, and please watch your back,” he concludes. “I can’t wait for this to be over so we can have a beer.”

With that, the message ends, and I feel numb. He talked to Crystal? He makes it sound like they’ve just been having casual chats. She didn’t say anything about that. Why not? And do I trust Theo and Austin? Yes. At least, I think I do. But Justin’s warning is a thorn in my mind, pricking every memory, every conversation. If he’s wrong, I risk alienating my closest allies. But if he’s right… Someone did put out a contract on my life. Who’s to say they won’t do it again?

My mind races, trying to parse his meaning. Why won’t he tell me what’s really going on?

I’ve learned the hard way that things aren’t always what they seem, so this time I don’t even have to debate before I video call Theo and Austin.

“I got another voicemail from Justin,” I tell them once we’re all on the screen.

“Listen to this,” I say, pressing play. Justin’s voice fills my office, the wind howling its secret chorus behind his words.

When the message ends, confusion etches Theo’s brow, and Austin’s face tightens, his lips thinning. “Why does he say that? Why would he think Theo and I are involved?” Austin’s voice is edged with hurt.

Theo shakes his head. “What have we done to be labeled untrustworthy?”

I let out a slow breath, choosing my words carefully. “When I was still in Colorado, Jade shared some stuff with me about her family, and I wonder if it applies here. Her father thrives on creating discord, setting brothers and sisters against each other to see who survives the chaos. Maybe someone is just trying to stir the pot, turn us against each other.”

“How very Lord of the Flies,” Theo murmurs with a wry twist of his mouth, but his playful facade fades quickly. “By dividing us, we’re easier to conquer.”

My attention is pulled away as Mackenzie appears at the doorway, her presence a silent reminder that we’re on the clock. With a glance back at Theo and Austin, I resolve to make plans. “We need to unpack this in Montana,” I say. “But for now, I gotta go.”

As they log off the call, I forward the message to Jim and Mason. I won’t let my worry keep me from seeking the help I know I need. We can’t turn on each other. Still, the echo of Justin’s warning weighs heavy. I trust Austin, Mason, and Theo. What have they done to abuse Justin’s trust? What is he really trying to do?

Mackenzie opens my door, and Deborah Cox from HR steps in behind her. Today’s topic is bonus review, I remind myself. We make polite conversation while her computer connects to the smartboard on the wall, and then she outlines her various recommendations. I’m not really paying attention. My mind wanders back to the voicemail. With all that wind in the background, where could he be?

The soft click of Deborah’s laptop closing snaps me back to the present, and I manage to catch the tail end of her presentation. She and Jeannie have crunched the figures, and our financials are solid enough to reward the team.

“Sounds like you’ve done an impressive job,” I tell her, offering a smile. “Let’s go ahead with the bonuses.”

“Thank you.” Her voice carries a bright efficiency. “The manufacturing group will be especially pleased. It could double their salaries.”

“Good,” I reply, still feeling distracted. “That’s good.” Their hard work deserves recognition, and it’s important to keep morale high, especially now.

Deborah packs up, her movements brisk and purposeful. The door closes behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts until Mackenzie again appears.

“Your meeting with the sales team has been pushed to the end of the day,” she informs me. I can tell by her tone she’s aware it’s not ideal.

“Mason?” I ask, my brow furrowing.

“Yep. He wants to talk before you leave for Montana.”

“All right, that’s fine.” My brain feels like it’s moving through molasses. “Thanks, Mackenzie.”

She nods, steps out, and moments later my phone rings.

I press the speaker button, bracing myself as Mason’s voice fills the room. “What would make Justin mistrust Austin, Theo, and me?”

“I’m not sure,” I say. “But I don’t believe it.” I sigh. “There was a lot of wind noise blowing into his receiver during the recording. Maybe that will help pinpoint his location? We can dive into it when we’re in Montana.”

“Maybe…” He’s quiet a moment. “Crystal is working the board.”

“About what?” I ask.

“She got an earful from Stan and is upset that Jeannie has us moving to another sodium-ion provider.”

“What? That doesn’t make any sense. I talked to her after it happened, and she led me to believe she understood why we were proceeding as we did…” Maloney Chemical’s actions weren’t just reckless, they were calculated. How can Crystal defend him? “But Stan wasn’t out of the restaurant thirty minutes before she called.”

“Stan got to Crystal somehow,” he grumbles. “And now she’s using her time to defend Maloney Chemical. Can you believe it? With everything she’s dealing with...”

“Her mother’s health should be her focus” I respond. Stan’s manipulation feels like a low blow, even for him.

“Exactly,” Mason snaps. “We need to hash this out. The board is grumbling about needing to let Jeannie go.”

I sigh. “Without Jeannie, we’d never have gotten that refund—several million dollars. We’ll do our best to explain it all for them, but their role is only to advise. She’s not going anywhere.”

I end the call with a plan forming. There’s no way I want to work with Maloney again.

The rest of the day is a montage of meetings and briefings, Mackenzie orchestrating the comings and goings like a maestro.

Finally, the sun dips low, and I begin to pack up for the retreat ahead. It’s then that my phone catches my eye, its screen littered with notifications I’ve neglected. Among them, Teagan’s name stands out, a missed call glaring at me.

“Damn,” I mutter. It’s her birthday, I realize. How could I have forgotten?

Shaking my head, I tap the voicemail icon and listen to her voice, tinged with disappointment. I owe her more than just a belated birthday wish. I look at the dark sky and determine to make it up to her somehow.

I send her a birthday text minutes before midnight in Kansas City, apologizing for being a self-centered moron and promise that I’ll call soon.

Right now, though, I’m crispy fried, and I need to get some sleep before we’re all together nonstop for a week.

Montana isn’t just a retreat. It’s a proving ground. Crystal’s absence, Stan’s schemes, Justin’s warnings—they’ll all collide there. And when they do, I’ll need to discern who’s with me and who’s against me.