Page 13 of Just a Plot Twist (Tate Brothers #7)

“When she graduated a few years back, he asked me to hire her.” Thomas chews on his bottom lip.

“I told him no. We already had a robust investment broker department, so we didn’t have any openings.

But I said once she had some experience, I’d see what I could do.

I—” He sighs and massages his forehead. “I should have just hired her. Except, I’d had a series of bad hires when I brought someone on as a favor, and it turned out badly.

I swore I’d never do that again. That if people wanted to come onboard, they needed to do it the old-fashioned way.

No more favors.” His bottom jaw slides from one side to another. “But I should have done it for Peter.”

“Did he react poorly to you not hiring his daughter?” I don’t like where this is heading, and I can’t get the image of Thomas’s relaxed, almost happy state earlier. I hate ruining that.

“Not outright, but I could tell he was bothered. I should have explained my reasoning better. I thought he understood.”

“But he’s never mentioned wanting to start his own company?”

He shakes his head. “No. Never. And if he did, it would be a breach of contract. There’s a non-compete clause. I made you sign it, too.” He grunts. “Could this just be his daughter branching out on her own? Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with Peter?”

“That would be best case. But why would the land deal be in Peter’s name?” I don’t want to believe that Peter was doing anything underhanded, but there are too many signs to ignore.

And frankly, it makes me mad. If Peter is doing this, it’s a betrayal of my father and the trust he’s put in him all these years.

“Worse case would be he’s using his daughter’s name and they’re starting a company together.

I mean, why hasn’t he told me?” He tenses his jaw.

“His daughter starting her own finance company is a big deal. He’d be proud of her, unless he’s going into business with her.

” Thomas’s voice is starting to grate. “Then he’d want to keep it quiet. ”

In the beginning, when Thomas and I first met, things were tense. I’d just gotten the divorce papers from Danica. Both my parents were gone. My birth mother, Ellen, was gone. It was rough. I didn’t have anyone, so I showed up like a scared and angry kid.

I’m embarrassed about it, being so emotional and so hurt when Thomas questioned the paternity and my motives for finding him. I wasn’t in a good place back then.

We’ve both apologized for our actions—no hard feelings anymore. But now, Thomas’s face is hard, and it reminds me of the old days when I first introduced myself as his long-lost, unknown son.

Ghosts from the past—that’s what this is. And I don’t like it.

“Something’s been off with Peter for months.

” Thomas hesitates, shooting a glance out his office window to a view of the Central Business District.

“But I kept chalking it up to my need to control.” He stands from his chair and undoes the top button of his oxford shirt.

“I kept telling myself it was just because it’s hard to relinquish the company to others. It’s hard to retire.”

When Thomas doesn’t say more, I nod so he’ll continue.

“We have to operate from a place of this being true, that Peter really is striking out on his own behind my back.” Thomas searches my eyes and then blinks. “Show me what you found.”

With a pit in my stomach, I pull up the evidence on my laptop. Thomas glances over it with a grim face.

“Is there anything you’d like me to do with this right now from an IT standpoint? Do you want me to close his access to certain things? Or should we wait?”

Thomas’s mouth forms a hard line. “I wish we could take care of this immediately, but we can’t be too hasty. If I start asking him questions, things could go south quickly.” He scratches the top of his head. “If I just fire him, I’m in breach of contract if I don’t have enough proof, right?”

“I would consult with your legal counsel on this before you say anything to Peter.”

“Right. I agree. But…are you sure about all this?” He leans forward, his palms splayed on the desk, his shoulders rounded.

“No,” I admit. “Maybe he’s simply helping his daughter and he has no intention of leaving Foundations. But it’s suspicious. And I’d hate for it to go on longer than necessary. It wouldn’t be unheard of for him to try to poach from your clientele lists. You know, casually under the table.”

Thomas frowns. “He’s…more of a people person than I am.” He glances at me before returning his gaze to his desk. “Some of our clients will want to move over with him. He can be persuasive. ”

“Nobody’s more persuasive than you.” I mean it as a compliment, and I say it with a smile, but he looks at me with pain in his countenance.

“I don’t know what I am anymore,” he mutters.

He lets out a slow breath, studying the maze of streets out the window.

“It’s probably a good thing I’m retiring.

” He rubs his eyes, one swift movement, before he straightens his back.

“I can’t stomach the idea of getting involved in trying to wheedle it out of him.

No, I’ll keep my distance.” His eyes narrow and he twists his lips to one side.

“I need you to keep an eye on this, Benson. Please.”

“Of course.” I care about him and the success of Foundations. A sudden, unexpected protectiveness and loyalty come over me. If his friend is readying to leave without warning, taking client lists with him, I’ll go to battle.

He stands but continues talking. “It’s against the non-compete clause he signed. He’s in breach of contract if he’s doing this.” Thomas looks as though he’s trying to convince himself, trying to justify his actions.

“If your instincts are telling you it isn’t right…”

“Exactly. No use getting all upset by it. I just have to act. I have to figure out who I can trust around here.”

“That’s…important, for sure.”

“The closer I get to full retirement, the more convinced I am that I need to pass this along to someone I trust, not someone I’m trying to trust.”

I nod and shoot out a breath. Whether it was his fault or not, he’s about to leave his company without a rock-solid leader in place. I don’t blame him for being anxious about it.

“I’ll talk to chief legal,” he says. He walks slowly to the door and rests his hand on the doorknob. “For now, I need you to go to Longdale and get some county records. I need to know exactly whose name is on them as the purchaser.”

“I could call and have them sent digitally? That might be faster.”

His mouth turns down. “I don’t want a digital trail quite yet.

Besides, Longdale doesn’t send out lists like that.

You’ll need all the land purchases in the last year.

It’s something you’ll have to search their database for.

It’s public record, but it might take a while to sift through.

And please don’t mention this to anyone else at Foundations, or your brothers. ”

Alright then, looks like I’m making a trip to Longdale today.

I nod.

“But you should stop in at Tate International.”

“Will do. I can’t stay long, though. I’m dog sitting right now, so I have to run home and let her out around midday.”

Thomas’s lips twitch. “Dog sitting?”

“It wasn’t my idea.”

“I bet Indie and Dax like that, though, right?”

A sort of grandfatherly pride crosses Thomas’s features at the mention of my kids. It surprises me and makes me miss my dad, Joe, even more because it was on his face all the time before he died.

But the pride on Thomas’s face now?

Wonders never cease.