Page 115 of Rio

“Was it such a bad thing?”Dani asks, tentatively, “Being out there with him?”

“It was wonderful, how we slowly, came together, but when we got back, that’s when I knew he was special.”

“Special?”Dani lifts a brow.

I shrug.“I don’t know.Sometimes when we’re together, since we got back from Belize, Rio and I … we’ve had such amazing weekends.

Being away from the case and the Eco resort.Forgetting that we’re on opposing sites.It’s been the best thing I’ve ever had.”

She nods.“That’s what it’s like, with these boys.When I said to you they’re lucky to have us, I meant it.I think it also brings out the best in them.”

Chapter 37

RIO

Dex and I have been working nonstop.

I didn’t want to get the others involved, not when this is going to piss the old man off bigtime.I don’t want him going after them the way he went after me, though after this, hopefully it will make him pause and think.If he’s capable of such things.

Dani’s been staying with Raquel and I’ve been hearing updates through Dex.Little slivers of information of how she’s holding up.

I’m still so cut up about her being fired.That news devastated me.I know how deep that must hurt.And just as bad, EcoGuardians, the people she genuinely respected, feel let down by her.I know how much they meant to her, and how much she meant to them.

It fucking sucks, all of it.What sucks most of all is how much damage the old man causes for the sake of propping up his own ego.He doesn’t care about anyone but himself, and he’d burn down someone’s life so he could stand taller in the ashes of theirs.

Just so he can convince himself that we’re all still dancing in the palm of his hand.

Well.Screw him.

I’ve called a board meeting, something that’s never happened before, not for something like this.Maximum public stakes.Irreversible fallout.A corporate reckoning.Dex and I rehearsed it over and over again until every step, every word is firm in my muscle memory, but still, the weight of what I’m about to do weighs heavily.

You don’t expose the old man and forget about it.But that’s the only way I can think of to turn this around.Funny how life shifts.Not long ago, it was me and my brothers fighting alongside Dex, to help Dani’s father.

Now it’s me and Dex fighting to help Raquel.

This seems like the perfect opportunity to expose the old man for what he is.Up until now we’ve never done anything like this, but he seems to be getting worse.He’s becoming more emboldened.Dude thinks he can manipulate us and bend us to his will.

He issued veiled threats and quiet warnings.Wanted me to turn a blind eye and shut the hell up.I can’t do that.This Eco resort isn’t just some glossy PR stunt.It’s a lie.A front for environmental crimes and, worse than that, it was the catalyst to bring down the woman I love.

Tomas has been helping me from the ground in Belize.He’s being brave, putting himself in danger, and I appreciate all he’s doing.

He’s tracked down internal emails, real evidence, showing that the old man ordered the falsified data.There are memos going back over a year, proving that Delport orchestrated an intentional cover-up.

We have documents detailing first-hand proof that directly contradicts the reports Raquel submitted.

She didn’t fail.She was set up and I have everything I need to expose the old man and I plan to do it publicly—not over some torturous Knight family dinner where we smile through gritted teeth and try to force the food down.

This one gets resolved in a board meeting.The proper way.

Vilma reached out to me, via Tomas.She warned me that she was taking a big personal risk, but when she heard about Raquel, she was upset.She told me, “You didn’t get this from me.I’m not doing this for you—I’m doing it for her.Raquel deserves better than silence.And if I lose my job over this, so be it.”

She said she still believes in EcoGuardians, but Raquel didn’t fail the NGO, they failed her.To keep her safe, I’ve asked her to act as a technical reviewer.That’s all.I’ve asked her to verify environmental inconsistencies in the data that the old man via the third-party, submitted.

She’s risking her job and reputation to do what’s right.Just like Raquel did.

Now I’m going to defend Raquel in front of the entire board.I can’t legally stream the board meeting live, because its a private and confidential, but I need to show Raquel that I did it.I stood up for her, and I stood up to the old man.

Dani’s been working to bring Raquel to New York, to meet Cari.To have a change of scenery.Dani’s arranged it so that the girls have a relaxing evening in, with wine and cheese and whatever the heck they want.