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I steeled my nerves, hardening my face as I stared across the table at Tyson. How was it possible that just ten short years ago I’d been smitten with this black hole of a human being? The thought was revolting.

But he’d been different then. Not perfect, by any means, but not…this. The venom I’d seen only glimpses of when we were together had clearly spread like a fungus within him, turning Jekyll into Hyde.

“If we’re going to play this game,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest, “who—besides me—do you think might have sent you this article?”

“Someone in my inner circle,” he said darkly.

“What makes you think that?”

“This address is private. Only people close to me would know it.”

I raised my brows, turning on the sarcasm. “Like me?”

“You’re a ‘discovery agent,’ right? I think we both know you could easily have discovered it.”

“As could any number of other people. Not to mention anyone that works here or has seen you come and go,” I added.

“So, you’ll need to narrow down the list.”

I swallowed the acid in my throat. It was true that he could ruin my life with a lot less self-sabotage than would be necessary for me to ruin his.

If I was really going to stay here—which I would decide once I had a moment to parse out whether his threat held water—I needed to blunt the sharp edges between us before this turned into a bloodbath.

“Let’s start over,” I said, composing myself. “You mentioned your inner circle. Is there anyone you’re close to that you suspect could mean you harm?”

“All of them.”

I refrained from pointing out that if he treated them anything like the way he was treating me right now, he deserved it. “I’m gonna need more than that.”

He took a slurp of his green drink. “The board wants to take the company public, and I won’t let them.”

“Anyone specific, or the board in general?”

“Most of them are too scared to cross me. They saw what happened last time someone did that.”

“Which was?”

“Suffice it to say his career is over.”

I narrowed my eyes, wishing he’d allowed me a pen and paper. “Could he be the one behind this?”

Tyson shook his head. “He’s dead.”

I gaped at him.

“Not my fault he decided to off himself,” he muttered.

“Jesus, Tyson.” His cruelty was one thing, but this level of antipathy was something else entirely. “So, who is most adamant you take the company public?”

“That conversation is tabled,” he said. “Now it’s about bringing in additional investors. I don’t have any interest in diluting my shares further, but Allison needs the money.”

“Why?”

“She made a bad investment and now she owes the bank eighty million. She’s getting desperate. She already sold her house in Aspen. Lately she’s been trying to talk me into buying her out or allowing her to sell some of her shares to an investor. Like I’m responsible for her bad decisions.”

I swallowed my impulse to comment on Tyson’s blatant insensitivity. “So, you think she could be planning to blackmail you to get money out of you?”

He shrugged.

“Okay,” I said evenly. “Who else?”

“My brother hates me.”

I tilted my head. “Why?”

“He thinks I don’t respect him.”

“Do you?”

“No.”

“But would he send you this article, specifically?” I asked, tapping the letter. “It doesn’t seem likely. Have you talked to him about it?”

“No.”

“We should—”

“No,” he said firmly. “If it’s him, I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.”

“Okay,” I said, furrowing my brow. “Anyone else you think it could be?”

“It could be his girlfriend, or my wife, or her best friend.”

I was beginning to see a pattern. “They hate you as well?” I asked.

“Samira gets nothing from me unless we’re married three years. I made my expectations clear before we married and she was fine with it in the beginning, but lately she’s started…acting out.”

I didn’t blame her. “How long have you been married?”

“Fourteen months.”

I evaluated him. “If they all hate you so much—and I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you hate them too—why are you all on vacation together?”

“We’re not on vacation, we’re here to open a De-Sal center.

St.Barth’s is a territory of France, and we’ve had a hard time breaking into the E.U.

with all their environmental regulations.

If this works, we’ll be in France by next year, and the rest of the E.U.

will follow suit. If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to revisit taking the company public or bringing on investors, which, like I said, I don’t want to do. ”

“But Allison does.”

He nodded.

“Again, why are all these people you hate staying in your house?” I pressed.

“Security reasons.”

Frustration prickled beneath my skin. “Is there a security threat?”

He pointed his eyes at the letter.

“So, you gathered everyone you suspect might be out to get you here, in your home?” I pressed.

“The house is gated and free of outside listening or viewing devices, my staff is vetted, my Wi-Fi is secure, and I can keep an eye on everyone with the cameras hidden in all public areas of the house. So yes. It is best that they, and you, stay here.”

“I’ll need access to those cameras.”

“I’ll arrange it. Anything else you need, ask Laurent.”

“Does he know about the clipping?” I asked, tapping the envelope.

“No. And I trust you won’t tell him, or anyone else.”

I nodded. “What does he know?”

“That you’re a former friend, here to help me solve a personal problem.”

“You trust him?” I asked. As paranoid as Tyson obviously was, his apparent faith in Laurent seemed inconsistent.

He smiled faintly. “I know enough of his secrets that I feel confident he won’t risk crossing me.”

So Laurent had secrets too. Fascinating.

“Anything else you think I should know?” I asked.

“The developers who own the land that overlooks the site of the future De-Sal center are trying to tank it. They bought the land before the De-Sal project was announced and believe they won’t recoup their expense because the center will mar the view.”

I nodded. “Lemme guess, they hate you too.”

“Yes.” Tyson’s watch buzzed and he rose, gesturing to the door. “That’s all the time I have.”

I stood, kicking myself for being na?ve enough to think his reasons for inviting me down here were benign.

But I was no pushover, I thought as I stepped into the sunlight, gathering my bag from where I’d left it beside the door. He might have the upper hand right now, but only because his accusation and threats had caught me off guard. I just needed a moment to recalibrate.

My head spun as I trudged up the stairs. Did he truly think I’d sent that article to him? Was this even really about the article?

If this were an actual job, I would walk. There simply wasn’t enough to go on, other than Tyson’s paranoia about who hated him and why, which might very well have no tie to reality. It certainly didn’t where I was concerned.

Regardless, it was in my best interest to stay on his good side, and if someone really was blackmailing him, it concerned me as well. As much as I hated it, our fates were intertwined.