Shane wraps his arm around my waist and turns me to him, resting his head on my belly, his torment over his brother’s pain palpable. My hand comes down on his hair, and I lean over and into him. And for long minutes, we just hold on to each other. We just hold on, a silent promise between us to never let go.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SHANE
Emily and I try to convince Derek to join us for dinner, but he declines, leaving us both weighted down with worry for him, but I am comforted by the knowledge that Nick has a man watching over him. And knowing through that contact that Derek hits the gym and orders takeout before staying in for the night is enough to allow Emily and me the ability to enjoy our evening together. We order room service. We talk through her plans for the fashion and beauty line, which are both thoughtful and smart. We make love more than once, and I can’t help but hold her just a little too tightly when we head to bed.
We wake early, with the knowledge that Seth has just landed in Germany, and head out for a chilly run. By the time we’ve done five miles, the day has turned warm, and we stop in a coffee shop we’ve come to enjoy, settling into a couple of leather chairs in a corner.
“He’s still on your mind,” Emily says, and sips her coffee.
“He could be a lot of people right about now. My father. Derek. Adrian. Mike. Ramon.”
“All of them, I’m sure,” she says. “But Derek is who I was talking about.”
I think back to my many recent exchanges with Derek. “I gave him a gun yesterday and he pulled it on me.”
Her eyes go wide. “What? Oh my God.”
“I didn’t load it and he put it down without firing. The point is, it showed me how erratic his behavior can be. I need him stable and strong to get through these negotiations.”
“And you don’t think he can be that person?”
“Do you?”
“He’s changing. I can see that, but that’s hard to do with a dying father and the love of your life leaving you. Maybe you should send him to Germany to be with your family. It gets him out of the picture for a while.”
“I wish I could, but looking united in this Mike Rogers deal could be win or lose.”
“Your father has cancer. It seems reasonable Derek would be with him, since you have to run the company.”
“But when he’s there, what happens when my father starts talking in his head again? What happens when he turns Derek against him or this deal?”
“But Seth is getting your father to sign off on your plans.”
“That doesn’t mean Derek couldn’t go to Mike and work against me.”
“Right,” she says as we stand and head for the door, both of us falling into deep thought as we walk home, me about the execution of my plans, and, it appears, she’s still focused on Derek. “Well,” she says after five minutes of walking, as if we’re still in the middle of our prior conversation, “we just need to keep Derek close to us. If he’s close to us, we can control him. Nothing can go wrong.”
It’s not a perfect plan. It’s not even close to a perfect plan. But for two weeks, we’re going to make it work. Because one thing’s for certain. She’s right. Nothing can go wrong. Not if we’re going to survive our brush with the Martina cartel. My cell phone rings, and I fish it from my pocket, finding Seth’s number. “Seth,” I tell Emily before answering the call.
“You’re there?” I ask.
“I’m at the hospital and I won’t be getting those contracts signed.”
Irritated, I stop walking. “You have to convince him, Seth. I need—”
“He’s not good, Shane.”
I feel the words like a punch that flattens me, and I sit down on a bench. “What do you mean by ‘not good’?”
“Apparently he wasn’t doing well when he arrived,” he says. “They fast-tracked his treatment, and he had a bad reaction. He’s fully incapacitated at the moment.”
I squeeze my eyes shut with the impact of those words. “And his prognosis?”
“Your mother’s here. She’s probably better to speak on this.”
“Put her on.”
Emily goes down on her knees in front of me. “How bad is it?”
“Really bad, I think,” I say, a moment before my mother comes on the line.
“Shane.”
“Mom.”
“They said that sometimes this happens. It’s not the end.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “That’s good news.”
“It’s just news,” she says. “But I’m giving Seth paperwork that proves he’s incapacitated. Save the company for him, okay?”
Damn it, that was another punch to my chest. “I will. I am.”
“Good. And that Mike Rogers bastard. I didn’t find the dirt on him. It’s all on you, son.”
“I can handle Mike and Adrian Martina, Mom. I’ve got this. I promise you. I’ve got this.”
“You always do, son. Here’s Seth.”
“Wait,” I say.
“I’m here,” my mother says.
“You can’t tell Derek. Let me tell you when I know he can handle it.”
“That’s hard for me. He’ll want to know.”
“You have to leave this to me, for everyone’s best interests.”
“Okay, then. It really is all on you. Handing off to Seth.” There are muffled voices, and then I hear Seth say, “Shane.”
“I’m here.”
“I have one piece of good news,” he says. “Ramon got on a plane to Mexico this morning.”
“That’s definitely welcome news right now.”
“I knew it would be. I’ll be on a plane in a few hours and back to you by morning.”
“Good,” I say, then hesitate, because I know he’ll tell me the truth, but I have to ask. “Seth, man. How bad is it?”
“I hacked his records while I was in the waiting area. I agree with your mother. This isn’t the end. It’s just not a good beginning to his treatment.”
“Thanks. Safe travels.” I end the call, shove my phone back into my pocket, and stand, taking Emily with me. “I need to run again.”
“Okay. Let’s run.”
“You aren’t going to ask what happened?”
“You can tell me when you’re ready.”
I cup her face and kiss her. “You couldn’t be more perfect for me than you are in this moment.” I release her and we start running again, my mind and body both tormenting me. The idea that I am now CEO of our company, now able to manage whatever is needed with Mike and Adrian because my father is dying, stirs guilt in me that I know is misplaced. But it’s still real. And I still have to cope with it to get by it. I have to cope with it because I have to keep my promise and save Brandon Enterprises.
Another five miles later and I’ve found my zone, that place where I am in control, where my emotions are nonexistent. We slow to a walk, and I bring Emily up to speed on my phone call with Seth and my mother, as well as my changing thoughts on Derek. “I can’t keep this from him until we know more and trust my mother won’t let it slip. I need to control how he hears the news.”
“I agree,” she says, and I’m already pulling my phone from my pocket again and dialing my brother, who answers on ring number one. “You do know I’ll be at work in an hour, right?”
“Pops had a reaction to his medication. He’s incapacitated.”
“I want our company back,” he says, sounding remarkably calm. “What does this mean?”
“I’m CEO and I can sign in his behalf, but I don’t want to announce that until we have to.”
“Why?” he asks.
“I want to hold our cards close to the vest and play them as Mike tries to play us.”
“Understood. Just make sure you fuck Mike and fuck him well. You don’t beat a man when he’s down, and that’s what he’s trying to do to Pops.”
“We won’t let him,” I say, ending the call, and a few minutes later, when I step into the shower with Emily, I don’t need the water
to wash away anything. I push her against the wall, tangle my fingers in her hair, and let her know exactly what to expect. “Hard and fast is what I can promise you right now. No making love about it.”
“Bring it on,” she replies, and I drive into her. Hard. Fast. Because that’s what I promised, and I keep my promises.
* * *
Once Emily and I arrive at work, she joins me in my office, and we bring Jessica in as well, filling her in on our plan to dump Brandon Pharmaceuticals.
“I’m confused,” she says, folding her arms in front of the blinding canary-yellow blouse she’s wearing. “Why?”
“Liability,” I say, claiming my seat and pulling out my calendar. “And that’s all you need to know,” I add. “But what I need to know is any critical problem happening in the company that I need to address.” I look at Emily. “And a meeting no later than tomorrow afternoon with the banker my father met with about the sports complex. Can you work your magic and make that happen?”
“Consider it done,” Emily says, hands settling on the waistline-fitted navy skirt she put on this morning for me to take off. Twice.
“Anything else?” Jessica asks.
“Let me know when Derek arrives,” I say. “I need him to help run the company while I work to change how we do business.”
“Will do, Boss,” she says, hurrying toward the outer office, while Emily lingers.
“He might not show up,” she says. “He’s going to look for Teresa. I know he will.”
“Let’s hope not,” I say. “Because the last thing I need right now is Adrian thinking Derek’s behind her disappearance. You seem to work magic on the Brandon men. Can you try to reach him?”
“I will,” she promises. “I’ll let you know.”
She disappears into the hallway, and I tap the calendar in front of me. It’s Wednesday. Mike threw out Monday as a deadline. I know attorneys and strategy. I’m going to get a legal filing on Friday at closing, when his people think I can’t do anything about it. I need to be ready to hit back over the weekend. I open my e-mail and find the information I was sent on Adrian’s consortium, and dial the operations manager to set up a meeting. If I want Adrian to work for me, I’m going to have to do a little work for him.
* * *
Thursday morning arrives much the same as Wednesday, with only a few variations. Like yesterday, Emily and I go for a run, and we manage to talk to my mother on our walk back. And when she offers no good news about my father, my mood edges on the darker side. That leads to a good, hard shower fuck. Also like yesterday, when I pull the Bentley into the office garage, Derek’s car is missing. “We’re early,” Emily says. “It’s only seven. And you know from Nick that Derek spent the night at a strip club.”
“Exactly why I’m irritated,” I say, exiting the vehicle and rounding the hood to get Emily’s door, before adding, “We’re trying to save the company, and he’s out partying with strippers.”
“Teresa left him and he got bad news about your father,” she reminds me, stepping out of the Bentley.
I shut the door and we start walking. “All the more reason to defeat Adrian and save the company.”
“I know,” she says, and we step onto the elevator, making the quick ride to the lobby level before stepping into another car leading to our floor.
Once we’re inside and the doors are sealed, she steps in front of me, her tiny hands at my waist, under my jacket, and I am struck by how easily she touches me now. How much I want her to. How close I am to this woman. “He’s not you, Shane. He’s not all hard steel and unbreakable strength.”
“That’s how you see me?”
“Yes,” she says, those beautiful eyes of hers filled with warmth and pride, her hand brushing my cheek. “Yes, I do.”
“And you know what?” I say, snagging her hand and kissing it, fierceness in my answer. “When you say things like that to me, when you look at me like you are now, I want to live up to your expectations. I really want to live up to them.”
“And you think Derek just talks,” she supplies, reading my thoughts.
“Don’t you?”
“I think he has good intentions.”
“Intentions don’t run this company or save it.”
“He’s hurt right now. He’s damaged.” She flattens her hand on my heart. “He’s your brother.”
“Who pulled a gun on me.”
“Right. I did say damaged, remember?”
“I’m not trying to be coldhearted, sweetheart. But the clock is ticking on our father’s life and the survival of his company.” The elevator dings, the doors opening on our floor, and we step into the corridor as I add, “And Lord help us all if Derek looks for Teresa and somehow gains Adrian’s attention again.”
“He won’t,” she says, walking with me toward the lobby. “He’s not that foolish. That’s my gut, and I think it’s right.”
I reach for the glass door and hold it open for her. “Because you have a way with the Brandon men.”
“I’m good with you,” she says, pausing beside me. “You said so this morning in the shower.” She gives me a gorgeous, sexy smile and darts away, and while my blood heats and my heart warms for this woman, I find myself staring after her for another reason. It’s not just me she’s good with. Emily handles the Brandon men like a lion tamer who knows her different beasts, and by the time I’m at my desk, I dial hers. “You’re the one who talked to Derek and shook some sense into him the other day. He came to me because of you.”
“If you’re about to ask me to call him, I’ve tried. Yesterday and today, but I’ll keep trying. And it’s still early. We’re the only ones here. He could show up.”
“Right,” I say, releasing the intercom button and removing my cell from my pocket to hit Nick’s auto-dial. “If my brother isn’t here by noon, get someone to shake him out of bed. We have a meeting with a group of investors at three.”
“That could get brutal,” he says.
“So will Adrian if I don’t control him, and that means getting him here and keeping him busy.”
“Got it. Will do.”
He hangs up and I get to work. By noon, I’ve finished a meeting with the operations manager for Adrian’s consortium. Impressed with their investors and the resources they represent, I send the man away with the registration form for the drug study. He’s barely had time to leave the building when my cell phone rings with an unknown number.
And I know exactly who it is. I answer the call and say, “Hello, Adrian.”
“What’s the timeline on the drug study?” he asks, unsurprised I know he’s my caller.
“Paperwork takes time,” I say. “But we’ve begun the process.”
“Then we have an agreement? You will support our efforts to take our drug to the market?”
“We have a beginning,” I reply. “We’ll see where that leads.”
“I do not approve of that response.”
I laugh. “You’re the one who wanted me, not Derek, as your lead contact.”
“And do I have you as my lead contact now?”
“You’ll keep calling me,” I say. “Whether I want you to or not.”
He laughs. “Indeed. Do you speak Spanish?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“You do,” he says. “You took two years in school.”
“If you looking into my college record is supposed to rattle me, you failed. Now, I have work to do. I’m hanging up.” And I do, immediately picking up the line to dial Jessica. “How do we look for this afternoon’s meeting?”
“Emily just buzzed me, and every banker your father met with is confirmed for a meeting with you.”
“And is Derek here?”
“No. No-show so far, and Seth is on the phone for you.”
“Seth,” I say. “Are you here?”
“I am, and I hear Derek punched one of Nick’s men about fifteen minutes ago. Derek’s on his way to you now.”
“Jesus,” I growl.
“I do not have time for this. Any word on where Teresa might be located?”
“She’s completely MIA. No travel, phone, or credit card pings. And if we can’t find her, he can’t.”
I look up to see Derek standing in my doorway, his suit wrinkled, his tie missing. “I need to call you back, Seth.” I end the call.
“I’m here,” Derek says. “What now?”
“I have a group of investors showing up here soon. Go home and shower.”
“I don’t think I will.”
“Derek,” I bite out. “You told me to save the company.”
“And you will.” He presses his hand on his head and closes his eyes. “I just need a day. I need a fucking day, Shane.” He looks at me and then shuts the door. “I need something.”
“I’m listening.”
“If your people can find Teresa, so can Ramon or Adrian. Make sure they can’t.”
“And if we find her? Do you want to know?”
“If you were me, what would you want to know?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
“Yes. I do.”
“No. Because if I knew, I’d go after her, even though I’d know it wasn’t right for her or me.”
“And why is it wrong for her?”
“Right now, you’re too close to her family. Later. Later, maybe it can be different.”
“Fuck you, Shane.”
“You asked.”
“I know. And you’re right. Again. You are always right. Fuck you.” He looks at the ceiling, then at me, and then turns and leaves.
A moment later, Emily steps inside my office. “Shane, go after him,” she pleads.
And it hits me as I look at her—beautiful, determined, headstrong—that she touches every part of my life. I have her for every little moment, like this one, no matter how good or bad. When I thought I’d lost her, I lost it. And now Derek has lost Teresa and he’s losing his mind. The same but different, I think again. I stand up and cross the room, long strides carrying me past Emily and down the hallway, but by the time I reach the lobby, he’s gone. I dial his number and it goes to voice mail.
Emily exits into the corridor and walks to me. “How do you save someone who keeps self-destructing?” I ask her.
“If I had that answer, I wouldn’t be worried my brother was lying dead in a ditch somewhere.”
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