Cocky Romance: Chapter 16

I’m really freaking thrilled my brother is alive, but I’m not sure how much longer he can keep that status.

I sit in stunned silence as Trevor storms out of my office.

Yup.

My little brother is back.

Like a ghost in a haunted house. He’s a terror and an absolute headache but, without him, the world felt kind of empty. While he was gone, I started looking back on our memories and searching under the ashes to find glimmers of affection and camaraderie. I even convinced myself that, when he came back, I’d try harder to be more available to him.

Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

I’d forgotten what an absolute prick he is.

The world needs to keep thinking I’m dead, Max. That’s what I want.

I still can’t believe he said that.

When I faced the nation eight months ago, absorbed the blame for his actions, and bore the heavy weight of the world’s disgust, I did so to save Stinton Group. I didn’t think Trevor would use that as some kind of twisted evidence against me.

According to him, it’s my fault he ruined Stinton Group, ran off with the investors money, and had the police on a witch hunt for his whereabouts. My fault that he hid from the authorities for months and then got caught in the most embarrassing way possible.

Yesterday, I hugged him and thumped his back.

Today, I’m considering whether I should shove him down a flight of stairs.

Terrible, I know.

It’s not like I hate my brother.

For a brief moment I thought he was dead and the terror I felt was real. At times, when the search seemed pointless, I wondered if I would never see him again. It was a relief to hold him in my arms at the airport yesterday. It proved that the disheveled, bearded man in front of me was, indeed, my brother.

But the moment of familial gratitude has passed.

It’s a new day and his surprise visit to Stinton Group just put the nail in his coffin.

I’m going to celebrate his homecoming by banishing him right back to the island he was hiding on.

“Trevor, don’t you dare walk away from me,” I growl as my brother stomps out of my office. We’re arguing. Gone for almost a year and the first conversation he wants to have with me is about staying dead in the eyes of the law and the public.

Ridiculous.

Does he have any idea what the company’s been through because of his stupid decisions? Even now, Stinton Group is spinning in an uncertain direction. It’s been a headache trying to settle the board down. I spent hours assuring my family members that I’ll keep Trevor under control this time.

There’s no room for me to make another mistake.

“Trevor!” I bark.

“Screw you, Max.”

When he disappears out the door, I lumber to my feet.

The chair goes crashing into the wall, but I barely pay it any mind.

Stomping behind him, I shoot into the hallway and snarl, “Do you think this is a game? It was hard enough convincing the commissioner to hand you over without publicly arresting—” My words slow to a horrific halt when I see the beautiful woman standing in front of the receptionist’s desk.

It’s Dawn.

She’s wearing one of her fitted jumpers. It’s a gorgeous creamy color that flatters her dark, obsidian-toned complexion. Her hair’s pulled back into a small afro puff, the front weighed down by a yellow bandana. The sun strikes her cheekbones and draws the eye to the exquisite symmetry of her face.

I’m not exaggerating when I say she’s the most effortlessly beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of beauty that makes you feel like you’re having an out-of-body experience. Like the creature in front of you can’t possibly be real.

I usually love looking into those beautiful brown eyes.

But right now, she’s the last person I want standing in my office.

“Dawn,” I whisper.

She doesn’t respond. Doesn’t even look at me.

She’s looking at Trevor.

Something thick and slimy runs down my back and slithers around my neck.

Dawn bounces thick eyelashes. Up and down. Up and down.

The shock spreads pure and clear under her brown skin.

For such a savvy woman, she’s crap at hiding her emotions.

I want to scoop her over my shoulder and carry her far from here yelling ‘mine, mine’ like an immature toddler with his toy box. Especially when I see the way my brother’s drinking her in.

Trevor stares at Dawn as if she’s the ghost. His fingers relax against his pants and his eyes rove every inch of her like he hasn’t seen a woman since he ran off.

My fingers curl into fists.

Dawn’s warm and pure and beautiful. She’s too good for the both of us. Way too good for Trevor.

“Wow. You look incredible,” Trevor whispers. It’s been eight years since they saw each other. I don’t know how much Dawn’s changed since that night when they met, but it’s obvious that Trevor still likes what he sees.

I grab my brother by the collar and jerk him back. My voice is a low growl. “Don’t you say a word.”

Dawn cranks her chin all the way up.

She stalks over to me, bypassing Trevor as if he’s not even there.

My heart thunders. I feel both proud and sorry. Feelings which collide in a ball of ragged emotions.

My brother’s head swings around, his eyes widening in shock. I wish I could blame him for staring, but I can’t because looking away from Dawn is impossible for me too.

Her hips sway from side to side in a softly feminine rock. Determination lights up her eyes with a fire that consumes me. Her lips hitch up at the corners when she meets my gaze and my heart falls flat before her, inviting—no, ordering me to keep this woman as close as possible for as long as possible.

It’s insane to feel that way about a person who argues like she’s got an eye on giving me a stroke, but Dawn’s been pulling on the strings of my heart since the day we met.

She demands more from me.

Demands everything.

I thought I could lie to her. I really did. If it’s for the good of our relationship, I can do almost anything.

But hiding the truth from her has been torture.

Every time she mentions how depraved she finds Trevor for sending those lawyers, I get itchy. Frustrated. Hollow. Uneasy. It’s like I’m locked in a guillotine, waiting for the blade to slice my head off. That anticipation, that fear, that heightened tension as I hold my breath for the inevitable—is chewing me up inside.

I can’t throw these lies into a bin and say I’m doing it for Dawn’s sake.

I’m not.

I’m doing it for my own sake.

I’m doing it because the thought of being without her frightens me to my very core.

But I can’t build a relationship with her on lies.

Any other woman and it wouldn’t matter.

But this is Dawn.

She deserves better.

And the only option I have is becoming that ‘better’ for her.

“Hey.” Her smile is hesitant but full of tenderness.

“Hey,” I croak.

“I brought something for you.” Dawn’s voice is an intimate hush. I’m not sure if she’s doing that intentionally so Trevor, Hills and the receptionist don’t hear or if she’s just trying to raise my blood pressure by using that sultry tone.

“You did?” I stare down at her, my lips tensing.

We’re like two performers in front of an audience. Even though the stage is dark, we’re staring into each other’s eyes and it feels like we’re the only two people in this hallway, I’m keenly aware that we’re not. Trevor is inches away with the power to tear my relationship up by the roots.

She raises an eyebrow. “Max, you have something in your hair.”

“I do?”

Without warning, Dawn pushes to the tips of her toes and brushes her hand over my head. I hear Trevor’s sharp intake of breath and I gulp.

“I can’t…” Dawn grunts in frustration. Dropping flat on her feet, she turns her face up to me. “Max, can you lower your head so I can reach you?”

“Sure,” I say after a moment’s hesitation.

“Dawn, how have you been?” Trevor coos behind her.

“I really can’t wait for Sunday.” Dawn brushes her hand gently over my hair and removes a thread that must have fallen out of my suit. She shows it to me and then blows it away.

The sight of her puckering lips makes me want to slam her against a wall and claim that mouth until my lips are as brown as hers.

I dig my teeth into my bottom lip.

“I know you can hear me,” Trevor is saying.

Dawn stares me right in the eyes. “We made this for you last night.” She shoves a container at me.

“We?” I accept it, glancing down. My heart melts completely when I see that they’re raisin nut cookies.

“Yeah. We.” She winks. “I remembered you said you liked this flavor. It was easy enough to make, but we don’t bake often in that house, so I can’t promise the taste will be good.”

I chuckle.

My world is three seconds away from imploding, but she makes it possible for me to find laughter and joy.

“Ehem.” Trevor tries to get Dawn’s attention.

She raises an eyebrow. “Do you hear something? It sounds like a cowardly, irresponsible, disappointment of a man. But I could be wrong. Could just be a cockroach.”

Trevor’s jaw drops. Then he snaps it shut and his brows crease angrily. He stalks forward. “Are you really going to be like that, Dawn?”

I move quickly. Stepping in front of my woman, I slam a hand into my brother’s chest.

He bounces back, his shocked eyes moving to me.

“Keep your distance, Trevor.”

“The hell?”

“Don’t let me tell you again,” I warn gruffly.

To my surprise, Dawn pushes me back and stares Trevor down herself. “Listen up, you bastard. The only, only reason I’m not kicking you in the teeth right now is because you’re his brother.” She points to me. “And whether I like it or not, he’s the kind of person who’ll feel responsible to pay your dental bills and maybe even bail me out of jail. I don’t want him feeling sorry for you and I sure as hell don’t want to go to prison for you.”

This is not the time to laugh.

It is absolutely not.

But I snort in surprise anyway.

Dawn doesn’t even flinch. “So I’m going to settle this by letting you know that you are still dead to me. You do not exist. If you ever see me around, walk the other way and don’t test me because I will not hold myself back if there’s a next time. Do you understand me?”

Trevor gulps.

Dawn’s fingers curl into fists and I know she’s more than capable of throwing that punch.

“Hills,” I call my best friend.

He scrambles over. One look at my face and he knows what I want without me having to open my mouth. Gripping Trevor’s arm, he tugs my brother in the opposite direction. “You look like you could use a drink.”

While Trevor stumbles behind Hills, I lean in close to Dawn. “You’re not gonna hit me too, are you?”

“Don’t play with me, Stinton.” She lets out a deep breath. “I wasn’t prepared to see him.”

“Didn’t seem like it.”

She glances up and her lips curl into a smile. It’s bright and pure and way freaking more than I deserve.

I glance away from her. “Come with me. I have something for you too.”

“You do?” Her eyebrows hike.

I nod and set the cookies by the receptionist. “Keep these safe for me,” I tell her firmly. Ignoring her curious look, I propel Dawn into the elevator.

The doors close around us and she gets tense again.

I look down at her, noting the muscles clenching and unclenching in her jaw.

My eyes slip up to the camera with the blinking red light.

I think about it.

Then I throw caution to the wind, tug on Dawn’s hand and drag her into what I hope is the camera’s dead zone.

The kiss I drop on her lips is hot and searing.

I can’t hide how much I adore her when I taste her mouth. She’s glorious. She’s perfect. And I know that the moment she finds out the truth, she’s not going to stick around.

It makes me savor her even more, sipping from her with the knowledge that this really could be my last time.

Her hands slide over my shoulders and clasp around my neck.

I kiss her until the elevator stops and the doors whir open to let more people on.

“Mr. Stinton.”

“Sir.”

I nod in the general direction of the employees and then I slide closer to Dawn. Slipping my hands around her fingers, I hold on tight, watching as she shyly ducks her head. Her cheeks and jaw are slightly irritated from my scruff. It makes my chest puff up to know I marked her as mine. Mine. Mine.

When the doors open again, Dawn tries to yank her hand back.

I hold fast.

“What are you doing,” she whispers. “People are going to see.”

“Let them,” I growl. Tugging her out of the elevator, I march proudly through my lobby.

This woman is it for me.

I realized that when I saw her again this morning.

No one will ever come close.

Ever.

I don’t know how long I’ll have her with me, but I sure as hell am going to make the most of every second.

When we get to the parking garage, I release her hand so I can open the car door for her. I turn to Dawn when I climb inside, but she’s on the phone with Clint.

“Yeah, I’m still coming in.” She meets my eyes and mouths ‘sorry’. Then she focuses on her call again. “No, I’m not a big-shot, Clint. Stop calling me that. It’s ridiculous.” Her eye roll is the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. “Okay. Okay. We should be finished with all the filming soon. I’ll be able to focus on the shop.” A second later, she hangs up.

“What was Clint saying?” I rub my thumb over her knuckles.

“Business has been booming since the press conference. People are requesting that I personally work on their car and Clint is tired of telling them I’m not there. He wants me to fight my own battles now.” She laughs tenderly. I love that Clint looks out for her like a father. I respect anyone who recognizes what a treasure this woman is.

“What do you feel about taking over all the shops in the franchise?” I ask carefully.

Her eyes narrow. “Max.”

“I’m not just saying that because of the way I feel about you.” I lean forward. “You’re good, Dawn. Crazy good. If you can whip the other technicians into shape, get them to think the way you do, Stinton Auto has no choice but to flourish.”

“Taking on more stores means I have less time to fix cars.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

Her face gets tight. “Max.”

“I worry about you getting hurt,” I admit.

“It’s a part of the job.”

“Which is why it worries me.”

“I’m not ready to take on the responsibility of all the franchises. And I don’t think I’m qualified for that either.” She tries to tug her hand out of mine again.

I hold fast. “I thought you would say that. Which is why I got these.” I reach into the backseat and pull out a box. Handing it to her, I watch surprise flicker over her face and wonder if I’ll always feel this way when I watch her. Something tells me I will.

“What is this?” Her eyes widen.

“Open it.”

She does and then she laughs. “Gloves? Really?”

“I did some research. I know most mechanics prefer not to wear them for some jobs because you need precise movements. Ordinary gloves can get clunky. These won’t. They’re made from the highest quality material. Strong enough to protect you from burns. The movement is good too. So they shouldn’t feel too clunky.”

Her eyes brighten. She reaches over the console and hugs me. “Thank you, Max.”

“It’s nothing.” I bury my nose in the crook of her shoulder and inhale the flowery scent of her perfume mixed with the savory, rich scent of engine oil. “You’re more than qualified to lead Stinton Auto, Dawn. You’re a leader and you can handle anything that comes your way. Fixing cars is what you love. I’m not trying to stop you from doing that. I just want to keep you safe.”

“I’ll consider it.” She smiles. “But I really have to go. Clint is supposed to be winding down, but business is booming so much that he’s busier than ever before.”

“Let me drive you.”

“No.” She stops me. “I know you’re busy.”

“I’m never too busy for you.”

“I know that Trevor’s waiting upstairs.” She gives me a pointed look.

I curl back.

She smiles, leans over and gives me a quick kiss. “He has nothing to do with me or Beth. That was true even before I met you and that’s not going to change now that he’s back. You know that, right?”

“Yeah.” I rub her wrist. Then I hold on tighter when she tries to leave.

Her eyebrows hike. “Max, I didn’t take you for the clingy type.”

“Jefferson is coming.” I jut my chin forward. “He’ll drive you to the garage.”

“Jeff… I didn’t even see you call him.”

“Hills did.” My best friend can be irritating at times, but he knows what I’m thinking without me having to ask. In the big ways, he always comes through. “Have a good day at work.” I lift her hands. “And don’t get hurt.”

“Why? Because these hands belong to Stinton Group?”

“Because these hands belong to me.” I kiss each of them and then get out of the car.

“Drive carefully,” I growl at Jefferson.

“Yes, sir.”

I step back and watch as he carries Dawn away, then I head back to my office.

Trevor is sitting in my chair when I walk in.

I instantly stiffen and watch, motionless, as he turns the chair back and forth.

“So you got with my little fairy from the club?”

I don’t try to mask my contempt when I hear the affection in his voice. I let it rake over me. “Watch your mouth, Trevor.”

“What are the odds of that? I always thought we had different tastes.” He chuckles. “I guess not even my uptight, stick-in-the-mud brother can resist a pretty face. Just make sure you use protection with that one.” He shudders. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”

It’s like a giant hand reaches into my body and breaks what little self-restraint I had left.

Snap.

I’m moving.

I yank him out of the chair.

My fist connects with his face and he stumbles back.

“I’m not going to warn you twice.” I step forward. “Keep Dawn’s name out of your filthy mouth.”

One hand covers his bleeding mouth. The other hand lifts and waves casually at me. “Look at that. Max Stinton losing his tight grip on self-control. You’ve definitely nailed her. My gosh.” He hisses and touches his jaw. “Several times by the feel of that.”

I draw my fist back in preparation.

He lifts a hand. “It’s fine. It’s fine. You can have your little plaything, Max. For now.” He steeples his fingers and a mischievous grin crosses his face. “But I don’t know. I think I might be interested in taking Dawn down memory lane. You think she’d like that?”

A heavy rage lashes out of me—a fury I have no ability to control.

I shake him like a rag doll. “Look here you spoiled brat, I have caved to you and catered to you in whatever you’ve asked. But Dawn is off limits. Don’t you even think about going near her.”

“Don’t act so sanctimonious, big brother.” Trevor throws my hand off his collar and gives me a dark look. “If you start showing how much you want something, it makes me even more eager to take it.” He pries my finger off his shirt. “And let’s be honest.” Another finger. “You didn’t cave and cater to me because you wanted to. No, you had good ole’ dad to impress. And wouldn’t it be sad if the bastard son of Stinton Group was also a bully to his embarrassing kid brother?” He laughs. “You can try that act on the board and on dad, but I don’t buy it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Trevor. I’ve always had your back. Even when you didn’t deserve it. Even if it would have been better for your lazy butt to cool down in jail.”

“Then why didn’t you do it, Max?”

I go still. My eyes dart between his.

Harsh animosity crackles between us as we stare each other down.

“Why didn’t you let me self-destruct? Why did you always run behind me even when I told you to screw off? Was it because of me?” He shakes his head. “No, no, no. If my last name wasn’t Stinton, if I wasn’t dad’s legitimate heir, you wouldn’t have given a rat’s tail about me.” His fingers shift through the air as he stumbles toward the coffee table. “Let’s not pretend that you did those things for anyone but Stinton Group. After all,” he swipes a glass of whiskey from the surface and takes a sip, “the company always comes first… right, brother?”

I grit my teeth.

“Does she know?” His eyes pin me in place. “Does she know that you would slit her neck if her blood would keep Stinton Group alive? Does she know how easily you ruin lives? Does she know that you already tried to ruin hers?”

He’s spitting poison, but it’s effective because it’s tearing at my skin.

I fight to keep my balance.

Control. Control.

Trevor feeds off chaos. He can’t survive when there’s order. When there’s clarity and a quiet word. He needs the noise. He needs to implode every conversation and every relationship to feel at home. To feel like the rest of us are spinning out at the same rate that he is.

I can’t give him the satisfaction. I’ve already tipped my hand and shown him how much Dawn means to me. Now he’s got his eyes on her, thinks he can play with her just to mess with me.

I can’t let him get closer.

There’s still Beth to protect.

I might not have been able to treat my niece preciously when I found out she was conceived, but I sure as hell will protect her with my life now.

Gritting my teeth, I scowl at my brother. “Don’t be late to the board meeting.”

Trevor throws his arms out. “Dear dad. His son came back from the dead and he’s already trying to drag me back to the business.”

“What?”

“You didn’t know?” Trevor chuckles. “Dad struck a deal with the DA. He got me a slap on the wrist. A couple hundred hours of community service since Stinton Group repaid its debts.”

My nostrils flare. “He’s putting you in charge of another business? After that crap you pulled?”

“Yeah.” Trevor takes a sip of his whiskey, dances by me with his split lip and pats my shoulder. “He’s giving me Stinton Auto.”

I’m close to losing my damn mind and that’s before dad motions me into his office with a disappointed sigh.

“Trevor’s latest screw-up cost Stinton Group millions of dollars.” I don’t bother with a hello or a ‘how are you’. We don’t have that kind of relationship. Never have and never will. “You’re going to put him in charge of one of our companies? The one that’s causing our stock prices to soar? The one that’s leading us out of the crapstorm that Trevor left us in?”

“Well, that’s one way to see it.”

I don’t dignify his condescending smirk with a smile of my own.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, son. Although that’s always been a good thing with us. No news is good news.”

“Dad!”

“Max, don’t yell. It’s uncultured.”

I scowl and lower my voice. This meeting is not as a father to a son, but as a CEO to his acting executive. “Tell me Trevor’s mistaken. You’re not handing over our best performing company to him.”

“I am and I will.” Dad practices his golf swing.

My insides turn to a boiling inferno.

Maybe I’ve gone along blindly with all of dad’s instructions before, but I refuse to bend on this.

“Trevor wants the public to think he’s dead. He hasn’t learned a single lesson. I’m not putting him in charge of Stinton Auto.”

“Oh, you won’t. I will.” Dad fixes the collar of his light cream shirt. He’s married to the golf course and can be found on the greens almost every day. He and his new wife with the boob job and the laughter of a hyena just bought their own country club so they didn’t have to share.

I curl my fingers into fists. Just a few hours ago, I punched my own brother in the face. I must be getting trigger happy because I’m contemplating doing the same to my father.

“That won’t happen. Not as long as I have a say.”

“When have you ever disobeyed me, Max?” Dad lifts his golf club and inspects it. “Didn’t your mother tell you to be a good little boy when you joined our family? Haven’t you been a good little boy all these years?” He lifts his eyes to mine. Ice cold. Blue as a frozen lake. “Let’s not change this late in the game, hm? I’ve never had to teach you lessons the hard way, but I’m not afraid to start now.”

I grit my teeth until they crack. “Is that a threat?”

“Max, dear boy, why can’t we continue to be civil?” He puts the golf club to the ground again and eyes the stretch of green that’s rolled out on his office floor.

“What’s your plan, dad? You’ll pop Trevor out of a gift box in the middle of a press conference, say ‘oops, he’s not dead’ and then expect people to applaud for him?”

“I expect you to make his homecoming a triumphant miracle.” Dad swings and then smiles as he stares at his imaginary hole in one. “I want you to do for your brother what you did for that female mechanic when the world scorned her. Look at how well that turned out, hm? And if we pair Trevor with the most relatable and heartwarming spokesperson Stinton Group has ever seen, well, her popularity will smooth out all the rough edges.”

A frigid, uneasy realization dawns on me. “What do you mean ‘pair them up’?”

“I mean announce their beautiful romance, of course.” He leans against his club and looks up, squinting. “The impulsive heir of Stinton Group, America’s darling female mechanic, and their precious daughter. It’s enough to bring Oprah to tears.”

Every muscle in my body stops cold.

My heart isn’t beating anymore.

My lungs have crystallized.

“You knew,” I breathe in horror.

“Of course I knew.” He swings his club. “You used Stinton Group’s lawyers to take care of Trevor’s little female problems, remember? Once I found out Stinton Group had been involved with Dawn Banner before, it didn’t take long to find out she has a daughter. The age checked out. Short of getting a paternity test—”

“No.” I hiss. “No, you leave Beth out of this.”

Dad pins me with blank eyes. “Max, don’t you see. She’s already in this. She’s the granddaughter of Stinton Group. Now, can you just imagine Trevor welcoming his little girl into his arms in front of the world? That’s an amazing headline.”

“I won’t let you touch them,” I seethe. “You will never touch them.”

He blinks lazily. “Max, I’m going to ask you one more time to be that good little boy that your mama told you to be.”

“Screw you.” I whirl around swiftly.

“Is this your way of saying you’ll no longer work for the good of Stinton Group?” Dad’s voice calls to my back, stopping me before I can storm away. “Because if it is, that decision comes with consequences.”

I turn and stare at my father, my heart slamming against my chest.

An uneasy feeling crawls over my skin and makes me want to take a shower.

“I heard you’d gone and fallen for Trevor’s woman.” Dad takes his eyes off me and lines himself up for another swing, setting the golf club an inch above the floor. “Even so, I’d hoped you’d have your priorities straight. But I don’t mind being the bad guy to remind you of what’s truly important—Stinton Group.” He takes the shot. “Remember that your place is with this company. And like me, everything you do is for Stinton Group.”

I take three, decisive steps toward him. In a low voice, I spit out, “I… am nothing like you.”

He laughs. There’s an aura of confidence around him that makes me feel like I’m dangling over the mouth of a giant shark.

I stomp out of his office and head back to Stinton Group’s main building.

On the way, I text Dawn.

I need to make sure she’s okay. Need to make sure dad’s plan didn’t include harming her.

She responds a minute later.

DAWN: Working on a car now. Everything’s fine.

I collapse in relief.

ME: Don’t eat too many lollipops. They’re not good for your health.

DAWN: If lollipops are what take me out, I’ll die happy.

I laugh.

Dawn’s the only one who could make me smile when my world is falling apart.

I lick my suddenly dry lips.

ME: Call me if anything happens.

DAWN: Anything like what?

I don’t even know how to respond to that.

I’ve never gone against dad before. For most of my life, I was desperate to gain his approval. I wanted to prove that he made the right choice taking me into Stinton Group. I wanted to somehow ‘reclaim’ my mother’s honor by being perfect. Going against him was incomprehensible to me.

ME: I don’t know. Just call me if you miss me.

She texts back a ‘vomit’ emoji.

It makes me laugh again.

Even so, I’m exhausted when I drag myself into Stinton Group and slump past Hills’s desk.

Given all that’s happened today, I expected Hills to be eager to ditch work. Expected him to insist on knocking off a few beers and grumbling about Trevor

Instead, Hills looks worried.

When I draw closer, he jumps to his feet. “Max.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask, moving toward him like I’m walking through jello.

My entire body holds its breath. I really don’t have room for more bad news right now.

“It’s missing,” he whispers. His voice is thick and scratchy with fear.

My heart drops heavily to my toes. I swipe a pen from his desk and start flipping it. “What’s missing?”

“The original files. The one with all the women you… the one with the list of women Trevor got pregnant.”

I don’t get it at first.

My brain misfires.

It literally can’t process that piece of information without skidding its wheels.

I keep flicking my pen. “Is it misplaced?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Look again.”

“Max, your dad. He sent me this.” Hills lifts his phone and shows me snapshots of Dawn’s garage. Zooming in reveals that the photographer is taking photos of Dawn from a distance.

It’s a threat.

Loud and clear.

An expletive drops from my mouth when I realize what dad is about to do. Something cracks. I glance down and realize I snapped the pen in two. It falls in scattered pieces to the ground.

“Max, what are you going to…”

The rest of Hills’s question is lost to the wind as I shoot out of the doors. Grappling with my phone, I try to call Dawn again, but it goes to voicemail.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

Dad said he would find a way to get my focus back on Stinton Group.

He’s always known exactly how to move his pawns in whatever direction he wants.

And I gave him a perfect piece to manipulate.

I gave him that piece when I foolishly fell in love.