Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“True.”
“I’ve known those people at Monarch for years. I can’t believe they’d…”
“Dad,” I say, “if they were compromised, they were given a lot of money.”
“Who has more money than we do?” Dad asks. “No. It’s not money, son. My old man may have been an asshole and a liar, but he taught me well. Only one thing trumps money.”
“And what’s that?” Though I already know the answer.
“Life, son. Someone’s life was threatened.”
I nod.
“And if whoever is doing this knows what they’re doing, they didn’t threaten one person’s life. They threatened the lives of their loved ones. That’s what will really get you.”
“You think?”
“You’re young, Brock. Unmarried, and you have no children. But I can tell you this for sure. If someone threatened my life, I’d fight like hell. But if someone threatened your life? Your brother’s? Your mother’s? All three of you? I’d roll over so fast you wouldn’t see it coming. I would do anything to save your life.”
I regard my father, and even though he’s looking forward, driving, I see the truth in his eyes.
He would gladly do anything to spare the lives of each one of us.
As much as I am harboring anger at my father—anger for keeping our family’s history from us—I see him for who he truly is at this moment.
A man. A man with sun damage to his skin and callouses on his hands from working outside. A man with wrinkles around his eyes, silver threading through his thick dark hair. A hard-working man who loves his family beyond anything else.
A man who would sacrifice everything for us.
A man who maybe has made mistakes, but he made them for the noblest of reasons.
“So someone at Monarch…”
“Someone high up,” he says. “They got to someone high up. Not the CEO of the company. He’s single. Has no loyalty to anyone but the Steels. We’re his paycheck. Uncle Bryce and I made sure of that years ago.”
“How long have you been using Monarch Security?”
“Forever. Your grandfather contracted them when I was just a baby. When I was threatened.”
My jaw drops. “What?”
“I don’t know the details, Brock. If I did, I’d tell you. There’s no use hiding any of this from you now. All I know is that when I was just an infant, someone threw a rock through the window of the main house, right into my nursery.”
My flesh goes numb. Someone threatened a child? A baby?
But why am I surprised? Whoever’s behind our current situation used an innocent baby to deliver drugs.
Dad continues, “My father got a state-of-the-art—for that time—security system, and he financed— Oh my God…”
“What?”
“He financed Monarch Security. Made sure they were always at the top of the heap of what’s going on in security. He fucking financed them, Brock. How could I have neglected to consider that?”
“You had a few other things on your mind. Are you saying our family owns the company?”
“No. It would be a lot simpler if we did. But we are their major client.”
“What does it matter, then?”
“My father. He had a lot of enemies. He—”
“What, Dad? For God’s sake, what?”
Dad pulls the car over to the side of the road and turns to me, his face stern.
“Brock, we have a problem.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
RORY
“Thank God,” Callie says under her breath once Sadie’s break is finally over and she has to go back to work.
First thing she does is bring our lunch.
She smiles. “It was positively fabulous talking to the two of you. I hope we can talk again sometime.”
I flash a smile, and I hope it looks sincere. “Sure.”
Callie doesn’t flash a smile. But that’s just Callie. She simply nods.
“Geez, Cal,” I say. “You might be a little nicer. After all, it’s my guy she’s after, not yours.”
“Your guy?” Callie lifts her eyebrows.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what the hell he’s feeling. But…”
“I know. You can’t help who you fall for.”
“It’s ridiculous. I’ve got an amazing bisexual woman who’s interested in me, and I’m hung up on an alpha Steel guy.”
“It’s kind of cool, when you think about it,” Callie says.
“How exactly?”
“What if you and Brock work out? Then you and I will both be with one of the Three Rake-a-teers. Can’t you just see it? ‘The Pike sisters nab the Rake-a-teers.’”
I roll my eyes. “Doubtful that will happen.”
“You don’t know.”
“He’s twenty-four years old,” I say. “He’s so young. He’s not really interested in an old maid like me.”
Callie laughs out loud. “You’re the only one who thinks you’re an old maid, Ror. You’re twenty-eight, drop-dead gorgeous, and every man and quite a few women in Snow Creek would love to have you.”
“I don’t see them lining up.”
“You’re usually in a relationship, and now that you’re not, Brock Steel is into you. No one’s going to try to take you from Brock Steel.”
“I don’t belong to Brock Steel,” I say. “Even though—” I stop.