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Tristan tilts his head to the side and studies me. “Why?”
I exhale. “Daniel and I are trying to come to an agreement. I need someone I can fucking trust, someone who has been there… someone who can take over if Daniel can’t.”
Tristan goes as still as a statue. “You’re not seriously suggesting I take over, are you?”
“You’d be the backup,” I explain with a grimace. “I know it’s not something you want or aspire to, but I can’t let the empire fall into the wrong hands.”
Tristan runs a hand through his hair, and a muscle ticks in his jaw. “And if I refuse?”
“Are you refusing because it’s too much of a mess or because of something else?”
Tristan drops his hand and draws himself up to his full height. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
I fold my arms over my chest. “I know how close you and Sam have gotten. I know you have feelings for each other. Is she clouding your judgment?”
Tristan barks out a laugh. “Are you seriously going to lecture me about letting a woman influence my decisions? That’s a little hypocritical, don’t you think?”
“Not if it’s true,” I snap, my hands curling into fists at my side. “As my right-hand man, I need you to be focused. You don’t need any distractions.”
“I don’t need you to tell me how to do my job,” Tristan replies coldly. “I’ve been here. I’ve done everything you asked and then some. I even kept an eye on Isabella while you were off getting into fights and drinking yourself into stupors.”
“Watch yourself, Tristan. I’ll still kick your ass if I need to.”
Tristan throws his hands up in the air. “I’ve had to put up with a lot of shit, Carter, but this takes the cake. I’m not some lackey or some dog you can call whenever you need something.”
I pin Tristan to the wall and place an arm over his chest, blocking his exit. “You are neither. You’re my cousin, and you’re like a brother to me. I need to know I can fucking count on you when the time comes. If I need it.”
Tristan’s expression darkens. “I don’t want any of this. You know that already.”
“You don’t have to want it. You’re a Blackthorne. We do what needs to be done, and we don’t bitch about it.”
Tristan’s expression darkens further. “So, you get to ride off into the sunset with your family, and we’re left behind to close up the mess? I don’t think so.”
He shoves me back, and I stumble, nearly losing my footing.
“Give it to someone who wants it,” Tristan says slowly. “Do whatever you need to do to vet Daniel and be sure because this is the one thing I can’t do.”
I shove Tristan back and draw my lips back to bare my teeth at him. “What the fuck is the matter with you? You can’t seriously be surprised. You’re my right-hand man, for fuck’s sake.”
Tristan steps away from me and runs a hand over his face. “You know that I have no interest in being the head of the Blackthorne family. I’ve never been interested.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “Bullshit.”
Tristan stiffens and takes a few more steps away from me. “Not everyone is like you, Carter. I don’t know what kind of fucked up shit you went through in your childhood to make you believe that power and status are the be-all and end-all, but I am not going to throw away my life for this.”
I wait until Tristan is finished talking before I punch him in the stomach hard enough to make him double over. He stands up straighter and tilts his head to the side. Then he launches himself at my middle and knocks me back, so my back hits the wall with a thud. Anger and frustration pump through me as I try to get Tristan in a headlock.
He remains frustratingly slippery and agile.
I’ve managed to throw Tristan off, and I’m getting ready to tackle him to the floor when the dining room door opens and Anita comes in. Her eyes are tight, and her eyebrows are drawn together as she glances between the two of us. Wordlessly, she steps in between Tristan, the table, and me and draws herself up to her full height.
For a long moment, none of us says anything.
Finally, I straighten my back and curl my hands into fists at my side. “Anita, this has nothing to do with you. Please get out of the way.”
“No.”
I frown. “This is between Tristan and I.”
