Ares paws at the wood lightly, letting out a low grumble.
“Hey, buddy, keep it down,” I whisper as I swing myself out of bed and Hattie’s warm embrace. “Don’t wake her up, okay?”
He wags his tail as I open the bedroom door and lead him downstairs.
I have some sympathy, knowing he’s an older dog. The canine bladder doesn’t age gracefully, and where will mine be if I make it to his age in human years?
Still.
I suppose it’s nice having some company in the house, even if it’s an ancient dog creeping closer to incontinence.
Hattie, she’s only temporary.
Neither of us should get used to this sleepover shit becoming a regular thing.
I’m a busy man and I like my space.
I’m also keenly aware our expiration date isn’t that far off.
The thought doesn’t make me feel good, so I swat it aside and let Ares out into the backyard.
It’s a full moon tonight and the air smells like distant summer campfires, evening clam bakes, and hints of sea breezes. Even though you can’t see many stars from here, the moon’s glow illuminates everything.
I left the porchlight on and I blink against the sudden brightness.
Ares sniffs around his favorite bushes and I think back to when Hattie first showed up, when both of us tried to pretend the kiss didn’t happen. Back when she—
Fuck.
Cooper Daley’s letter.
With everything else going on, I forgot he ambushed her at the bookstore and asked her to give me a message.
Like I’d be more likely to listen to his bullshit when he went behind my back to target my fiancée.
Hattie isn’t stupid. I know that.
But she’s also human, and she doesn’t have my reasons for distrusting Daley.
Leaving the door open for Ares, I head back inside and find the letter in my office where I left it. My hands twitch with anger as I rip it open and start reading.
Ethan,
I knowI’m the last guy you want to hear from right now, but if you read this, hopefully you’ll understand why it’s so important for me to reach out. And why I need to confess.
I haven’t always been honorable with the old man—or with you—but he meant the world to me as a mentor. I can’t stand to be the bad guy any longer.
Back when I was still working with your grandfather, I spotted an opportunity I wouldn’t have had without my time at Blackthorn Holdings. As soon as I left, I scooped up the perfect Long Island properties that Leonidas and his team personally identified but didn’t formally target for acquisitions.
There’s no doubt Blackthorn would have gotten them later if I hadn’t struck first.
I was greedy. I put my own interests ahead of my morals.
I’m not proud of what I did.
In fact, I hate myself for it.
I acted out of ambition, hungry for my own little piece of the Atlantic pie. Leonidas Blackthorn taught me how far you can soar, and I wanted that desperately.
