“We don’t want his money.” Thiago grunts. “But we’ll happily help destroy him.”
Artemis turns his attention to his relatively new brother. “What about your own money? I have positions in the company picked out for each of you. Not token ones either. Real jobs, with real responsibilities, and real salaries. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but with him setting fire to everything, I just hadn’t gotten around to reaching out.”
The three men nod, each staring at Artemis with a combination of awe and gratitude. “Aren’t we too young?” Thiago’s looks unsure at Artemis’s decision to give them jobs in the company.
Artemis nods. “Probably, but I think with some shadowing from senior members and intensive coaching, you can pull it off.”
Thiago purses his lips but stays quiet.
“I honestly don’t think we’ll need any of this.” Athena regains control of the discussion. “I think the threat of going public and embarrassing him will be enough for him to tuck tail and scuttle back under a rock. But it helps that rich men do stupid accounting crimes all the time.” She looks over her manicure. “I’m glad we take more after Mamá. We’re all smart as hell and more than capable of destroying a mediocre cabrón.”
Fuck, I hope she’s right.
“There’s more.” It’s back to Apollo. “We found out who Tabitha is.”
I hiss out a slow breath. This one’s a biggie. If Artemis wasprone before, he’s coiled like a fucking spring now. I squeeze his hand. “Easy.”
“Fuck easy. I want to destroy them.”
Apollo winces. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
Artemis’s face drops. “The fuck?” He glances between his siblings, but none of them seem to have the same thirst for vengeance against Tabitha as he does. “What am I missing?”
Apollo swallows. “It’s Claudia.”
“Claudia? From the restaurant, Claudia? My exClaudia?” Artemis looks at his mother who nods, an odd sadness in her eyes.
Artemis looks like he’s been hit in the face by a two-by-four. “Wh-at…? How…? I-don’t… shit.” Words flow from Artemis’s mouth like he can’t hold on to one thought.
I shift closer, angling my body toward his without thinking. I can’t fix this. I can’t shield him from it. But I sure as hell can make sure he doesn’t face it alone.
“Our father paid her to keep an eye on us. Her grandmother needed medical treatment, and she needed the money to pay for it.”
Claudia, the server from Guac ‘n Roll, the woman Artemis dated for a while, his “cover relationship.” She needed public clout; he needed cover from people throwing themselves at him.
I don’t blame them, to be honest. I threw myself at him, too. He’s easy to throw yourself at.
Artemis’s face pales. “Shit. She’s not?” He looks around the room.
Ares snorts. “No, Hermano. You didn’t fuck your sister.”
The relief on my boyfriend’s face is tangible, and his shoulders soften.
“But Alonso made threats against her, her family, her job,” Ares continues.
“And you know what it’s like when medical bills get out ofcontrol. She felt like she had no choice but to do what he wanted.” Athena’s voice is softer, though still carrying a hard edge. “Like with everything else, he used her. He sent her the information about the merger. He’s known for a while but was waiting for the right time to use it.”
I hate this man with my whole fucking being. And I can’t wait to watch my boyfriend bring him to his knees and then knee him in the face for good measure.
The siblings stay for hours. We order food, we strategize. When we’re done talking business, there’s a raucous game of Cards Against Humanity that makes us laugh until our ribs hurt. Gabriella might be a woman scorned but she’s chatting and laughing with her husband’s “illegitimate” children like she’s known them their whole lives. I want to be like her when I grow up.
Everyone’s laughing, and I’m smiling with them, but my arm is heavy in the sling, like it’s reminding me that I don’t get to forget what’s waiting for me when this room empties.
But it’s the change in my man that’s most notable, the tension in his face has eased, his shoulders are more relaxed, and he’s smiling more. There’s a lightness in him that I haven’t seen before, and I’d be lying if I said it isn’t hot as hell.
When he catches me staring, he quirks a brow, and I shake my head. He leans over and sweeps a kiss against my cheek. “Thanks for not letting me run.” His fingers tighten around mine like it’s a promise.
“Thanks for letting me stay.”
