Page 64 of The Beat Match

He eyed the metal bull on his coffee table. The bronze sculpture was small and striking. The beast looked ready to buck, its muscles coiled, a braided rope flying from the animal’s writhing neck. Annie had once said Weston made her feel like that bull, caged and controlled.

“But the bull’s getting away,” Weston had said, confused by the statement. “He broke the rope.”

“Of course you’d think that,” she’d said.

He had purchased the sculpture, seeing power in the piece, the innate drive to break free and forge your own path. But maybe Annie had been right. Maybe the flying rope was only a tease of freedom, as though the beast was within grabbing distance of its master. Exactly how he felt these days, tied to the one person who’d tamed his inner beast, unable to reach her, too weak to pull away.

The numbers on his screen blurred slightly, merged into fuzzy lines. He looked at Leo’s picture. A habit he’d been indulging in more since that horrid talk with Annie. “I fucked up, buddy.” His computer’s fan buzzed slightly. The air conditioner hummed. “My stupidity got you killed, and now I’ve devastated your sister. The one thing you asked of me, I messed up.”

Take care of Annie. She has no one.

How could Weston have been so careless with her heart? He should have told her the truth from the start. Bucked up, been a man, admitted he was the reason Leo had died. She probably would have held it against him. They never would have gotten this close. He wouldn’t feel like he was dying inside, and she wouldn’t have buckled under his dreadful admission.

All this time, he’d been worried he’d hurt her by running when things got intense. All he wanted to do now was run toward her, regardless of the emotional noose tightening around his neck. Surely that meant he could handle a real relationship. He hoped, at least. But she’d asked him to stay away.

His phone buzzed. He rushed to check the screen, a pathetic junkie hoping for an Annie fix, but the text wasn’t from Annie.

Rosanna: We have a problem.

Just what he needed.

Weston: Did you sink another yacht?

Rosanna: Hilarious, but no. I was tagged on Instagram. Someone caught me out with Ricardo.

He didn’t remember which guy Ricardo was.

Weston: Incriminating?

Rosanna: Sucking face. So, yeah.

He wanted to be furious at her carelessness, but if Annie came back to him, he wouldn’t risk her feelings by continuing this ruse. Maybe he should force Annie’s hand now, show up at her apartment. Beg her to give him another chance he didn’t deserve, or offer to just talk if that was what she needed. He rubbed his eyes and planted his elbows on his desk. If she gave him a second chance, he’d be whatever she needed.

As for this predicament, the business merger would have to stand on its own merit, and Rosanna would have to handle her wild ways with her father.

Weston: We’ll deal with it. Leak that we’re having problems. Have a fake break up to end our fake relationship. I’ll make sure the merger isn’t affected.

Because dating Karim’s daughter should never have been part of the offer.

Rosanna: I actually want to talk to you about the merger.

His phone rang, Rosanna calling through. “Are you alone?”

A truer statement there never was. “Unfortunately.”

“You sound pathetic. Are you on the outs with Annie?”

“What’s going on with the merger?”

She made a disgusted noise. “You are such a dude, ignoring a personal question. But fine, we have more important things to discuss.”

“I’m listening.” Sort of. His focus was shot to shit these days.

“You said a while back DLP was shady, doing underhanded dealings.”

That got his attention. He swiveled in his chair and stared out the window as he spoke. “Did something happen?”

“Not in so many words, but I’m worried about you. My father had a party recently, a work function hosted at a Greenwich restaurant. One of the higher ups at DLP popped by, and my father didn’t give him the time of day. Dad seemed pissed he crashed the party. No big deal, but I went outside to make a call and saw the DLP guy down the block, yelling at someone on his phone. It was raining, so I hid under my umbrella and got close enough to eavesdrop. I only caught the end of the conversation, but—”