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Challenging him.
The man was in his fifties, graying, but every inch the fit and muscular man he’d been when Flint had first met him.
Flint couldn’t be intimidated anymore. He’d had enough. He reached for his phone to call the police and then thought about having that on his record.
It would be his word against Howard’s regarding who’d started the confrontation. Howard would bring up the suspicions of theft against Flint...
Leaving the vehicle running, he got out.
Stood face-to-face with the other man, his arms crossed.
“I’m here to help.” Howard’s gravelly voice didn’t sound helpful.
“If she put you up to this, tell her that she can consider her conscience cleared. And while you’re at it, tell her to stay off my property.”
With a single bow of the head, Howard acknowledged the order. But didn’t move. “You’re a smart man, Flint.”
He refused to let the compliment distract him.
“Too smart to risk losing your daughter without doing all you possibly could do to keep her.”
They knew.
Glancing at the door of the day care, he realized he should’ve known. Michael had said he had to provide Diamond’s day-care information. Tamara had recommended Mallory to him.
They were all in it together.
Like hanging with like.
Sticking together.
That was how things worked.
“She’s my sister, not my daughter.” It was all the fight he had in that second, while he figured out what Howard was after and then did something to circumvent whatever it was.
“She won’t know the difference until after you’re more father than brother to her.”
Point to Howard Owens.
The admission was like a slug to his shoulder. Nothing more.
“Let me help you.”
He stared at the older man. There’d been a real plea in his tone. He’d never taken Howard for an actor. Never knew he had that talent.
Stood to reason, though, considering his wealth and the business he was in, convincing people to part with their money.
Flint’s business, too. His one real talent.
“Why?” he asked.
“Does it matter? You don’t want to lose that baby, you need a job.”
“I’ll find a job.”
“Not with almost a decade’s experience, not with a book of business large enough to impress even the most jaded of judges, not one that’s going to give you the security you’ve got at Owens.”
“Until you fire me for fraud, you mean.”
