AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Adam shrugged. “I don’t have to. Dane and whoever else, and let’s be clear, there’s no way he’s the only government agency looking into something this big, will do their thing.”
Seth rested a fist on his hip and used his other hand to grip the back of his neck. Talk about complicated. What about… “Fox’s family—”
“You don’t say a fucking thing.” One moment Adam was sitting on the stool, the next he was right in front of Seth. “Not one word.”
Seth didn’t back down. “I wasn’t planning to.” Jesus, give him some credit.
“If you do, not only will you risk the work Tollison’s done, but you could put Harper in danger,” Heath warned as if Seth hadn’t spoken.
“Like I said, it wasn’t on my agenda.” Seth glared at Heath before facing Adam. “You think her dad would hurt her if she confronted him?”
Adam shrugged. “No idea, but I’m sure whoever he’s tied up with wouldn’t blink at threatening Fox’s family—if they haven’t already—as a way of keeping him and others like him in line.”
Dillon pulled out his phone from his back pocket and ran his thumb over his screen. “Going by what Tollison and Adam have shared, nothing would be past consideration. And we need to think about our position. Even with Fox’s lower offer, it’s still above any figure submitted by other interested parties. And Seth, what you said to Tollison is true. Fox is the CEO, but regardless of who fills that role, we signed a Letter of Intent to begin negotiations with Brooke-Porter.”
And according to that document, they had three weeks to go before the deal was final. “We continue on as normal.” Seth glanced at Dillon first then the others. “I’m flying out to Las Vegas tonight. Tomorrow, I’m the keynote speaker at a tech convention.” His team had spent weeks organizing everything. “Plus, I’ve got meetings lined up. I’m not due back until late Sunday.”
Roughly forty-eight hours away from Seattle. And Harper. During all this mess.
“Go.” Heath shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Do what you’d normally do. Adam and I will continue our analysis of the posts. Dillon’s here. He’ll help with anything we need, and you’re a phone call away.”
Adam switched his gaze between Dillon and Seth. “But be mindful. Fox knows he’s being investigated. But he’s still taking meetings and doing whatever shit is part of his deal, although it seems less regularly than before. He’s going to notice if you suddenly avoid him or act spooked when you’re in contact. Who knows where Tollison’s work will take him or how long until it’s finalized. Could be months, a year.”
Christ, he hadn’t thought of that. And he couldn’t say a thing to Harper.
He had to keep her safe. Speaking of which…
“Did you get the cameras fitted at Harper’s place?” he asked Adam.
“Yeah, at around two this morning. Nice and quiet. No disruptions. The front door was a cinch to manipulate with a hacking card on the reader. But cameras are locked and loaded with sound for the foyer, stairs, and all entry doors, front and back and the alley,” Adam stated. “The feeds go back to my laptop with a back-up to Heath’s and our phones.”
“Good.” At least he could fly to Las Vegas knowing Harper had some cover. “I’ll have to talk to her about overall security and upgrading the door.”
“And the fact she now has cameras on the property.” Heath’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “That should be interesting since the last time I saw her she threatened to serve Seth arsenic on toast.” He chuckled, either having eased up on his frustration from earlier or amused at the prospect of Seth’s imminent demise. With the tension between him and his brothers this week, it could go either way.
Dillon raised a brow. “When did this happen? I thought your bedside manner normally had women purring, not spitting.”
“Last Thursday afternoon at Seven Dishes.” Seth grinned at the memory. “And yes, that conversation about cameras will be interesting, but I’m up to the task.” He should wait until he had the little spitfire otherwise occupied, like say, tied to the bed.
Adam grunted as he moved to the doorway, signifying their meeting had come to an end. “I did another check of the wifi around your apartment. Couldn’t access yours. So everything’s still tight. Your neighbor, the weird little guy with thinning hair?” He shook his head at Seth. “Jesus, his browser history read like pornucopia.”
Seth hardly knew his neighbor, but he’d basically used this apartment as a place to sleep since he’d moved in a year ago.
“I’ll hold off asking him for that cup of sugar when I’m next baking.”
Adam rolled his eyes and walked to the entry. Heath followed with Dillon.
“I’ll see you in the office.” Dillon nodded as he followed Adam out the door, but Heath lingered, his hand on the door handle as he faced Seth.
“Look, about before, with Fox. I didn’t mean you fucked up by not telling us.”
Seth stared back. That was exactly what Heath meant.
His brother sighed. “Okay, yeah, that came out wrong, too, but I’m trying to say I spoke out of turn. You’re good at what you do. This time, forces beyond your control were at work. I let a moment of frustration get the better of me. I’m sorry.”
Seth breathed out slowly, feeling tension ease from his body like a deflating balloon—stretched to bursting point one minute and emptied the next.
“We’re all caught up in this together. Some in more ways than others.” Seth slapped his brother on the back. “We’re going to laugh about this over a beer one day.”
Heath didn’t smile back but studied Seth. “You’re worried about Harper. How she’s going to cope with everything and how you’re going to keep secrets from her.”
There were reasons why Heath was such a good cop. Ever observant. “I am, but there’s nothing I can do right now except be there when it all goes to shit.”
“You’re planning on being around Harper then?” Heath raised a brow. “Stanton’s comeuppance could be far into the future, if it happens at all.”
Seth had no idea. “Let’s take everything that’s happening right now one day at a time.”
What more could he say? The one thing he was certain of, that he wanted to achieve without fail, was easy to answer.
Protecting what he held dear was of most importance. And damn it all, if a curvy little café owner hadn’t worked her way onto that list. The question was, who posed the biggest threat to her? The imposter who wanted to bring Seth down, her father, or the shadowy organization he worked for?
