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I couldn’t regret what I’d done. After the catastrophe we’d already gotten into in Paradise Bend, the actions I’d taken had been the only way I’d seen to get us out of the mess while protecting Dad from the worst possible fallout. Given how things had gone afterward, it seemed like I’d been right, even with the limited experience I’d had at sixteen years old.
But Dad was never going to forget that I’d turned to the people he’d seen as targets at best and enemies at worst. That I’d spent three years as their theoretical hostage before I’d come back to him. He couldn’t have understood that the leaders of the gangs I’d ended up allying with had been better friends to me than anyone I’d been able to associate with under his roof and that they’d treated me like a respected apprentice, not a foe.
It was Dad’s teachings that had given me the foundations I used to run much of our empire now, but I had to give a lot of credit for everything I’d built on those foundations to the people back in Paradise Bend.
I just wished my approach hadn’t taken such a toll on Dad. His typical suits and loafers gave him the same professional appearance as always, but I could see how the strain had affected him in the thinning of his gray hair and the stress lines sunk into his increasingly jowly face. Yeah, he was getting older like anyone did, but he looked like he’d aged twenty years in the last seven.
I had no idea how to rekindle his enthusiasm for the job or for whatever familial relationship we had left.
“Everything else I had on my plate has been taken care of too,” I went on. “If there’s anything you feel needs extra care—”
Dad waved his hand dismissively. “No, no, I’m sure it’s all fine. I’ve passed a few things on to Lana that she might bring to you for confirmation if my schedule gets too full.”
“Of course. Well… I’ll see you later.”
He inclined his head, looking at me again only briefly, and I ducked out of his office. We rarely even ate together despite living in the same house. I probably wouldn’t see him again other than a brief passing in the hall until the next time I gave him an update.
I closed my eyes for a moment and shook off the lingering tension in my gut. It was what it was. I’d rather have preserved our family legacy and Dad’s life than acted as an obedient lapdog going on with his increasingly crazy scheme for expansion. We’d found plenty of other ways to grow the business since then that hadn’t involved psychopaths or large-scale bloodshed. I’d just added a new nightclub in Chicago to our holdings last week.
The thought of the club reminded me of the place we owned right here in our home city. I’d popped in there the other night and immediately spotted Maddie on the dance floor, getting close with one and then another of those guys she’d been hanging out with. The guys who’d been poking around more than I liked into the city’s black market activities.
The guys who’d all looked so eager to get their hands on her that it made my teeth grit to remember it.
Walking down the hall and away from my uncomfortable feelings about Dad, I decided it was time to focus on other relationships I wanted to establish. I needed to see Maddie again. I needed to make a real claim on her affection before any of those men horned their way in. And just this morning, I’d come across the perfect opportunity.
I paused on the second floor landing, pulling out my phone and tapping her number in my contacts.
Do you have plans tonight?I asked, licking my bottom lip.Because I found something that I think you’d enjoy.
I had no idea what she was up to right now, but she replied just a minute later.Give me a time and place, and I’ll be there.
A smile crossed my face, this one not at all forced. Whatever she felt about those other guys, she wanted me at least as much. I just had to make sure it stayed that way, because the more time I spent around Madelyn Silver, the more I wanted to see even more of her.
* * *
Maddie was totally absorbed by the displays around us—andIwas totally absorbed by her reaction. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as she took in the special exhibit’s installations about new advances in human life sciences: fresh discoveries about aging and the functioning of the brain, records broken involving strength and endurance, and, as I was sure excited her the most, revolutionary medical treatments that’d been recently developed. She was so caught up, it was a wonder she managed not to walk into any of the other visitors.
“I had no idea this was going on,” she said, breathless in a way that sent a jolt of attraction straight to my groin. “I’m so glad you heard about it.”
I grinned at her. “I saw a poster and immediately knew it’d be up your alley.”
She tore her gaze away from the explanation for the interactive display in front of us long enough to raise her eyebrows at me. “And you figured you’d impress me by bringing me, huh?”
Her tone was so teasing it didn’t rankle me at all. I kept smiling, trailing my fingers down her spine to the small of her back and feeling a flicker of triumph when she stepped closer to me to welcome the touch. “Mostly I just love seeing you in your element. But if Ihavemanaged to impress you, then that’s an excellent side benefit.”
She laughed and moved on to the next fixture, gazing avidly at it. The sparkle in her eyes and the eager flush in her cheeks made me want to drag her off into a corner and devour her in all the best ways, but that would defeat the purpose of this part of the date. Hopefully we could get to the devouring part later, somewhere I could show her just how much I appreciatedallof her assets.
There was something to be said for a woman who had just as much to admire in her mind as her body. It’d been obvious to me from the start that Maddie wasn’t any slouch when it came to smarts, but the ease with which she’d filled me in on some of the more complex implications of the exhibit’s offerings had raised my estimations even more. No doubt she’d be graduating at the top of her class once she got to medical school.
And now she knew just how much I supported that side of her.
When we reached the last display, she let out a satisfied sigh. I took her hand, and she twined her fingers with mine automatically.
“If there’s anything you want a second look at, we can always double back,” I said.
She considered and then shook her head. “No, I think I caught everything on the first pass. It is getting kind of late.”
“I’m happy to stay as long as you’re enjoying yourself.”
