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I flopped on Teague’s sofa next to him. “Are you the safety patrol now?”
He scowled and I kissed his cheek, which immediately softened him.
I looked around. The apartment was a little messy, but quiet. Too quiet. “Where is everybody?”
“Downstairs. Lexie insisted I see aboutmy empirefor a few hours this morning.” A smile teased his lips.
“Have I told you how happy I am for you?” I slipped off my shoes and tucked my legs under me.
“I didn’t know it was possible,” he said, almost in awe. “To feel . . . so much.”
He was lucky. He’d never have to experience the other side of that coin. The painful one.
“I think the dogs are the most shocking part of the whole thing.” I grinned.
“It is rather surprising. In fact, it’s a bit too quiet around here now.”
I hugged a throw pillow. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I’ve tried to come up with a solution about the company. I just can’t.”
If it weren’t for the employees, I’d walk away and never look back. Lincoln would understand. He might even walk with me.
But I bore a responsibility to these people.
“It’s . . . delicate.”
I snorted. That was one way of putting it. “More like disaster.” I hugged the pillow harder. “If we could just get rid of him—”
“I meant what I told him. Zegas drafted a letter demanding he sign over your portion of the company within three days.”
I straightened. “What do you have on him?”
He slumped. “Nothing really. I’m hoping my bluff will at least scare him into giving you and Teague what belongs to you.”
“And what about what belongs to you?”
He shrugged. “It’s more important to me that you two are taken care of.”
I whacked him with the pillow. “I’m more than fine without the company.”
“I’m aware. But it belongs to you and you’ll have it.”
“Do you think he had Mom killed?” I asked quietly.
“No.” He rubbed his jaw. “But he knows who did it. My guess is he’s exacted his revenge.”
“Did he give you and Teague anything the other night? Something of Mom’s?” There was a desperate edge to my voice. I wantedsomethingof hers. Anything that would tell me about her.
“She loved you,” he said hoarsely. “She’d tease me about how I watched over you, but she never let you get too far out of her sight.”
“Was I . . . there?” I swallowed hard.
“No.” His eyes rounded. “She and Winston argued about who was going to the deli. He never raised his voice, but that morning, he was . . . almost like he was panicked. I’d forgotten that.”
“You don’t think . . .” The man had taken care of us, been there for us. Could he have been involved in her murder?
“I can’t imagine it.”
I dropped my head back and stared at the ceiling. “It doesn’t matter if Father’s dead or we never see him again. He’s always going to loom over us, isn’t he?”
