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34 Will
A HAUNTING AND tense silence filled my father’s office. Jaws were clenched. My hands were fisted so tightly, my knuckles were white. Murderous thoughts flooded my mind. I imagined the same was true for Dad.
And maybe Axel, who’d had an active part in this meeting regarding new security procedures.
York wasn’t kidding when he said Axel had lost it over Simone. It hadn’t been the first time either. Still, I didn’t know what to make of it. It seemed like Axel was wound tighter than a fucking two-dollar watch.
For now, I didn’t give a shit. SJI was in danger and so were my loved ones. I’d be damned if I fretted over some guy who appeared concerned about my sister. That at least told me he’d have his eyes on her and would protect her.
“How’s Miranda?” Grandfather asked. As the words left his lips, he fidgeted with a pen, tapping it at an annoying speed on the mahogany table. I’d missed the beginning of his sentence.
“Fine, sir.” It’d been a week since Miranda and Simone had both been poisoned, though Miranda’s had turned out to be spoiled seafood. I exhaled a deep breath recalling how scared I’d been when I found her unconscious on the bathroom floor. The EMTs had assured me she was fine and she was. “She doesn’t know anything about the breach or that fucking note. It’s better this way. I’d hate for her to be scared.”
“Knowledge is power,” Axel mumbled.
“Yes, but the fewer people who know, the better,” York countered. “Are there any questions?” York calmly drank his coffee. How did he do that? Simone’s life had been harmed, and he didn’t seem to mind. Did he not have a soul? A heart?
I slammed my hand on the table, rattling glasses and coffee mugs. “Yeah, I have a question. How am I supposed to protect Miranda? How do we know I’m not being followed by the same bastards who were only ‘sending a message’?”
Eyes darted around the room, but not a word was spoken—utter bullshit.
My father finally responded. “We have top-of-the-line security in the building and at the mansion.”
“I don’t live in the mansion! None of us are hunkered down, shaking in our boots. Life goes on. What are we doing to protect the women we love and catch these sons of bitches?” I jumped out of my seat to pace. I couldn’t sit still; I needed to move with all the nervous energy and adrenaline coursing through my veins. “Simone was poisoned, and we don’t even know who did it or where it happened.”
“Fucking pisses me off too,” Axel mumbled again.
“Yeah, big guy? Well, do tell, what should we do?”
He glowered at me.
“I can’t be with Miranda every second of the day, tasting her food and sipping her lattes. What am I supposed to do, especially since she can’t know what the fuck is going on!”
“Personally, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight, but that’s just me.” Axel shrugged like a caveman, not giving a shit about living a normal life.
“That’s practical. How about I just handcuff her to me?” I shook my head. “She owns a business. An event-planning business. She’s on the go all day, works late and on weekends.”
“I know.”
“What do you mean you know?”
“I vetted your girl,” Axel admitted.
I heard my father sigh, and York cleared his throat.
“My girl? Well that’s just splendid.” I dropped back into my chair and eyed my grandfather who had been unusually quiet. “What do you say to all this, Grandfather? You’re the leader of this family. Are you pleased with this joke of a plan?”
He stared, pensive and defeated. “I’m at a loss, William. I never dealt with any of this shit when I was running SJI. Yeah, a little money was stolen, but nothing ever entered my home. And it sure as hell never touched my family. I’m leaving this toyouand your dad. I’ll follow orders, but I’m not running the show.”
I slumped in my seat, feeling all of ten years old. Hell, I didn’t want to run the show either. If I could, I’d take Miranda, go off-grid, and wait it out until the bad guys were apprehended. I didn’t feel capable of dealing with this level of danger.
I’d grown up a preppy smartass. Street smarts and a killer instinct didn’t resonate with me. If I found myself in a fight—man-to-man, fists flying—I could hold my own. What we were dealing with was the unknown. Already it had involved poison seemingly out of thin air. What next, guns?
I shuddered at the thought. I hated guns. To each his own, but they weren’t for me.
“Let me see if I understand all of this.” I waved my hand in a circular motion. “SJI is safe and so is the mansion, but we’re nowhere closer to getting the guys behind the chaos? Am I right in my understanding of this dire and potentially deadly situation?”
“That sounds about right to me,” Axel mumbled.
“Okay, then. I call this meeting adjourned until the next crisis crashes into our imaginary safe and perfect fucking lives.” I stood and stalked out of my father’s office.
