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I shuddered.
“A big fucking problem.”
I jerked my head backwards. I didn’t particularly want to face him head on but it was preferable to having him spit in my ear. “What kind of problem?”
He began to drag me to the edge of the room but I yanked my arm free of his grasp. I was no longer a kid; I was a grown man. A married man. My fate in this family – as far as he was concerned – had been sealed.
He leaned in and spoke low. “We were due a supply this afternoon. The largest consignment we’ve ever had.”
“Yes. Ossian told me.”
“But I just got word the ship carrying it has sunk off the coast of Aberdeen.”
I forced my hands onto his bony shoulders and positioned myself directly in front of him. Then I rounded my eyes and infused my voice with panic. “What? What do you mean its sunk?”
“I’m still getting reports about the cause but…”
“But, what?” I demanded.
“We think it was caused by an explosion of some sort. We think the ship was sunk on purpose.”
I lowered my voice. “Are you serious? What makes you think that?”
He darted his eyes to each side then he moved closer. “Because there’s a ton of debris on the surface and… no evidence of human life. Whoever did this scarpered before the boat went down.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding. “Okay. Who knows about this? The authorities?”
“The coast guard likely knows. It won’t be long before word gets around. We have to deny all knowledge. The boat wasn’t headed our way – it had nothing to do with us.”
“Obviously,” I scoffed. “Losing the supply will put back the expansion but better that than anyone suspecting the way we grow this stuff. What about the supplier? Won’t they be fined?”
Father snorted. “More than fined, Rupert. They’ll be sued to high heaven and put out of business for good. This is bad, son. Someone’s out for blood.”
I shoved my hands into my trouser pockets. “Like who?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out. First the port fire and now this. Someone wants to take down our business and they know too much. They have to be terminated, whoever they are.”
“What do you need me to do?” I had to show willing if I was to remain convincing.
His gaze burned up and down my body as if sizing me up. “Nothing right now. Get this charade over and done with. I’ll call you in the morning.”
“And until then?”
“I’m shutting everything down – the lab, the coastline, everything. No one leaves, no one arrives. Not until we figure out who the fuck is behind this.”
“What’s the plan once you find them?”
His eyes twisted and his lips thinned like he was relishing the thought. “I’m going to tear them apart limb by limb with my bare fucking hands.”
I resisted the urge to hike my brows and instead closed my eyes in reverence.
“Get back to it, son,” he barked. “After tonight you’re going to be the one thing all husbands on this island are, to great effect.”
“And what’s that?”
“Scarce,” he replied, then turned on his heel and departed with a trail of protection close behind him.
The second he left, I whipped out my phone and called Minty.
