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I rubbed my stomach again. Things had changed, all right. Noah and I hadn’t had enough money to eat after Lydia kicked us out. Now I was making cross-blackmail deals with my stepmother for millions of dollars.Iwas being blackmailed by my father-in-law, not to mention stupid Mimi Jones.
I tried to focus as we snaked through the traffic. What should I do? If I told Bryce the truth about his father, I risked Gene doing something terrible.
If I said nothing, I would continue to be beholden to him. And risked him doing something terrible.
I sighed and stared up at the sky, hoping to see the first star so I could make a wish. A wish for guidance, a wish for an answer, a wish for the right path.
But there was nothing up there but clouds.
TWENTY-TWO
moves
BRYCE
Dale textedme during the meeting.
I need to talk to you. Important.
“Excuse me.” I stood up from the table. Regina Hernandez gaped at me—she’d been mid-sentence. “I have to take this call. I’ll be right back.”
I headed outside, knowing that the board members would be worried. What was the emergency? Was it my father? My wife? When everything was in crisis, everythingseemedlike a crisis.
But my assistant never interrupted me. So even I was worried as I called him. “Dale? What’s the matter?”
He sighed. “I don’t want to speak out of turn, but your wife’s worrying me.”
“What do you mean?” My stomach churned.
“She called me a few minutes ago—she’s worried about Noah.”
“Okay…”
“She said she doesn’t want him out of my sight. Is something going on? She even called Hazel.”
“What?”My wife wasn’t fond of the maid who’d been with me since I was a boy. And when I say she wasn’t fond, I meant that she’d always seemed petrified of her. “Start talking, or I’m coming up there.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Dale continued, “just that she said she doesn’t want him alone with anyone. She said something about her father, that maybe he was trying to get custody back? And that she’s worriedyourfather might help him—”
“The hell? What is she talking about?” I raked a hand through my hair. Just then, Chloe texted that she was heading over for the impromptu photo shoot Olivia Jensen had organized. “She’s on her way now. Listen, I don’t know what’s happening, but you absolutely have to watch Noah. Tell Hazel to stay with him. I’ll call security and let them know we may have an issue.”
I hung up and called Ted, my head guy. “Have you heard anything about a possible threat?”
“No, Mr. Windsor,” he said. “There’s been nothing unusual, except…”
“I’m listening. And remember, now that my father’s gone, I’m in charge of everyone. And everything, including your paycheck.”
Ted cleared his throat. “Mrs. Windsor—Mrs.DaphneWindsor—called earlier, she wanted to know who was on duty tonight.”
“Who is on duty, Ted?”
“Patrick, Mike, and Leo. Is something wrong, Sir? I can’t recall a time that Mrs. Windsor’s made an inquiry like that.”
“Nothing’s wrong—thanks for your help.” I didn’t want to say too much, not yet.
I hung up and immediately texted Dale, telling him the names of the guards on duty. I asked him to find them in person, confiscate their phones, and let them know they were needed in an urgent meeting in half an hour.
Regina Hernandez flew out of the conference room. “Bryce, are you coming back?”
