he felt better for it. “What are you doing here, Malcolm?”
“Trying to seduce you?”
“No, you’re trying to convince me to help you, which, believe it or not, I’m happy to do, but it’ll be quid pro quo.”
“That sounds dirty.” He grinned at her but this time she shook her head and pointed a finger at him.
“This isn’t funny. And as you pointed out to me the other night, anything doing with your father isn’t a game.”
“Agreed.” But the final piece he needed to finish his father off continued to elude him. So far the computer hack hadn’t produced anything useful, aside from a string of emails he felt certain his father wouldn’t want the SEC seeing. But what was life without having another hurdle to jump? What was it John Lennon had said? Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans? “What are you doing where my father’s concerned?”
She considered him and he could all but see the gears grinding in her head.
“You don’t trust me,” he said when she pinched her lips together and flipped her sunglasses over her eyes.
“It’s not a matter of trust. Exactly.”
“I’m not going to get in your way—”
“You’re already in my way. Being around you makes everything . . . complicated.”
“Back at you.”
“God, would you stop the Prince Charming routine? I’m not playing games, Malcolm. Not with your father, not with you. There’s more to this situation than you realize. People who can get hurt, disappointed.”
“So tell me. Prepare me ahead of time.”
“It’s not just up to me.”
He could tell by the way she bit her lip she hadn’t meant to say that. Interesting. “What do I need to do to prove myself worthy?”
“Tell me why you’re back.”
Malcolm sighed. Was there a downside to telling her? “I’ve been buying up shares in Oliver Technologies.”
“You’re—” She let out a low whistle, looked away. “Wow. Okay. I take it Ty doesn’t know.”
“No reason for him to.” But if his brother had been paying attention to the company, he should have noticed something was off.
“Same old Malcolm. You want what you want on your terms. Nothing given in advance, nothing that doesn’t bring you a return on your investment.”
“Now hold on—” He straightened.
“You just told me you’re stealing your father and brother’s company as if it were nothing more than a withdrawal at the ATM.”
“Funny.” And true.
“No, it’s not. Have you even thought about what this will do to your brother? No.” She shoved forward in her chair. “What you’re doing with him, keeping these secrets, making decisions that will affect him for the rest of his life, it’s a replay of five years ago when your father did the same thing to you—or so you want all of us to believe.”
“You’ve been talking with Nathan.”
“He thought I should know what’s going on with you, yes. Don’t be mad at him for it.”
“Do I look mad?” If anything, it saved them time and him an awkward conversation. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about revenge. Or if you’d believe me.”
“That your father set you up and sold you out? Of course I do, but there’s more to what happened than you realize, so here’s something to mull over: If you’d even thought to tell me the truth, I might have left with you. But you didn’t give me that choice. You decided, on your own, what had to be done and you just went ahead and did it. And you know what? That’s fine. Things worked out the way they were meant to. But this thing with your father and brother? With us?” She pointed between them. “This is the consequence. The way you’re going about things means I was right. I can’t trust you to be honest with me. And without trust, there’s nothing salvageable.”
Her calm tirade kick-started his anger. “Are we going to pretend you ever trusted me? Did you even try to find me, to ask me what had really happened at the company? Did you ever once
“Trying to seduce you?”
“No, you’re trying to convince me to help you, which, believe it or not, I’m happy to do, but it’ll be quid pro quo.”
“That sounds dirty.” He grinned at her but this time she shook her head and pointed a finger at him.
“This isn’t funny. And as you pointed out to me the other night, anything doing with your father isn’t a game.”
“Agreed.” But the final piece he needed to finish his father off continued to elude him. So far the computer hack hadn’t produced anything useful, aside from a string of emails he felt certain his father wouldn’t want the SEC seeing. But what was life without having another hurdle to jump? What was it John Lennon had said? Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans? “What are you doing where my father’s concerned?”
She considered him and he could all but see the gears grinding in her head.
“You don’t trust me,” he said when she pinched her lips together and flipped her sunglasses over her eyes.
“It’s not a matter of trust. Exactly.”
“I’m not going to get in your way—”
“You’re already in my way. Being around you makes everything . . . complicated.”
“Back at you.”
“God, would you stop the Prince Charming routine? I’m not playing games, Malcolm. Not with your father, not with you. There’s more to this situation than you realize. People who can get hurt, disappointed.”
“So tell me. Prepare me ahead of time.”
“It’s not just up to me.”
He could tell by the way she bit her lip she hadn’t meant to say that. Interesting. “What do I need to do to prove myself worthy?”
“Tell me why you’re back.”
Malcolm sighed. Was there a downside to telling her? “I’ve been buying up shares in Oliver Technologies.”
“You’re—” She let out a low whistle, looked away. “Wow. Okay. I take it Ty doesn’t know.”
“No reason for him to.” But if his brother had been paying attention to the company, he should have noticed something was off.
“Same old Malcolm. You want what you want on your terms. Nothing given in advance, nothing that doesn’t bring you a return on your investment.”
“Now hold on—” He straightened.
“You just told me you’re stealing your father and brother’s company as if it were nothing more than a withdrawal at the ATM.”
“Funny.” And true.
“No, it’s not. Have you even thought about what this will do to your brother? No.” She shoved forward in her chair. “What you’re doing with him, keeping these secrets, making decisions that will affect him for the rest of his life, it’s a replay of five years ago when your father did the same thing to you—or so you want all of us to believe.”
“You’ve been talking with Nathan.”
“He thought I should know what’s going on with you, yes. Don’t be mad at him for it.”
“Do I look mad?” If anything, it saved them time and him an awkward conversation. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about revenge. Or if you’d believe me.”
“That your father set you up and sold you out? Of course I do, but there’s more to what happened than you realize, so here’s something to mull over: If you’d even thought to tell me the truth, I might have left with you. But you didn’t give me that choice. You decided, on your own, what had to be done and you just went ahead and did it. And you know what? That’s fine. Things worked out the way they were meant to. But this thing with your father and brother? With us?” She pointed between them. “This is the consequence. The way you’re going about things means I was right. I can’t trust you to be honest with me. And without trust, there’s nothing salvageable.”
Her calm tirade kick-started his anger. “Are we going to pretend you ever trusted me? Did you even try to find me, to ask me what had really happened at the company? Did you ever once
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