“Took you long enough. I’ve been stealin’ your shit for over twenty years.” Even though his voice is steady, Owen’s hand shakes in mine, and I hold my breath. Apprehension floods my system on a wave of adrenaline, my legs tense and quaking. “Congratulations on figuring it out. Here’s your participation trophy.”

  Reaching into his pocket, Owen tosses something at his brother and Rowlan doesn’t try to catch it. The clatter is slight as it hits the concrete, drawing my gaze briefly to the tiny, green toy soldier that lands between Rowlan’s feet. I can’t even blink before Owen tugs on my hand insistently, turning his back on his brother who stands there, dumb with shock.

  “Kaitlyn,” muttering under his breath, Owen casts me a pained look, and my heart nearly stops beating. “Stay back.”

  “Wh-what do I do? What about y-you?” stammering slightly over my dry, thick tongue, I look over my shoulder, but Owen wraps his arm around my neck in warning. Adrenaline surges through my veins and blood drums in my ears hard, but not hard enough to drown out his voice.

  “You’ll be fine, he’s after me. There’s plenty of cameras and crowds, so he can’t make a scene.” He presses a hand against the small of my back, and I gasp in horror at the almost serene smile he casts. “You’re sweet. You don’t deserve this, and I was wrong to ignore that.”

  “Owen.” Pushing me more insistently, his smile falters before he nods encouragingly, and I bite back the worry that clogs my throat. I can’t move even when he turns to his brother. What do I do? What do I do?

  Chapter Seven

  Owen

  “You’re stupid, and I pity you.” A cold sweat breaks out under my clothes as I struggle to keep my voice calm and I rock back on my heels. Sticking my hands into my pockets, I palm my switch blade as Rowlan turns beet red with rage. “I’ve got shit to do that don’t involve you, Rowlan, so make it quick.”

  “I’m gonna kill you.” Rolling my eyes at his threat, I check my watch in faux nonchalance. This is a warning; I could smell it on Rowlan, just how desperate he is. “How dare you bring this shit up now when I’m so fucking close to selling out at a good price.”

  “Why do you sound hurt?” I muse, surprise bubbling up from deep in my chest as Rowlan’s glare intensifies. He really is stupid. He had confronted me on the street, a busy street with restaurants and lots of security cameras. Walking the short distance between us, I clap his shoulder with one hand as the other caresses the knife in my pocket. “If you come at me, Rowlan, you’ll lose. If you think throwing a punch at me, yelling, and stomping your feet is gonna get you anywhere, you’re wrong. I could stab you right now, and you’ll bleed out before you get to your car. You’re not Dad. You don’t have the balls to do any real damage to anyone.”

  Rowlan is a rampaging ball of fury, unable to utter a retort, and I smirk mockingly as I pat his shuddering shoulder. Turning away to wander down the street towards Kaitlyn, I forcefully uncurl my fingers from around my switchblade. I close my eyes briefly and sigh, but the tension doesn’t leave my body as I reach her. Worry dribbles down her pale face, and guilt twists my gut before I take her hand to lead her down the sidewalk.

  “I wish I could say I was surprised, but . . .” I grumble more to myself than her just to break the silence and intense ringing in my ears. Kaitlyn doesn’t reply, and I flex my taut, sweating hands before running them through my hair and tugging the strands. “I wonder how he found out. So, if you want to call a cab, I totally understand, Kaitlyn.”

  She blinks and sucks in a sharp breath at her name, and I wince as the sound cuts my cheek. Clearing my throat, I sniffle harshly against the ache that springs behind my eyes when I look over at her. “I said you should call a cab and go home.”

  “O-oh, why? What’d you and him say to each other?” I pause in surprise, arching a brow at her as she cups her neck with her palms to rub her forearms together. I guess, to her, it doesn’t seem so bad. It’ll definitely get bad, because I don’t back down from threats, though. “Now I know why you don’t like him. He just accused you of stealing his stuff. Most siblings steal each other’s stuff. I know it happened a lot in my family.”

  “I mentioned my inheritance from when my dad died, right?” I ask, and Kaitlyn nods firmly as I resist the urge to look behind me. Rowlan is dangerous, no matter what bluffs I try to play, and I can feel his glare at my back. Rounding a corner, I pause to rub my mouth and chin, and exhale sharply through my nose. “My dad made it clear every chance he got that he hated me for being born. When I was young, that meant being insanely jealous of Rowlan, so I started stealin’ his stuff. It all began with that toy soldier. It escalated to bigger stuff, and because Rowlan never really learned to care about the value of things, I got away with stealing some pretty expensive things. I even stole a classic car from him when it was getting delivered, and he never noticed.”

  “Wow, really?” Amazement heightens her tone, and I chuckle tersely as we walk towards a restaurant. Pointing at the sign hanging over the sidewalk, I arch a brow quizzically. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe that at all. A whole car?”

  “I still have it in storage. Yeah, I remember him wondering why it was taking so long, and then, he just sorta forgot about it. That was ten years ago, and it made me realize . . . why do I put up with him and his shit? A couple months after that, my father killed himself, and I got forty-nine percent of the company that I sold to Rowlan for pennies just to get rid of any reason for him to contact me.” Delight tinges my voice, remembering my brother all uppity about the car before it slowly dissolved like a breath in the cold. Reaching the restaurant entrance, I open the door for Kaitlyn. She blushes lightly, and just like every other time, my brother fades from my mind quickly. “This isn’t what I wanted to happen on our first date. I really do understand if you see it as a red flag and don’t want to see me again.”

  “I have twelve brothers and sisters . . . trust me, I get the conflict,” she says with a wink, and her forwardness draws a chuckle from me. “Two of my brothers were always at each other for whatever reason, and my parents tried not to do the whole favoritism thing.”

  “Hi. Yeah, two, please,” The hostess smiles and grabs two menus, and I press my palm against Kaitlyn’s back just to watch her blush a pretty pink. “I’d ask to make it up to you, but the next week is gonna be busy for me, and you’ll have plenty of time to reconsider. Even though Rowlan is onto me, I doubt he can afford to kick me off this merger he’s got going. He needs me to investigate his missing inventory.”

  “Ironic. You didn’t steal from a corporate entity, though, so he can’t break your contracting agreement, right?” She’s so innocent. I only hum in agreement as we reach our table, keeping my thoughts to myself. It isn’t a bad thing, but the guilt starts to eat at me. “So, you’ll be fine. I get you’re doing it out of spite just to know how badly he ran himself into the ground.”

  “That’s a shockingly vicious take on it, but yeah, basically. I honestly wasn’t expecting you to say that.” Settling into the seat across from her, I watch her pause, eyes widening, and I laugh a little as she blushes in embarrassment. “You’re a lot more than you let on the last month. I’m surprised at how surprised I am. I thought you were just shy—a go-with-the-flow, don’t rock the boat kinda girl. You just basically called my brother a failure in a pretty brutal way.”

  “I-I mean, it had to be something,” She grumbles sheepishly, fingering the edge of her menu as she stares down at it under furrowed brows. “If something wasn’t wrong, that would be a red flag. The way you talk about your brother, I had the sense it was a point of contention, and it made me feel a little better.”

  “Why would Rowlan and I nearly throw punches at each other make you feel better about dating me?” Alarm rings in my voice, and Kaitlyn sinks into the booth to inhale deeply and sweep back her hair. She takes her time, makes me sweat, and I hold my breath when she finally exhales.

  “Because . . . I dunno. It’s not easy to explain. I’ve had some really bad experiences with guys, and you’re so genuinely considerate that it’s kinda hard to believe it’s not an act.” Stilling at the worry that flows from Kaitlyn’s tone, I clench my jaw tight against the guilt that claws at the back of my throat. She takes a massive breath in preparation, and my heart drops into my gut with dread. “The last time I went on a date, I was in my third year of college, and this guy . . . he came at me really agressively. He was sweet and made me feel special and all that. When I wouldn’t sleep with him, he tried to get me drunk, and when that didn’t work, he started sleeping with my friends. I know that you’re not him or whatever, but it’s really my only point of reference.”

  “Sleeping with you hasn’t once popped into my head.” My stomach flips in utter disgust at some fucking people, and I answer immediately without hesitation. What a fucking repulsive thing to do to anyone, let alone attendees of a Christian college. Snapping out of my brewing thoughts when Kaitlyn bumps her foot against my leg under the table, I tense and shake my head viciously. “I’m sorry. I already told you that I didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable. I don’t need or want to pressure someone into bed.”

  “Don’t apologize, Owen. I would, I think.” My brows raise in shock at her brazen confession, and Kaitlyn flushes a deep, dark red and turns away hastily. “Not tonight . . . but it does make me feel better seeing you and your brother. I saw something other than charming and considerate.”

  “I don’t get it, but okay.” Rubbing the back of my head awkwardly, I pick up my menu to pop open the laminated folder. “If you say it makes you feel better, I believe you. For what it’s worth, I’m always charming and considerate.”

  Chapter Eight

  Kaitlyn

  “So-o-o, I saw you on Friday walkin’ into Skipjack Tuna Bar with a hot guy.” Humming in acknowledgment, I don’t take my eyes off my computer screen as Aleesha wheels herself into my cubical. “How’d it go?”

  “Their sushi was amazing,” I mumble absently, and she leans back to pout out of the corner of my eye. “I want to go back to try their other things, but I don’t wanna get tired of it. I’m thinking I might just go once a week, or maybe even every other week.”

  “That’s not what I meant, but fine . . . fine. I just thought you might wanna know about some things he might not have told you. We went to high school together.” My vision blurs at Aleesha’s declaration, and she swivels side to side with fake nonchalance drenching her expression. Resting my fingers gently on the keyboard, I close my eyes and take a discreet breath through my nose.

  “I know what you meant, Aleesha, and I don’t wanna hear what you have to say. Please stop bothering me. I have to do some research before lunch.” There’s always that one person in the office. I can’t help but roll my eyes when she walks her chair back to her cubical, huffing and puffing like I’m the one in the wrong. Office gossip is fine, but I’d worked here three years, and never, ever, had I opened myself up to that can of worms. “Especially to Aleesha.”

  She lives for chatter, and I glance at the clock on my computer and purse my lips thinly. Aleesha had probably already told everyone who’d listen that she saw me on a date, asking if they knew anything about it. Which no one should, because everyone was at that festival thing.

  “Kaitlyn.” Straightening at the sound of my name, I tear my eyes off my monitor to find my boss waving me into his office. Locking my computer before standing up, I pull out my ponytail only to retie it hastily as I reach my boss leaning against the door frame. “So, that bar you recommended that we went to last week, do you know if the owner does events?”

  “Oh, yeah, I don’t know any details, but I have his number. Why? Already planning our next success?” Dan chuckles and shakes his head, pointing to his silvering hair with a friendly smile.

  “My daughter’s twenty-first birthday is a few months away, and she wants to go to a bar with her friends. For her first drink, she says, like I don’t know she has a fake ID. But anyway, I figured I’d ask because that bar we were at seemed really . . . safe?” My smile widens as Dan winces and scowls lightly at me. “Fine, it was empty and off the strip. Nothing’s set in stone, of course, but I wanna call and inquire.”

  “Okay, I’ll get you the number after lunch? I’m still looking up those companies you asked me to. I gotta say, I’m not really feelin’ optimistic about the demands for a few of them. I mean, one list had the specific requirement that they wanted a fifteen percent hike in online sales within three months,” I say, and my boss shoots me an incredulous look and rolls his eyes. “I’ll decline those terms.”

  “Yeah. It’s not urgent, Kaitlyn, there’s just nothing to do until we get assigned another project. It’ll probably happen on Wednesday or Thursday if I had to guess. I do get wanting to avoid Aleesha, though. The first thing she said to me this morning is that she saw you on a date with someone whose father ran a criminal exporting-slash-importing ring way back in the seventies and eighties.” My mouth dries as surprise prickles up my spine, and Dan shoots me a dumb look with a slight shake of his head. “She’s running out of stories to spin since you won’t give her any dirt.”

  “We’ve only been in the office for four hours,” I bite back an exasperated groan and cross my arms tightly over my chest. “She just tried to ask me about it, too. I don’t for the life of me understand why she thinks it’s any of her business.”

  “I gave her that talk, but you know how it goes, unfortunately. She promises to lay off and then keeps at it. Just don’t engage. Oh, one second, don’t leave. I wanna talk about the projects they’re offering us.” Dan’s phone rings shrilly, and he holds up a finger before turning to lean over his desk and answer the call. Glancing over my shoulder, I frown when I catch Aleesha sneaking a peek at me over the cubical dividers. “Kaitlyn, this’ll take longer than I thought. Can you just use good judgment and fill me in later?”

  “Um, yeah, sure.” Leaving the doorway, I wander back to my desk to drop into my chair and stretch out my legs underneath. Swiping my phone off the desk, I smile at the notification that pops up when I wake up the screen. I circle my thumbs over the phone keyboard briefly and lick my lips heavily.

  Owen: Do you wanna come to the bar after work?

  “Yes, yes, I do. I’ll even bring Dan.” I smile, just imagining the excitement on Michael’s face at being able to serve someone. At last! Memories of Thursday flood my mind’s eye, but my thoughts quickly turn to the day after. Friday, my date with Owen had been a disaster from the start, but somehow, he’d managed to salvage the night.

  A shadow casts over my mind as an image of Owen’s brother flashes behind my lids when I blink. I didn’t lie to Owen that it was nice to see a less savory side of him . . . but the way he looked at his brother and vice versa . . .

  It’s more than simply childhood favoritism or that Rowlan was embarrassed Owen had stolen from him. Something deeper. Something darker. And everything in me screamed at me to just ignore it when it was happening, so I did. Not hearing the blatant, loud, and obvious is a finely honed skill, after all.

  “It’s for the best. I doubt ‘forgive and forget’ would be good advice,” I mumble to myself quietly, and lock my phone to set it on my desk before unlocking my computer with swift fingers. Stiffening when my phone begins to vibrate insistently, I lick my lips heavily as I snatch the device to swipe the green button. “Mom? I’m at work right now. I get off in half an hour for lunch. Can this wait?”

  “Well, you always get all fluffy when I wait to tell you, so I thought you should know immediately that I’ll be heading up to Seattle for an event this weekend. I was a last-minute replacement, so I only just found out when I checked my emails this morning.” Sucking in a sharp breath at my mom’s chipper declaration, I blink hard as immediate panic slams into my gut. “Don’t worry, it’s just me and your father. I was wondering what hotel is close to your condo, and if we could have dinner together Friday? I work Saturday and leave Sunday afternoon at three.”

  “Yeah, we can do that. I’d love to see just you and Dad. I’ll find a place for us to eat at, but I’ll text you later in the week about it, Mom. I’m at work, and I have to finish examining these reports. I appreciate you telling me as soon as possible,” I say gratefully, and my mom hums softly before we say our goodbyes. Exhaling slowly, I puff out my cheeks and smack them lightly before the resignation really starts to settle in.

  “This is fine. Owen can’t see me this weekend anyway, and it’s been . . .” Trailing off thoughtfully, I cock my head and rub my eyes roughly against the ache created by churning wheels. “I can’t even remember when I saw just my parents by themselves. This is great, actually.”

  Today is a normal day, so why does it feel so . . . draggy? Slow? “I hope it doesn’t feel like this with my parents in town.”

  Chapter Nine

  Owen

  Kaitlyn: My parents r coming to town anyway it’s okay I’m glad you’re feeling better

  Smiling warmly down at my phone, I type a quick reply before sliding the device into my pocket. Inhaling a huge breath of warm, salty, ocean air through flared nostrils, I hold my breath before twirling a thick, metal baseball bat against my palm. Pulling down a pair of safety glasses, I glance over at Michael as he covers his downcast eyes in horror and shame.

  “Ready?” Excitement cracks my voice shrilly. I grin broadly and laugh when Michael waves his hand without looking up. Covering his eyes, he grumbles something I can’t understand, wafting to me on the subtle heat of mid-day. I grip the bat in both hands, a giddy, childish glee replacing the blood in my veins and restricting my heart. Taking a hard, sharp lunge forward, I grind my heel into the ground and put my whole body into swinging the bat.

  The shattering of glass and scraping of metal on metal echoes through the air like a crack of lightning, and the ricochet knocks me right the fuck off my feet. Whooping and hollering as I roll backward, my very soul sings to drown out Michael’s dramatic sniffling. Adrenaline shoots through my system, and I clamor to my feet to stare at the shining, shimmering vintage Chevy.

 

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