“So, what would you do?”
“Aim for the head, not the foot.”
I mull it over and turn to him, his thick, dark lashes my focal point. “If you don’t trust me, then why are you so intent on making me understand?”
“We made a deal. I’m sticking to it. If you’re asking if I have better things to do, the answer is yes, I fucking do. You asked about vetting, but I can count on one hand the people who know who you really are.”
He clicks his signal at the stoplight and turns to me. “Those people at the parties, they all have a part to play that has nothing to fucking do with the foot.”
Roman. My father is part of the foot.
“So, they’re all looking for ways to get the head of the monster?”
His eyes linger on me for long seconds, taking me in in my shorts and tank before he floors the gas.
His business with Roman is personal, but he’d just told me in so many words that dear old dad is just the tip of the iceberg. I asked Tobias not long ago just how big this was, how far this went, and he just gave me a bird’s eye view…from space.
Chess, again. But this time I studied up a little. I move to take one of his pawns and I catch the amused expression in his gaze when he realizes it.
“Best summer ever,” I grumble as he swishes the ice in his glass.
“What will you do when it’s over?”
“I’m sure you know of my college plans.”
“I’m aware,” he moves a pawn as a thick lock of hair falls across his forehead. I ignore the sudden urge to reach out and push it away. “But what will you do?”
“After? Not sure yet. Definitely not following my father’s footsteps in the family business, not that you’re giving me much of a choice.”
“You couldn’t care less about his company.”
“Not true, I care a great deal about the future of his employees.”
Silence passes as he swirls his rocks around before he speaks.
“Roman pulled a Zuckerberg just before he bankrupted his first business partner to gain control of their company. It was a small venture, but that move gave him enough monetary gain to play his first hand on a bigger gamble.”
I sit back, stunned by his revelation about my father’s dirty deeds. “When?”
“Years before you were born. This gained him his first enemy. Jerry Siegal. The irony? He’s making his comeback by being just as fucking crooked.”
I bite my lip and look up to see him watching me. “You’re sure?”
Another swish of the ice, one, two, three times in his glass before he drains the liquid and stands.
“So, do you sleep in the woods?”
He slips on his jacket. “I might.” He nods toward where I sit next to the fireplace. “Don’t touch the board.”
“Oh, goodie, you’ll be back,” I stand. “Can’t wait.”
He takes a menacing step toward me, and I take one back, turning my head to avoid his effect on me. With the lip of the couch touching my thighs, I’m out of space, and with his next step, I’m engulfed in flames, the paralyzing knowledge that if he so much as reaches out and touches me, my body will react. I hold my breath to keep from inhaling him in as he inspects me closely from inches away.
“What is it about you?” He asks, his voice close to a whisper. I take it as just another insult, an inquiry as to what Sean and Dominic saw in me.
I step to the side to give myself some breathing room, and he moves in.
“Can you just give me some leash? That’s all I’m asking. Maybe knock before entering?” He leans in, his nose running along the side of my neck without contact, but the effect is the same.
“No.” It’s a faint whisper, but the message is received as if he’d shouted it. Shortly after, when the front door closes, I stand there fixed on the direction he went, my limbs heavy. He’s infuriating, and fighting with him is starting to feel pointless.
That night, I dream of amber eyes and lightning bugs.
I wake the next morning to the sound of a familiar voice drifting from the first floor. Aggravated, I brush my teeth while doing a once-over in my shorts and tank to make sure I’m covered. It’s the addition of the second voice that has me taking the stairs two at a time. When I enter the kitchen, I’m struck by the sight of Tobias, suited and flawlessly polished, the scent of his freshly applied cologne the first thing to invade my nostrils before I lay eyes on Jeremy. He’s busying himself by unwrapping a new laptop when he spots me and cracks a wide grin.