Page 32 of Dash

“Promise me you won’t get hurt.” My request sounded lame compared to my fears.

“I can handle myself,” he assured me, in that tone that combined classy cocky with total humility. “I’ve got a team at my back. I’ll take care of this.”

“It’s not you,” I reminded him. “It’sus. You agreed, back at the hospital, remember?”

“I’ve got a feeling you won’t let me forget.” His lips twitched. “As soon as you’re better—”

“I’m better, Dash.” I spread my arms and made a show of looking down on myself. “I feel fine. Don’t leave me out of the action. Please, don’t do it.”

“I won’t,” he promised. “But we need to be creative on how we go about it. Even if we’re in agreement that you’re the one running the Astor Group, we must maintain the illusion that I’m in control and not you.”

I blinked several times. “How do we do that?”

“You can continue to run the businessthroughme.”

“Through you?” I frowned.

“I want you to use my name, my Astor-specific devices, and my authority to convey your decisions.” He levelled his gaze at me. “BB has advanced AI technology that will help with this. When you speak on the cell, others will hear my voice. When you attend virtual meetings, they’ll see me instead of you. This arrangement is not ideal or fair to you, but it’s a temporary measure and it’ll keep you safe and in charge of the company, your company.”

“What if I make the wrong decisions and they reflect badly on you?”

“Not gonna happen.” He allowed for a small smile. “I know you. You’re qualified. Capable. You’re ready. In any case, ifat the end of this shitshow I look like a frog with warts to the rest of the world, I don’t give a damn. Tycoon is not a title I aspire to.”

In a world where money was power and the mighty ruled, it was hard to believe that Dash was telling me the truth.

“When we get this SOB out of commission, you can publicly reclaim your status,” he said. “You can even let the whole world know that you were always in control of the Astor Group if you wish.”

The question just shot out of my mouth. “Are you really going to give me the company back when this is all done and over?”

“The company belongs to you and your sisters,” he repeated sternly. “It won’t cease to be yours through this, but as soon as it’s safe, I will legally return it to you. You have my word.”

His word. It had been golden. Until it hadn’t.

His generosity alarmed me.

Could he be lying to me? Could this be his way of keeping me from contesting Father’s will while he solidified his grip on the company? Could he be manipulating me as my father manipulated his adversaries?

He’s not like your father,my inner voice reminded me.

But Dash had deceived me once before. The scar of his betrayal still throbbed deep in my chest. Brushing my fingers over the soft fabric of my pajama top, I massaged the spot atop my heart. Some wounds never healed.

“I can see in your eyes that you don’t believe me.” With a huff, he bent down, reached into his messenger bag, and, after pulling out a sheath of papers, handed them to me. “This is my legal will. It specifies that, in the event I’m disabled or dead, the company returns to you.”

I stared at the papers in my hand, unable to close mymouth. Used to dealing with greedy business sharks, the docs in my hand made no sense to me. He’d made this legal. For me?

If nothing else, the papers were proof of his intent. It wasn’t as if I had a lot of options. Or any other option, for that matter. Who other than Dash would be able to help me out of this mess? Who would agree to help me without taking a big chunk or try to con me out of everything I had in the process? Who else had the will, skill, and capabilities to find my sisters and get them out of the path of a psycho who wanted to wipe us off the face of the earth?

Dash. Only Dash. He was here, had volunteered to be so. I might not be able to trust my heart to him again, but I had to be pragmatic about this.

“I can hear you thinking all the way over here.” His voice startled me out of my thoughts. “Do we have a deal?”

I let out a long breath. “We have a deal.”

“Okay, then. We’ll need to set up in a safe and secure environment. That’s not here.”

“Where then?” I asked.

“Let’s set up at Astor House. With the right team, I can secure the premises, manage the risks, and control the variables over there.”

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