Page 35 of Before Dawn

I picked up the folder, flipping through the profiles. Ashford, Nguyen, and Lyle—they weren’t small players. This was the type of crowd that wanted more than just numbers; they needed a guarantee that our expansion wouldn’t fall apart.

“They’re going to push hard,” Morison continued. “Ashford especially—he’s big on timelines. He’s already questioning whether we can pull it off with everything else on our plate.”

I set the folder down, looking up at him. “We’ve dominated New York. They know that. They just want to see if we can scale.”

“Just be prepared. They’ll look for cracks, Mr. Suarez. They want security.” Morison’s expression was steady, but there was a hint of concern in his voice. “You know how these guys operate. They’re not just here to invest—they’re here to control.”

“Taking orders has never been my thing.” I smirked, leaning back in my chair. “I’ve handled worse than Ashford. Lyle’s the real key. If she’s serious about transportation, we get her on board, and the others will follow.”

Morison nodded, though his brow stayed furrowed. “You’ve got this,” he said, heading for the door. “Just keep your cool, and most importantly, don’t lose your temper, sir.”

I leaned forward, my gaze sharpening as I watched him leave. “I won’t,” I muttered, though the fire in my gut was far from cold. I’d make this work, and if anyone tried to stand in my way, they’d regret it.

Once he left, I spent the next hour perfecting the pitch and had to call in the team to fix an issue—nearly losing my temper when some of the numbers didn’t add up.

By the time I made it to Equinox, the familiar scent of sweat and determination filled the air as weights clanked and treadmills hummed. I spotted my friends already deep into their workouts.

“Suarez, over here!” Ronan called from the bench press, sweat glistening on his forehead.

“Took you long enough,” Arnoldo smirked, effortlessly repping pull-ups.

I dropped my gym bag beside them, rolling out my shoulders. “Traffic. And perfecting an expansion pitch.”

Arnoldo groaned. “You need to get that perfectionism under control.”

I shot him a dry look. “Says the guy who rewrote a contract clause eight times last week.”

Ronan snorted as Arnoldo muttered, “Not the same thing, and you know it.”

Alex racked his weights and turned to me. “Suarez.”

“Arm day or freestyle?” I asked, already stretching.

“Leg day,” he said, loading plates onto the squat rack. “You’re just in time.”

I exhaled sharply. Fantastic. My least favorite.

As I stepped forward, I noticed Alex’s phone on the bench. “Did you not see the company calling you?”

“Nah. Just got that phone,” he muttered.

“What happened to the old one?” Ronan asked.

“Mara threw it at me.”

Arnoldo and Ronan burst into laughter.

“What the fuck did you do?” I asked.

Alex groaned. “A flight attendant messaged me about an upcoming flight. Mara didn’t like it. So she broke it.”

“Stop irritating the pregnant woman,” Arnoldo teased, still laughing.

Alex gestured around. “How am I the bad guy?”

Arnoldo clapped a hand on his shoulder. “When a beautiful woman, especially your wife, tells you that you’re wrong, then you’re wrong.”

Alex huffed a laugh, nudging him. “That’s rich coming from you, Reyes.”

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