I glance at the papers, and see Tatiana’s neat signature already in place. My throat tightens.
“Have you been in contact with her?” I ask.
Arthur’s expression remains carefully neutral. “Yes. She was here. Ms. Cole was professional and efficient. She expressed a desire to complete the paperwork as quickly as possible.”
Of course she did.
“I need air,” I say abruptly, turning away from the papers. “I’ll deal with this later.”
“Dominic, the sooner we file these, the sooner we can control the narrative.”
“I saidlater.”
I stride out of my office, ignoring Eleanor’s startled expression. I pull out my phone and dial a number I rarely use.
Nico answers on the third ring. “Well, well, big brother. Calling so soon?”
“We need to talk,” I say. “Now.”
“I’m busy.”
“I don’t give a fuck if you’re busy. Where are you?”
There’s a pause. “My apartment.”
“Text me the address. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Look, Dom, I don’t really feel like having a brother talk right now.”
“Twenty minutes,” I repeat, and hang up.
My security detail joins me when I emerge from the building.
Ric is waiting with the car. “Where to, sir?”
My phone buzzes with Nico’s address.
“Brooklyn Heights,” I say, showing him the text.
As we drive, I stare out at Manhattan, at the empire I’ve built. The resort deal is secured. I should feel triumphant. Instead, all I feel is hollow.
Nico’s building is high-end but not ostentatious. When we arrive, Jake and the team emerge from the follow car.
“Wait downstairs,” I tell Jake. “This is between me and my brother.”
He nods.
Nico opensthe door wearing jeans and a rumpled t-shirt, his scarred face tight with wariness.
“You look like shit,” he says.
I push past him into a stylish apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.
“Sure, come on in,” he says sarcastically. “Want a drink? Or did you just come to glare at me?”
“You and I have unfinished business.”
Nico sighs theatrically and walks to a bar cart in the corner. “Look, if this is about your wife walking out, that’s not on me. I wasn’t the one who agreed to the setup.”