Page 53 of Caught in the Axe
“Dad probably got drunk and forgot I was out there. But in the middle of the night, Gus snuck out to rescue me. He’d woken up to use the bathroom and realized I wasn’t in my bed. He couldn’t find the keys to the shed, so he got a pair of bolt cutters from the garage and cut the lock.”
Lila let out a tiny gasp. “Holy shit.”
“Dad was furious. He beat Gus up pretty badly for it.”
His ribs had been so bruised we’d had to wrap them. Dad knew better than to hit us in the face. Gus had lied to Mom,always loyal to Dad, even when the evidence was on his own skin.
“That’s Gus. He takes his job as protector so seriously. I owe him. We may not be close anymore, but he’s always looked out for all of us.”
Lila wiped a tear from her cheek. “I am so sorry. For both of you.”
“That’s the biggest part of why I’m even here.” I ran a hand down my face. “I didn’t come for my dad or the company, but for Gus. No one wanted this place to succeed more than he did. The guy has completed every training course and has earned every machinery certification and qualification in existence.”
He was one of the good ones. Always had been. Which was probably why Dad always kept him on the outside rather than bringing him in to run the business side by side. Taking over one day had always been Gus’s dream. He never would have gotten involved with trafficking drugs. He was good. To his core. And though he’d struggled to understand why Dad hadn’t brought him in, it was really a blessing, because there wasn’t a single piece of evidence that could tie him to any wrongdoing.
“So that’s why I’m here coordinating the sale and working through decades’ worth of records to get the best possible price. If I can get Gus some sort of payout for all the blood, sweat, and tears he poured into this place, then at least he can restart his life and get out from under the shadow of our criminal father.”
She put her head on my shoulder, her hair brushing against my chin. That small move soothed my fried nerves. It was perfect. She was perfect. When Lila was touching me, Iwas okay. I was brave and could talk about things I’d never said out loud. She was magic.
“I’m sorry I freaked out,” I said, sitting a little straighter. It was time to regain at least a little of my dignity.
She pulled back and stared at me. “Don’t you dare apologize. We all have our shit, Owen.”
“True.” I lowered my head and sighed. “But mine involves panic attacks in supply closets.”
“Stop it. You’re not perfect. So what?” She poked my chest. “You’re still handsome and successful and you tell hilarious accounting jokes.”
I looked up and held her gaze for a moment. Then I seized her hand and held it to my chest, right over my heart.
She twined her fingers with mine and rested her head on my shoulder again.
We were silent for a long time, our bodies pressed together and our fingers tangled, our heartbeats and breaths syncing.
And something shifted inside me. As if parts of me were being torn apart and rebuilt with the scraps.
Chapter 18
Owen
“Ineed more time.” I cringed, bracing for their response.
“Called it,” Amara said. Yeah, she did. She’d had my number for years.
I could practically see her pacing around her office with me on speaker. She was probably wearing bright orange or some other ridiculous color.
“Tad not getting it done?”
“He’s useless. We need new representation. And things are so much more complicated than I expected.” I rubbed at my brow, willing away the dull ache behind my eyes.
“More complicated” was an understatement. I had come to Lovewell two weeks ago with a simple objective. Now I was questioning everything and in over my head.
“Take the time you need, brother,” Enzo said. He was my boss, but more than that, he was my best friend. The guy I’d lay down my life for. I had five actual brothers, but no one looked out for me the way Enzo did. “Family stuffis hard. You’re working your ass off. And let’s face it, Linda’s got it covered.”
Couldn’t argue with that. Linda kept the team working, and she’d kept me in the loop by forwarding contracts for my review and signature and flagging the important calls I needed to jump on. I truly wouldn’t have survived without her.
“But,” he hedged. “We’ve got the GeneSphere status check next week. The entire C suite is flying in, and we need all hands on deck.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me, and clasped my hands on top of my desk. “I’ll be there.”
