Page 155 of Down Knot Out
My chest tightens. He’s got it backward. I should be the one thanking him. For risking everything to leave our families. For building a pack of two when we had nothing but each other. For opening it to Holden and Dominic when they needed us. I don’t even want to imagine where I’dbe if Blake hadn’t stood with me back when we were barely more than kids.
I spoke with my father last night and sent him the same evidence tying Blake’s father to Redwater and the sabotage. It was a calculated risk. If my father had been in on the scheme, it would have tipped Abbott off. But his reaction came as expected.
Rage at a longtime business partner daring to smear the Burton name.
While I may have walked away from the family pack, I’m still his son, and as far as he’s concerned, my failures reflect on him.
Naturally, the tirade that followed had nothing to do with Blake or the damage done to our pack. All my father cared about was thathisinvestment was threatened.
When I brought up the clause that would force Blake and me out of Misty Pines if the project failed to launch on time, he cut me off mid-sentence, said he had real business to handle, and hung up. I imagine he meant hiring a new construction firm for his land portfolio.
If nothing else, my father never strays from his priorities.
At least with Abbott gone and Harris Seniornow under investigation, Phase One of the project will be completed with no more hiccups.
“Aww, so sweet.” Emily claps us on the backs, jostling us. “But you can cuddle after the job’s done. We still have a bit to go before we can open the doors to visitors.”
Blake laughs into my neck, then rubs his cheek against mine, his beard scratching my clean-shaven face before he pulls back. “You’re such a hardass.”
“That’s what you pay me for.” She hooks a thumb at the bundle of composite boards. “Now, help me clean this mess up.”
As they head off, I look at the surrounding crew, Emily, Dominic, and Blake, and I realize we’ve built something here that no amount of sabotage can touch.
It’s not the expansive familial pack like where I grew up in. It’s a different kind of pack, one centered around the family we chose.
And that’s what will give our home strength.
Chapter Forty-Two
Chloe
Amonth and a half.
That’s how long it took for Grady to convince my publisher I was too much of a liability, and for them to kill the contract for the new trilogy.
In the same period, lawsuits were filed against Blake’s father, who’d been siphoning money from Sadie’s severance on top of sabotaging the resort construction.
With the investigation underway, Blake gained control of the accounts and found a way to cover Sadie’s expenses with as little disruption as possible.
We had also spent that time lining up the evidence we’ll need to free me from my familial pack’s latest scheme.
Now, my heels strike the marble floor of Sinclair & Associates, each click echoing through the cavernous lobby. Nathaniel walks on my right, Dominic on my left, their solid presence giving me the courage to keep my spine straight and my chin lifted.
We bypass the ground floor receptionist to meet our lawyer by the elevators. Milo Reese wears his salt-and-pepper hair combed back and carries a slim briefcase in his hand with the air of a man who doesn’t waste time.
He assesses me from head to toe before his mouth curves in approval. “Ms. Richardson. You appear composed.”
“I feel like I might vomit on these five-thousand-dollar shoes.”
His smile widens a fraction. “Save it for after we win.”
The elevator doors slide open with a soft chime. We step inside, and Milo swipes a keycard over the panel before selecting the button for the top floor. The highest level of Sinclair & Associates, where only the most important meetings take place.
We’re not the only ones putting on appearances for this meeting. Gregory Sinclair moved us up several floors to remind me of who we’re dealing with.
The man I grew up thinking of as my uncle.
Myrealfather.
