Casey’s nerves were just beginning to settle.She hadn’t expected it, but knowing that in spite of what had just happened between them, Ryder was still able to ask about her welfare, made her feel safe.
“No,” Casey said.“But I will be.”
“Need any backup?”
“Are you offering?”
The smile on his face was slight.“Are you asking?”
“It might get ugly,” she said.
He dropped the clothes he was carrying onto the back of a chair.
“Honey girl, the last few months of my life haven’t been anything but.”
Surprised by the revelation, she would have given a lot to continue this conversation.Ryder was closemouthed with regards to anything about his past, and hearing him admit even this much was a definite surprise.But the confrontation with Miles was long overdue, and this latest stunt was, for Casey, the last straw.
“Then come if you want.For better or worse, you are part of this family.”
“Unless I think it matters, you won’t even know I’m around.”
She nodded and started down the stairs, and it wasn’t until they’d entered the house and were on their way to the library that she had fully accepted the impact of Ryder’s presence in her life.The problems within her world were no longer just hers.They were theirs.
She entered the room wearing an expression the board members of Ruban Enterprises would have recognized.It was her no-holds-barred-don’t-mess-with-me look.Ryder had disappeared somewhere between the library and the hall, yet she sensed he wouldn’t be far away.Unlike Miles, he wasn’t the kind of man who went back on his word.
And Miles wasn’t far behind.She could hear the splat of bare feet on marble flooring as he made his way in from the pool.The careless smile on his face was no more than she expected as he sauntered into the library with a beach towel draped across his neck and water dripping onto the floor.
“I’m here.What’s up?”he asked.
Casey schooled herself to a calm she didn’t feel.“I just had a call from the bank.”
If she hadn’t known him so well, she might have missed the nervous flicker in his eyes.
He strolled over to the bar and poured himself a drink, even taking a sip before asking, “And what does that have to do with me?”
“Everything.It seems you wrote a check you couldn’t cover.”
He shrugged.“Oh, that.Delaney never used to mind when—”
“Delaney is dead, remember?”
Miles blinked.It was his only reaction to the cold, even tone of his half sister’s voice.
“And in the grand scheme of things, exactly what does that mean?”he drawled.
“It means your glory days are over, Miles.I don’t know what the hell you’re doing with your money.I don’t even want to know.What I will tell you is that your world is slightly out of sync, and as your loving sister, I intend to do all that I can to bring it back in order.”
He set the glass down with a thump.“What are you getting at?”
“It’s more a case of what are you trying to pull?Any unemployed, thirty-year-old man should not be spending in excess of five thousand dollars a month.Therefore, I am going to do you a favor.As of Monday, you will report to Princeton Hamilton in the legal department of Ruban Enterprises.You have a law degree.You’re going to put it to work.”
Miles froze.An angry flush began to spread from his neck, upward.“You bitch!You can’t run my life.”
Casey shrugged.“You’re right.But I’m running Ruban Enterprises, aren’t I?I covered this hot check, but I won’t do it again.Also, there will be no more instant deposits into your account, because as of the end of this month, it will be closed.No more free rides, Miles.”
Miles was so angry he couldn’t form a complete sentence.His hands were shaking as he yanked the towel from around his neck and started toward her.
The urge to run was overwhelming, but Casey stood her ground as he shoved his way into her space and thrust a finger up against her nose.
