Grabbing a washcloth, I clean up her floor as she watches. When I finish, I toss it into her hamper.
With my back to her, I pause by her dresser and surreptitiously set the small camera on it because I told Wyatt I would. If he catches the show I caught, I don’t think bro code would hold him back. My gaze is drawn to the enchantress on her bed again. Maybe I need to tap into the feed.
Her eyebrow arches and her smile is seductive. “You can check up on me anytime you want to, Dante.”
Fuck. I narrow my eyes. “Behave, pipsqueak.”
Her soft laughter follows me into the hallway. I’m so fucked.
Chapter 7
Start-Up Costs
Wyatt
“Did you set up the camera?” I ask as Dante walks into the apartment. I’ve been poring over the recent billings to see if I can figure out Tom’s secret companies. Whatever he was doing he kept it off the books, which is bad for all of us.
“Yes.” He goes to the bar and pours himself some scotch before downing the whole glass in a gulp.
I raise an eyebrow. It’s barely noon and Dante rarely drinks.
“Everything good?” I shut my laptop because the numbers were practically dancing in my vision. Maybe we’ll have better luck this week.
“I placed your camera.” His tone is gruff, but that’s not unusual for Dante. When I mentioned what I planned, Dante insisted he could do it for me.
“I won’t use it.” The words are hollow. We both know my control when it comes to Sara is fragile. She’s my weakness. Dante has played my foil to keep her from realizing how much I want her.
Because when she wants something, she’s determined to get it. And at some point she decided she wants me. But I can’t have her.
“Maybe we should talk to her parents tonight about Tom.” I run a hand through my hair.
“That’s not a good idea.” Dante sets the glass down and leans against the wall behind the bar. “It will just worry them and you know how Tom’s mom is.”
She worries about everything. After Tom and Sara’s father died, she almost bubble-wrapped the two of them. When she married Roger, she finally found some peace. If she even had an inkling that one of her children was in danger, she’d tear apart the world searching for him.
I nod. “You’re right. It would just make me feel better if they knew and could watch over Sara.”
“You mean keep Sara under lock and key and maybe disapprove of the new boyfriend.” Dante shakes his head.
“Is he her boyfriend?” I’m curious because Dante usually knows everything about Sara, including when she’s actually into someone.
“Maybe.” His look turns thoughtful for a second before he shrugs. “Besides, she has Peabody.”
“Fucking mutt,” I mutter.
Dante chuckles. “Just because you’re the only person on this earth that dog hates?—”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“—doesn’t mean he won’t potentially scare off the new guy.”
“Peabody is a terror.” He’s a five-pound ball of fur with the attitude of a German shepherd. He adores Sara, but absolutely hates me. Can’t say that I see the point of the tiny monster. He doesn’t bite the other guys, but me? I must smell like kibble.
I almost needed stitches from a couple of the times he caught me unaware.
“Maybe he’ll hate Drew since Drew likes Sara.” Dante shrugs, but there’s this tension in his jaw. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of Sara having someone either.
I’m not blind. I know both Finn and Dante are attracted to her, but she chose me to fixate on. And we can’t betray Tom by fucking around with his sister so nothing will ever come of it.
