I lean back in my chair, arms crossed. "Which is why you should've been thinking about every possible angle they could've come from. What did we lose?"
"A few hundred thousand dollars in arms. Crew recovered what they could, but until I can get a dive team down there..."
I press my lips into a thin line, glancing at the emails sitting on the computer.
There are a thousand things going wrong with one of the casino chains I own. It's a shitstorm coming at me from every direction, and I don't know what's going to come next.
"Get a dive team down there immediately. Recover as much as you can and see what's still good. Sell anything we can't use. Get shit figured out. It's what I pay you for."
Robert downs the rum and slams the glass down on the cabinet. "Damn it, Noah. You're not thinking clearly. If you'd just listen to me about going to Chicago, we wouldn't have to deal with any of this."
"And what do you suggest?" I keep my tone low and dangerous as he starts to stalk around the room again.
"Kill Summer."
I arch a brow, waiting for more.
It drives him insane when I don't respond, don't give in to the goading. His eye twitches, and he shakes his head. His face goes red, and he stares out the window, everything about his body tense.
"You have to kill her." Robert's hands curl into fists at his sides. "She's distracting you, and you're going to end up like all the others who turn their backs on the family."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know that you keep saying you have a plan for her and then no plan ever comes to light. I know you keep talking about the future and all that's going to come, and nothing ever comes of it."
I should've killed him. I should've killed him when he was in that fucking cell, and then I could've been done with this shit.
"You're overstepping. And you keep overstepping. I'm tired of it. Figure out what the fuck you want, and if it's to stay alive, leave me the fuck alone."
He takes the dismissal for what it is, storming out of my office and slamming the door shut behind him. The pictures on the wall rattle, one falling down and the glass shattering.
"For fuck's sake." I get up and clean up the mess, dumping the glass into the garbage.
Not killing him was a mistake, but keeping Summer alive is the right choice. She's been good for the last few days, staying in the house or out on the property. There's a notebook she keeps with her at all times.
I glance out the window, and there she is, sitting in the garden with the notebook balanced on her thighs, feet drawn up on the edge of the chair, her pen drifting across the page.
Whatever she's doing has got to be better than sitting in here for the rest of the day.
The problems are still going to be there in an hour. I can go out, spend some time with her, see if she's willing to tell me anything Zoe said to her last week, maybe find out what's in that notebook of hers.
I head outside, the sun shining and birds chirping from the trees. A soft wind blows, rustling Summer's hair. It's not the first time that I've thought she's beautiful, but this time feels different from the others.
The way the sunlight is hitting her hair, bringing out the lighter strands, the way she drags her bottom lip between her teethwhen she's lost in thought. There's nothing that isn't appealing about her. Not a single damn thing.
And that's why I'm in trouble.
I know it as I walk over to her and drag a chair closer, getting a look at the cramped handwriting that fills the page. "What're you doing?"
She taps the end of the pen on the notebook. "Working on a novel, I think. Something to do while you hold me hostage."
"You write?" I tilt my head to the side, trying to make out her writing, but it's hard to read without being up close and personal with it.
"Used to when I was younger and shit got too hard to handle. Then life got better and more manageable." She drags her bottom lip between her teeth again before blowing out a big breath and looking at me. "I guess things are just a little more fucked than normal now."
"What're you writing?" I move the chair a little closer. It's close enough to kiss her neck if I wanted to.
And the thought is tempting, but after that conversation with Robert, losing myself in Summer is exactly the kind of ammunition he's going to need for whatever it is he's planning behind my back.
