I take it with a smile. More money to tuck away. I’ve got toget the fuck out of this city and away from this life. And I don’t mean going back to Vancouver.
No, once I get out from under Martin Conner’s thumb, I’ve got other plans, and they don’t involve being my father’s golden child or the overprotective big brother. And while that thought terrifies me, I still cling to it because right now, it’s all I have.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MARCUS
Istare out the window as rain pounds against the glass, a hint of a headache already taking hold. My father sits across from me, staring at his menu, his forehead wrinkled in concentration, as if he doesn’t order the same sirloin steak and bottle of overpriced red wine every time.
After the waitress takes our order, Dad gives me a stern look, folding his hands on the table in front of him. His blue eyes strip me bare, and I feel like a little boy all over again. I fight the overwhelming urge to appease him like I’ve always done.
“I need you to move the timeline on the pub forward.”
I tilt my head in confusion. “What? Why?”
My father sighs, a dark look crossing his features, and I’m struck by how much we look alike.
Is that the resting dick face that Tris was going on about?
“Ryan wants to expand the board, and I’m concerned that he doesn’t have Skynet’s best interests at heart anymore.”
Ryan Michaels is most definitely an undiagnosed psychopath. The guy has no empathy whatsoever. Dad hasalways been very tolerant of Ryan’s quirks, so the fact that he’s concerned is alarming.
“Should we be worried?”
“He’s been dealing with a personal matter, and it’s made him a bit . . . unpredictable.” The waitress returns to pour a generous amount of wine for my dad. My father swirls the liquid and then takes a long sip before answering. “I think we need more balance so that we can force him out if things go too far.”
I stare at him in confusion. “But isn’t that why you’re bringing me in officially? So that you have an ally?”
He nods. “But Ryan brought in someone of his own. A woman. She seems sharp enough, and her résumé is impeccable, but something just isn’t right about her. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“So now, even with me, we don’t make a majority.”
Dad leans forward. “I’m going to share something with you that’s confidential, but I need you to agree to go along with this without a fight. It’s nonnegotiable.”
My stomach sours. His voice has a threatening undertone that I dislike, but I nod. “I know we agreed that you won’t be doing any work for Skynet until the pub is finished, but we’ve been negotiating with Pine Investments.”
“Your competitor?” I lean back in my chair, giving him a skeptical look. “You hate Ben Pine.”
“Keep your enemies close and all that.”
“What exactly doesnegotiatingmean?”
“A company merger.”
“Okay.” I shake my head. “But I still don’t see how this involves me or how it helps us get the upper hand over Ryan.”
“His daughter, Sabrina Pine, has agreed to join the board. Ben will be retiring in the spring, and Sabrina is being groomed as the next CEO.”
“And how do you know she’s on our side? She could easily be just as crazy as Ryan.”
“Because you’re going to marry her.”
I choke, spitting water across the table. I wipe my chin with the back of my hand, staring at my father like he’s lost his damn mind. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Dad gives me an icy smile. “Lower your voice,” he hisses.
“I’m sorry,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Perhaps I misheard. I thought you just suggested marrying off your eldest son like in a fucking Jane Austen novel.”
