“What stink?”our father seethes.
I glare back at him.“The one from the fire you orchestrated.”
Recognition sparks, but he stays quiet.
“I gotta give it to you.Turning off the cameras at the house so we wouldn’t have footage?Using June’s ex to cover your tracks?”I whistle.“Bold moves.”I snap my fingers.“And yet, you still missed something.”
If it was possible for the man’s ears to create steam, I have no doubt I’d witness it in this moment.Instead, he stares back at me.Unflinching.Unyielding.“I don’t know to what you’re referring.”
“Of course not.”I turn to Jagger again, giving him a silent request.Let me take this.Let me handle it.Each of us is so used to letting Jagger take the lead, this feels like a rare opportunity, but I won’t take it without Jagger’s approval.Even without all of the details I gathered on my phone calls, it’s not that he wouldn’t do it justice.And it’s not that he demands to be the center of attention in our affairs, either.But right now feels like my moment.My opportunity to put Daddy Dearest in his place.However, I’ll only do it if I have my brothers’ support.With a subtle nod, Jagger glances at Hawke.His chin dips, too, giving me the floor to bury Titas Harden.
Satisfied, I grip the edge of his black desk and lean forward, crowding our father on the opposite side.“It took me a little while, you know?To really grasp exactly how deep your hatred for us runs.But then I realized I shouldn’t be surprised at all, now should I?Of course, you would try to fuck with our heads.Of course, you’d make it look like Morgan set our house on fire.Of course, you’d transfer the money from Hawke’s account so your hands would be clean.And of course, you’d be sure you had a solid alibi on the night of the flames.”I swear, I can feel Jagger’s and Hawke’s tension emanating behind me as they listen in on all the sordid details, but I ignore it, giving our father my undivided attention.“But there’s one tiny thing you missed.”His jaw clenches.“You forgot that we’d remember Cobie has a history with fires.”
Titas Harden’s gaze turns sharper, and a vein throbs in his forehead.But other than that?The man’s a steel vault.“Are you insinuating your sister started the fire, boy?”
“No, I’m stating that you forced her to.”I glance back at my brothers.“She didn’t donate the cash.She saved it for the remodel, knowing we’d need it.”I turn back to our shit-stain of a father.“Knowing you’d continue forcing her to prove her loyalty if she wanted to stay in Harden Heights instead of being shipped away again.”I tap my knuckles against the dark wood.“I thought it was only the auction, you know?But then I remembered who I was dealing with, and even though Cobie was shipped away before she’d even hit puberty, she knew who she was dealing with, too,” I grit out.“So, here’s how it’s going to go.You’re going to stay away from Cobie and out of our business.Then, next week, you’ll stand before the board and announce your retirement.Not right away.We don't graduate until spring.But for the short term, you’ll begin to hand off your duties one after another until graduation comes.And then, you’re going to get the hell out of Harden Heights.Forever.”
He glares back at me, his lips pressed so tight, nothing but a pale line.“Do you forget your last name, boy?”
Boy.I always hated when he called meboy.It made me feel young.Naive.Powerless.Now, it only strengthens my resolve.Because we have him.Fuck me, we have him right where we want him.I know it, and I think he knows it, too.
“If you want to keep the benefits that come with the Harden name, you’ll stay away,” I announce.“Your monthly dividend check will be directly deposited into your account, but you won’t step one foot back on these grounds ever again.”
“And if I don’t?”he seethes.
There it is.The chink in his armor.The proof that we’re not as far off as he’d like us to believe.Nah.We have him right where we want him.
I drag my finger along his desk, rubbing the collected dust between my fingertips.“If you don’t, Cobie and Bryan both go on the record to air out all of your dirty laundry.”
“Cobie’s the one who started the fire, and Bryan would never say a word.Not if he wants to keep his job.”
“You know, I was worried about that, too,” I admit.“The thing is, he already admitted it.And we recorded the whole thing.”I bend forward again.“Now, get the hell out of Jagger’s office.”
53
FORD
“Be nice,” Violet warns as soon as we walk through the front door.
“I’m always nice,” Jagger argues.
She jabs at his chest.“I’m serious?—”
Grabbing her wrist, Jagger gives his girl a pointed look.“So am I.”
Her eyes narrow like she doesn’t believe him.To be fair, she probably shouldn’t.One, he’s not always nice.He’s actually kind of a dick.And two, after being blindsided the way we were, he has every right to be frustrated.If I hadn’t spoken with Cobie over the phone, I’d feel the same way.
“She’s been through enough, all right?”Violet warns.
“And how would you know what she’s been through?”Jagger challenges.
She presses her lips into a thin line.“Cobie may or may not have told me everything after she finished her call with Ford.”
“So you know?”Jagger pushes
“Yup.”She stands an inch taller.“And I gotta say, your dad’s an ass, so be nice,” she repeats.“You hear me?”
Jagger glances around his girlfriend and into the family room.Cobie sits on the couch in a pair of leggings and a white tank top, her head in her hands, and earbuds peeking through her long honey-brown hair.Either she didn’t hear us come in, or she’s pretending she didn’t.Neither would surprise me.
