Page 116 of Twisted Knight

“I prefer to pay for my ownership. I’ll figure out how,” I say, thinking of Gran’s inheritance, “but I’ll pay for what is mine.”

He nods. “We’ll talk about it when we get there.”

I swallow nervously. “You’ll have to rewrite the parameters of the deal to include this.”

“I think I know what to do, Rowan.” He winks and it eases everything a bit. “But I suggest we present these changes at the last minute. Rhett’ll be eager to seal the deal then and might not bat an eye at the new parameters. It’ll be easier for me to trade it out with something else to soften the blow.”

“I want to see the new paperwork when it’s drawn up.”

“Of course you would.”

“That’s not a problem, I presume?”

“Not a problem at all.”

I walk toward him and hold out my hand. “I’m trusting you at your word, Holden Knight. That’s not the easiest thing for me.”

He takes my hand, and my body reacts viscerally to his touch. The flare of his nostrils says his does too. “Trust isn’t easy, is it? I don’t take it lightly that you’re putting yours in me.”

A knock on Holden’s office door startles us both and has us jerking our hands back as if Audrey can’t already see us through the glass wall of his office.

He motions for her to come in.

“Sorry for the interruption,” she says, “but Rowan, your four o’clock is here. They were shown to conference room A and told you’ll be with them momentarily.”

“Thank you,” I say.

She offers me a courteous smile and then looks to Holden. “The phone calls have been made and Rhett’s on standby to talk to you.”

“Thanks.” He checks his watch. “I’ll wait a bit yet. He deserves to sweat it out some.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Holden

“I figured if she has so much free time she can look at property for you like she’s your personal assistant, then clearly her workload is light enough that she could offload some salaries.”

“And that was your decision to make?” I ask nonchalantly as I stare at the fucking prick. Ever since I walked into his office—or rather his new office—he’s sat there with a smarmy look on his face and a fuck-you lift to his chin.

“As the CEO of the company, yes, it was.”

“Keep making moves like that and you won’t be one for much longer.”

Rhett chuckles, clearly not taking me seriously. “Technically you don’t own shit yet, Holden, so I’m pretty sure I can do as I please.”

“Technically you’re wrong, considering our letter of intent is a binding agreement, but we’ll let that slide.” I shove my hands in my pockets and walk to the other side of the room, staring out at the facility below where our employees are coming and going. “Being drunk on power can be a dangerous thing.”

“Whatever. You live in that zone so who are you to fucking lecture me?”

Clank. Click. Clank.

The sound jolts me to the past. To fifteen years ago and the last place I saw that goddamn lighter.

I clench my jaw and turn to face him as he flips open the lighter again, clicks the flame, and then snaps his wrist so the lid closes and extinguishes the light.

Forcing myself to look at anything but that fucking reminder, I meet his eyes. “I can lecture whoever the fuck I want.”

“The question is, what are your plans for this place, because nowhere in our discussion did you talk about buying property and moving the company.”