Page 95 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

Cutter cringed.

“Dad, do I have to?”

“Yes. You have school tomorrow. Go on.”

“But I’m already smarter than everyone in my grade,” he moped, lip pushed out.

“Cutter.” Was all Nathaniel said, but the tone said it all.

“Okay…I’ll go.”

Cutter leaned over in my arms and hugged his dad despite the pout on his face.

I set him down, and he mounted his horse before waving.

“Night, Dad. Night, Uncle Goran.”

“Night, bud.”

My heart ached with dread as I watched him round the corner and disappear.

I followed Nathaniel into his study and closed the door behind us.

“Want a drink?”

“Sure.” I peeled off my suit jacket, tossed it over the arm of the couch, and rolled up my sleeves. “How was the trip?”

“Good. My father thought he could steal one of our suppliers by offering more money for the same product. Fucker.”

He walked over and handed me a tumbler of his whiskey. I sniffed it before taking a sip. The warm, rich, spiced flavor went down smooth. It really was the best whiskey in the world. I didn’t blame him for keeping the distillery location a secret. I was one of the few who knew.

“So, you got them to see the error in doing business with Dimitri?”

Nathaniel smirked. “Of course.” He sank into the large leather chair. “Was there any doubt?”

“No,” I said, sitting on the couch across from him.

I took another sip of whiskey and stared into the golden liquid.

“What do you need to talk to me about? And it better not fucking be that you’re quitting to work for my father, or I’ll shoot you where you sit.”

The corner of my mouth lifted in a lopsided grin.

“No. But you may still want to shoot me.”

“Oh? More than usual?”

“Yeah.” I set my drink aside and wiped my hands on my pants.

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so nervous. What’s going on?”

I drew in a slow breath.

“I should’ve told you when it first started. I’m sorry.” The words stuck in my throat. “Shit.”

Nathaniel leaned forward and placed his whiskey down on the table.