“Tell me you aren’t going to go after Adrian,” Shane says.
Derek opens his eyes. “She’d hate me if I killed her brother or her father, but the sooner you get him the hell away from our company, the better.” He turns and walks to the door, opening it and disappearing into the hallway.
Shane wraps his arm around my waist and turns me to him, resting his head on my belly, his torment over his brother’s pain palpable. My hand comes down on his hair, and I lean over and into him. And for long minutes, we just hold on to each other. We just hold on, a silent promise between us to never let go.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SHANE
Emily and I try to convince Derek to join us for dinner, but he declines, leaving us both weighted down with worry for him, but I am comforted by the knowledge that Nick has a man watching over him. And knowing through that contact that Derek hits the gym and orders takeout before staying in for the night is enough to allow Emily and me the ability to enjoy our evening together. We order room service. We talk through her plans for the fashion and beauty line, which are both thoughtful and smart. We make love more than once, and I can’t help but hold her just a little too tightly when we head to bed.
We wake early, with the knowledge that Seth has just landed in Germany, and head out for a chilly run. By the time we’ve done five miles, the day has turned warm, and we stop in a coffee shop we’ve come to enjoy, settling into a couple of leather chairs in a corner.
“He’s still on your mind,” Emily says, and sips her coffee.
“He could be a lot of people right about now. My father. Derek. Adrian. Mike. Ramon.”
“All of them, I’m sure,” she says. “But Derek is who I was talking about.”
I think back to my many recent exchanges with Derek. “I gave him a gun yesterday and he pulled it on me.”
Her eyes go wide. “What? Oh my God.”
“I didn’t load it and he put it down without firing. The point is, it showed me how erratic his behavior can be. I need him stable and strong to get through these negotiations.”
“And you don’t think he can be that person?”
“Do you?”
“He’s changing. I can see that, but that’s hard to do with a dying father and the love of your life leaving you. Maybe you should send him to Germany to be with your family. It gets him out of the picture for a while.”
“I wish I could, but looking united in this Mike Rogers deal could be win or lose.”
“Your father has cancer. It seems reasonable Derek would be with him, since you have to run the company.”
“But when he’s there, what happens when my father starts talking in his head again? What happens when he turns Derek against him or this deal?”
“But Seth is getting your father to sign off on your plans.”
“That doesn’t mean Derek couldn’t go to Mike and work against me.”
“Right,” she says as we stand and head for the door, both of us falling into deep thought as we walk home, me about the execution of my plans, and, it appears, she’s still focused on Derek. “Well,” she says after five minutes of walking, as if we’re still in the middle of our prior conversation, “we just need to keep Derek close to us. If he’s close to us, we can control him. Nothing can go wrong.”
It’s not a perfect plan. It’s not even close to a perfect plan. But for two weeks, we’re going to make it work. Because one thing’s for certain. She’s right. Nothing can go wrong. Not if we’re going to survive our brush with the Martina cartel. My cell phone rings, and I fish it from my pocket, finding Seth’s number. “Seth,” I tell Emily before answering the call.
“You’re there?” I ask.
“I’m at the hospital and I won’t be getting those contracts signed.”
Irritated, I stop walking. “You have to convince him, Seth. I need—”
“He’s not good, Shane.”
I feel the words like a punch that flattens me, and I sit down on a bench. “What do you mean by ‘not good’?”
“Apparently he wasn’t doing well when he arrived,” he says. “They fast-tracked his treatment, and he had a bad reaction. He’s fully incapacitated at the moment.”
I squeeze my eyes shut with the impact of those words. “And his prognosis?”
“Your mother’s here. She’s probably better to speak on this.”
“Put her on.”
Emily goes down on her knees in front of me. “How bad is it?”
“Really bad, I think,” I say, a moment before my mother comes on the line.
“Shane.”
“Mom.”
“They said that sometimes this happens. It’s not the end.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “That’s good news.”
“It’s just news,” she says. “But I’m giving Seth paperwork that proves he’s incapacitated. Save the company for him, okay?”
Damn it, that was another punch to my chest. “I will. I am.”
“Good. And that Mike Rogers bastard. I didn’t find the dirt on him. It’s all on you, son.”
“I can handle Mike and Adrian Martina, Mom. I’ve got this. I promise you. I’ve got this.”
“You always do, son. Here’s Seth.”
“Wait,” I say.
“I’m here,” my mother says.
“You can’t tell Derek. Let me tell you when I know he can handle it.”
“That’s hard for me. He’ll want to know.”
“You have to leave this to me, for everyone’s best interests.”
“Okay, then. It really is all on you. Handing off to Seth.” There are muffled voices, and then I hear Seth say, “Shane.”
“I’m here.”
“I have one piece of good news,” he says. “Ramon got on a plane to Mexico this morning.”
“That’s definitely welcome news right now.”
“I knew it would be. I’ll be on a plane in a few hours and back to you by morning.”
“Good,” I say, then hesitate, because I know he’ll tell me the truth, but I have to ask. “Seth, man. How bad is it?”
“I hacked his records while I was in the waiting area. I agree with your mother. This isn’t the end. It’s just not a good beginning to his treatment.”
“Thanks. Safe travels.” I end the call, shove my phone back into my pocket, and stand, taking Emily with me. “I need to run again.”
“Okay. Let’s run.”
“You aren’t going to ask what happened?”
“You can tell me when you’re ready.”
I cup her face and kiss her. “You couldn’t be more perfect for me than you are in this moment.” I release her and we start running again, my mind and body both tormenting me. The idea that I am now CEO of our company, now able to manage whatever is needed with Mike and Adrian because my father is dying, stirs guilt in me that I know is misplaced. But it’s still real. And I still have to cope with it to get by it. I have to cope with it because I have to keep my promise and save Brandon Enterprises.