Chapter 15

Julian

Kent: How ' s it going with Poppy?

Julian: Fine.

Kent: So it ' s fucked?

Julian: No, she is handling it…as you ' d expect.

Kent: So, a new level of insane woman?

Julian: That ' s not funny.

Kent: I know, but I tried. Seriously, how is she holding up?

Julian: She ' s got her ups and downs. I want to find her a shrink. I think she should talk to someone.

Kent: That ' s not a bad idea.

Julian: I ' m shit at talking. I just keep thinking if I make love to her, it will fix everything.

Kent: Bro, who the fuck says ‘ make love ' ?

Julian: Why do I bother talking to you?

Kent: Because I give the best advice. Duh! Just put your dick away and talk to her. Women like to talk.

Julian: I ' ve tried, but it ' s hard.

Kent: Is it literally hard right now? Two hands, bro. Some jerking and lube can fix that. You and Theo taught me that.

Julian: Goodbye.

Kent: NO, wait! I ' ll be serious.

Julian: Impossible.

Kent: *Praying hands emoji.*

Julian: When ' s the last time you tabled sex to have an actual discussion?

Kent: Tabled sex? Have you seen my dick? It ' s the best form of therapy. Wanna dick pic?

Julian: If you send me a dick pic, I ' ll fire you.

Julian: You ' re such an idiot.

Kent: Genius is often overlooked and misinterpreted.

***

" Remind me never to start my morning off by engaging in a text conversation with Kent. I thought speaking to him in person was bad, but his texts reached a whole new level." I shout to Theo, who iswaiting outside of the conference room door, and shake my head. "The fact that you and I raised Kent should jail us both."

Theo chuckles. "What'd he do now?"

"Have you ever texted with him? Like, tried to have a serious conversation?"

Theo snorts a laugh. "No. That ' s like asking the impossible to happen. Kent can ' t be serious."

I roll my eyes. "We should get vasectomies. Make sure we're never able to raise a kid again," I say it as a joke, but it lands sour in my mouth. Kids. I want them... with Poppy. I never thought about it, but now I am. I imagine if we had a son with her freckles and brownish-red hair.

Fuck! I ' d need to do better. Raising Kent was my trial run, and I royally fucked up. I can ' t actually raise my kids how I did Kent.

"You okay?" Theo asks.

I nod. "Let ' s get this meeting over with."

His hand reaches out and grabs mine, halting me from entering the conference room. " Can I talk to you for a minute?" Theo ask. My oldest brother looks tired, and shit, he ' s even got a few grey streaks in his dark hair. I run my hand through my own, wondering if Poppy sees any grey hairs.

" Don ' t tell me this meeting is going to be a bust. We need that system to work. I have to present the numbers to the Secretary General in a few days."

Theo shakes his head, " It ' s got nothing to do with the meeting." He nudges his head, and we walk towards the end of the hallway. " It ' s personal," he mutters.

" I called you four times. You haven ' t called back."

" I ' ve been busy," I reply. I have been, but that doesn ' t stop the guilt. " I ' m sorry. I figured I ' d see you at the office."

" Yeah, you ' ve been busy with Uncle Dan and his men covering your ass like it ' s the next coming of Christ. What the fuck is going on?" Theo leans closer, standing taller, trying to make me feel like I ' m a boy forced to listen to the older sibling. " Seriously," Theo presses, " Kent won ' t even tell me, and you know he ' s always willing to gossip."

" Tell me," I cross my arms, " is your curiosity because you're my brother or a mole for your friend?" I snap.

Theo's jaw clenches, " I told him you were dating Poppy. I haven ' t told him anything else."

Bullshit. I snort, " Are you expecting a thank you?"

Am I pissed that my oldest brother made a new family when he went to college, a family that kept him away from Kent and me and got his ass in hot water? Yeah, I ' m furious…and jealous. I hate knowing Theo considers other people his brothers, but more than that, I hate that he ' s willing to risk so much for them. Like his morals when he helped his friend set up and plot out Poppy ' s new life all so he could watch her and send reports of her back to this person.

I hate that I got roped into the lies, and I loathe myself because I still haven ' t told Poppy that someone else was watching her.

" No, stop being a dick. I ' m coming to you as your older brother who is concerned." Theo puffs out his chest.

Maybe that was rude of me. Do I want to build the bridge between Theo and me? Yeah, but sometimes the memory of what he did to Poppy, how he orchestrated her life, well, that pisses me off. A lot.

I grab the back of my neck and squeeze the muscles. Hard. I haven ' t told Theo about what ' s been going on with Poppy and her ex. There ' s a reason why I ordered Uncle Dan and Kent not to say a word to Theo. I don ' t need word getting back to Poppy that someone else besides Andrew has been watching her. Just because Theo talked to him doesn ' t mean he has stopped reporting Poppy ' s actions. I ' m not a fucking fool.

" I ' ve got it handled. It ' s got nothing to do with the business," I assure Theo.

" It has to do with you. You are my business," Theo growls. Shit, he sounds just like Dad.

" Theo, back off and let me sort my life out."

He steps closer. I glance down the hall, making sure it ' s still empty. Should I punch him? You ' re wearing a suit; you're the CEO, not the younger brother.

" So you can tell Uncle Dan and Kent but not me?" Theo barks. " I thought you wanted to make us all whole again."

" I am, but that doesn ' t mean you get the same privileges you once had. You shoved me in a goddamn corner," I look left to right. Literally, I ' m in one, " You made me lie to the woman I love." I lean closer, nose to nose, " I still have to fucking lie because of what you did."

" I paid a debt."

" Which affected me," my voice raises.

" I didn ' t expect you to fall for her," Theo snaps. We're both trembling when we hear shoes coming down the hall.

" Hi, Mr. Sterling and Mr. Sterling," a cheerful voice says.

Theo glances first, " Hi, Brenda. I ' ll be right in." She smiles and enters the conference room.

" I just want to know you ' re safe," Theo exhales. " Why the fuck is Uncle Dan here, and why does he have an entire team covering you and Poppy still?"

" If I tell you, I can ' t guarantee you won ' t go running back to your friend, which would be another invasion of Poppy ' s privacy. That, and it ' s not my story to tell."

" So it has to do with Poppy." Fuck, he connected those dots fast. " Something is going on with her."

I shake my head. I said too much. I want my big brother back. I just can ' t trust him.

" Jay," Theo ' s grip tightens on my forearms. " Please."

" When you betrayed Poppy, you lost the ability to beg," I say as I uncross my arms.

" Don ' t be an ass. I was protecting her."

I shake his hold off and point my finger at him like it ' s a dagger. " Well, you did a shit job. You failed." I grab his shirt, " He failed. Tell him that. Watching people from afar only gets you so far. If he truly cared about Poppy, then he would be honest and come back into her life. He ' s a fucking weak ass excuse for a man." I shout.

Shit! I lost it, and now Theo ' s got enough ammunition to start assembling the puzzle.

Is this why he asked Theo to watch her? Did he know how dangerous Andrew was? Shit. How do I find out without betraying Poppy's trust?

You tell her, you idiot.

I do need to tell her. I'm just worried I'll lose her.

" What ' s that supposed to mean?" Theo says.

I pat down his shirt. " I ' m asking you," I look directly into his worried eyes. " As your brother by blood, don't look further into this. Don ' t betray her privacy more than it has been. Your new friend wanted Poppy to be protected. Let me protect her." I hold his stare, waiting and hoping he will cave.

I hear the alert on my phone that the meeting should be starting. " Theo," I press.

He licks his lips, " If you need me," he begins, " I ' m here. You ' re my brother; you always will be. You come first."

I nod. " Thank you." As I turn my back to him and begin to walk into the conference room, a heavy feeling settles in my gut. Theo's need to keep me safe, I fear, will ultimately only end up harming Poppy.

***

"As you can see from the schematics, we've made significant advancements in the propulsion system," Mark explains, gesturing to the presentation displayed on the large screen behind him.

I feel like an ass as I nod and act as if I'm listening. I glance at Theo, who I know has covered all of this. I don't need to be here, but showing my face seems to calm everyone's nerves.

My dad's comments echo in my mind. I could leave this job.

What would I do? My first thought is to join some of my friends who have retired from Delta Force and work as private contractors. The money they make is insane; however, none of them do it for the money; it's more the adrenaline rush, and as a contractor, we don't have to adhere to strict protocol.

That would have been a dream job before I met Poppy. There is no way I could leave her for weeks at a time. Not only that but putting my life on the line would just wreck her. I can't risk myself after everything she has lost.

So what the hell would I do?

I pinch the bridge of my nose as Mark continues to flip through slides. When I look up, Theo is watching me. I roll my eyes, still pissed as fuck at the situation he's put me in. Another issue I have yet to confront.

I'm still lying to Poppy, and I have no idea when to come clean about what Theo did and how he orchestrated her new apartment and job all so he could surveil her. They all want to watch her. She's mine!

I can't shake off this suffocating weight on my chest. It's Poppy. Always Poppy. Her situation's eating away at me like a relentless itch I can't scratch. Every word Mark says about propulsion systems feels like a distant echo in my head.

My body is tense, coiled like a spring, ready to snap. I can feel the stress radiating from my muscles, and my jaw is clenched so tight that it's a wonder I can still breathe.

Harper's voice echoes in my mind, frustration dripping from every word as she struggles to pin Andrew down with enough evidence to lock him away for good. The bastard's like a ghost; none of the evidence we found is pointing to him regarding the cameras. Everything is linked to others, allowing him to get away scot-free if caught.

I rub my temples, trying to ease the pounding headache that's set up camp there. The weight of it all's like a lead vest pressing down on my chest.

My phone buzzes again, jolting me out of my thoughts. I quickly slip it out of my pocket, and my heart drops as I read the message from my uncle.

Uncle Dan: Kimberly Prescott's plane went down over the Bahamas. Her father and mother were on board with her. The Coast Guard is searching for the wreck and survivors.

I stare at the screen, my mind struggling to process the words. What the fuck! Without a word to anyone, I'm on my feet, leaving the meeting behind without so much as a goodbye. My phone is pressed to my ear as I dial my uncle's number, my heart pounding in my chest.

"You're in a meeting," Uncle says as soon as he picks up the phone. His calm tone only adds to my sense of urgency.

"It's not an accident," I state, the words tumbling out in a rush. It can't be. Please don't let it be. This could be our saving grace, a fresh crime to nail Andrew and his father for good.

"I'm tapped into all the Coast Guard's communication, Andrew's, and his father's, too. If I find anything, I'll let you know," he assures me.

"You'll find something," I reply, the desperation clear in my voice. And then it hits me like a ton of bricks. This means Andrew just killed his fiancée and her family.

"Why would he do it?" I ask.

"That's what you'll let me find out," my uncle replies, his voice firm and determined. "I just thought you should know because this will be all over the news, and Poppy is going to see it."

"Shit!" I curse as I grasp my jaw. I know Poppy, and she isn't going to take this well.

"Andrew knows the cameras have been found," I state. We turned off all communication with them. He must be going insane. "We were waiting for him to react to that, Uncle Dan. This is his reaction."

"What are you thinking?" He asks.

What am I thinking? Well, I'm thinking like a monster. It's the only way to catch one. Andrew is obsessed with Poppy; that much is clear.

I begin to pace the empty hallway. It's lined with frames of the weapons Sterling Defense has designed. The hot Dallas sunshine streams in from the window at the end of the hallway, bathing the room in a warm golden glow. It hits the frames just right, illuminating the weapons.

Weapons. Men love them; we have an arsenal of them tucked away to use when needed. Finally, Andrew is using some of his.

Guess what, Prick? My weapons are better. I'll win this war and get the girl.

"We cut off Andrew's obsession; he can't see Poppy. He can't have her because his father arranged this social wedding of a lifetime. So he did something reckless. He got rid of Kimberly because he wants Poppy back. If he can't watch Poppy from afar, then he's going to try to get her again," I voice.

Uncle Dan ' s pause tells me he thinks my idea could be right. "I've got a team watching her," he replies as if that will assure me.

"I should take her and get the hell out of here," I mutter to myself, frustration boiling under my skin. Andrew's off the rails, taking down a plane like it's all just a game to him. A guy with no limits is a guy who doesn't see the cliff until he's halfway down it. But that recklessness is exactly what's going to trip him up. He's bound to screw up big, leave us something we can use to pin him down for good. It's a waiting game now, a game of patience and precision.

"That could only make Poppy more scared. Let Andrew come. We will be here. Nothing is going to happen to Poppy." Uncle Dan stresses. " Julian, we need to catch him red-handed if we want to do this the right way."

"What if we want to do it another way?" I reply as I rest my hand against the frame of one of our top-selling weapons.

His exhale is loud. "Andrew is all over the news. He can't just disappear suddenly. We need to be smart about this."

"I'm not going to wait forever." I hiss.

"Neither is Andrew." Uncle Dan's reply is sharp. "Let him be the one to fuck up, not you, Julian." Then the line goes dead.

I brace my hands against the window, feeling the warmth of the sun seep through the glass into my palms. The tranquility of the moment contrasts sharply with the storm brewing inside me.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On?" Theo hisses from behind me, his voice slicing through the silence like a knife.

Startled, I whirl around to find him leaning against the conference room door I had stormed out of moments earlier. The door he followed me through and then quietly shut, while I was too consumed by a maelstrom of shock and fury to notice. My guard was down, a rare occurrence, and now I'm cornered, forced to answer for it.