Chapter Thirty-Seven

C hapter Thirty-Seven

I can't help my smile shortly after our meeting when Tobias walks into the office across the hall from mine. Floor-to-ceiling windows create no barrier, giving us little privacy so he can't, at all, avoid seeing me during working hours. I feel his hesitation as Shelly guides him through the set-up of his workstation. I feel a lick of heat from his stare before he finally takes his seat. Transitioning from corporate to employee-owned isn't a matter of signatures or a one and done. It will take weeks of careful planning to work out the details, and I plan on using the time wisely.

He can't avoid me. But he's damn sure going to try. Hours later, we duel on our keyboards, and every so often, I feel the lift of his head and the weight of his stare. He's been listening to my phone conversations all day, his door open. I have loose ends to tie up before I can entirely hand the business over to Collin, who also isn't speaking to me. He's had his assistant email me with questions about the pressing matters. And I get it. I understand. But it still stings.

Ryan has been planted in the office next to me for most of the day, and the crackle I feel brewing only intensifies as the hours pass. But I forge on, intent on using all my tools to make the transition smooth and beneficial to the employees. Because I've been in their shoes, literally. Ryan heads to the breakroom for another cup of coffee when I crack my neck and look up to see Tobias working diligently on his laptop. His shoulders tense the minute he feels me eyeing him, but he keeps at a steady pace. He's in a pinstripe suit today that makes him look regal, like an old-world gangster. It's so fitting. He's so perfectly manicured that he looks completely out of place in the dump we've been stationed in. The bottom floor has a distinct stench of mold, and the ceiling tiles are heavy with residual water and stained brown. I decide to shoot off an email to Shelly to see if we can find a little wiggle room in the budget for a cheap remodel. I've just sent it off when Ryan strides back into the office, our coffee forgotten.

"Cee, we got him. Jerry Siegal." I wince as Tobias's head snaps up from where he sits, and Ryan hands me his cell phone. I go to speak, but Ryan jerks his head, insisting I put him on speaker.

"Hell no, I'm not missing this."

And I can't deny him this. We've been working on this for a solid year. Feeling the livid eyes of the man across the hall, I shake off the ill-feeling it gives, unwilling to let it get to me, and hit the speaker button.

"Jerry, how are you?"

"You fucking bitch," he seethes on the other end of the line as Tobias stands and walks over to the doorway of my office. I turn my back on him and begin a slow pace behind my desk just as Shelly walks in with an arm full of folders.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Jerry. You'll serve no jail time. You can take that neglected wife of yours on a long vacation. She seems to need it after, what? Her second suicide attempt this year? You really should be spending more time at home."

"I'm going to fucking end you, Horner."

I glance at Tobias, whose eyes are blazing and smirk. "I'm afraid you'll have to get in line, and it's a long one. Growing by the minute."

Ryan sits in the seat next to me, sporting a shit-eating grin as Jerry continues his tirade. "It's not enough your snake of a father—"

I wave a hand though he can't see me. "Roman saw you for the sucker you were and made moves on you because you were weak prey. So, instead of licking your wounds, being innovative, and coming back a more worthy adversary, you decided to one-up him and became even more of a waste of human space. I'm guessing your phone is lighting up right now with investors ready to back out. You might want to use this time wisely instead of making idle threats."

"I'm going to—"

"Like I said, you'll have to get in line." I lay my hands on my desk and look directly at Tobias. "And let's make one thing perfectly fucking clear. I am not my father, and I'm not his daughter and one more threat from you, and I'll finish the job he failed to do." I cut the line as Ryan shakes his head and stands, we exchange an amused look before bursting into laughter.

"We did it," he says, beaming.

"Couldn't have done it without you," I reply. "All right, you know the drill. Just make sure we're covered."

"On it," he says, pulling on his jacket. "And I'm going to grab us a bottle. Something fancy. That French wine you like. What's it called?"

I swallow, unwilling to look at Tobias. "Louis Latour, but you won't find it here."

"I'll find something," he assures. I don't miss the cock salute Ryan and Tobias share before he walks past him. I finally lift my gaze to Tobias, who looms in the doorway, looking like he's about to splinter into flames. I'd nearly forgotten Shelly, who eyes the two of us from where she lurks just behind him.

"I have no idea why I came in here, so there's my excuse to leave."

As soon as she's out of earshot, Tobias steps inside and slams the door so hard the windows rattle.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"My job."

"Cecelia, you don't fuck with Jerry—"

"Oh, but you were. You were making moves. I beat you to it. You should stay and celebrate with us."

"He's not the guy—"

"He's exactly the guy," I argue. "The head , not the foot. Your words. I know what I'm doing. I have all the makings of a federal case being couriered to his desk right about now to ensure I live to fight another day. Something happens to me or anyone within my company, or any others close to us, he goes to prison for life ."

"It's fucking dangerous," he snaps, taking two strides in, placing his thick fingertips on my desk.

"I'm aware I'm stacking up enemies. I do what's necessary to ensure my safety and the safety of those who work for me. But this is my side gig, and it's none of your business. And who are you , of all people, to preach to me about what I do under the radar?"

"I gave that information to you in confidence," he snaps.

"Dear Daddy's old business partner needed to be put down, Tobias. So, I used the information for good. You can't honestly tell me you weren't aware of what I've been doing all this time."

"Those were little fish."

"Only the minnows you were aware of," I counter. "The ones I purposefully fed you. When it comes to me these days, you don't know everything . Not anymore."

"Jerry's not just the fucking head, Cecelia. He's the neck too. You can't snap the neck and not expect—"

Scowling, I shake my head. "I expect opposition. I expect someone to best me. And at some point, someone will," I repeat his words from years ago. "I'm also aware that what I don't know will hurt me. But I'm playing the game, I'm on the board, Tobias, and have been for years. I don't need or want your permission to do it. And I damn sure don't want your advice. It's my decision which heads to hunt."

"You're asking for war."

"I declared it long ago, and I'm already in battle. I came out guns blazing because it's the only way to do it. I'm playing my part."

Seconds pass as we stare off, and I swear I see a swell of pride in his eyes before it disappears.

"This is what you saw in your father's boardroom all those years ago."

I nod. "I dreamed a thousand dreams, but this was the first one."

"You didn't tell me." He has the audacity to sound hurt.

I step around my desk and cross my arms, leaning on the edge of the desk next to him.

"Sorry if it's not the part you decided for me to play when you sent me away to live out some other fictional reality." I huff with contempt. "What exactly did you see for me after I left here? A two-car garage, a picket fence, a tire swing out front? I'll have all that when I'm ready, but for now, I've taken my position. And that head was mine to take. I have it on good authority Jerry's the one who sent Miami."

"Jesus Christ." He fists his hands at his forehead.

"Take it up with anyone you want, but don't preach to me about what's dangerous." I push off my desk. "I made friends with dangerous. We're intimate now. We're in bed together. The Beretta in my purse has real bullets. I paid for it with real money. In my club , we know the worth of a woman's intellect. And fuck a fort, I want them to see who's taking them down."

Tobias grips me by the neck, his eyes roaming my face. "You want a pat on the back? You want my approval for making stupid moves?"

"It wasn't a stupid move. It just wasn't yours." We're so close now, anyone who came in would feel the whirring. Reaching back, I release his fingers one by one, and he allows it before I step away. "Rest assured, Mr. King, that was my last move for some time. I've been thinking a lot about my other dreams."

He eyes the ring on my finger and turns before throwing open the door and marching over to his office. Confused, I watch him rip a box open before he flips his office light off. A second later, he comes back into my office and slams a bottle of Louis Latour onto my desk. "I guess congratulations are in order."

I don't bother to correct him. "Don't suppose you have a corkscrew?"

He leans in, his tone lethal. "If you keep fucking with me, Cecelia, I'm going to make this hurt."

I shrug. "Of course, you will."

He turns and strides out of my office and out of sight. Sitting by my desk twisting the ring on my finger, I stare into his dark empty office. And the next day, it stays empty.