“Emily snuck me the handouts for the meeting.”
“Let me guess,” I say dryly, “the documents are generalized and tell us nothing about what this meeting is about.”
“Correct. They give a company overview, including a nonspecific financial picture. I figured this was just some of his normal hedge fund activity, but I also know you have concerns about the transactions he hides and don’t want him bringing on debt and problems you have to handle.”
“If there was anything he didn’t want me to see or hear, he wouldn’t have given the documents to Emily, who he now knows I’m seeing.”
“Yes, about that. I heard he saw you together last night.”
It’s a prompt for details I don’t offer. “And as a response to that encounter, this meeting materializes. This is his way of testing Emily, to see if he can trust her.”
She narrows her eyes on me. “Aren’t you worried he’s going to make a habit of this?”
“Emily handles my father better than I do. And speaking of Emily. She moved here for a job that fell through and brought very little with her. Order her anything and everything you think she needs and have it delivered here. And whatever you do, don’t tell her. She’ll move out before I get her fully moved in.”
Her lips part and she starts to speak and then stops, then starts again. “She’s moving in?”
“She already did.”
“Oh,” she says, and she looks like she might turn blue from holding back whatever she isn’t saying.
I arch a brow. “Since when do you bite your tongue with me?”
“I have whiplash. You were going to make her quit her job to protect her from your family. You even pushed her away and broke off contact. Now, she’s sitting at your father’s door with your blessing and living in your house. What changed?”
“My mind,” I say, not about to tell her the details of Emily’s past. “Buy her what she needs. Have it delivered here and work with Tai to ensure it’s not all sitting out in the open when she gets home.”
“In other words,” she says. “Bite my tongue again.”
“Nailed my thoughts exactly.”
Her lips purse. “Fine. Can I look at what she has already?”
“Nothing. Start from scratch. Buy her everything she might need.”
“Everything? As in clothes, shoes, makeup, and purses? Purses are expensive.”
“Whatever she needs.”
“Don’t you think she might want to pick some of it out herself?”
“I’m sure she would, but it will be a long time before Emily freely spends my money and I’m not leaving her with nothing waiting for that day to come. Use my Black Card.”
“The no-credit-limit card. Okay, well I’ll get some of my favorite sales ladies to help me make this happen today. Tell me again why we never dated?”
“Because you like your men submissive and I like my women with less snark.”
“I do not like my men submissive, but I get it. We’d kill each other.” She settles her purse back on her shoulder when her phone rings. She digs it from her purse and glances at the number. “Brody’s manager.” She answers and has a short exchange before covering the phone. “He has time this evening or in the morning.”
“I’m glad he has time to talk about seven figures,” I say. “But his time isn’t the time I need. It’s Brody’s.”
“They haven’t been able to reach him.”
Not the answer I’d hoped for, but at least his estranged wife is handled. “Tell them I have time when Brody has time.”
She nods and has a short exchange before ending the call. “They’re trying to reach him. Are you going to tell me what that’s about?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ll ask again later. Do you need a ride to the office?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“All right then.” She turns and heads for the hallway, but pauses, and turns to face me. “I like Emily.”
“Then we have that in common.”
“I once told Emily that if she hurts you, I’d hurt her, but now I know she’s devoted to you. And now I’m going to say this to you: Don’t hurt her and don’t let your family hurt her.” She doesn’t wait for an answer. She walks away, her footsteps sounding until the door opens and closes. I sit there a moment, staring after her, my gaze landing on the paperwork she’d brought me from Emily. I pull it toward me but I don’t open it. My father tested Emily today, and she failed him, but came through for me. She protected me and I am protecting her, but it doesn’t stop Jessica’s words from clawing at my mind: Don’t let your family hurt her. My family that connected the dots between us and the Martina cartel. Between Emily and Adrian Martina.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EMILY
It’s nearly one o’clock, and I’m juggling travel arrangements, phone calls, and questions I can’t answer about the board meeting, when Jessica sets a slice of pizza from the joint downstairs in front of me. “Eat.”
“I don’t have time.”
“Make time. My orders.”
“Is Shane here?” I ask, as both the security guard and the call from my brother still nag at me.
“He’s going to be soon.”
“Can you tell him I need to talk to him?”