by Natalie Dean
The smell of caramelized bacon curled around his nose, reminding him of part of what had woken him up. Standing, he brushed himself off and traveled the short distance to the kitchen. It was still quite small to him, but at least they had a dishwasher and lovely appliances to make up for it. While coin could work some wonders, it couldn’t make the inside bigger than the outside.
No, he needed a British police box for that, and those were in short supply.
But he wasn’t quite ready for what was waiting for him. Teddy was standing at the stove, cooking up a storm.
It wasn’t the what she was doing so much as what she was wearing as she did it. It wasn’t that she was in anything scandalous, but it certainly wasn’t a mechanic’s jumpsuit either. She was wearing a pretty lilac camisole, all satin looking, paired with soft, yellow shorts that looked like they were made out of some sort of cotton or other natural fiber.
He tried not to look at her legs, but it was difficult, especially considering how pale they were in the kitchen light. She had bright blue polish on her toenails. Now that was something he hadn’t expected.
“Oh hey, you’re up. I was just making breakfast. Then I’m going to report the break-in.”
“The break-in?”
“Yeah, that was what I was going to call it. I’ll tell them the truth, but I might leave out some… details.”
He sat down at the table, telling himself to stop staring at her before he grew creepy or inappropriate. “What kind of details.”
He didn’t miss the slight hesitance before she answered. “Nothing too important. Just, maybe, that it might have been Mr. Cartwright that sent them.”
Now that jolted him, his knee coming up to bang against the bottom of the table. “He what!?”
“I can’t say for sure, and I don’t have any proof, but I’m almost certain.”
Silas tried hard to bite his tongue, but he was fuming. He knew that Cartwright was a scumbag, but that was so far over the line he was practically in another country. “What makes you so certain?”
“Something Eugene said. He basically spelled it out for me. The only question is if he was telling the truth or if he was just trying to scare me even further. I think I believe it, though. After what Cartwright did to my brother, I don’t put much of anything past him.”
Silas hadn’t lost his temper in a long while, but he felt it bubbling up, wild and untamed within him. The thought that someone in his circle could stoop so low—could try to hurt Teddy just for gain.
“I… I’m going to go clean up the shop,” Silas said.
“What? But I haven’t finished breakfast! And the cops have to take pictures of everything for insurance, I’m sure.”
“Right. Right.” He took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. It wouldn’t do any good at all if he lost his head right in front of Teddy. So, he buried his anger, telling himself that he would get to address it, he would, but it wasn’t the right moment.
“Besides, what does it matter?” she asked, shrugging as she returned to the oven.
But that ticked something in Silas. “What do you mean, what does it matter?”
She shrugged again, her posture defensive. “It’s all a cycle. Used to happen about every five years or so. Now it’s happening faster and faster because of greed. Because of—”
“Gentrification,” he supplied, and she sighed like she was relieved he understood her.
“Yes, exactly, that. Mr. Cartwright is very good at understanding how to play us, how to pick at our weaknesses. He’s the smartest, I think, of all of those who have attempted so far.
“And that’s all it takes, really. You try and you try to fight, to dig your roots in, but in the end, it really only takes one really smart wolf out of all the wolves to wheedle their way in.”
He hated how resigned she sounded; it wasn’t like his Teddy. Not that she was ever really his, but the point still stood.
Silas couldn’t hold back all of his anger. “But it’s wrong. All of this is wrong! People shouldn’t be chased from their homes when they’ve already said no!” He found himself striding forward, gesturing emphatically. “They shouldn’t have gang members sent after them, to invade their homes. To break things! What would they have done to you if I hadn’t been there? It’s all—”
Suddenly she whipped around, her eyes full of fire as she regarded him. For the third time, it brought them surprisingly close together, and his steam quickly petered out.
“You talk so pretty, and about these values, but wasn’t your family intending to do the very same?”
Her voice was quiet, but deceptively so. He could hear the steel to it, strong and unbreakable.
“No. It’s not like that at all. We wouldn’t—”
“Wouldn’t you?” she interrupted. “Or has anyone ever refused you? The big, strong Miller empire—with all its riches—makes an intimidating foe. A foe most wouldn’t want to have against them at all.” She took a step closer until they were basically chest to chest. “I want to believe you, but some back part of my mind keeps telling me that you’re not mad about what’s happening, but only that you’re mad that he’s better at the game than you.”
That was perhaps the last thing he expected out of her mouth. After everything he had done for her, that was how she still saw him.
“What do I have to do to prove to you I’m not like that?”
The fire in her eyes dimmed, and she turned away from him. “The shadow of your family is over me, and although you’re a nicer fate, although I like you, it lingers all the same. After this issue with Cartwright is gone, after my contract is up, can you assure me that your enterprise won’t sweep in and pick up the pieces?”
Silas wanted to tell her no; he wanted to yell it from the roof. But then the logical part of his mind kicked in and he realized that no, he couldn’t say anything of the sort. Because the truth was, if his dad ordered it, the acquisition would move right along. Silas had already supplied all the information he needed.
“I’m…” He paused, took a breath. “I’m going to make this right,” he announced before turning heel and heading out.
He had his work cut out for him.
20
Silas
Silas didn’t know the office locations of every frenemy his dad had, but he did know how to look them up. And that was exactly how he ended up striding right into the office of none other than Philip Rupert Cartwright and his associates, with Solomon and several of their lawyers right behind him.
The receptionist stood, asking if they had a meeting, but he brushed right past her. Security hadn’t stopped them, if only because they recognized the Millers after years of interactions, so what hope did the small woman in heels armed with only a hole punch and a calendar have?
Silas slammed the door open probably harder than was necessary, and he relished the shocked look on Philip’s weaselly face as the whole party made their way in.
“Sam, what’s going on here?”
“It’s Silas,” he corrected, crossing over to the man’s overly ostentatious desk. “You’re well aware of that.”
“Am I?” The man’s lips curled into a sort of mocking grin. “Sorry if it’s so hard to tell you lot apart. A whole clan of cowboys playing as businessmen: surely you can understand my trouble keeping you lot straight.”
“Funny, coming from the middle son of a middling family who owns a middling company that’s falling apart from… where exactly?” Silas leaned down, pressing both of his hands on the man’s desk. He knew he was getting fingerprints on the wood, and that was exactly what he wanted. “Ah, right. Falling apart from the middle of things.”
“Our company is doing fine.”
“Is that so?” Sterling asked from behind Silas, his voice as cold as ice. One of the things his younger twin could always do better was to sound borderline threatening without saying anything legally actionable at all. “If that’s the case, then why have you been harassing multiple members of the community?”
The man snorted and sat back, looking incredulous. “Oh, is that what this little display is all about? And here I thought something important had happened while I wasn’t paying attention.” He shook his head. “You needn’t worry about our development projects. There’s plenty of pie in our city for both of us.”
“And does that pie include you trying to use the cops and sicking gang members on innocent civilians?”
“Gang members? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Silas slammed his palms down, making a loud boom but keeping his face perfectly calm. “Don’t play coy. I have one of the members on a recording confessing that you’ve been backing them and sent them to scare out the Parker family. Caused a lot of physical damage to the shop. That’s illegal, you know.”
It was a bluff, but Cartwright didn’t know that. And if there was one thing he had learned from playing both Uno and Texas Hold’Em with his brothers, it was how to keep one heck of a poker face.
“Please, like you couldn’t have just hired any one of those urchins to make up any story you wanted. If it’s going to be my word against theirs, who do you think they’re gonna believe.”
That made Silas burn. If only because he was right. It was like Teddy had inferred multiple times. People like him didn’t have to follow the same rules that folks like her did. It wasn’t right, but if Silas was forced to play that game, he was going to make sure he used his power to help even things out.
“You’re right. Or at least, you would be, if I hadn’t been there myself to witness the entire thing. I even saw one of them put their hands on the daughter. You remember her, right? Red hair, pretty face, big eyes. The kind that will make a jury feel a particular sympathy when they hear about the middle son of a slumlord trying to ice her out.”
Finally, the man looked as nervous as he needed to be. He licked his lips, his face going pale. “You were there?”
“Oh yeah. I even got to catch them on my cell phone, running away, tail tucked between their legs.”
The man’s hands fluttered for a moment, like he wasn’t certain what to do with them, before he took a steadying breath.
“Alright. What do you want?”
“We want you to drop whatever plans you have for the neighborhood. I don’t care where you have to go, find somewhere else.”
“That’s out of my hands—”
Silas leaned forward further, staring down the scum of a man. “Then get it in your hands. And I want you to drop all the charges you have against the young Parker son.”
“Is that all?”
“No. I want you to pay for the repairs on the shop, and cover if their insurance goes up at all.”
He swallowed, seeming to realize how serious the situation was. “Fine. I agree to your terms. And you agree to drop this and delete your evidence file?”
“One more thing,” Solomon said, his voice almost as chilly as Sterling’s had been. “You stop all interaction with the gang. And if any of us ever get news of you meddling with any of them again, we’ll leak all of this to some particularly ravenous journalists who would love to take a bite out of one of the one percent of our city.”
“Yes, yes. Whatever. I agree. Get you and your lawyers out of here if you want me to do anything about the development.”
“That’s my man, Philip. I always love it when our families play ball.” Silas gave him an amiable grin like he hadn’t just threatened the crap out of the man, then stood. “Shall we?” he asked, turning to his brothers and their team.
“You know,” Sterling said casually, all of the ice gone from his tone. “I’m really jonesing for some pancakes. Think there’s a diner around here with all-day breakfast?”
“I’m sure we’ll be able to find something,” Silas said with a laugh as they all headed out.
Pride swelled in Silas’ chest as they exited, stopping on the sidewalk to organize. If anything was going to convince Teddy that he wasn’t another one of the sharks, that he wasn’t there for acquisition, he had done it. He just hoped that his sense of accomplishment wasn’t premature.
“Hey, you guys all head to the diner, I’ll be there in a minute. I have a call to make.”
“Of course,” Sterling said, hands in his pockets. “Gotta tell your girlfriend that you totally saved her bacon, right?”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Ehhh, you say potato, I say you’re full of it.”
“If she was my girlfriend, I’d like to think that maybe you wouldn’t flirt with her right in front of my face.”
Sterling shot him a cocky grin. “Touchy, aren’t we? Look, if you’re not going to make a move, I will. Girl is easy on the eyes and handy too. Not to mention she’s got kinda that smoky voice thing going on that I dig.”
“Who says I’m not going to make a move?”
“You, historically speaking. What, it’s been since college since you’ve even tried, right? When what was her name? Marigold? Yeah, back when Marigold broke your heart.”
“Marigold didn’t break my heart. I’ve been busy.”
“Busy for seven years?”
“Look, drop it, alright?”
He held up his hands, every bit the infuriating younger twin that he was so good at being. “Fine, fine. But I’m not gonna wait in the wings forever. Either finish or get off the pot, so to speak.”
Silas rolled his eyes. “Fine. Whatever. Just let me make my phone call, alright?”
“Sure, whatever you want.”
Finally, his brother walked off, and Silas pulled out his phone to dial Teddy. He was worried she might not answer, but to his immense alleviation, she did on the second ring.
“If you’re calling to ask if you can still have breakfast, I ate it all and took the rest to my brother and father.”
Oh, he probably deserved that. “I understand. I was hoping that maybe we could talk? There are some things I need to update you on.”
She let out a long sigh. “Not today. I’m bringing my dad home and I want him to rest. Tomorrow, I think. Tomorrow would be good.”
“That’s fine with me,” Silas said, trying not to sound too eager. He’d also been worried that she wouldn’t want to see him at all. “I have some other details I want to hash out first anyway.”
“Alright. I’ll see you then.”
And hopefully when they did meet up, he’d have everything taken care of.
21
Theodora
Teddy’s phone rang once, and she decided to let it go to voicemail as she finished cooking her grilled cheese. She knew that Silas was going to drop by and, after their conversation in the kitchen, she was already apprehensive.
He’d done so much for her. Why had she gone and thrown his richness in his face? It wasn’t like he asked to be born into the family that was so rich. He didn’t purposefully pop out a millionaire with his own private trust fund.
And hadn’t he been kind to her? Helped her brother? Remodeled her whole place? Hadn’t he proven that he wasn’t one of the sharks?
Well… yes, but that was the crux of things, wasn’t it? Even with him doing all of those things, they still put her further and further into his debt. She was his employee, his debtor, and no matter how wonderful and handsome he was, there was unequal ground there. And unequal ground was dangerous.
That was what her mother had taught her, if nothing else.
Her mom had been so young when she’d moved to Texas, running away from her own mother who liked the bottle too much and groceries not enough. She’d gotten the only job she could land, a cashier at one of the local shops. When her boss first started flirting with her, it was new and exciting, and before she knew it, she was swept up in a relationship.
A relationship that quickly grew sour. Teddy’s mom had tried to protect her from finding out certain things, but people talked. About how the manager had a history of roping in pretty young girls. Of how he showered them with favors and compliments and attention until they were so e
namored with him that they let him push the boundaries way farther than what they were truly comfortable with. He’d done exactly that to her mother, taking her out to a drive-in movie that turned out to be anything but.
And two months later, when her mom had first realized that she was pregnant with Teddy, she’d gone to the man asking how he was going to support his child. He’d thrown a fit, then soon left town. Teddy knew that there was a lot written between the lines there. Heartbreak, fights, screaming and pain. She knew there were abhorrent details that her mother didn’t want to get out. To anyone.
If she were alive, if the cancer hadn’t taken her away when Teddy was only ten years old, then she would be right next to her daughter explaining to her that trust wasn’t something that could be bought and sold. As long as she was indentured to the Millers, as long as her brother’s freedom and her shop’s livelihood depended on those people not flexing their claws and sinking in their teeth, she couldn’t ever let her guard fully down.
Even if she wholeheartedly, desperately wanted to.
But then her phone was ringing again, barely a moment after it had stopped. Ignoring one call was one thing, but if someone was double calling her, then it was probably something important.
Wiping her hands on her apron, she reached over and grabbed her cell. A quick swipe showed that it was the lawyer calling so she hurriedly answered it.
“Hello?” she asked cautiously, expecting bad news. It was never a good thing when a lawyer called out of the blue.
“Hi, Ms. Parker?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“I left a message with your brother already, but he expressed to me earlier that he wants all updates on his case shared with you, so I’m calling to let you know that all charges against your brother have been dropped.”
She let out a strangled sort of sound, her heart practically leaping into her throat. “They what?”
