I blinked, waiting for him to continue.
“Have you had them both, like at once?”
Vanessa hit him. “Eli! God, you’re so rude.”
He giggled and shoved his hair back off his face. “Whatever. We’re all thinking it.”
“What Liv does behind closed doors is none of our business,” Maya said. “Even if we may fantasize a little bit about it.”
“Very true.” Vanessa smirked.
I wanted to be mad and embarrassed, but I found myself laughing. The levity was a welcome break from the somber note I’d left my apartment on. Suddenly I was surrounded with more support than I’d ever thought possible. I was grateful, relieved, and almost ready to face my life again.
Eli lifted his mimosa in the air. “Seriously, more power to you. You’d know better than me, but I’m pretty sure two is always better than one. You’re living the dream, girlfriend.”
One by one, we lifted our beverages.
“To risking everything,” Eli said with a clink.
IAN
I paced outside the station, waiting for Will to pick up.
“What’s up?” His voice carried through the phone.
“Have you heard from her?”
He sighed. “Nothing yet. I told her I’d give her the night to think. She knows I’m not a patient person.”
“I’m worried about her, but don’t think we should push her. She’s under enough pressure.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I want to be there for her.”
“I know exactly how you feel.” I rubbed my forehead. I missed her and hated to think that she was hurting and dealing with all of this alone. “Fuck Darren. I want to go over there. God knows what they’re saying to her.”
“I agree we can’t let her sit with this for too long. But you and I need to talk before we go to her.”
I halted my pacing, instantly on guard. “Why? What’s going on?”
He was silent a moment. “I want a relationship with her, Ian. A real commitment.”
I tightened my grip on the phone and swallowed over a rush of emotion. I knew their bond was strong, but I was ready to fight for her if I had to. The thought of letting her go filled me with a fierce possessiveness. She was his, but goddamnit, she was mine too.
“I see the way you are together, what she means to you. But you can’t ask me to walk away at this point.”
“I didn’t say that. But I shared her with you so I could guarantee nothing got serious between us. I thought she’d be a great lay and we could all go about our lives. Business as usual. I couldn’t have been more wrong about where all this would go. This isn’t even about me anymore. I care about her heart more than anything. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
The thought of losing her gutted me, but I didn’t want her to get caught between us either. “I want what you want. Whatever the best thing is for her.”
“Listen, Ian. We can share her or fight for her all day long, but it’s up to her. I have no idea if she’d consider a deeper commitment between all of us. Especially after the showdown with her brothers last night.”
I nodded in silent agreement. The future of our relationship rested entirely in her hands. “Then we let her decide.”
“We’ll give her a little time to work through everything, and then we’ll talk to her. Together.”
“She needs more than words, Will. She needs to know we mean it.”
He was quiet a moment. “I know. I plan to show her exactly how we feel.”
I hung up and returned to the station. I hadn’t been on shift very long, but seeing Darren was inevitable. Any minute we could be thrust into an emergency that required us to work together. I found him in the kitchen making dinner. His expression was grim. I knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t his usual jovial self.
It was probably too soon to try to make peace, but giving the standoff any energy was going to make working together a living hell.
I walked into the kitchen, stopping a few paces away from him. “Need any help?”
He didn’t reply. To say the atmosphere was tense would have been an understatement.
“Fine,” I muttered, turning away.
“I’m putting in a bid for a different station.”
I turned back, shocked that he’d make such a rash decision. “Why would you do that? You’ve been here forever.”
“Why the fuck do you think?” He slammed down the spatula he was using and squared his body with mine.
I tensed, preparing for the fight that he wasn’t ready to give up. “You’re making this worse than it needs to be. Do you realize that?”
His lips curled into a grimace. He took a step that brought his face too close to mine. “It’s going to get a lot worse if you don’t get the fuck away from me right now.”
I held my ground, my fury rising with his. “You need to back down. Right now.”
“You’re the one who needs to back down. If I weren’t happily married, I’d go fuck one of your sisters just to make a point.”
The fury that simmered in my veins before had come to a full boil. He was so fucking out of line. I wound up to slug him, but he ducked out of the way just in time. He shoved me back hard into the counter. I was ready to go at him again when Ray, one of the guys from the engine, rushed between us.
“Boys, whoa, whoa. Calm down. Let’s talk about this.”
Darren squirmed away, his eyes wild with rage. “I already tried talking. He didn’t understand when I said stay the fuck away from my sister.”
Ray patted him on the chest, shooting a sideways glance at me. “All right. Listen, this kind of stuff happens on the department. You’re not the first one to get all riled up about family ties. I mean, Greeley knocked my sister up. Twice.”
Greeley hollered from a nearby recliner. “She’s my wife, you dumb fuck.”
Darren ignored them, fully committed to his anger. “Yeah, well, I’m not you, and Ian’s not looking for a wife. How many women have you fucked?”
“If I had to make a guess, I’d say about as many as you have. You think because you’re married now that you’re on some moral high ground? I’m pretty sure you weren’t husband material when you started seeing Vanessa. I hate to break it to you, but Liv’s a grown woman. She can make decisions for herself.”
“Yeah, and I have to see your face every day and think about the two of you…” He shoved his hand through his hair violently.
Ray glanced back at me, his expression betraying his concern. I’d never seen Darren this way. Except when he almost lost Vanessa. He’d gotten reckless and violent, but that rage was focused on himself. Not me.
I drew in a series of steeling breaths, willing my adrenaline down. He wasn’t capable of being the bigger person, and Liv didn’t want to hear about us coming to blows over this situation.
“Darren, I know you’re angry, but we need to figure this out. Can we talk about this…privately? Without you trying to bust my face?”
Ray nodded and gave Darren a little more space. “Good idea. Let’s take this down a notch. You guys are friends.”
Darren straightened his posture and returned to the stove, ignoring me. He wasn’t ready now, but hopefully he would be soon.
“I’m ready to talk when you are,” I said, before leaving him and Ray alone.
I sat in a folding chair outside the station, watching the sunset melt into the horizon of buildings. Oranges and pinks and purples cascaded into each other on the canvas of the sky.
I wondered where Liv was and what she was thinking, if she was sharing the view. Not knowing was killing me. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture before the sky lost its bright colors.
It had grown dark by the time Darren walked out. He stood several paces away, hands deep in his pockets, eyes avoiding mine. I’d already attempted to make peace. He had to be the one to talk first now.
After several moments of pacing back and forth, he stopped and turned toward me. “Help me understa
nd, because I can’t fathom how you could do this to me.”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Believe me when I say I tried everything I could to avoid this.”
“Except fuck her. You couldn’t seem to avoid that. Oh, and then you let someone else fuck her too. Sounds like this all just happened. I’m sure you didn’t coax any of it along at all.”
I cursed under my breath. He wasn’t going to make this easy for me. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Good, because I’m pretty sure I’m never going to understand how you can disrespect my sister this way and still have the balls to face me. After everything we’ve been through. I mean fuck!”
I met his glare with resignation, because all I had was the truth. “Darren, I’m in love with her.”
His lips thinned as he worked his jaw. “You can’t love her. I know you.”
“People change. You stood here not that long ago and told me to stop wasting time and focus on her, to see where it could go.”
He shook his head. “That’s before I knew the woman in question was my sister. I would have given you different advice had I known.”
I stood and faced him. “You changed. For the right person, you changed. She’s that person for me. I can’t help that she’s your sister any more than I can help the way I feel about her.”
“And Will? You expect me to believe he feels the same way and he’s not just taking everything he can get from her?”
“It’s not my place to speak for Will, but I’d never let him hurt her.”
“Is he touting this love shit too?”
“He cares about her. We both do.”
He leaned his head back and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. “This is so fucked.”
“If you step back and look at what’s happening right now, the only people who are upset are you and Cameron. Will, and Liv, and I…we’re fine, outside of dealing with your goddamn death threats and judgment. But before all this blew up at the ribbon-cutting, we were fine. So stop and ask yourself if it’s worth jeopardizing her happiness.”
“You’re not going to talk me into thinking this is good for her.”
“Putting her through hell over this isn’t good for her. You’re one of my best friends. I don’t want to lose that, but right now, her happiness comes first.”
“If you’re making a campaign to get my blessing, give it up. I’m never going to support this.” He sliced his hand sideways through the air.
I sighed, feeling more defeated with each passing minute. “Whatever. But don’t make her miserable over it. Hate me. Hate that I’m with her. But think about what all the anger is doing to her. She doesn’t deserve to bear the brunt of your judgments. She’s a good person, and she’s got a good heart. She’s figuring shit out, same way all of us are. If you care so damn much, cut her some slack. Let her live her own goddamn life.”
Those last words seemed to render him silent. He simply shook his head and left me alone. At least we hadn’t come to blows again, which I counted as a small victory.
I breathed a sigh of relief, even knowing my friendship with Darren was forever changed. I hoped to hell that Liv was worth it…that she wouldn’t give up on us.
I took my phone out and contemplated calling her. She’d asked for space. I had to give it to her. I couldn’t be another person barking at her, trying to tug at her when she wasn’t ready. I wanted her to know I was still here, though. Waiting for her to be ready.
I pulled up my texts and attached the photo of the sunset with a message.
I: Sky made a beautiful canvas tonight. Made me think of you. Haven’t been able to think about much else.
A minute later a reply came back.
L: It’s beautiful, thank you. I’m thinking about you too.
I hesitated with what to say next. I didn’t want to push her, but the smallest communication made me want more.
I: I want to see you. When you’re ready…
L: Soon. Be safe tonight.
I released a frustrated sigh. If she only knew… The dangers of the city and this job had nothing on the damage she could inflict on me right now.
Chapter Fourteen
WILL
David Reilly strolled into the office. Dressed in a suit that cost more than most people made in a month, he exuded the kind of confidence that threatened a lot of people on Wall Street. He didn’t affect me that way. I registered little more than disgust as he approached but knew I had to keep it to myself if I was going to get through this meeting.
I rose from my father’s desk and greeted Reilly with a firm handshake. “Let’s talk in the conference room.”
“Sure.”
His tone was clipped, and I wondered if he’d already gotten wind of my intentions. Only my father could have warned him, and I’m not sure he would have the balls to throw hindrances in my way after everything I was sacrificing.
Either way, this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. I grabbed some papers from my office and followed him into the private room, shutting the door behind us. Outside of my father’s assistant, Adriana, we were alone in the office, but I didn’t trust anyone with ears around this negotiation.
Reilly had chosen the seat at the head of the table—a clever move to assert his waning power in the company. Too bad I’d be the new CEO in a few minutes. I took the adjacent chair and pushed a few loose papers in front of him.
“As discussed, these are the documents to register the updated corporate filings listing me as the new CEO. They’re fairly straightforward, but feel free to have your attorney review.”
He picked the papers up, scanning the routine language that would strip him from his position. “Looks like everything is in order.”
I pushed a pen toward him, which he used to scribble his signature on the appropriate lines. He dropped it back on the table and looked up at me, folding his hands in his lap.
“So how are things going?”
I tilted my head. “I have my work cut out for me. The investors aren’t too happy.”
“I understand.” His voice was totally detached, as if he’d had no part in creating the challenges I now faced.
“I’m not sure that you do.” I leaned back in my chair and traced the sharp lacquered edge of the table. “I have a lot of trust to earn back. No one wants to invest with a company tainted by partners accused of fraud.”
His lips pulled back into a dark grin. “Allegations. Nothing’s been proven.”
“The indictment going public means you’re guilty. Because if you get off, it’s because you’re a white-collar criminal and the judge feels sorry for you, not because anyone believes you’re innocent.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I want you to relinquish your stake in the company.”
His careful demeanor broke with a laugh. He wiped at his eye with an arrogant smile. “That’s rich.”
“No, but our clients are. And no one wants their money tied to a crook.”
“You know your father’s hands aren’t clean here. Why aren’t you asking for his shares?”
“I don’t deny he’s as much to blame for the failed reputation of the company.”
“Then why me? I brought in most of these investors. I have a stake in this. I’m not going to just hand it over.”
“That’s exactly why you should. They fucking hate you right now. If you’ve got any money left over after the restitution and your very pissed off ex-wife wipe you out, you can invest it with me and we’ll give you a competitive rate. That can be your consolation prize.”
His smile disappeared and he narrowed his eyes. “You can go to hell.”
I leaned in. “Listen, fifty percent of nothing is nothing. Relationships are tenuous. I figure best-case scenario, we’ll lose at least half the investors whether you’re found guilty or not. They’re not going to wait around to see what happens in court. They’re going to wait out the lock-up period, and then they’ll walk. Worst-case scenario, I walk
and you lose the rest of them. Then this company will be worth nothing.”
He was silent a moment, and I knew I was gaining ground.
“You fucked up, Reilly, and someone has to pay. Sign over your shares, or good luck finding someone else who’s willing to put their reputation on the line to repair the damage you did.”
He held me in a cool assessing stare. “I’m willing to walk away as a silent partner. You’re Bill’s son. I trust you to run the company as you see fit.”
I shook my head. “If your name is anywhere on this thing, it’s over. I’m already working with a handicap. Representing your name and interests in any capacity becomes me sacrificing my reputation and time for certain failure.”
“What you’re proposing, it’s a lose-lose for me.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Guys like you can’t seem to see any farther than your nose. Ever think about doing the right thing today and hoping it might pay off tomorrow?”
I knew Reilly wouldn’t leave without taking something with him, but by offering him nothing, I wasn’t giving him the benefit of a favorable starting position. Still, I’d have to bend at some point. I half expected him to double over with laughter at my proposition, but he simply stared, his discontent obvious from his stiff posture and lingering grimace.
“You seem to have a good-hearted nature, Will. But that’s not what makes me money and secures a future.”
“Your attitude has you facing jail time, so maybe that’ll give you a minute to think about the difference between right and wrong.”
He cracked a small smile then. “I’m in this business to make money. If you aren’t, I’d have better luck promoting Adriana to run the company than you. The business won’t turn a profit on good intentions.”
“And it won’t crumble under unethical business practices as long as my name is on it. I’m not trying to screw you. I just want you gone so I can do my job. And for what it’s worth, I didn’t want this job. Keeping this venture alive is going to take everything I’ve got.” I turned the last few pieces of paper over to him. “The choice is yours. Get out, or I walk. I’m not going to be a martyr for the cause.”
Over the Edge: The Bridge Series: Book Three Page 16
