by Stone, Piper
Pray.
After a few seconds, I heard his footsteps and with every one he took, my body reacted with a hard jerk. All three men radiated extreme heat when I was in close proximity, only Dax ran cooler. But when he eased his arm around mine, holding a glass of wine in front of me, I could feel his explosive breath dancing against the skin on my neck.
“Take the wine, Kendra. As I said before, this doesn’t have to be so difficult. It’s my favorite cabernet. I suspect you enjoy red wine instead of white.”
I refused to say anything this time, jerking the glass out of his hand with enough force the liquid sloshed over the rim. Even the damn crystal was expensive.
Sighing, he flanked my side, gazing out across the ocean. I dared to tip my head enough to notice his expression was serene, a slight smile curling across his lips. He took a sip of wine before swirling the cabernet several times.
“You think you know me, but you don’t.” I had no idea why I’d bothered to issue the words. They meant nothing. “And I doubt my choice of wine was in your report.”
The quiet settling between us was unnerving.
“There’s something magical about St. Tropez,” he half whispered, the tone different than usual. He didn’t seem bothered about the fact I didn’t respond, his eyes shifting into a faraway look as if a memory had surfaced. “There’s an amazing combination of the old world classics with modernism. That’s expressed in everything from art and architecture to food and festivals.”
“Is that supposed to be poetic?”
He barely responded, his eyes darting in my direction. “Some of my favorite times I’ve spent exploring the city streets, enjoying some of the most delicious food in the world. And the wine is fantastic. The majority of streets are narrow, cafés and art galleries flanking the sides. Almost always you can hear music playing.” There was a glassiness in his eyes; whatever memory he was experiencing, he did so with fondness.
As if he’d shared the experiences with someone he cared about.
“Is that the reason for the yacht?”
Dax chuckled, leaning against the window, his moment of reverence broken. “The yacht was a more recent purchase. I was here years ago.”
“With someone special.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “No. The three of us were here on business.”
“The three of you.”
“We’ve been working together for years.”
“But there’s also been more.”
“If you’re asking if we’ve shared women before, the answer is yes, but that was a long time ago. In fact, it was when we were in college together. I’m certain you found that out in your investigation.”
No, I hadn’t.
“Anyway, the city is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I’m certain you’ll get a chance to experience it yourself.”
“Really? I thought you’d keep me locked in this room. Were you left behind to interrogate me?”
Dax had a woeful look on his face for a few seconds before taking a deep breath, a coldness returning. “I was only trying to make certain you had everything you needed, Kendra. As far as interrogating you, that’s more of Sebastian’s responsibilities. Perhaps I should leave you alone. As Sebastian told you, as long as you follow the rules, then you will earn privileges.” He took another swig of his wine, walking away from me.
“Why is Sebastian so angry? It can’t be because I was caught in a lie.”
The question seemed to catch him off guard. “I assure you that hundreds of people have attempted to lie to one or all of us. That’s to be expected.”
“How very sad. None of you seem happy with what you’re doing. Granted, I guess getting to spend time on a yacht, catered to no matter your needs should make anyone happy. I won’t mention the private jet, or my guess is the mansions all three of you own. I’ve never seen anyone with any amount of wealth so damn unhappy with their lot in life. It makes me glad for the few creature comforts I enjoy.”
He bristled, spinning around and taking long strides in my direction, his action so unexpected that I backed against the window. Huffing, he slammed his hand on the glass and lowered his head, staring into my eyes. “When we started Extreme, we were right out of college. We had a dream, all three of us. While our success to this level was unexpected, it doesn’t mean that we didn’t sacrifice our entire lives in order to get where we are. Nights. Weekends. One hundred hour weeks. There were no holidays for five years, the only paychecks we took just enough to keep the roof of our roach-infested two-bedroom shithole over our heads. I can’t tell you how many ways I learned to reinvent macaroni and cheese, enough so I can’t stand the thought of eating it ever again.”
His fury and conviction were surprising, the fire in his eyes out of his love for the company, not out of anger. “I… didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t know. That’s not something Forbes magazine really wanted to hear about. They wanted pictures of the yacht, the expensive sports cars. That’s what we get asked about, along with being accused of everything from extortion to murder.” He chortled, taking a huge gulp of his wine. “Have we done some unscrupulous things as a company? You bet. Have we pushed boundaries, made a hell of a lot of enemies? Yes, we have. Do I regret some of our actions? I’ve been asking myself the same question for two years now. I enjoy the wealth, but when I go home at night to a two-bedroom condominium, it’s exactly the same way I left it that morning or the day before. Cold. Bleak. And empty. That’s not the way I expected to live my life. That’s not what brings a man joy, Kendra. Trust me, being rich isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” He took a gasping breath, snorting before rubbing his eyes. “I realize that doesn’t matter to you. You’re just looking for a scathing story.”
I was shocked at his vehemence, but it didn’t sway me from everything I’d learned about their corporation, although I could hear the hint of sadness in his tone. “What about the companies you destroyed?”
Dax walked away. “Yeah, we tore apart several, but they were old dogs in a dying industry. The owners were lucky to get damn good money given their financial issues. If we didn’t feel we could turn them around, we sold them off piece by piece. That’s the American way.”
“And jobs? What about all the employees who lost their jobs?”
“Jesus. That’s called business, sweetheart. Those employees you’re talking about? Many of them hadn’t been given a raise in a half dozen years. They didn’t have a pension plan or insurance. They were hanging onto a dying company because they were afraid to do anything else. We did what we could to ensure severance pay where possible. And why the fuck am I explaining our business practices to someone who’s going to turn the entire story around?” He stormed away, cursing under his breath.
“You mean Sebastian doesn’t have plans to dump me in the ocean?”
He laughed, shaking his head. Another thirty seconds of quiet settled in.
“I don’t know exactly what Sebastian is planning, okay?” He seemed to realize he’d grown far too exasperated, taking a full twenty seconds to calm his breathing. “We’re not murderers, Kendra, but we aren’t good men. We have enemies. We’ve been threatened on numerous occasions, so we often carry weapons, but we don’t assassinate those who annihilate us either in the press or in everyday life. That includes you. Unbelievable.”
“Don’t you want to be a good man, Dax? I could see it in your eyes before. I can see it now. Don’t you want more than that empty condo with no one to love?”
The quiet between us was chilling.
“There’s no way I can be a good man any longer, Kendra. That ship sailed a long time ago. That’s something you need to keep in mind about all of us.” He took another deep breath as well as another gulp, moving toward the oversized coffee table, placing the glass down then heading for the door.
He’d drawn his own line in the sand, fearful of getting too close. What a lonely life all three men must live. I wanted to ask him not to go, to stay and t
alk with me but we weren’t friends.
We certainly weren’t lovers.
While I’d felt an entirely different kind of connection with him, if only briefly, I had to remind myself that he’d agreed to abduct me. Maybe he was right. There was no chance at redemption.
“You’ll be called when it’s time. And yes, I’m certain that Sebastian will want to have another discussion.”
“What do you want?” I dared to slip in.
He lifted his eyebrows, obviously thinking about my question then deciding to ignore it. “There will be dinner tonight, likely held in the main salon. I’m certain the chef already has something planned,” he said more in passing, as if he couldn’t care less. Maybe there was more to Dax than I originally thought.
“Is there a dress code?” I snarked.
“You can wear what you’d like, Kendra. I would hope you’d find something suitable, but if not, toss it all overboard. It’s just money.” He threw open the door, huffing.
Sighing, I had no idea what to say to him.
“As far as why Sebastian is so angry, trust me, he has his reasons, but that doesn’t make him a bad person. Inside of him, there is a terrible darkness but he’s also capable of tremendous love and friendship. He’s simply forgotten who he is and what’s important in life. Who knows, Kendra. Maybe that’s something you can help him with. Then again, you might be his ultimate demise.”
Chapter 9
Sebastian
Chatter.
There was always chatter on the radio waves as well as the internet, but I didn’t like what Jean-Paul had mentioned before takeoff. An unknown identity had been asking questions, not only of the part-time employees we hired for our various business trips, but also anyone who’d so much as met us before.
The majority of this had occurred recently.
That led me straight back to Kendra. Perhaps she was more connected than I’d been told. But why? The timing with regard to the purchase of Tredegar came to mind.
“You need to stop fuming,” Chase said as he watched me pacing the floor of the salon.
“I’m not fuming. I’m trying to figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Uh-huh. You never were a good liar.”
I gave him a harsh look as I paced by, finally heading toward the bar. I’d held off since our arrival, spending time in the office to ensure that not one of our businesses was slipping through the cracks. “Why the hell is someone checking on us and who the fuck is it?”
“Well, if it’s still going on, then it has nothing to do with Kendra.”
“Don’t put anything past her, Chase. She’s one hell of a liar.” I yanked a glass from behind the bar, scanning the selection of liquors. At this point, only bourbon had any chance of soothing my fury.
“You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you had more than just a sexual thing for this girl. In fact, I’m beginning to think you believe she’s the one.” He moved out of his seat, swaggering toward me, his playboy mentality kicking in.
“The one what?” I poured a hefty amount, leaving the bottle open. Tonight wasn’t the time to hold back on the liquor. He’d picked up on my thoughts. Maybe I’d managed to show my weakness for her. That had to stop.
“You know what I’m talking about. The girl we’ve talked about over cheap beer and even shittier tequila.”
I snorted as I walked around him, headed for one of the sofas. I didn’t need to be lectured on my feelings.
“Oh, come on. You might as well admit it, brother. I can see it in your eyes. Hell, you wanted to rip Dax and me apart when you saw the three of us together.”
“That’s not fucking true.”
He laughed, the sound booming.
I cringed, rubbing my eyes. I hadn’t slept more than a damn hour on the plane. Maybe I was exhausted and nothing more. Yeah. Then why was my cock twitching from our conversation?
Chase remained quiet but the sound of ice being tossed into a glass was unnerving for some damn reason. I couldn’t get rid of a very bad feeling that had slithered into my system two days before. I glared at my watch. Three days from the deadline I’d given Richard. I was beginning to think I should have only allowed twenty-four hours.
After returning, moving onto the couch across from me, he leaned forward. “I know you like her, Sebastian. The thing is you don’t have to apologize.”
“I’m not apologizing, but she’s a delicious plaything, a little pet and nothing more.”
“I think you’re trying too hard to convince yourself you couldn’t care less about anyone. You forget who I am. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve had some of the same thoughts. It might be crazy, but I’m tired of working day and night. There has to be more to life.”
“Who the hell knows.”
“Then why go to all this trouble to bring her out here? I get she’s attempting to deceive us, but why not just shove her out the door?”
I gave him a nasty glare. He’d always managed to dig through every wound. “Hell, I’m not sure. We need to finalize the contract on the hotel, and I wasn’t going to leave her unattended. Not after what I found.”
“The business with the hotel could have been handled the same way we have before. Phone. Email. Faxes. I thought our attorney was handling the final takeover.”
“I wanted to do this personally.” I had no idea why I’d agreed to purchase a hotel all those years ago. Maybe seeing Dax happy for the first time had meant more to me that I wanted to believe. We’d remained a silent partner from the beginning, slowly purchasing more of the stock. Dax had volunteered to return twice to check on the status, then refused to have anything else to do with the hotel.
The reason? He’d allowed himself to get personally involved with a local. A weakness.
I wasn’t going to suffer the same bullshit.
Then why is your cock aching thinking about her?
“What’s going on with you, buddy?” he asked in a reserved manner. “Are you doing a lot of thinking about your past? I know the date is coming up.”
The date. The date that had changed my life forever. My father’s death.
Before I had a chance to answer, Dax finally showed up, his change in attire something I should have done before. “Took you long enough.”
The look that he gave me wasn’t what I was used to. It was much harder, harboring the kind of coldness that likely appeared on my face on a daily basis.
“Cut the attitude, Sebastian. You might be the glorious CEO of the company, but you’re a damn equal partner. All you’ve been doing lately is going off halfcocked, threatening our prospective clients then turning this ridiculous loan into a fucking game. You’re put us in a precarious position and I’m sick to fucking death of your arrogance.”
There was no hesitation, no reaction other than what I’d come to accept about myself. I flew out of my seat, tossing the drink aside in my effort to wrap my hand around his throat. I shoved him against the salon door, hissing as I glared into his eyes.
“Whoa!” Chase snapped, moving beside Dax. “Take your fucking hand off of him, Sebastian.”
I could feel the blood vessels in my neck popping, could tell my blood pressure was sky high as a haze formed over my eyes. And I refused to let go. “I could easily snap your neck, Dax. I suggest you remember that.”
Dax’s eyes were open wide, but there was a damn smirk on his face.
“I said. Get your fucking hands off him.” Chase yanked my arm and when I refused to budge, he used all his force to jerk me away, tossing me backward until I fell against the couch. Then he moved in between, shaking his head. “I will hurt you if I have to. Just get your shit together.”
I moved to my full height, running my fingers through my hair as I glared at Dax. “What the hell was that about?”
“Are you going to behave?” Chase asked. “If not, I won’t hesitate to throw your ass off this damn boat.”
After taking a deep breath, I looked away, trying to regain control of
my breathing. I’d never gone off on either one of them, at least not to this degree. I had no idea why I’d felt it necessary.
Yeah, right. I knew exactly why. Kendra had gotten all the way under my skin, digging her way into my soul.
“I’m fine,” I said after a few seconds.
“Uh-huh. Are you okay, Dax?” Chase continued his hard glare in my direction.
“Peachy,” he answered.
Chase nodded several times then lowered his arms, stepping away. “Okay then. We are friends. We are partners. Period.”
“Yep. We are.” Dax walked closer then threw a hard right hook against the side of my face.
I almost dropped to the floor, pain bursting into my head.
“Fuck this shit,” Chase snarled. “I’m finished with both of you. If you want to act like children, then you can do it alone.” While he didn’t leave, I knew he was serious.
“I deserved that,” I said in conciliation, rubbing my jaw.
“Yeah, you did. Asshole.” Dax moved further into the salon, staring down at the glass on the floor and chuckling. “Such a hothead.”
When I bristled again, Chase hissed under his breath, moving closer. “What the hell are you really worried about, Sebastian? We’ve had people checking us out before. Hell, we’ve even had scathing articles printed, including insinuations about our business practices. While I don’t think any of us like it, some of the facts are true. We are ruthless. So what?”
“This time feels different. That’s why,” I managed, yanking the unbroken glass off the floor and taking long strides toward the bar.
“In what way?” Dax asked, concern in his tone.
“In every way. First, that shithole who had the audacity to try and obtain the loan threatens me, then Kendra’s sudden appearance and Tredegar almost pissing in his pants the other day in his office.” I poured the damn alcohol almost to the rim given my level of frustration. “And don’t forget about the three bids that were flat out denied.”
“Are you thinking the Gambini syndicate interfered?” Chase asked.
