Chapter 2
THEO
I tossed my grey suit jacket and brief case into the trunk of my car before sliding into the driver’s seat.
Then, I tugged at the knot of my tie. Even eight years later it felt like I was loosening a noose.
The designer suit, the Mercedes A-Class, the fancy corner office, all of it was just a facade.
A costume, a prop, and the set to an elaborate play.
A tragic play in desperate need of new performers.
I allowed the car to idle for a few moments to allow my head of security to go ahead of me.
The silence surrounded me, forcing me to think.
I was helping people. That was not in dispute.
Salinger Security needed me. Still, it came at a cost. My friendships were hanging on by a thread.
The one person I wanted in my life, I couldn’t have.
It wasn’t safe for her. Besides, I had done a good job of pushing her into not wanting anything to do with me.
Hunter Spence’s black SUV pulled out of the underground parking lot.
Anyone watching us would see Snow Enterprise’s Head of Security and occasional bodyguard when the situation called for it.
I saw the Delta Force operator who knew where all the bodies were buried.
He’d helped me unearth all the ones my father had kept hidden.
Then he was there when I needed help with a few of my own.
As I drove further away from the skyscraper that housed my office, I tugged at my tie with one hand while keeping the other on the steering wheel.
With every mile the landscape shifted from concrete and skyscrapers to a beautiful view of the Pacific on one side and small hills dotted with cottages and beautiful homes on the other.
By the time I had the top two buttons of my shirt undone, I could no longer keep up the lie. All the lies, actually.
I did care what other people thought. Well, not strangers and the hundreds of people who tried to kiss my ass because they were trying to advance their own career. I didn’t judge them for how they chose to advance themselves, but their opinion of me didn’t matter.
No, the closer I got to Marina De Ferrier, I couldn’t deny how much I wanted the approval of so many of its residents. In a few hours one of my best friends would be getting engaged to a great man. Shiloh and Ryder deserved all the happiness coming their way.
According to Ryder’s message in the guys’ text group, Maggie had just found out that her ex-husband was released from jail and was headed into town. Everyone would rally around her and make sure that Shiloh and Ryder still had a great night.
Focusing on the gossip and drama of my friends helped me let go of the deceit and lies I needed to maintain at the office.
Everyone believed that Snow Enterprises was as corrupt as it was under my father’s leadership.
Still, no one could prove a thing. And while there was a reason for all that, it was exactly as I’d constructed it.
By the time I drove through the large black wrought iron gates I could almost forget about the multimillion dollar deal I’d made earlier that day.
A deal that, under different circumstances, would not be allowed to go through.
But since I had the right connections, not only did it go through, it was also expedited.
I parked in the garage since Hunter and I would be going to the party together in his SUV.
I wasn’t sure when my friends became his friends but it seemed that Ryder had invited him.
Hunter stayed in the pool house on my property but with the sheer size of everything we hardly saw each other unless we wanted to.
Going around the back I entered my home from the patio.
Yeah, it was huge and many of our friends called it a mansion, still it was home to my two teenage siblings.
The fact that teenagers lived there could not be missed.
Walking in from the patio always felt like crossing a border.
The great room, which was just a big living room, had been meticulously decorated by an overpriced designer, it was also home to an obstacle course of blue sparkly pom-poms on the pristine cream couch and a skateboard leaning against a marble fireplace.
My father was probably spinning in his grave.
That thought alone made me smile. The loud music thumping from upstairs accompanied by the slamming door told me my sister was not in a great mood.
I looked at my watch and noted the date. Yup, right on time.
I had explained to my little brother, Connor, that he needed to show a little sensitivity to Zoe around that time of the month. I didn’t know how much of it stuck since he still managed to piss her off.
I made my way to the office to drop off my briefcase and my eye caught a paper on top of my desk. The bright red C minus told me the reason why Connor was in the mood to piss everyone off. Breathing deeply, I swung my jacket over my shoulder and made my way upstairs.
“Mr. Snow.” Maria, my housekeeper, stood at the bottom of the stairs fidgeting with her hands. “I need to talk to you.”
I took a step closer, noting the fear in her eyes, the stiffness of her shoulders.
Nodding at her, I walked back down. “What can I do for you?”
Maria had worked for me almost as long as Hunter had.
He vouched for the single mom with almost adult children at the time.
She’d been loyal to me and my siblings, even understanding Tiffany’s reluctance to stay away from the house.
We knew her husband was a traitor but I had no idea where he was.
All I knew now was that her son was in the military and her daughter was a military wife.
Also, that her son had been part of the team that had rescued my friend Holden and the prince sometime the year before.
In all, there was nothing about Maria that led me to believe that she was anything like her late husband.
“My daughter… Scarlett. Her friend has just driven her to hospital. She has gone into early labor. Her husband is still deployed and…” She couldn’t seem to get the words out.
Her words tumbled out of her in one long thought.
A familiar knot gripped my throat. Families needed to be there for each other.
I held up a hand. “Say no more.” Offering her a small smile I continued.
“You take off as much time as you need. Your son-in-law is busy risking his life, the least we can do is make sure his wife has the support she needs.”
“But what about a replacement? Do you need a recommendation.”
I shake my head, there was no need for her to worry. “I will make a plan. You go. Do I need to get a driver to take you to the hospital?”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary, I have my car here.
” She gave me the biggest smile before she wrapped her arms around me in a hug.
“You take care of those two monsters upstairs. They’re not as grown as they want us all to believe.
And you make sure to take care of yourself, too. Don't think I don’t see your shadows.”
I smile. “Give your new grandbaby a kiss from me when he or she arrives.”
After another hug Maria is out of the door and I’m headed upstairs to the shower.
Showering as soon as I got in from the office became a ritual from day one.
It allowed me to wash away everything about that place before I dealt with the people who needed me the most. As I got out of the shower my mind drifted over concerns a little more immediate than Maggie's situation. What would I feed Zoe and Connor for dinner? They would be joining me for the engagement party. Maybe Tiff had leftovers. As much as she wouldn’t stay in the house or use my dad’s money.
She shouldered as much responsibility for Zoe and Connor as she could.
We both attended parent teacher meetings.
She was usually the one who scheduled tutors and other appointments.
Tiffany made sure I never felt alone, but she wouldn’t move in while Maria took time off.
Once I was dressed, I knocked on Zoe’s door.
“It’s open.”
I popped my head in and smiled. “Hey pumpkin. You want to raid Tiff and Maggie’s fridge for dinner?”
“Sure. Though, do you think we can get some chocolate ice cream on the way? I mean, I’m sure there’ll be snacks at the party but I need ice cream. Please.”
“Of course. You can get whatever you want.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re just saying that because you don’t want me to cry like last month.”
“Absolutely.” I gave her a mock frown. “That was traumatic for the whole household. I had to call Tiff to help me calm you down.”
“Thanks for not making me feel bad.”
I nodded as I closed the door and walked to Connor’s room. I gave a quick knock and popped my head in. “We’re getting dinner at Tiff's. You ready to go?”
“Cool. Give me a few minutes.” He slips the book he was reading on the bedside table.
I raise a brow. “You want to explain that C minus on my desk?”
“Not particularly.”
“Well, there will be discussion about it before I sign it. Either in the car on the way to Tiff’s or at breakfast in the morning.”
“Breakfast.”
I smile and shake my head. “You know you’re only delaying the inevitable, right?”
My brother does not miss a beat. “Yeah, but I’m betting you’ll be in a better mood after some sleep.”
I laugh as I head down the stairs. Never a dull moment around here.