Chapter 33 #2
“Oh, an impromptu meeting? Do I need to get Sean?” she asked, walking in.
I couldn’t stop my eyes from perusing her.
She looked sexy, and jealousy stabbed at me.
The shirt she wore brought out the blue in her eyes.
It cut in a square across her chest, leaving the hint of cleavage but it was the curve hugging skirt with the slit up the side paired with the heels emphasizing her amazing legs that had me wanting to lock her in my office so no one else could look at her.
“No, Gabe has something to share.”
I swung my sight to Liv, glaring at her as she gave me a cocky grin.
“What’s up?”
“Go on, little brother. Tell her what you’re up to.”
“Remind me to bury your body in a remote wooded area when I’m done killing you,” I snapped.
“You have that on record, Tori. Just in case I disappear.”
Tori looked between the two of us, her brows cinching. “What’s going on, Gabe?”
I cleared my throat and walked around to the front of the desk, my eyes flicking to the bottle of scotch on my bar. She trailed the action, frowning. I shoved my hands in my pockets to stave off the craving to pour myself a glass. The crutch had been there too long, and I no longer needed it.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
Liv huffed as Tori’s confusion grew.
“It’s like she’s your kryptonite. You get all sappy and soft when she’s around. Tell her the truth before I do.”
Tori’s arms folded over her chest, and I knew the look that now sat in her eyes. Distrust.
“I’m planning on taking Bradman down,” I admitted, palming my neck.
The shock that warped her eyes to a darker hue made me regret telling her. “Are you mad? And why…” Her lips thinned, anger staining her features. “You weren’t planning to tell me, were you?” When I didn’t answer, she looked crushed. “Damn it, Gabe. You promised no more secrets.”
She turned to leave, but I ran after her, inserting myself between her and the door.
“I’m telling you,” I blurted, feeling completely out of control.
With a glance back at Liv, she said, “Because Liv convinced you to. You promised me, Gabe.”
I dropped my eyes, hating that I had hurt her again without meaning to. “I was only doing it to protect you.”
She let out a long sigh, shaking her head. “No more protecting me. Not if it means secrets and lies.”
“I promise. I…I didn’t think about it until Liv pulled the truth from me and opened my eyes to what would happen if I went through with it behind your back. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you or to have you doubt me.”
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes searching mine before she said, “Tell me what you’re planning.”
“Oh yay,” Liv said, rubbing her hands together. “More scheming. I missed this.”
Tori shot Liv a look. “I didn’t say I would agree.”
“I want to take Bradman down.”
“You’re mad to think you can go up against Carl Bradman. He’s too powerful.”
“Every powerful man has a weakness.”
Her brow quirked. “Do you?”
“You’re my weakness. You always have been.”
The exhale that left her mouth was alluring, and it would have been the perfect time to kiss her except for Liv’s interruption.
“Don’t make me sick.”
Tori gave me a smile. Realizing I still had my body pinned against the door to block her escape, I ushered her back to where Liv stood.
“You can’t take over his company,” said Tori. “He’s public and we’re not, nor do we plan to be. There’s no way you can touch him like you did your father’s company.”
I thought about how my father had admitted he had caught on to what Liv and I were doing. How he had let it play out, like some test to earn his approval without us even knowing.
“Then we take him down another way.”
“What makes you think I’ll agree to this?” Tori asked.
“I don’t,” I admitted, scrunching my hair.
She walked over and sat in the chair next to Liv. “What’s your plan? And it better be legal or I’m out of here. I will not be involved in anything that could taint my reputation or this company.”
My smile spread at the loyalty she already had for the company. “Nothing illegal. That’s not the way we work. Clean paper trails only.”
“But you can’t touch Bradman,” she argued.
“Our father knows a way,” Liv added, and I scowled at her.
“Your father?”
Now it was my turn to sigh.
Her forehead creased. “What does he want?”
“This should be fun,” Liv mumbled.
“To see Reid.”
Tori was up from her seat within seconds. “Absolutely not. How can you even entertain that thought after what he did to you?”
I stepped into her space, taking her arms in my hands. “I told him no. That’s as far as I got before Liv came in and coerced me into involving you.”
“Well, you can thank her for saving your ass because I would have been out of here if you had deceived me again.”
“Damn it, Tori. I’m not deceiving you. I just didn’t want you involved in something that could hurt you.”
“I’m already involved because of what he did.” She looked between me and Liv as I released her arms. “Did you tell her?”
“No. I mentioned the NDA, and she filled in the blanks.”
Liv studied her fingernails. “It’s not that hard. NDA, beautiful woman, quick departure from a lucrative position.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “It’s dead in the water until I can dig up something concrete on him.”
“Then what?”
Liv looked up from her nails, excitement shimmering in her eyes. “Well then, my brother strikes like the coiled viper he is.”