Chapter 24 #2
“He is. Smart, ambitious, but reasonable.” Charles checks his watch, then turns to look at me fully. His expression shifts—still proud, but something more serious underneath. “Parks, I need to head to Charlotte. Check on our operations there. But before I go—”
He pauses, choosing his words carefully.
“The meetings this afternoon with the Dents, Ramirezes, and McCoys—they’re going to be different than this one.”
“Different how?”
“Ryan’s young. He took over recently, like me. He’s part of the new guard that wants to modernize, evolve. The others—” Charles sighs. “They’re old school. They knew Dad. They remember when you left. And they’ve heard the rumors.”
My stomach tightens. “What rumors?”
“Everything from you having an affair with a rival organization to Dad killing you for betraying the family. That your kids are illegitimate heirs to some enemy syndicate. That you’re a liability.
A weakness.” His green eyes—so like mine—hold steady.
“You need to shut that down. Not by defending yourself, but by showing them who you are. What you’re capable of. ”
“Without you there to back me up.”
“Without me there,” he confirms. “Because if they only respect you when I’m in the room, then they don’t actually respect you. They respect my position.”
I process this. The test. The challenge.
“Jace will be with you,” Charles continues.
“He’ll handle the operational discussions, the enforcement side of things.
But the perception management, the reading people, the strategic positioning—that’s all you.
Show them why I made you Chief Strategic Officer.
Show them that Parker Carter isn’t someone to dismiss or underestimate. ”
“No pressure,” I mutter.
“You can handle it.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “You handled Ryan perfectly. You reframed the Charleston expansion in a way that made everyone rethink their assumptions. You’ve got this.”
“And if they ask questions I don’t want to answer? About where I’ve been, who the boys’ father is, what my loyalties are?”
“Then you redirect. You control the narrative. You remind them that your personal life is none of their business, but your strategic value to this organization is undeniable.” His smile turns sharp. “You’re a Carter, Parks. Act like it.”
The door to the observation room opens.
Jace emerges first—controlled, professional, but there’s something tight around his eyes. Cal follows, that amused smirk firmly in place. And then Silas.
Silas looks at me like he’s deciding whether to kiss me or throw Ryan Matthews off the building.
Possibly both.
“So,” Cal says, breaking the silence. “Coffee. How romantic.”
“It’s not romantic. It’s networking,” I say firmly.
“He wants to ‘show you around,’” Cal quotes. “That’s not networking. That’s a date.”
“It’s nothing. I’m not even going.”
“You should,” Jace says, surprising me.
I turn to stare at him. “What?”
“You should have coffee with him. He’s a valuable connection.
His operation interfaces with ours. Building a personal rapport makes sense strategically.
” His smile is sharp. “We’ll come with you.
Not to the coffee. But nearby. Just in case Ryan Matthews forgets that touching your arm too many times was what got him relocated six years ago. ”
“Unbelievable,” I mutter.
“I need to head out,” Charles says, checking his watch again. “Jace, you’ve got the afternoon schedule?”
“Dents at two. Ramirezes at three-thirty. McCoys at five.” Jace’s voice is all business now. “Standard operational check-ins. Parker will be observing, assessing, and building rapport.”
“And I’ll be monitoring remotely,” Cal adds, pulling out his phone. “Any tech issues, security feeds, background checks—I’m on it.”
“Good.” Charles claps Jace on the shoulder, then turns to me. “Remember what I said. Show them who you are.”
Then he’s gone, and I’m left standing in the boardroom with three men who just watched another man flirt with me and are clearly not over it.
“Right,” Jace says, all business. “We’ve got an hour before the Dents meeting. You should review their files, understand the operation, and prepare questions.”
“I’ve already reviewed the files,” I say. “Multiple times. I know the Dents run five restaurants, the Ramirezes handle luxury car sales with political connections, and the McCoys own three clubs for surveillance and cash flow.”
“Then you’re prepared.” He studies me. “How are you feeling about this? About going in without Charles?”
“Terrified,” I admit. “But ready. I think.”
“You’re more than ready,” Cal says. “You just made Ryan Matthews and his team rethink their entire expansion strategy in under five minutes. You can handle some old men who think they know everything.”
I take a breath. Then another.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s do this.”
Cal grins. “That’s our girl.”
And despite everything—despite the nerves, the pressure, the weight of three men watching me like I’m something precious they’re terrified of losing—I find myself smiling back.