Page 34 of The Impossible

“Probably not. I thought for sure you’d be back at the sanctuary though.”

She sighed, irritation in her demeanor. I could almost feel it from where I was. “Me too. I went by to see Zar, but according to HR, I’m still not scheduled to come back as some changes are taking place and they’ll be in touch.”

“Don’t sweat it, you'll be back in no time. They still let you back to see your boy with no problems, right?”

She nodded. “I hope, but the air there was different, you know.”

“Don’t worry about any of that. It’ll be handled and you’ll be back in no time. How is decorating the house coming along?”

“Um, I’m going with your mother and Amethyst to a few showrooms and stores this week. You wanna tag along?”

I shook my head, thinking about how to take care of any connections she had to the O’Learys. That sanctuary was their way of keeping some sort of control, but I was about to sever that quickly. I just had to figure out how I could get my hands on an animal sanctuary.

“Nah Nic, you got that. Do me a favor though.”

She looked confused, pulling the dress over her head. Now I was looking at her in a bra and underwear. If I didn’t hate that I left this morning before she woke up, I damn sure hated it now.

“Yo, you tryna tease me?”

“No, I was taking this dress off. It’s getting donated. It’s itchy. What do you need me to do for you?”

I licked my lips. “Go in the bedroom and grab the envelope on my nightstand.”

She looked confused. “Um, okay.” She left the camera’s view and returned with the envelope not even five seconds later. “What is this?”

“Open it and find out.”

She looked at the camera, then back at the envelope.

I watched her open it, my eyes marveling over everything within view. She was all mine after all these years, after countless times I had her watched or checked on without her knowledge. She was mine.

“Cards?” she asked, pulling me from my trance.

“Yeah, you’re on all of my accounts, Mrs. Carter.”

She smiled, leaning forward. “Well thank you, Mr. Carter. What time should I expect you today?”

“Six. Boutta wrap up a meeting with Otto and head that way.”

She smiled, those crystal eyes lighting up my whole world.

Otto reentered the room before I could say anything, so I settled for telling her I’d see her in a few before we hung up and all of my attention was on my brother. He was grinning hard, like he was about to talk some shit.

“Tryna figure out if you are in love with your wife or yo’ ass is obsessed. You’ve had her followed for six years, then you marry her and now it’s like you don’t remember life before you were with her.”

I stood, fixing my suit. “Lil bit of both.”

When it came to Briar South, everybody knew of The Oak for its luxury and being one of the best hotels in the city, if not the best. As a kid I grew up coming here, but not for the reason one would think. I was groomed to take over the family from the ripe age of nine when Otto, at age fourteen, was diagnosed with high functioning depression. The family never thought any less of him, but Pops made the decision to never put more on him than he could bear as he’d seen what the very same disorder did to his mother. That didn’t mean slack was cut to Otto because it wasn’t. We were a family unit and moved as one regardless of anything. Otto was business minded anyway, so that was where he thrived and had less episodes.

Meetings between the main families of Briar had been happening in the basement of this hotel for years, ever since it was built, back when there were five main families. It was a central point and had an entrance through the underground garage unknown to many.

“So what I’m saying is, why allow Watertown businesses access to things we have access to? They are not us and we are not them.” Old Man Curr’s privilege was the loudest thing in the fucking room and it stank.

“And again, I’m asking who are we to decide who can and can’t have access to something? Especially in Watertown.”

Unbeknownst to Old Man Curr or Shamus O’Leary, Tylon had blood in Watertown. So the idea of somebody looking down on that territory and its people pissed him off and I understood that.

“Because I want the territory. A few condos and businesses that actually make money would be better suited for waterfront property. So, my idea is to make it a desert and take it from under whoever calls themselves running it.”