Charles shot him a sidelong look. “Didn’t know you still had some moral compass buried under all that sarcasm.”“Don’t patronize me,” Thomas said, suddenly serious. “If you’re going to that hotel for anything other than a real conversation, I’m out. You might not believe this, but seeing naked butt isn’t like what they show you on TV—”“I don’t do that crap,” Charles cut in, sharp now. “And I’m not going there to see her naked. Damn. What the hell were you even thinking?” He gave him a disgusted side-eye.Thomas raised both hands slightly, defensive. “Hey. I just know what hotel meetings with women like her usually mean.”“Sadie almost married that fiancé four years ago,” Thomas muttered. “The relationship crashed because of this exact crap. If that’s what you’re walking into, I’m not going to be a part of it.”Charles glanced over. “Your patience is a little lower than expected. You could at least hear me out.”Thomas huffed, bu

“I got a Louis XIII Rare Cask. I’m not sure you’ll like it,” Lauren said, deliberately tying her hair into a ponytail so that every move pulled attention straight to her chest.“Would that be necessary?” Charles asked, his tone calm as ever. “I came here so you could apologize for what you did last night. That was disrespectful to Sadie—what you tried to pull on me.”Damn. His innocence was really turning her on. Other men would have gotten the message by now, already eating out of her hands.“Actually,” she said, switching her tone into a slow, flirtatious one, “I didn’t mean it like that. But you’re the kind of man that makes any woman want you.”“Really? Sadie’s always told me that,” Charles replied without missing a beat.Damn it. Why did he have to drag that name here right now? Was he seriously not getting it?“I think it’s unfair for just one woman to have you when you’re this handsome,” Lauren said with a teasing smile. “

The receptionist stared at Andrew like she’d just discovered a new species of stupidity.“What are you waiting for? Call her this instant. If ten more minutes passes and you haven’t called her, you’ll be totally held responsible for whatever happens,” Andrew barked.“I’m afraid,” the receptionist said, already turning back to her system, “if you can’t tell me what it’s about, there’s no way I can help you.”Andrew’s jaw tightened. “Good. I’ve marked your face. Today is your last day in this company,” he snapped, punching in a number on his phone.Before the call could connect, movement caught his eye.Sadie Wyatt herself walked through the lobby, flanked by a team of sharply dressed men and women.Andrew surged forward instantly. “Sadie! I have—”But before he could get close, two men moved in front of him, blocking his path like walls.Sadie paused, her brow furrowing. “I have something to show you, S

Charles had earphones in, but he wasn’t listening to the music blasting through them. His mind was somewhere else.The night everything ended.The night his brother died.The guilt. The grief. Everything he’d been holding in all this time—he let it sit with him now. He needed it. Needed to remember every bit of it if he was going to get revenge on the bastard who thought it was necessary to kill his brother.When you have a stronger why, your punch hits the hardest.Where did he even hear that from? He had no idea, but right now, it was all that mattered.They’d been flying for four hours. August had gotten him a fake ID. Charles didn’t care how. That wasn’t his business.He glanced behind him at the man, now sleeping like a baby. Charles tugged one earbud out and, sure enough, the man was snoring.Charles shook his head. Calm as a saint, for someone with a record that should have him rotting in a cage.Nine