Page 18 of Succumbed

“Smart. Keep it that way.”

Shane’s gaze holds mine. “We trusted her, Lex. Her betrayal was a surprise, but we’re not motivated by revenge.”

Declan makes a rough noise, but I ignore him. I have no time for your bullshit, Wilde.

“I’d hope not,” I say. “There’s true potential in what you’ve built. Potential that will have far more positive impact than the temporary satisfaction of bringing down someone who hurt you.”

“I agree.” He glances at Declan as he replies.

Our server returns, arms laden with a heavy tray. Our conversation pauses as she distributes plates to a chorus of “thank you” from each of us, even Declan. At least he’s not a total asshole, I guess.

“Enjoy!” The upbeat brunette turns away with a smile as I look back at Shane. He’s leaning forward with his elbows on the table, blue eyes calculating.

“What other questions do you have?” I press.

He considers me. “Why?”

I pause, my fork halfway to my mouth. “Excuse me?”

“Why give us an offer?” He sits back in his chair, the curve of his lips more smirk than smile. “What’s in it for you?”

I reach for my wine. “It’s good business. We have goals around growing our sustainability portfolio.” Taking a sip, I can see he’s not satisfied by the partial truth. “Mostly, though, I abhor dishonesty, especially when it puts others at risk. There’s enough evidence to suggest Greenstar may do exactly that if they launch, and it’s not something I’m willing to overlook.” And there’s something about the three of you that just won’t let me say no.

Shane watches me for a long moment, almost as though he can read my inner thoughts. I gaze back calmly, comfortable in the silence. Linc glances between us as he eats his steak while Declan is still. There’s a comfort and ease between the three despite their differences, a familiarity in how they interact that speaks to years of close proximity. Being part of their dynamic, even briefly, is…intoxicating. I don’t hate being the center of their attention.

“One more question.”

I tilt my head, returning to my waiting bite. A slow smile curves Shane’s lips, and I feel my core clench.

“Does five tomorrow evening work for that facility tour?”

Chapter 6

Declan

“After you, milady,” Lincoln announces, bending at the waist and flourishing his hand through the air like an absolute buffoon as he holds the door open for Lex. What is she doing to us?

My brother could be a clown. As kids and in college, he was always the first with a joke or a laugh, loving any opportunity to rile a crowd. But I haven’t seen him perform for someone in years, not since before…her. Before Anne-Marie.

Shane’s voice, deep and gentle even in the cavernous warehouse, breaks through my thoughts. He’s explaining our R&D equipment to Lex, walking her through the basics of what we have and what we need. She listens thoughtfully, asking intelligent questions along the way. She even poses some that give him pause, make him think. It’s not often I see someone stump him, but I have the nagging suspicion she can. Another reason not to trust her.

She laughs at something Linc adds to Shane’s explanation, and discomfort settles in my gut. There had been no laughter for the last hour as I walked her through my records, no smiles as I explained the financial data she’d demanded at dinner the night before. In fact, we’d both been hanging on by a thread when Linc stopped by my office to collect her for the tour.

“Why did you target these investors?”

Lex pointed to three line items in our early budget. All represented funding we’d secured from other sources after Athena had shown us the door.

“We needed funding from somewhere.”

I didn’t want to admit Anne-Marie was the reason. She’d been adamant about who we should pursue, but didn’t explain why they were the right choice. We trusted her, so after asking a few questions, I didn’t push. I knew now that was a mistake, but I had no desire to admit my failings to Lex.

She narrowed her eyes at me.

“There are thousands of options for funding sources, Declan. Why did you pitch them? They’re big names, but have few resources in green tech or heavy manufacturing. They were ill-equipped to help you, unless there’s an angle I’m missing.”

“What’s done is done,” I dismissed her line of questioning, unwilling to dig at the open wound. “Do you want to tear our history apart bit by bit, or should we do something useful with this hour?”

Her eyebrows arched and her lip sneered slightly. “By all means, let’s do something useful. Where do you suggest we start?”

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