Page 93 of Redemption

Sister? He was her brother?

She’d told me little about her family, and the longer I looked at him, the more I saw the resemblance. It was in the eyes. The way they carried themselves—with this quiet confidence.

“You?” She scoffed. “Um, no. Knox or Jasper, yes. But not you. Is Pops okay? Gran?”

He glanced around. “Is there somewhere we can talk that’s a little more—” His gaze flicked to me. He peered down his fucking nose at me. “Private?”

“Oh, right.” Sloan sprang into action, unlocking the door. “Come in.”

Sloan shot me an apologetic look over her shoulder.

I moved to follow, and Graham tried to shut the door on me. I stuck out my foot, blocking it. Graham sneered.

“Oh, sorry,” Sloan said, pushing the door open. “Graham, this is Jackson. Jackson, this is my brother Graham.” Her tone was breathy, nervous even.

Something wasn’t adding up. First, her grandfather’s six-figure sailboat, and now, her brother wearing a bespoke suit. I felt as if I was missing something. Something important.

“And Jackson is…” Graham’s question hung in the tense silence.

I waited to see how Sloan wanted to play this.

“He’s, um…” Sloan shifted on her feet. “Greer’s brother.” It was disappointing but not surprising.

I held out my hand. Graham made a show of looking around, then finally, begrudgingly, he accepted my proffered hand, his distaste—for the apartment, for me—evident.

My phone buzzed with an incoming call, snapping me out of my stupor. I shook my head and stood to grab it from the counter. Graham hadn’t been welcoming in the past. And while I now knew some of it came down to his personality, I also couldn’t imagine him accepting my relationship with Sloan.

I was getting ahead of myself, but Sloan’s family was important to her. If we were going to have a future together, I wanted their support. Just as I wanted Greer’s blessing.

I leaned back in my chair and dragged a hand over my head. I felt…unsettled. I loved Sloan, and I’d do everything in my power to earn her trust. To prove that I was worthy of her.

Vaughn’s name flashed on the screen, and my gut clenched with concern. I knew this conversation was necessary and unavoidable, but that didn’t make it any easier.

I connected the call. “Vaughn.”

“Blackjack. Give me a sit rep.”

“We made it to Providenciales without too much excitement.”

“Good.” I could hear him typing on his keyboard in the background.

I gave Vaughn a quick recap of what had happened with Edward, keeping his accusations about Sloan and me out of it. I’d since spoken with the head of security for the Huxley Grand Turks and Caicos. He’d apologized profusely for the situation with Edward and promised it wouldn’t happen again.

I understood why the mistake had occurred—everyone had still believed Sloan was with Edward. And he’d been on a short list of approved guests. I’d promptly made sure he was removed. I’d also confirmed that Edward had left the island.

After I finished updating Vaughn, we discussed our frustrations with the Huxley Grand security staff and event site staff generally. Most employees were well-meaning but under-trained. It was frustrating but not necessarily surprising.

“What’s next?” Vaughn asked.

“We’re going to stay here until the repairs are completed and then head to Puerto Rico.”

“Smooth sailing. That’s what I like to hear.” His voice was full of pride, and I hated the idea of disappointing him. “Keep it up, and the New York office is yours.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Actually…” I glanced outside to make sure Sloan was still occupied. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Mm.” He seemed distracted.

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