Page 4 of Dash

“Hang on.” I set my cell on the table, tapped an icon, and enabled my anti-spy app.

“What the hell are you doing?” She leaned forward to study my actions.

I waited for the green light to come on then eased back in my chair. “I’ve just activated a blocking signal to prevent anyone from witnessing or overhearing our conversation. The app simulates a system malfunction that kills audio and camera transmissions.”

“Cameras?” she squeaked.

“I detected two while I waited for you.” I sliced my hand in the air, pointing at the chandelier centered over the conference table and under the coffee table that anchored the sofas at the far end of the room. “Whoever is spying on you will believe their system crashed and you don’t know shit about them spying on you.”

She forced her mouth to close. Disbelief glinted in her eyes. At least she didn’t boot me out of her building, not right away.

“Is this your idea of… what?” She clobbered me with her stare, studying my face. “A nasty joke? A way of frightening me?”

“You know me better than that.” I paused to get a hold of my temper. “I never joke about your safety and I’m not here to scare you, although what I have to say is frightening.”

“I’m an Astor.” She settled her hands on the armrests, crossed one leg over the other, and straightened in her seat, looking fierce and determined but also small within the huge leather chair. “I’mnotscared of you.”

She wore the mantle of her family’s fortune with the same arrogance Richard had done in life, and yet old man Astor could never match her poise, grace, and elegance. Of all the vile things he’d done in his life, by far the one I resented the most had been recruiting his oldest daughter to play the role he’d allocated to her when his succession plan went tragically awry.

“You should at least be concerned,” I offered somberly.

She considered me for a moment longer, perusing my face with her shrewd gaze. “Did you really find cameras andlistening devices in this room?”

“I did.”

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath before she regained her composure. “I’ll have security deal with this.”

I nodded. “We need to do a thorough building sweep.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she bit out. “I can take care of business.”

“I agree.” I kept my cool, even though I suspected anything I said or did would aggravate her barely-contained fury.

“Why did you come?” she demanded. “Why the urgency? You haven’t shown your face around here for years. You didn’t even have the decency of showing up to Father’s funeral.”

I didn’t try to hide my surprise. “You wanted me there?”

“Of course not.” She paused, no doubt to allow the insult to sink in, which it did, simmering in the middle of my chest like a bad case of heartburn. “But it would’ve been a gesture of respect to the man who gave you everything.”

Now she was just poking at my sore spots and she knew it.

I bit down on my lip and said nothing. She shifted her gaze out the window. Her opalescent eyes reflected the images of the city’s skyline on a gloomy February day. What was she thinking? What was she feeling? Did she sense the past sneaking into the room, encroaching around her heart as keenly as I did?

“Then again, I’m glad you didn’t show up.” Her stare returned to haunt my senses. “Why would I care?”

Because I loved you and I wanted to be there for you, I didn’t say.Because you loved me once, and back then, you would’ve valued my presence and I would’ve consoled you in my arms.

I tightened the rein on my emotions. “I’m sorry about your loss.”

“Right.” She scoffed. “We both know you’re not sorryFather passed.”

“I’m not here to argue the point, but still, I offer my condolences.”

“Stop it with the mental games,” she snapped. “Why are you here? Do you think I’m incapable of running the company? Say your piece and leave. I don’t want you near me.”

My dick finally got the message. It wilted under her scowl. My heart throbbed, as pained as my thigh, but I’d dealt with pain before, and to make sure Thena was safe, I’d take as much of it as I had to.

“You’ve made it very clear that my presence here is an insult to your person,” I started slowly. “I get it, believe me, I do. To be clear, I don’t think there’s another person in the world more qualified to run this business than you. You’ve more than done your father proud.”

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