Page 9 of Beautifully Broken Control

She gave a quick nod. “Of course.” Concern flitted across Rachel’s features, but she said nothing more, simply turned in the direction of Jake’s office.

I pushed open the double doors to my suite and headed for my safe, holding my forefinger to a fingerprint reader and then punching in an eight-digit code. I removed my personal laptop and the handful of files that rested there.

My gaze caught on a photo, worn with age. She’d been young, but so vibrant, beautiful, full of promise until all of the possibilities that lay in front of her were cut down. I shook my head as though the action could clear away the memories. The pain. But nothing ever would.

I crossed back to my desk, placing all the items in my bag, careful to slip the photo between two other files. Protected. Even though I hadn’t been able to do that in life. A knock sounded. “Come in.” I eased into my desk chair.

My second in command strode through the doors, followed closely by Rachel. Jake lowered himself into one of the chairs opposite me while Rachel remained standing. “So, what’s up? You finally going to tell us why you’ve been such a moody bastard for the past week?” Jake asked as he rolled up one of the cuffs of his shirt.

I swallowed back the urge to put Jake in his place. Sometimes, he forgot that this was my company, and he worked forme. I understood why. Jake and Rachel had been with me since the days the company only had five employees, and we were renting space in a warehouse. But, sometimes, it pissed me the hell off. “I’m going to be working remotely for a while.”

Jake’s movements stilled. “Why? We’ve got at least five projects that are in critical phases right now. Not to mention prospective client meetings. And what about the program prototype? Aren’t you supposed to be close to finishing?”

“There’s nothing on those projects that I can’t do from another location, and you’re the schmoozer, not me. Those prospective client meetings will probably go a lot smoother without me in attendance.” It was true. Jake had always handled the interpersonal part of the business, the small talk. I’d taken care of the tech, the strategy. It worked well that way.

Rachel cleared her throat. “Would you like me to come with you? So you have someone to manage wherever you set up your mobile office.”

The thought of Rachel hovering had my jaw clenching, but I forced a smile. “The last thing you want is to hang out with a moody bugger like me.” She opened her mouth to argue, and I hurried on. “Plus, I need you to be my point person here.”

Rachel nodded slowly. “Okay, but let me know if you change your mind.”

“I will.”

Jake studied me. “Where are you going?”

I flipped the coin over and over in my pocket. I had no excuse for not telling them. “Sutter Lake.”

Jake blinked. “That tiny town in the middle of nowhere?”

“That’s the one.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

I leaned forward, just a bit. I owed him no explanations. He might’ve been with me from the beginning, but this was my company. My life. But I’d called on him to cover more than a couple of meetings this week, and he didn’t deserve to have his head bitten off on top of the extra work I’d dumped on his plate. “I’m ready for a change of scenery. And I think it’s time for a little vacation.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair. “What’s really going on, Cain? I can let you off the hook for the client meetings and project management, but the prototype? That’s the future of our company.”

A muscle in my cheek ticked. “This is my company, Jake. I know how important the prototype is, but I think you’re forgetting who’s steering this ship.” The program was one that would cement our company as the leader in security systems for the next decade. I had a firm hold on the concept, but the execution had been evading me. The last thing I needed was Jake bearing down on me, adding to the weight already crushing my shoulders. Just another reason to get the hell out of Portland for a while.

A muscle in Jake’s cheek ticked. “Am I your VP, or not?” I didn’t respond, and he pushed on. “It’s my job to make sure we bring your vision to fruition, but I can’t do that without your help.”

I let out a long breath. He had a point. “I’ll make sure you have what you need for the program by the end of the summer.” The set of Jake’s shoulders eased just a bit. “But I need this break.”

Jake jerked his chin. “Thank you.” He grinned. “Now, do you really need to go to bumfuck nowhere to do whatever it is that you’re planning on doing? Soul-searching or some shit?”

I chuckled, the tension between my shoulder blades easing a bit. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Rachel stepped forward. “Do you need me to prepare anything for you, Cain?”

Jake rolled his eyes. “Stop kissing his ass, Rachel. You’re already the highest-paid assistant known to man.”

Rachel scowled at him and opened her mouth for what I was sure would be a verbal smackdown. I held up a hand. “Now, children.”

They both scowled at me. I laughed. I’d missed this. The back and forth that we so often had when the company was just getting started. The camaraderie. Somewhere along the way, as the company grew, we’d lost some of that. Once I got my shit together, I’d figure out how to get us back there.

I placed my hands on my desk as I rose. “I’m trusting you to hold down the fort while I’m gone.”

Jake headed for the door, holding up a hand in a backwards wave. “Strippers and booze on Fridays.”

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