Page 74 of Fortress of the King

I see Gus’ name flash up on the screen and quickly swipe across.

“Gus.”

“Boss,” he pauses, “sending over the rest of Rayne Michaelson file that you asked for.”

“Took long enough,” I grunt.

There’s a long pause. “Boss?”

“Still here.”

“I have that meeting set up for you for next week.”

The Russians, how pleasant. “Good. Give me the details later.”

“And the summer house is ready to go,” he adds.

“Excellent.” I hang up abruptly and take a moment to stare out of the big back windows onto the vast field behind us. Littered with red maple trees, it’s particularly stunning at this time of year, like something out of a storybook. It makes me proud that our mother is happy here.

I wonder how my littleCarinawill react when I ask her to the ball, then take her to my home and spend the weekend there.

It crosses my mind that I’m breaking all my own rules, but I choose to ignore it like most things these days.

I’ve got a family dinner to get on with and then, God willing, a woman to attend to.

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