Page 15 of The Mastermind

“I’ll be watching you . . . I’ll be watching you . . .”

A massive burst of laughter erupted, and all eyes fell on me.

“What?” I paused.

Royce got up from the couch and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, mimicking me. Oh, my goodness, I had messed up the lyrics.

“I told you, I can’t sing.” Heat burned my cheeks. “I’m not myself tonight.”

“You gave that song a new twist.” Amanda took the microphone from me. “I want to try it now.”

The amusement faded from Royce’s face. “Is everything okay?” All of Grayson’s friends treated me like a sister.

Did Remi see me as a sister?

“Yeah, just some work stuff.” I smiled at him. “You want a go at that stalker song? I butchered it. You’d probably be better at it.”

“Damn right. I’d give the best rendition. I have stalker experience.” He laughed. “Besides, ‘stalker’ is just another word for ‘hunter’ or ‘researcher.’ It’s all perspective.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’d be good in advertising or a lawyer if you ever want a career change.”

He let out a laugh. “Want a drink? I’m getting another beer.”

“Water would be great, thanks.”

As Royce went to the kitchen, I flicked my gaze over at Remi, not thinking he’d be paying attention to the karaoke fiasco. He was staring intensely at me while the woman continued chatting.

My body reacted to him the way it did earlier when tingles skipped along my skin. Now, my awareness of him magnified the sensation, and I could almost follow the path of the tingles down on my body, zeroing in on my core.

I had a major problem, one that I had to fix quickly before I did something I’d regret.

CHAPTERSIX

REMINGTON

Inside my hotel suite,which was decorated with black, white, and gray,I leaned back into the leather chair, contemplating the information my PI provided me through an encrypted email. He was a former CIA agent who extracted information in ways other investigators couldn’t or wouldn’t. I liked his edge and his efficiency. He came highly recommended through a friend, and so far, he proved himself worthy of the obscene amount of money I paid him.

With this data, I returned to Providence to deal with my stepbrother, Brian. I should have known the asshole wouldn’t leave me alone.

Greed was a disease that ate away at the heart of people, including me, but I considered myself an investor who viewed greed through different lenses.

However, it took a certain type of person to manipulate those they loved. If I had chosen that path—which I could have easily done—I wouldn’t have had to work so hard at anything. I admired and respected those who built something from nothing, and I wanted that for myself.

At a young age, I had laid out a well-organized plan for my future, and I took calculated steps to build my empire. Most men would call me foolish, but deep down, I knew they admired and respected me for achieving something they couldn’t.

Instead of going to college and being on my own at fifteen, I could’ve stayed home, sucked up to my father, or lounged around, living off my investments. But there was no joy, no fire, and no sense of purpose in that. I wanted to makemyworld.

I had built a world of my own now, and I’d destroy anyone who crossed me—even if it was a family member. I knew what men did to their opponents. I got my first experience in college. When older college kids felt threatened by my presence and my projects, they hired two masked men to attack me in my apartment, destroy my drones, and ruin my papers the day before they were due. That was when I knew that, in order to survive, I had to be the shark, the lion.

Three months after that attack, I took vengeance on the attackers and those who had hired those assholes. I’d had a lot of money and hired the best men—professionals who couldn’t be discovered or traced back to me.

In business, you either took down your competition or were taken down. I preferred to win, and obliterating my competition was something I was good at.

Irritation strained my shoulder as thoughts swam in my head. I pushed up from my chair, ambled over to my counter, and poured myself two fingers of Scotch. Tipping the tumbler into my mouth, I let it swirl around before swallowing.

As I drank, a plan formed in my head for when I’d meet Brian. We hadn’t conversed, with nothing to say to each other, so when he blackmailed me over email, I was curious what gave him the balls to do so. He obviously didn’t know me at all. I wasn’t the little stepbrother who he could push around.

I shoved him out of my head and thought back to last week when Audri sang her heart out at Grayson’s new house, smiling as I recalled how she’d been distracted and messed up the lyrics on the TV screen. I’d forgotten how she loved karaoke and wasn’t afraid to make a fool of herself. Pure joy and light always emanated from her. Maybe that was why I was attracted to her—she had something I lacked.

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