Page 66 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

“Are you sure?” She takes another sip from the huge mug.

“Absolutely!” Eros gets up and trots over the counter.

“And my dad won’t know where the money came from?”

“No. Is that a problem?” Eros cocks his head.

She purses her lips. It’s a problem, but she’s trying not to make it one. “I know my uncle. He’s going to want to know where the money came from so he can get a bigger slice of the pie.”

“Too much pie is never a good thing. It can hurt you,” Holter muses.

“I know that, you know that, but my uncle definitely doesn’t know that.”

Eros gives me an intense look. His head rises slowly. I’ve had my suspicions about him for years, but I don’t know exactly what he’s been doing. There are lots of rumors. There are always lots of rumors about everything and everyone. I’d rather have the man taken care of than paid off. Annabelle has told me twice that I can’t do this like I want to. And I will take her wishes into account. Even though I don’t want to.

Eros lifts his block. “Kronus. He says he can make the transaction happen this week. He’s reaching out to your uncle with the completed contracts.”

“That quickly? We just talked about it.”

“You want it to happen?”

“Yes, it’s just that... how?”

“It’s what his family does. They own land all over the world. This is a small transaction, considering what they do all the time. He’s offering him 1.5 million, which is above market for the size of the farm, but not enough to make him suspicious about why the offer is coming in.”

“Okay.” She turns to me. “Tell him to do it.”

Eros types and sends it. “He’ll be getting back to us soon.”

“You trust this Kronus?”

She asked Eros, but I answer. “Yes. Kronus and his brother sailed with me, with us, for two years before they went to work for their family.” There’s more to the story, but it’s not mine to tell.

“Okay. I’m sure this is the right thing. Get my dad the help he needs and get him out from underneath the tyrant. Russell Strickland can be out of our lives forever.”

I grunt a sigh. I want to put Russell Strickland out of his life forever.

“Good. It’s done. Now you can transfer the rest of the money out of my name.”

“Belle. We could, but by law it’s yours, so it doesn’t matter where it is. I don’t get why this is important to you.” Holter tugs her over the sofa to him.

“I didn’t earn that money. It was your mother’s. It’s all you have left of her.”

“No, Belle. No. We have the compassion she had with Alder. He poured all her love into us.”

I stare at Holter. When I was his commander on theCentauri, I had to spend so much time not thinking of him as my brother. He was on both sides of our brotherhood for years. I couldn’t treat him differently. And maybe Alder showed my mother’s love for us, but it watered Holter, made him grow, while I only became damp. Maybe someday I’ll be able to take the time to pull the net apart and repair it. But I’m not there yet. There are too many holes. Too many frayed ropes.

“Oh,” Annabelle says as she flings herself at Holter and then me. Eros joins in. But it’s my back he’s patting. He’s patting me on the back. Like I might need comfort. I lift and tilt my neck to him and glare at his hand, willing him to back the hell up.

He gives me one more sharp slap to the back. “We should totally buy our ownomada, though.”

“Hey there, mister.” Annabelle pokes me. “You never answered my question. What are you going to do?”

“I guess we’re goingomadashopping.”

“Not today. I mean, like other days?”

I shrug. Because I don’t know what I’m going to do. What does any military male do when they are done being in charge?

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