I waited when she kicked me out and told me we could never be anything. I waited for her to kick that boyfriend to the curb. Hell, I even waited for her to get on my bike. I’ve never waited for a girl before, but she made me weak in the knees from day one. She was a beautiful siren, and I’d let her drag me down and kill me.

“Why did you leave?” she breathed out

“What do you mean?”

She let out a defeated sigh. “I kicked you out and you left.”

“You think I really went anywhere?”

“Do you know a man named Jason Haines?”

I blinked. “How do you know him?””

She pulled out her phone and showed me a text message. “I never responded to this and then he called me. He told me something about my aunt and demanded we meet privately.”

So, Jason was gunning for her company after all. He was very low key, keeping his head down so he could work to undermine us and spearhead the black market dealings. With her mom’s—now her—company, he would soar above us and stomp us into the dust.

“How did he get your information?”

“That’s the weird part. He claimed he and my aunt have been basically stalking me for years.”

To get ahead in the game. To take over before she had the opportunity to. How long was Jason lying in wait to rip the carpet out from under her, from me? He hated my grandfather so much that he played by the same rules.

Never make a move unless you’re ready for action.

“All of that aside, why would he be calling you to tell you this? Wouldn’t that just alert you to his plan?” Color me confused, but that gave her the opportunity to plan for their takeover.

She hadn’t pulled her hands away from mine. Instead, she was stroking my fingers. “He said that my aunt took everything from him and he was calling me for help.” She let out a small laugh while she continued playing with my hands. “Which is funny because he was there plotting against me with her, and now he wants me to take pity on him.”

“Look at my Blondie turning into such a business savant.”

“Don’t condescend me.”

I kissed her hand in apology, looking up at her hoping she knew I was serious. She learned a lot over such a short period of time. With her birthday beginning to loom over us, there was a sharper edge to her forming. A proper cunning businesswoman emerging and I loved it.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, babe.”