“I tried. Lots of zeroes on the checks I wrote.”
I settled under the covers with him and said, “It’s just money I guess is the way they think of it. Not a family. Not a purpose.”
“We’ll see how they feel in the morning. Give them both some time to sleep on it.”
“That’s exactly what I said.”
We exchanged a look.
Dane told me, “They won’t change their minds.”
I was grateful for the strong ties. But also wary of anything happening to the people I cared so much about.
Dane said, “Rosa was more than happy to move in when Amano and I approached her with the full-time gig when we all came back to this house. It was for her protection as well, but what it all boiled down to was that she used to go home to an empty house at the end of the day—now she’s got a family, with us. Nonstop activity.”
“And danger,” I reminded him.
“We’ll deal with that. Ethan won’t win.”
I cuddled against Dane’s side and rested my palm on his cut abs. “What about Qadir and Nikolai?”
“When I finally share all of this with them, I think they’re going to be as shocked as I am.”
“As equally betrayed?”
“Not as equally.” Ethan had been Dane’s mentor and best friend since he was nineteen, after all. “But it’ll be a cold, hard slap in the face, nonetheless.”
I gave this some thought, then offered, “So it’d be okay to keep the two of them on as investors in 10,000 Lux? They really took a personal interest when it was being sabotaged. It was more than just the money, right? It was because they supported your vision, your project.”
He didn’t speak for some time. I didn’t press.
For a little while, anyway.
After a couple of minutes of silence, I took a guess at what he might be stewing over. “You want to keep them onboard because of your relationships with them, and because it makes good business sense.”
“Naturally.”
“But you can’t afford another stab in the back.” I wasn’t talking monetarily.
He reached for the bedside lamp and switched it off. The moonlight filtered between thick branches on the trees and streamed through the unadorned floor-to-ceiling windows. That, along with Amsel’s night-light, provided enough illumination that I could see the hard set of Dane’s jaw.
I said, “I understand how you feel. For something like this to come out of the blue with no warning. From such an unexpected source.”
“Kind of like what your mother did to you?”
“And what she’s doing to my dad.”
Dane’s arm tightened around my shoulders. “So that problem hasn’t gone away.”
“It?
?s the least of our worries.”
“Not if it affects your father. I know that’ll eat at you. I’ll speak with Jackson. We’ll resolve this once and for all. Safely, I promise.”
“My dad doesn’t deserve this attack.” I kissed Dane’s cheek. “Any more than you deserve everything that’s happened to you.”
Dane pulled me closer to him. My lips glided along his jaw, then brushed over his mouth.