I wait for Sebastian to say something, but he doesn’t. Instead, he just settles back into his chair. Watches. Waits. He’s good at that. Good at gathering all the facts before making a decision. It’s part of the reason I’m here. He’s also loyal as fuck. Another reason I’m here. And he knows me better than just about anyone, even Chloe.
Which is the only reason I’m okay showing him my weakness here. Because he already sees it. Just like I see his.
“I can’t fucking sleep,” I finally tell him, staring down into my empty glass and wishing for a little more scotch to make confession time go more easily. “Can’t fucking breathe. All I can do is think about what he did to her. About how he raped her and then shoved her out of the car onto the street like she was garbage. Like she was nothing.
“And she’s not the only one he did that to.” Because I’m clenching my hand so tightly I’m afraid I’ll break the glass I’m holding, I slam it down onto the coffee table between us. The sharp crack it makes when it hits echoes through the room like a shot. “He just turned twenty-five. He’s running for fucking Congress. It’s his first step toward the White House and there’s a damn good chance he’s going to win the seat. He’s a fucking rapist and he’s going to be a fucking member of the House of Representatives. Give it a few years and then he’ll be a senator and then who the fuck knows? President?
“The thought makes me fucking sick, Sebastian. Chloe still has nightmares about what he did to her and that bastard is going to get a seat in Congress? Over my dead body. Over my dead, fucking body.”
I probably sound like a crazy man, but I can’t help it. Shit, this is Chloe I’m talking about. This is my woman who’s been hurt—and the fact that I unwittingly played a part in it? It makes my skin crawl.
Sebastian must get it, though, because instead of commenting on the fact that I seem a little unhinged, he just watches me over the rim of his scotch as he takes another sip. And then he asks, “So what’s the plan?”
“The plan?” I echo, not because I don’t have one but because—despite the fact that we’ve been friends since we were eighteen-year-old college roommates—I expected more questions from him. A little bit of doubt, maybe.
But there is no doubt. There’s nothing but support and assurance in his gaze when he clarifies, “What are we going to do about it?”
That loyalty, that absolute I’ve-got-your-back attitude is part of the reason I’m here. Because he’s always had my back, just like I’ve always had his.
“We’re going to ruin him,” I tell him, determined that he knows exactly what he’s getting into with this. “I can’t send him to jail—at least not for raping Chloe. Not with the ironclad NDA she’s signed. But I’ve been digging and the son of a bitch has been playing fast and loose with the law since before he was legal. He’s a rapist and a thief and a dealer—and that’s just what I know about so far. There’s no way he’s winning that election. No fucking way.”
“What does Vegas have to do with any of that?” Sebastian asks. “Because you could have filled me in on this over the phone.”
This is where it gets tricky. Not because I think he’ll chicken out, but because I know what I have to say next will enrage him. But it has to be said…and dealt with. “He’s got his fingers—and his trust fund—in a bunch of different pies here. Anthony Zanetti. Gabriel Santini.” I look at him and wait for him to connect the dots.
“Nico Valducci.” He says the name I didn’t want to. “My father’s been in bed with him for years.”
“Yeah, I know. I was hoping to talk to your dad while we were here, get some information from him, but it looks like you’re in charge now.”
“I am. And I have a meeting set up with Nico early next week. To discuss the fact that I’m not as amenable to organized crime in my casino as my father has always been.”
“Do you.” He’s got me thinking now. We’ve got to handle this carefully if we don’t want blowback from the mob—which I definitely don’t, for Chloe’s and Sebastian’s sakes—and I can totally see a couple avenues we can exploit, if we’re careful. And if we don’t mind getting our hands a little dirty.
Normally, I’m not a guy who likes to mess with that. I’ve made it my life’s mission to run a transparent corporation, one that takes care of its employees and the world and does a lot more good than harm. After all, my world is pretty black and white, good and bad—or it always has been until now. I’ve always tried to be on the right side of the line, have always kept my business on that line as well.
But this is about Chloe and what was done to her. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do to avenge her. And there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to stop the despicable excuse for a human being that is my brother from getting the kind of power that would let him hurt more people with impunity. To bring him down and guarantee Chloe’s emotional security? I’ll get my hands dirty for that. And I probably won’t even feel bad afterward.
Though Sebastian hasn’t said anything else, I can all but see the wheels turning in his head. So I ask, “What are you thinking?”
Before he can answer, there’s a sudden commotion at the door. I watch, astonished, as a woman in a red dress bursts into Sebastian’s office. She’s beautiful, but disheveled and one look at her face says she’s upset about something.
Sebastian sees it, too, because he’s on his feet in seconds, making his way toward her. “What’s wrong, Aria? Are you—”
“Fuck me,” she tells him.
I would have thought I’d heard wrong, except Sebastian freezes in place. “What did you say?” he demands.
“I want you to fuck me. Right now. Please.”
Sebastian doesn’t answer right away, just stares at her like he’s been hit by a two-by-four. Figuring this is absolutely the last thing I should be watching unfold, I rocket to my feet. “I’ll take that as my cue to leave.”
Another quick, amused glance at my friend tells me he’s barely aware I’m still here. Keeping my head down and my eyes averted, just in case his Aria decides to start stripping to speed things along, I all but sprint for the door, making sure to close it firmly behind me as I exit.
Sure, I’d like to have spent more time fleshing out my ideas with Sebastian, but it seems like he’s got his hands full right now. Besides, all I really needed to set things in motion was his agreement. Now that I’ve got it, tomorrow is soon enough to get started. Tonight, I have a beautiful woman of my own to take care of. And I can’t wait.
Chapter 7
“So, how do I look?” I ask, stepping out of the dressing room in the first of the ten dresses Tori set aside while I was with Ethan.