to leave me alone. But since that doesn’t appear to be an option, I’m hoping to talk to Richard and see if we can get her booted from Delta. Somehow. She’s not an heir. She’s nothing. He needs to fuck her right off.”
Beck looked more interested now, standing and moving closer to me. “You have a plan?”
I nodded. “Yes. I need some sort of evidence that Catherine is not loyal to Delta. I mean, she’s Huntley blood. She’s always in the midst of the drama and fuckups. I know there is something there, I just have to find it before I confront Richard.”
Beck tilted his head, like he was considering my words. “Richard has always had a blind spot when it comes to Catherine. My father briefly contemplated having her killed a few years ago because she constantly has her nose in everything, but he refrained out of respect to Richard.”
That didn’t surprise me at all about Beck’s father. The killing part anyway. Him respecting someone other than himself was actually a bit of a shock.
“Richard doesn’t seem quite as enamored by her these days,” I said slowly. “We might have a chance.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Beck about my insurance policy in Richard’s office, but for some reason, I held back again. We are not friends. I had to keep reminding myself of that. Beck might be bulldozing himself into my life, but I could not trust him. I could not fall back into that same life and pattern as before. That naïveté allowed me to be completely blindsided.
I woke the next morning wrapped in Beck’s arms, and I allowed myself the briefest of seconds of peace before I pulled away and got ready for the day. It took me longer than usual, given how sore and stiff I still was from fighting off my attackers, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle with gritted teeth and a couple of aspirin.
We were taking one car to New York City, and it turned out to be a huge Escalade, black on black, and all the fancy shit. Jasper was driving, his eyes covered by reflective glasses. “Morning, Riles,” he said when I climbed inside, throwing my duffle bag over the backseat. “You ready for the road trip?”
I shook my head, glad that it would only be a couple of hours. “Why did we need to pack a bag?” I asked. “Surely we can have the meeting and make it home tonight?”
Beck slid in next to me, Dylan on the other side, and suddenly I was sandwiched between two of the hottest, scariest dudes in existence.
Some days, I swear fate hated me.
Or loved me. Depending on what way you looked at it.
Jasper started the car and “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar blared through the sound system.
“We should grab some food when we get there,” Evan said, turning from the front seat. “I love that little deli right near Delta.”
“Fuck yes,” Dylan groaned, and I couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Sounds like some deli,” I commented, looking at all of their faces.
“You should taste their subs,” Jasper said, spinning the wheel and getting us started. “Out of this world.”
My stomach grumbled at the mention of subs, and I licked my lips in anticipation. “Meatball?” I asked Jasper, my eyes wide with excitement.
He grinned at me in the mirror. “With cheese.”
Moaning, I sunk back into my seat. “Fuck yes, I’m so on board for that. What a shame we have to deal with our tyrannical parents first.”
“About that,” Beck said, scratching at his stubbled cheek. “This favor … it usually ends up being one thing. They have a job for us, and this time I can’t even argue about it.” He looked annoyed but resigned to this fate. “Everyone’s been a bit on edge at headquarters lately...” He looked like he was going to say more, but stopped himself and clenched his jaw.
“Hey.” I jabbed him in the ribs. “No more secrets.”
“Delta council falls into a whole other category, Riles,” Dylan answered for him. “With Beck about to take his seat on the board, he’s privy to information that we aren’t. We don’t need to like it, but we do have to respect it.”
Beck sucked in a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh. “Do we, though?”
A tense silence fell across the car, and both Dylan and Evan leaned to stare at Beck.
“Say what?” Evan blurted.
“Beck,” Dylan said in a carefully soft voice. “Are you suggesting going