She led the way and unlocked her condo. Alex hadn’t returned since he’d left that morning. Thank God she’d straightened the living room. At least Charlie wouldn’t know what she’d been up to the night before. Although he probably suspected she wasn’t living a nun’s life, she didn’t want to provide confirmation for anything.
“Something to drink?”
He shook his head and sat on the couch while she got herself a tall glass of water. Matto trotted out, glanced at him and then disappeared. Her cat had never cared for Charlie one way or the other.
Charlie rubbed his temples. As Natalie took a seat, she noticed for the first time that there was a little gray in his hair.
“Are you okay?” Natalie said.
“Yeah.” When she raised an eyebrow, he let out a dry laugh. “Ha… Who am I kidding? No. I feel like hell.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Everything. God, I hate that company.”
“That company” could only mean Rodale International. He’d let her know several years ago how he really felt about having to be in charge of the corporation. Besides, if he’d wanted to mention DDE or any other business rival, he would’ve said “those bastards.”
“Mother’s driving me insane. We think Damon may be trying to take us over, but she’d rather die than let anyone else have it. Or bankrupt it herself. Either way, it’s going to be ugly.”
“Well…you have to do what’s right for you and the shareholders.”
“You mean Mother?” The Rodales were their own largest shareholders, although they were unable to control the company as tightly as Emily would’ve liked. “Nothing seems to satisfy her.”
“Could you take some time off? Go on vacation?”
“Can’t. I need to find a buyer or a partner or something. I haven’t told her, but the company’s not doing well. She doesn’t know how bad, though. Otherwise she would go berserk.”
The lines bracketing Charlie’s mouth seemed deeper than before. Natalie knew he wasn’t interested in running the company. He’d wanted to be a painter. Of course that hadn’t gone over very well with Emily, and he’d had to give up on his dreams when she had conveniently collapsed, claiming some dire illness.
“Charlie…”
Elbows on knees, head held in his hands, he looked at her from under his eyebrows. “You have to help me, Nat. Please.”
Natalie’s insides turned cold. “If you’re asking me to give you confidential information from DDE, the answer is no.”
“Just this once. We have to win this defense contract. I know Damon’s bidding too. And you know the details of the bid, don’t you?”
“Obviously, Emily did send you here. Get out.”
“Come on. How long have we been friends?”
Natalie began to tremble. “Friends? I don’t know. A friend wouldn’t ask me to give up my self-respect and compromise my ethics.” She pointed at the door. “Get out. Now!”
Charlie stood up suddenly and came toward her. Natalie started to get to her feet as well, but he crossed the distance between them, grabbed her arms, and began shaking her. “Goddamn it, Nat!”
She pushed against him, trying to get away, and instead tipped her chair over. It fell with a loud crash. “Charlie! Let me go!”
“No! I need to know the—”
“Take your hands off her, Rodale.”
Oh my God. Alex.
His eyes were blazing, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. The custom-tailored suit he was wearing seemed a size too small, and his normally erect posture had deteriorated into a feral crouch.
Charlie turned his head. “And if I don’t?”
Alex gave him a very tough grin. “I’ll break your face with your leg.”