1
Charles Lawson leaned back in his high leather chair and glared at his brother Dylan. “There is more at risk than just that contract.”
Dylan shook his head. “The only thing that matters is getting that contract signed. We’ll deal with whatever issues come up later.”
That’s not going to happen.Charles could appreciate his brother’s eagerness to get the next project off the ground, but his gut told him to let this one go. “We don’t need it, Dylan.”
“Need it, no. But I want this one,” Dylan snarled.
Dylan was acting as though this was only going to affect him. That wasn’t the case. “This isn’t about you. It’s about Lawson Steel. And although I value your opinion, I—”
“You don’t want it.”
Charles knew Dylan was out to prove himself, but as head of the company, it was Charles’s responsibility to ensure they didn’t get tangled up in anything that might tarnish the Lawson name. Dylan saw only one thing: the dollar amount on the bottom line. But they didn’t need the money, none of them did. Which was why he didn’t jump at this opportunity. His experience had shown him that anyone willing to overpay to get what they wanted usually had ulterior motives. Never had they been good ones either.
He wasn’t willing to say they were unscrupulous people, but Charles didn’t want their name linked to anything potentially . . . illegal. He didn’t have any proof, but his gut was telling him to walk away from this one. Sometimes your gut was all you had to go on.
“I listen to your opinion no differently than others. But I need you to trust me on this. Something’s not right.”
Frustration was written all over Dylan’s face as he responded, “I looked over the contract myself. It’s clean. Hell, I’ve never seen one so detailed without errors.”
Exactly.Charles heard over and over again how perfect this deal was. He’d learned many years earlier nothing was perfect. You could only hope the flaws weren’t numerous or serious. And if you don’t rush, you can limit the negative exposure.
Dylan headed to the door but turned back and snapped, “You’re really not going to budge on this are you?”
It was a stance he was forced to take, even if it meant putting a bigger wedge between him and Dylan. “Until I feel comfortable that it is not going to blow up in our face, consider this deal off the table.”
Dylan slammed the door behind him as he left the office. That went fucking well. As a whole, the family had always been close growing up. Dylan was the baby of the family and hadn’t been ready for their father to retire and the next generation to step up. But Dylan seemed to harbor more resentment toward Charles than the others. Of course it didn’t help when Charles told Dylan that he wasn’t ready for such responsibility.
He needed to get over it. That comment had been a few years ago when Dylan had just finished college. At that time, Dylan was like every young man in his mid-twenties . . . invincible, or at least they believe they are. Charles had seen too many of his friends make mistakes; some didn’t live long enough to regret those mistakes. It wasn’t something he had wanted for Dylan or any of his brothers. As the eldest, it was his job to keep them in line, even if that meant they hated him for it.
Of course Dylan didn’t prove Charles wrong. If anything he showed Charles just what a fuck-up he could be. Dylan never got arrested, but for a few years he lived his life on the edge and very much in the public eye. Dylan squandered the family’s money on fast cars and even faster women. For a short time, Dylan had his face plastered all over the tabloids. More than once Charles thought for sure Dylan was going to be the one to tarnish the Lawson name. Thankfully that phase seemed to have passed. Now he needed to deal with Dylan challenging every decision Charles made.
Lawson men were thickheaded. It was a family trait. Being told no, or you were wrong, wasn’t easy for any of them to swallow. And with age, it seemed to be getting worse, at least for Charles.
Dylan said it was because Charles was more like their grandfather than any of them. He hoped that wasn’t the case. Since Charles was the one who’d spent so much time with their father, he was unlucky enough to have spent the most time with their grandfather as well. That’s why he knew just how screwed-up their grandfather actually had been. The guy had some serious issues. Control freak was nothing compared to his verbal abuse. It wasn’t bestowed upon Charles or any of his siblings, but he’d seen plenty of it upon their father. Charles couldn’t believe some of the shit he’d heard. There were a few times he thought for sure they’d come to blows, but they never did. His father, although a tough son of a bitch, never retaliated. Charles wasn’t so sure he could’ve held back if it had been him.
He’d asked his father about it once, why he didn’t knock his grandfather on his ass and end it. His father said it was his job to end the cycle. Although Charles tried asking what that meant, his father never spoke of it again. Hopefully that behavior had ended with their grandfather because Charles couldn’t imagine anyone, let alone a child, being treated like . . . a total worthless piece of shit.
Because of what he’d witnessed, Charles was careful to watch his temper and tried to choose his words wisely. He never wanted to be like their grandfather. But Dylan knew exactly how to provoke him, like he wanted Charles to lose control. Maybe he wants me to fail. To show me I’m not the right person for the job just like I did to him.
He wouldn’t ever admit that had crossed his mind a few times. But second guessing his father’s decision wasn’t going to do any good. At that moment, all he could do was stay focused and do what was expected of him.The price he paid for being the eldest.
Charles picked up the contract Dylan had left in his office. He wished there was something concrete to go on. He knew Dylan was going to let the others know what a stubborn ass Charles was being over this. It was only a matter of time before one of them, if not all, started to show up at the office, trying to make peace between the two.
However that wasn’t a quarrel between his brothers he could just let go. This was business and no one was going to make him change his mind, no matter how much they pleaded. Hate me if you must Dylan, but I know I’m right.
Charles didn’t have the time or energy to seek concrete proof just to appease his brother. The company didn’t need the money or the contract. It was a moot point, and he wasn’t wasting resources on something that wasn’t going to happen.
Tossing the contract back on his desk, he returned to what he should be focusing on. There was a new project coming up in Dubai that needed all the specifications reviewed for the final time before signing off on it. He’d been up half the night and all he needed was a few more hours and it would be set to go. As long as no unforeseen issues arose in the meantime.
Charles believed in triple checking. He’d created the initial drafts, but they went through a lot of hands afterward. It was his job to ensure any changes didn’t affect the building’s integrity. Moving an electrical outlet was one thing, but certain things were non-negotiable. Every once in a while a client asked for the impossible and some on Charles’s staff weren’t able to say no. I have no problem being the bad guy. It was his name on the line after all.
He was almost finished when his cell phone rang. Their father was the only person Charles knew Dylan wouldn’t grumble to. So which brother was it going to be? Gareth? He and Dylan were more alike than they’d want to admit. No way Dylan had sought his assistance. Hell, if anything, Dylan was more likely to complain about Gareth not pulling his weight. Gareth was the brother who rarely wanted anything to do with the company. But Charles wasn’t letting him off the hook, even if it meant having him do some unconventional, and probably unnecessary, research.
“Hello Gareth. That didn’t take long?”
“I’m efficient.”