“Bullshit. There are not.” I swiveled my head around, though.
“How do you know?” Cade leaned against the doorframe. “We’re in their territory now.”
“Actually, I think I heard one growling in the forest earlier.” Lucas carried on with him.
Still, grizzlies and black bears weren’t a joke. “I watched a documentary—they will rip apart a person. So this isn’t funny. People have died.” I stepped closer to our patio, then hesitated. “Well, how’s Lucas supposed to get back now?”
Cade outright laughed. “Security has us surrounded, Izzy. No bears are getting through. Or people, for that matter.”
Did I feel ridiculous for forgetting we wereactuallya national asset working on election cybersecurity? Yes. Was I going to admit it? No.
I waved him off and shoved him aside to walk into the cabin as I yelled over my shoulder, “Love you, Lucas. See you bright and early for a swim.”
Cade corrected me. “She’ll see you at noon because we need to work first.”
Lucas’s eyes widened at me, then he mouthed, “Text me,” before he spun around and hurried away.
“Great,” I grumbled, “so I’m working while everyone else gets to know each other.”
“You’d really rather do nothing with everyone than something epic online with me?” Cade stood there in his suit, looking at me with a completely puzzled expression.
“I would rather be with people I enjoy hanging out with and fit in with them.” The pull to be a part of the group was about as strong as working hard for me. They were my driving forces as an adult, and I’d accepted them.
“Why fit in when you can stand out?” he asked. “You have more ability than any of those people out there.”
“Okay.” I whispered the word, not sure how to take his compliment. We threw darts at one another, not positive reinforcement. “Even if you can stand out, sometimes it feels nice to fit in, Cade. Don’t you go out and enjoy being with friends every now and then?”
His life was private, but it put the spotlight on his brother and made him out to be a hero, a reformed mobster. Cade was happy to let his brother have the attention while he kept himself buried in his phone. No one knew what he did, but they opted for keeping their distance. Everyone was aware of his brain power, his genius, and how he could snuff out a life—via technology—on a whim.
“I enjoy my family. And I enjoy work. The internet is full of entertainment.” He shrugged, turned on his heel, and went into the kitchen. I padded over to the island counter and ignored the buzzing of arriving texts coming from my phone. “You going to answer your phone?”
“Probably not.” I shrugged. “It’s either my family, Lucas, or my ex. Lilah would call if there was an emergency, and Lucas is probably just letting me know no bears got him.”
He hummed. “And Gerald?” He sneered his name, somehow knowing the man didn’t deserve our time.
I sighed. “Honestly, at this point, I don’t check.”
He pulled some milk from the fridge and got two bowls from the cabinet. “If he’s bothering you...”
“If he is, then what? My boss will give him a call?” I snickered at my comment. “Quite frankly, he’d probably think you stole my phone and hurt me, considering you’re an Armanelli.”
“As an Armanelli, I don’tcallpeople that need to be dealt with,” He grumbled. “And hurt you? Why would I ever hurt you?”
“Well, you hate me—”
“I don’t hate you.” His head shot up and his brow furrowed.
“Yes, you do. We’ve told each other numerous times—”
“You’ve told me you hate me. I’ve never said that to you.” He opened the pantry door to the left of the stove and grabbed some oat cereal. “Anyway, if he’s your ex, tell him to stay that way and stop texting.”
He waited expectantly for me to check my phone and, because I didn’t want anyone thinking I couldn’t handle my own problems, I snatched it up and scrolled to Gerald’s messages.
My brow furrowed at what they said. In between all the begging and pleading for him to take me back were questions about his father’s company.
Gerald: Izzy, I really need to talk. Things aren’t going great with the company.
Gerald: I need your support. Investors have been turning down offers left and right, saying our software within the company isn’t up to par.