“Fine. I might like it, but I’m also evil. That part of me still exists. I have to actively stop myself from expanding into a corporate empire with too much money and too much power, Charlotte. I could have expanded twenty times by now.”
“That doesn’t make you evil. It makes you good at business.”
“Okay, but corporate empires exploit—that’s not the point. The point is—”
“I think you should talk to Gabriel about this.”
“I told him that my dad needs to go. I can’t give him any more details.”
“Why?”
“Because I love him.”
Charlotte’s eyes light up with her gasp. “Youdo. I mean—I knew you did, but I didn’t think you’d admit it out loud.”
I lower my voice. If she could just understand, this would be so much easier. “That’s why I have to go after my dad. Whether that’s with police or people who have a grudge against him or…violence, I guess. I can’t back down, even if it means doing things that society would consider to be evil. This is about saving Gabriel. And Jameson and Remy andyour husband,by the way.”
A glance down at our hands. A thoughtful pause. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” With one small, elegant hand, she pushes my mug toward me. “We’re going to have a cup of tea, and then we’re going to go to bed. You’re not doing anything tonight, because I forbid it. Your sister needs you in one piece, and so does Nate. Tomorrow, you’ll go visit Gabriel in the hospital, and I’ll stay here with Lydia and Nate, and afterward we’ll talk again.”
“But…”
“Remember that beach day when we talked to Mason’s mom?”
“That’s not—what?”
“We were—God. Five or six? So young.” Charlotte smiles like we’re back on the beach. “That kid was a jerk to me at tennis lessons. Kevin? Chris? And I didn’t want to go back.”
It comes back in a rush. “Oh, and Natalie was there.”
“She was so blonde and beautiful, and she said—”
“You should do what feels good.” I can almost hear Gabriel’s mother say those words. She was wading in the water, looking perfectly content.
Charlotte squeezes my hand. “And thenyousaid—”
“We’re not allowed to punch people.” My heart sinks. I had a violent streak, even then. It doesn’t seem to matter much that I never did punch Kevin.
“She gave us good advice.” My best friend doesn’t seem to judge. “She said, that would feel good in the moment, but what about next week? The week after that?”
I think you’d probably regret hitting someone. It usually feels better to do what’s good. What’s right. What would be right, do you think?
I look back at Charlotte, my vision blurring. “This isn’t about a mean kid at tennis camp. Gabriel’s at risk.”
“He’s safe tonight. He’s with Mason, and two security teams, and he’s resting. Just like you should rest.” Charlotte might be sunshine, but that’s the thing about the sun. It never lets up. “I won’t let you make a decision you might regret. Not tonight. Not after the day you’ve had.”
“Lottie—”
“You’re my best friend, and I love you, and I’m not letting it happen. End of story.”
7
JACOB
The woods havezero redeeming qualities.
You’d think, given the general concentrated wealth in the surrounding suburbs, that someone would have done something useful with all the trees and dirt. A high-end spa, for instance. A generic skyscraper. A fucking parking lot, for all I care.
But this forest, as is? I want revenge. It was ridiculous of me to think of this place in terms of nature conservation. It’s hostile. That’s what it is. Torturously rustic. Sharp rocks spread indiscriminately over the trail are ruining my Italian leather shoes. They’re not the nicest ones I own, but that’s beside the point.