Page 152 of Fierce Storm
On the outside, Camilla comes across as a well-to-do housewife that couldn’t fend for herself if her life depended on it. That’s what she likes people to believe. It makes her feel special. As though she’s above everyone because she has others to take care of her.
But if someone messes with her kids, she can do more than just fend for herself. Her claws come out and she’s taking them down, even if she goes down along with them.
If they think that attacking my business is going to make me put my foot down and demand she retreats, they’re sorely mistaken. For one, she wouldn’t listen to me. And two, I’m looking forward to the day those fuckers are sentenced to prison. I only wish it was the wives as well as the husbands.
If it was Paige that was testifying, though, it would be a completely different story.
Camilla and I brought this on ourselves. We’re the ones that orchestrated their arrest. It makes sense to throw it all our way. Paige had nothing to do with it. All she did was overhear a conversation that set the wheels in motion.
If it was up to me, I would have kept Paige in the dark about all of this until we knew it for sure. The only thingItold her is that I have a security detail on her whenever she leaves the house, just in case the media come after her again now that the Mikklesons are back in the spotlight. She didn’t need to know they were up to their old tricks, fucking with people’s lives in the hope of silencing them.
But of course, Camilla had to play the sympathy card, first with Marc, getting him to move back in with her temporarily—which I’m not entirely opposed to after hearing he was high at Paige’s rehearsal. And maybe the wedding. Then she had to include Paige.
She told Paige about the fire, the stalking,everything. She clearly has no idea her daughter is as strong-willed as she is, because if anything, that’s likely to propel Paige into taking action and offering to testify herself.
Daniel knocks on my office door, his expression weary as I glance up to meet his eyes through the glass. And it’s my fault. He doesn’t need this right now. None of them do.
“Come in,” I call out, waving him in at the same time. “How did it go?” He’s just finished a meeting with one of the clients on the Chamberland project, and I could hear the occasional swear word from across the hall. I should have been there, but he insisted I stay away.
“I calmed them down, but we have to cover the costs of the delay and guarantee we’ll meet the revised deadline.”
“Okay. Good.”
“Not really. How can we guarantee that?”
“We can’t. But this is my fault, so if for some reason we’re delayed again, I’ll personally cover the costs to keep them happy.”
Daniel rakes a hand through his short, curly hair and sighs. “This isn’t on you.”
“Actually, it is.”
“No, it’s on the Mikkleson fuckers. My brother had invested with them. If it wasn’t for you and your family, he could have lost everything.”
His words pull me short as my shoulders drop. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, well. I didn’t want you to feel like a hero.” His lips pull into a smirk, making me laugh. Daniel’s been with D’Angelo Construction for as long as I have. He started as a project manager and worked his way up to chief operating officer the year before I abandoned ship. If I had time for friends, he would be one of them. “You’re already far enough above me,” he adds, shaking his head with a laugh. He’s joking around, but I can’t laugh along with him.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re a better man than I’ll ever be. That’s what matters most. Not money, or cars?—”
“Though you do have a few very nice cars.”
“I do, but that’s not the point.”
“I know. And thank you.”
“No, thank you. If I didn’t have you here, I wouldn’t be able to play ball on the other side of the country. I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t know my company was in good hands. This place is as much yours as it is mine.”
“Thanks, Sal. I love this company like it’s my own, so I appreciate the sentiment. What do we do now?”
“We keep putting out fires until those assholes are behind bars.”
Daniel comically cringes and I frown until he speaks. “That was probably the wrong choice of words.”
What is he… Oh.The fire.“Fuck, you’re right. This is a goddamn mess.” I huff out a chuckle and Daniel groans.
“How long until it’s over?”
“Who knows. Camilla has been called for day two of the trial. It starts in just under two weeks. Hopefully they leave us alone after that.”
