Page 62 of Faking Cinderella
His jaw works back and forth for a moment. “Both.”
I can actually believe that. “Your stepbrother works there?”
“Both of them.”
Well.
That’s awkward.
Can’t imagine it would’ve been comfortable to stay and work at a place with the guy who stole his bride.
“Was the part where they fired you when you quit performance-related?”
“That’s the story they’ll tell you.”
I’m getting a very clear picture of what he’s likely been through in the past year.
And honestly, I have very little to lose if I give him a chance and this fails. “So you want my endorsement when you start a competing firm in exchange for your silence about who I am?”
His eyes flicker with something that speaks to the bloodthirsty parts of my soul. “Yep.”
“And that’s all you want?”
“For now.”
There it is.
I almost smile again, but this one’s different. It’s not joy and pride at rigging a damn good human mousetrap. It’s bone-deep appreciation for what my gut is telling me about this man.
I’m not the only one in this room who wants to see justice done.
Who knew one of my unexpected half brothers would have a friend that I could relate to so very, very much? “Your stepfather raised you after your mother died?”
He flinches. “Off-limits.”
Good lord.
I’m here faking Cinderella, but he’s the one with the evil stepfamily. “Any other skeletons I should know about before I put my people to investigating you thoroughly?”
“No.”
“And what are you going to tell Decker when he finds out you lied to him in exchange for a job with me?”
“He’ll understand.”
“Will he?”
“That you blackmailed me into silence? Yep.”
The unspoken other half of that message is clear.
He’ll believe me because he trusts me, whereas he has all the reason in the world to not trust you.
He’s not wrong.
My research on Decker revealed that he left the Marines when his third book came out, though I missed the part where his most popular early character was based on Rhys. That little detail came from the conversation I overheard this afternoon.
Decker had been self-publishing for fun, but then suddenly, his books were making him more than his military salary.
