Page 162 of The Exit Strategy
“No, I swear it. Between my inheritance, selling the antique cars, and the money I’d saved for my internship, I was able to get Junie’s home out of foreclosure and lower the loan to something mostly…manageable.”
I’ve never seen my grandmother look at me with such disappointment.
“We willed that land to you so you’d always know home. I gifted you The Haven land so you wouldn’t be lost. When you asked me to help you sell Papa’s cars, why didn’t you tell me you were going to borrow against the land too? Did you think I wouldn’t want to help?”
“That’s not—I—I had to do some things I’m not proud of. If it didn’t go to plan, I…didn’t want anyone else to get into trouble. As a family, we needed you to hold us together. Hud had to finish law school. Nolan was suffering, and he only found peace in med school. Fen was attempting to rebuild his father’s company—and thank God because look what he’s done for Junie. The personal risk to all of you was greater than it was for me.”
“Cole,” she says sadly. “When your dad rushed into burning buildings, he at least remembered to put on his own mask first. If you don’t learn to mask up before you help others, you’ll be no good to any of us.”
It’s not the first time she’s compared me to my dad. My father was a hero, a first responder. I was just trying to keep my family together the only way I knew how.
“Listen up, Cole. This is important.”
I keep my focus on her, though my guilt makes it excruciatingly difficult.
“You’re not allowed to disappear into your grief about this. I’ve watched you do it once. I won’t sit silently and allow it to happen again. Whatever those boys say to you today, you sit in it. You feel it. You let them in, and you learn from it. Do you hear me?”
“Yes.” The truth of that word feels raw and dangerous against my lips.
“Drink your coffee.” She’s gone before I can reach for it.
Hudson’s rental car wasn’t here when I arrived last night. At first, I panicked, thinking Junie was gone, but my heart says she didn’t leave—she didn’t run. Not yet anyway.
Hudson must’ve stayed at a hotel last night, which means he’ll be even more pissed off than normal.
“You let them in.”Nana Mae’s words ring like a warning of what’s to come.
With a heavy sigh, I lift my phone from my pocket and turn it on so I can prepare for the wrath of my brothers.
The moment the screen lights up, it begins to vibrate like a live thing. Forty-four notifications. Most are from a single sender. I scroll without reading, and the timestamps tell their own story.
11:47 p.m.Natalie:We need to talk…
12:09 a.m.Natalie:Cole, please…
12:33 a.m.Natalie:What the fuck is this email?!
1:14 a.m.Natalie:They’ll put me on administrative leave…
2:27 a.m.Natalie:What the fuck did you do?!
3:11 a.m.Natalie:I’ll release everything…
3:52 a.m.Natalie:What about Marcus?
5:18 a.m.Natalie:If I go down, so does she…
What the fuck?
6:30 a.m.Email from Meridian’s Compliance Office
I ignore everything from Natalie and open the email.
Dear Mr. Whittaker,
Recent events…
Authorship of designs…
