I’m an asshole. She deserves so much better.
Sending her flowers or chocolates at this point probably would feel like a slap in the face. Neither was going to represent the true regret that he was carrying. It felt like a knife jabbing in his ribs. He actually welcomed the feeling, because he should be hurting, and not her.
There was a knock on the door and a tiny woman with red hair popped her head inside. “Hello, I’m Allyson Pintino. I’m the HR manager here. Well, sort of. I handle the hiring and such, but my husband Cayden and his brothers, have the final decisions here at New Hope Resort. I wanted to let you know they are almost ready to meet with you. Something came up that needed their attention.”
If they thought sending Allyson would ease his mind, they were wrong. “Who are they? I thought this meeting was with Bennett Stone.”
“Sorry, he headed back home early this morning.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come inside and fill me in?” he asked.
Allyson smiled. “I’d love to, but really, I was on my way to do an interview. But someone will be along shortly to retrieve you. Oh, welcome to New Hope.”
She was gone before he could even say thank you. He didn’t know much about this place, but now he knew he wasn’t the only American here that wasn’t related to the Hendersons.
Cayden Pintino. That name didn’t sound familiar either. The problem with Tabiq was there were no records to be found to explain the inner works. All he knew was what the website listed. Even Mikie couldn’t come up with much more than that. This place was a total mystery. And now, even more so.
If Bennett knew he was leaving today, why did Connor still need to come? He’d made it clear that he didn’t need Connor’s assistance, yet, here Connor was in Tabiq. And Bennett wasn’t.
Another knock on the door, but this time, it was a face he knew. “Hi Connor. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
Connor got up and shook his hand. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Roger. Are you working for the Hendersons as well?”
Roger Patrick said, “No. I’m actually here on vacation.”
Connor raised a brow. “Here? Why?” Not that is was any of his business, but he asked anyway.
“To spend some quality time with my wife, Gia.”
“I didn’t even know you were married. Must have happened after you left the DEA.”
“Yes it did. Actually, I met her through the Hendersons.”
And there was the connection he’d been waiting for. “Well congratulations. But if you’re here on vacation, how is it you knew I was here?” And where to find me.
Roger scratched his head, “That’s the problem. You’re on the beach one minute, then Cayden calls you and interrupts your good time.”
“Cayden Pintino?” Connor asked.
Roger nodded. “You know him?”
“No. But his wife just stopped in to check on me. Seems like I get to talk to everyone except the person who asked me to be here.”
“Well I’m here now to escort you to the conference room where they’re all waiting.”
And there was that word again. They. “Should I even bother asking who they are and what this is about?”
Roger shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But I hope you know that you can trust me.”
He used to. That was before he became so close to the Henderson family. “Lead the way,” he responded. Only time would tell if Roger was friend or foe. He hoped he wasn’t going to be disappointed.
Entering the conference room, Connor was surprised to see exactly who they were. If he were on a pirate ship, he’d think he was about to walk the plank. There were faces he knew and some he didn’t. For the most part this looked like a Henderson convention and all eyes were on him.
This can’t be good.
He turned to Roger and shot him a look. Guess I have my answer. Roger left, closing the door behind him.
Alex Henderson said, “Connor, thanks for coming. Why don’t you have a seat and we can start the meeting.” Connor took a seat closest to the door. Alex said, “I’m not sure if you know everyone, so let me do some introductions. I’m guessing that you know my brothers, Brice, Dean and Logan. You might not have met Cayden Pintino, also our brother.”
No I have not. The Henderson clan continues to grow. He was losing count. Was that eight siblings now? No, it was nine. There had been a rumor about a long lost sister named Rhonda. But that rumor was crushed, probably by the Hendersons. That didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
“Nice to meet you,” Connor said, holding back all the questions running through his mind.
Alex continued. “And then we have Gareth Lawson, whom I believe you met at your sister’s wedding.”
“I did.” Gareth was the piece that didn’t seem to fit. The only non-family member, beside himself. I knew there was something more going on here and the Lawsons are in on it. He had wished he had been wrong. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Kollette by telling her she married into a den of snakes. Connor looked across the table at Shaun, who up until now had seemed supportive, almost…likeable. Once again, all bullshit.
Brice took over and said, “I’m sure you’re wondering why we brought you to Tabiq to meet with us.”
“If it was to fire me, then I’d say you could’ve saved us all a lot of time.”
“Your employment is not what has us concerned. We’re aware of what took place in New York.”
“For the record, that’s not my child,” he stated. “The misunderstanding has been cleared up.” And this better not be about Krista, because this meeting is going to get ugly real fast. He didn’t care what they had to say to him. He could take care of himself, even against the likes of them. But Krista, was one of the most generous people he’s ever met. Not that she had money, but giving of her time and genuine care. He’d personally take down each one of these mother fuckers if they thought about hurting her, never mind if they did.
“Yes it was handled. But it is how you accomplished it that has us worried,” Brice stated.
Connor glared at him. “I’m not sure how I handle my personal affairs is any of your business.”
Shaun cut in. “We’re not talking about what it was, but how you rectified the situation. It took a very tech savvy person to do that type of…work. I’m sure you recall us talking about that before.”
He did. And he also remembered not telling him much about it. Now he was glad he never mentioned Mikie. The kid was good, but no way would he be able to stand up against the Hendersons. Hell, he can’t even stand up to Patty. “I can’t tell if you’re impressed or…”
“Worried,” Logan finished. “That is why we asked you here. As you said earlier, we don’t want to waste anyone’s time, but this needed to be handled.”
“Are you referring to me? Because I don’t get handled.” Even the word pissed Connor off. The Hendersons were used to getting their way. Guess what. So am I.
Shaun shook his head. “What my brothers are trying to say is we wanted to give you the opportunity to ask your questions instead of utilizing your resources to obtain them.”