CHAPTER NINE
The loud banging on the door the next day almost makes me wish I hadn’t sent Smith away. Someone out there is angry.
“Beck,” a familiar voice yells. “Dammit, I know you’re in there.”
I open the door despite my current aesthetic being messy bun, no makeup, and sweats. With no plans to go out, today is all about low key. Fancy can kiss my ass. I’m having a day off. I already caught up on my long-distance socializing by texting Natasha and Hanae and calling my mother and brother. I even listened to my niece gurgle and say something that sounded like “cat” followed by a screeched meow. Too cute.
As for the jerk on the other side of the door, he can take me as I am. “Hi, Ethan. He’s not actually here.”
But the dude has already stormed past me, searching for his brother. And he’s definitely doing the Elliot rigid jaw thing. I wonder if he does the furrowed brow as well. The Elliot genes are strong. Ethan’s coloring is a faded kind of gold. Like someone who once had a tan, however, it’s been a while now since he’d seen the sun.
Matías enters somewhat more sedately. “Hey, Alice.”
“Hi. Is something wrong?”
“Where the fuck is Henry?” Ethan jerks at his usually perfect tie, pulling it askew. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. He and Beck went for a drive up to Boulder. They should be back soon.”
“Calm down, Ethan. You’re being a dick,” says Matías, making himself comfortable on one of the couches. “Sorry about this, Alice. Emma sent me over to find out what’s going on.”
“Right.”
“You’d think I’d have more self-respect than to let her treat me as her gofer, but here we are.” The man just shrugs. He really is handsome. “She’s with her mom in New York for some girl time. That’s code for shopping. Seeing a show or two. Maybe buying a couple of penthouses or the Yankees, maybe.”
“Emma’s into baseball?” I ask.
“Not really. She just likes the way their butts look in those tight pants.”
“I can respect that.”
Meanwhile, Ethan paces. And then he paces and yells, proving men really can multitask. “What the hell happened downstairs, yesterday? Beck leaves me a half-assed message about Henry staying here and that’s all I get? And what’s this about stealing Grandma’s staff? She just about chewed my damn ear off this morning!”
“Considering your father just died of a heart attack,” says Matías. “Maybe you should take a couple of deep breaths and calm down.”
Ethan ignores him, pulling his cell out of his coat pocket. “Are you going to answer my questions?”
Guess he means me. “No. I think this is family business and should be a conversation between you and Beck. But I’ll be happy to ask him to give you a call as soon as he gets back.”
The man just stares at me. Part stunned, part pissed.
“If you’d like me to ask, that is,” I offer. Because manners. “Henry really is okay. I promise.”
“I don’t have time for this.” And Ethan is heading for the door, opening it, and stalking through it, before slamming it shut. It’s quite the dramatic exit.
Matías sighs.
“Feel free to wait if you want.” I retake my seat on the couch. My hands are a little shaky for some reason. “They shouldn’t be long.”
“Thanks. I think I will.”
“Can I get you a drink or anything?”
“No. It’s fine.” His fingers tap out a beat on the arm of the couch. “You’ll have to forgive Ethan. He’s an Elliot. They’re not used to hearing the word no.”
“I noticed. He’s obviously worried about Henry, though, which is nice.”
He just watches me.
“Something on your mind?”
“Though I appreciate your subtle brand of ball busting, you’re not still upset about Ethan having you investigated, are you? Or has he been a douche to you in some other way?” he asks. “Apart from yelling in your face just now, of course.”
“He’s your friend, huh?”
“As much as he allows anyone to be a friend.”
“No, I’m not really upset about the report. I understand they need to protect themselves against gold diggers or corporate spies or whatever. Even if it was a gross invasion of my privacy,” I say, my voice gaining volume with each word. “And total bullshit in general to attempt to reduce people down to a series of dry facts. Like your credit rating or GPA actually says what kind of person you are. If you’re kind or funny or moral or…I don’t know.”
Matías just waits.
“There actually may be a bit of resentment lingering, now that I think about it.”
“It’s not easy being the new kid. I was there myself once, you know, and I got the full Elliot treatment too.” He gives me a glum smile. “Not the best time to be meeting them, either. Grief is hard. Between you and me, Emma and Rachel are in New York because they need some time away from here. A chance to get their heads around everything and deal with the loss. Jack was Emma’s dad, but he and Rachel were also together for a long time. I think it’s hitting them both.”
“Understandably. So you’re suggesting Ethan isn’t usually quite this bad?”
He laughs. “Well, he’s not usually quite this stressed. Taking over as CEO is big, having however many tens of thousands of people’s livelihoods resting on his shoulders, proving himself to the board and shareholders and so on. It’s a lot of power, no doubt, but a lot of opportunity to really screw things up as well.”
“True.” I relax back against the sofa. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you and Emma meet? Were you Denver high society too?”
“No. Not me,” he says. “I’m from Florida, originally. Was on a soccer scholarship and blew my knee. Finished my marketing degree and got an intern position. Did some modeling on the side to pay the rent. Emma and I met at a party in Miami and it all kind of went from there. Jack was less than impressed when she bought me home.”
“What was he like?”
He frowns, thinking it over. “About what you’d imagine. If you have a cynical, brutal imagination, that is. A workaholic mega-rich asshole with an eye for the ladies who expected his children to do as told and follow in his footsteps. I think he loved them in his own way; he just couldn’t tolerate the thought that they might have their own thoughts and ideas about life, you know?”
“Sounds charming.”
“Sure. When he wanted something. The man knew how to close a deal. But he could be a mean son of a bitch too. And while he was flexible with moral concepts such as right and wrong, his idea of success and how important it should be in someone’s life was set in stone. Didn’t leave the people around him with much room to maneuver.” His smile is somewhat twisted. “Anyway, I worked for Elliot Corp. for a while. Then I decided I needed to do my own thing. Beck was looking for different ways to invest his trust fund and The Crooked Company was formed.”
“I love that name.”