“Because you walked away without speaking.”

“I didn’t see you.”

“You saw me… right before you gave me a peek at your ass.” I couldn’t help but grin down at her as I watched her cheeks heat.

“We’ve been in the same school since grade school. We’ve even had a few classes together and you never bothered to speak to me. Why the sudden interest?”

“Are you a detective or something? I don’t know anyone here. I know you. We can be nice for the summer until this is over.”

Way to charm her, dude.

“Oh yeah, douchebag?” She snatched her arm away from me and crossed them, bringing my attention to her chest in the tight green top that looked like a corset.

Fuck me.

“What’s my name?”

“Right. We’re back to that.” I didn’t mean to roll my eyes, but this girl was making a big deal out of nothing. Since when did names matter?

“No, we aren’t because I’m leaving.”

She turned away again, and I decided to let her go. This was more trouble than it was worth. My phone vibrated in my jeans, so I fished it out without taking my eyes off her form as she disappeared into the distance. A text message.

What’s the status?

Keiran.

He was the reason I was even talking to this girl in the first place. When he told me about his plan to get back at Lake by using her best friend, I refused. I admit what the girl had done was beyond fucked up, but to use someone innocent was out of the question.

Besides, Keiran had taunted and done much worse to her for years. It was about time she grew a backbone even though no one ever expected her to go that far. For years, I thought about asking him his reason for tormenting her, but seeing how violent just the sight of her made him always gave me pause. If he thought I would defend her, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me. I’ve never actually seen him murder anyone, but the intent was there in his eyes.

I may have been his best friend, but even I wasn’t willing to brave the dark to see what lurked inside.

Three years ago, he told me things about his past that gave me nightmares, so I knew something tormented him. I just didn’t have a clue what Lake Monroe had to do with it.

I watched the copper haired girl as she stopped to talk to some asshole in a letterman jacket. I saw him watch her, or more likely, her body, as she walked. I could smell a player from a mile away.

He was probably asking for her number right now thinking he would score some fresh ass.

Not fucking likely.

I looked away long enough to type my response:

On it.

* * *

PRESENT

“Your father is here.” My assistant was in the office bright and early, as always, to greet me. The smug look on her face told me she enjoyed seeing me frazzled.

“Those are not the words I need to hear at eight in the morning.” I looked around the open space but saw no sight of him. “He’s in my office, isn’t he?”

“He showed himself in.”

I took a deep breath and considered walking out to spend a few more hours—or days—in the dark wondering where the hell my life was going.

I was fresh out of college with little experience other than the few months I had spent under my father’s wing in Germany and the years before that he’d spent grooming me. Partying during spring breaks was not something a Chambers heir had time to do.

His words, not mine.

Cale Chambers was a hard man who was persuaded by nothing other than social status, money, and success, but at least he wasn’t cruel.

Taking over, and filling his shoes, wasn’t something I was ready for, a fact he was very much aware of given his frequent impromptu visits. I’d only just officially taken over a couple of weeks ago, and this was my father’s fourth visit.

Becoming the head of a multinational company took years of experience, but my father saw fit to throw me directly into the fire.

The door to my inner office gave way with a little too much force and bounced off the wall. I could hear my assistant’s gasp of surprise, but I couldn’t care less.

“I can’t completely take over this company if you’re here almost every day. It might confuse the employees.”

I didn’t bother with a hello or the warm greeting a person would typically use to greet their parent. The resentment I held for him was far too engraved for trivial manners.

I loved my father, but I hated him at the same time.

“I’m just checking on you,” he said while looking through the papers on my desk.