Come Home Again (The Donovans) (24 page)

The vein in Jake’s forehead started to throb angrily, and she momentarily worried he'd have a heart attack.

“You will watch your tone, Delilah.”

Michael stood. “It's all right, Jake. I quite like your fire, Miss Donovan. It's the reason I haven’t had Jake fire you yet. You should have taken the offer I gave you. I warned you there would be consequences.” He scratched at his beard. “And I had a really illuminating conversation with Skylar Adams. She isn’t interested in dredging up the past. So your little threats won’t work with me anymore.” He leaned in close to her and whispered, “By the way, you have me to thank for your boyfriend’s mess.”

Ice settled in her veins, and she glared at him. He had done this to Nate? Because of her? The seconds ticked by, and she waited for the rage, the bitterness, or even the sadness. But all she felt was a blistering numbness.

Her voice rang flat. “You can do what you like. And let me be perfectly clear, in case there was any confusion—there is no amount of threatening, cajoling, or bullshit whining that you can do that would make me ever consider dating you. I would rather have my skin flayed after having my teeth pulled sans anesthesia. You will get what’s coming to you. Karma is a bitch, and her middle name is Willow.” She turned her attention back to Jake. “You’re still obligated to provide services for Chase Manning, despite what this asshole says. And you've cashed the check so you might as well let me finish. Coder's Day is four days away.”

Michael’s voice was deadly calm. “Absolutely not. You let her near him, and I’m pulling my funding from the firm.”

Jake didn’t meet her gaze. So it was like that now? She tipped her chin up to meet his stare. Deadly calm settled over her. There was no panic, no fear. She was going to do this. Screw the money. She’d take out a loan or sell her place. Or worse, ask her parents. Even though it killed her, she’d rather owe them, than have anything to do with this place.
Now or never, Delilah
. “In that case, I quit.”

###

A
buzzing numbness washed over Nate as he trudged into his office. His every secret might be out there for the world to see, but he was done hiding. Besides, he had a job to do. Even if it was only temporary.

First thing on the agenda—get a hold of Trent. He’d been an idiot to think giving his brother what he’d asked for would be the end of it. His stomach took another sickening roll even as his hands curled into fists. Of all the emotions tumbling around in his skull like bowling pins, the foremost was anger. Particularly for what they'd said about his relationship with Delilah.

It was one thing to print the lies about him. It was another thing entirely to lie about Delilah or the Donovans. He deserved every ounce of vitriol that came his way. But she didn’t need this kind of mess. Especially not from him.

Every instinct in his body told him to run.
Pack up. Go.
Like he'd done before.
Go with nothing. Start all over
. But he had people who were counting on him. He had a company to hold afloat. Besides, if he ran again, he'd be leaving Delilah to deal with this whole mess on her own. And it wasn’t her fault. She'd tried to turn him into a metaphorical silk purse, and it had backfired on her.

A knock at his door dragged him out of his reverie. “Yeah, who is it?”

Steven strolled in, every bit the smug, cocky asshole, and Nate had to resist the urge to hit him. While it would feel incredible, it also wouldn’t change anything. His world would still be crumbling around him. “What do you want?”

“A bit touchy, aren't you? Must have been a hell of a morning already. I can’t even imagine what’s it's been like for you. What with the paparazzi camped out on your doorstep.”

Nate narrowed his eyes.
You will not hit him. You will not hit him. You will—fuck it.
He could do the time in lockup for the assault and it really would feel good. But he stayed seated. “I assume I have you to thank for this mess.”

Steven grinned and shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Nate sat back. “Was it all worth it to you? I don’t give a shit what you say about me, but you should have left Delilah out of it. She never did anything to you.”

“Oh, yes, the love interest. I mean, you do come across as nothing more than a common thug, but to be doing the daughter of the family that took you in, that’s low, even for you.” He narrowed his eyes. “When I told you I would do everything in my power to take care of this place and keep it out of your low-class hands, I was serious. Whatever it takes.”

“No matter who you hurt in the process? Tell me something, Taraby. How does it feel to never have your ideas recognized?” Nate stood. “You've never had that one good idea that could have propelled you from simply mediocre to truly brilliant. You've gone after this company because you don’t have the skill or talent to build on your own, not because you love this place. I warn you that many people have underestimated me in my life. They've all ended up on the losing side. You’ll just be another one to add to the pile. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Taraby glared at him, but made no move to leave. “The board will unseat you.”

“They are welcome to give it a shot, but until Chase returns, the only way to get me out of this office is to kill me.”

Steven Taraby narrowed his eyes. “That can be arranged.”

Finally
. A direct challenge. He knew exactly how to handle this particular kind of snake. He wasn't going anywhere. Not at least without annihilating this asshole first. “You’re welcome to try.”

D
elilah watched Nate carefully as he stood over each computer, giving tips and encouragement to each developer. Today was the first morning all week she'd woken up on her own...in her own bed. She hadn't enjoyed it. With every minute that had passed since the bomb dropped, she felt the chasm between them widening. When she'd arrived, she’d only had a few minutes with him in the greenroom. Her lips still burned from his kiss, but it had held a note of goodbye.

She hadn’t even had a chance to tell him she’d quit. They’d have to talk about it later she supposed. If Michael Ross didn’t think she was his for the taking, this would never have happened.

The tiny voice in her head told her this was for the best. That Nate would eventually leave. She’d never had any illusions about what they were doing. This was only temporary. Just until they were no longer working together. And technically they no longer were working together. Thanks to Michael.

She impatiently checked her phone. She was still waiting for a call back from Dylan. He was checking into Skylar Adams’ file for her. Willow had already tried, but Skylar wouldn’t return any of her calls. She would have asked Nate, but she didn’t want him dragged into this any more than he already was. She stared at her phone. She was waiting on another call too.

A high-pitched voice came over the speakers, and Delilah groaned. They’d assigned Janet Bailey as his new consultant. Blond, perky, perfect girl-next-door kind of woman. With lot of curves. Delilah had no idea if that was Nate's type or not. But he certainly had a big smile for her. Delilah tried not to scowl.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to the Interim CEO of Synth Games, Nate Williams.”

Delilah wanted to shoot the girl. Had no one briefed her? She was supposed to instill confidence in Nate. And assure the public that he was a sustaining power who could do the work. Using the word interim only pointed out he wouldn't be there long.
Idiot
.

Nate took the stage to the applause from the kids and the small crowd. “I'd like to say thank you to all the coders and communities that have helped support this event today. As many of you know, at risk youth is a special cause of mine. And my heart is warmed to see so many talented children step up to the challenge. As stated before, Synth Games will offer an internship to the best programmer we have here today.”

Delilah studied the crowd. The kids all hung on to his every word with rapt attention. She wished the same could be said about the press. Some of them were paying attention, but the vast majority looked like lion cubs enduring a pouncing lesson—overexcited and unable to restrain themselves from jumping all over the latest round of allegations in the media.

Nate continued, “In addition, I would like to offer to pay for scholarships at Myers College. For every student here today who wants to attend and take computer courses in the field of computer science, I shall personally fund their education.”

Delilah’s jaw dropped. Say what?
That
was not part of the plan. He didn't have enough money for that.
Did he?
There were fifty kids in the Hack-a-thon today. Myers was a two-year community college, but still that was a chunk of change. Why the hell would Janet allow him to do such a thing?

From the podium, he pinned his gaze on her. “Everyone needs someone who believes in them. Who is unrelenting and will not give up on them. For all of you, I want to be this person. I want to give each of you the same opportunities I was given. Because if not for the breaks I got, I would have a very different life.”

Delilah blinked back tears. He was saying thank you to her. She mouthed, “You’re welcome.”

He smiled at her in return. “So, without further delay, I'd like to open the competition. May the best developer win.”

###

F
ollowing the event, Nate had hoped to talk to Delilah, but she’d already gone by the time he’d had a minute to breathe. She’d stayed through the press gauntlet, giving him subtle cues and hints, but never directly approaching him. She didn’t want to draw any more unnecessary attention, so she’d stayed in the background when she should have been by his side.

He knew what this was about. Jake had taken her off the project. His new liaison had arrived first thing this morning. It was clear, immediately, that she was no Delilah.

Where had he fucked this all up?
Oh, gee, maybe when you agreed to a life in the public spotlight?
Trent hadn’t returned his calls. Taraby was circling like the shark he was, and worst of all, Delilah and her family were being dragged through the muck. John had called to tell him about reporters on the lawn.

Nate ground his teeth. He’d promised everyone that his past wouldn’t come back to haunt them all. What a load that had been. But he wasn’t a kid anymore. He could at least take steps to repair shit. First things first—Delilah.

Before today it had been four days since he’d seen her. She’d called every day to check on him. But it wasn’t the same. She was distancing herself, and honestly, he couldn’t blame her. He’d wanted to give her some time to think, but screw that, if he gave her any more time to process, he’d lose her. And he wasn’t willing to take that chance. So here he was. On her doorstep, like some creepy stalker. Great, now he was Michael Ross.

He'd called her twice, and it had gone straight to voicemail. He knew she wasn't heading up to her parents’ house until Sunday. They were supposed to go together, but who knew if that was still on. He knocked several times before he finally heard her muffled, “Okay, okay, keep your pants on.” Relief washed through him, loosening the death grip on his chest.

When she opened the door, seeing her was a balm he wished he didn’t need. She wore leggings and a T-shirt that hung over one shoulder, baring it. The fabric was so thin he could make out her lacy bra underneath. Her hair was in full curly afro with corkscrews sticking up in every direction. She looked adorable.

“What are you doing here?” She peered down the hallway. “Someone could see you.”

“Willow called and told me you quit. She said you weren’t taking any calls.”

She blinked several times. “Yeah. They sort of left me no choice. I should have done it weeks ago. I was the moron who thought I could handle Michael Ross.”

He frowned. “I wish you’d let me help with that.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “No. I’m the reason he came after you.”

He frowned. “What? That’s ridiculous. This has nothing to do with you. I’m the one who fucked up here. You and your family got caught in the crossfire.”

She shook her head. “No. He admitted it. Said all you had to do was stay away from me, and your life would have been good. I did this to you.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

She stepped into her apartment and closed the door behind him. Taking her hand, he pulled her to him and held her tight. The simple contact calmed him immediately. “Between him and Taraby—could have been either one.” He paused, not sure how much to tell her. Finally he opted for the truth...mostly. “Trent showed up at Synth the other day.”

Her eyes went round. “What? Why didn't you tell me?”

“Honestly, I thought I could handle him on my own. He calls from time to time, wanting money. I usually just ignore him. But this time, with everything going on, I paid him. I didn’t see any other way.”

Delilah dug her hands into her wild tangle of curls. “Nate, he’s just going to come back for more.” She frowned. “Is this what happened? He wanted more?”

“Not a word from him since I paid. Taraby or Ross probably paid more for the information than I would have paid to keep him quiet. Trent might be a hustler, but he’s smart. No doubt he saw the photo of us in the tabloid and figured he could put the squeeze to me.”

“Shit. I can’t believe this is happening.” She frowned. “And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I should have. I underestimated him.”

She turned to him, eyes narrowed. “You underestimate
me
. Did you think I couldn’t help you resolve this?”

The last thing he wanted was a fight with her. He rolled his lips inward. “No. I didn’t want to drag you into my shit.”

Her brows drew down. “You tell me everything, and I fix it. That was our deal. Do you remember agreeing to that?”

Fuck
. They
had
made that deal. And he hadn’t trusted her enough to be able to deal with his brother. “I know. I fucked up. I’m just not used to depending on anyone else. My survival has usually been about me making the best decisions I can in a vacuum.”