Feathers and Thorne Series Books 1 - 3: The Complete Collection

Chapter Ten

Carter

“So, you’re the famous Carter Blackthorne.”

I reach for the gun I have taped underneath Anita’s marble counter and hold it out. “And who the fuck are you?”

A tall figure steps out of the shadows, revealing a pointed nose, a strong jaw, and dark eyes. He is dressed in a custom-made suit, with one hand shoved into his pocket. His dark eyes are moving steadily over me while we size each other up.

I’m trying to determine how long it would take me to reach out to Tristan. Even though he’s across the lawn, he’s too damn far. And I can’t leave Bella and Anita without protection.

Whoever the fuck this guy is, he’s going to have to go through me.

“Put the knife down, Carter.”

“Why should I?”

Anita comes out of the dining room, a bouquet of flowers in her hands. Her smile falls as she glances between the two of us, and her expression tightens. “Carter, put the gun away. Daniel is not a threat.”

I glance between the two of them. “Daniel?”

Anita brushes past him, offering a tight smile on the way past. “You probably wouldn’t remember the last time you saw him.”

I frown and lower the gun. “I’ve never seen this man before in my life.”

Anita sets the flowers down on the counter and unrolls them. Then, she takes out a vase and fills it up with water. “You have, but I guess you were too young to remember. Carter, this is my brother, Daniel.”

“Your brother?”

“I put you in touch with him when you needed help with our problem,” Anita continues. “He’s the head of the Blackthorne branch in Hong Kong.”

“You’re Daniel Blackthorne?”

My father and aunt Anita’s half-brother look nothing at all like I expected, with a lot more salt and pepper in his hair than I’d prefer. But there’s no denying the striking resemblance between him and his sister, and I wonder why I didn’t see it before.

It’s obvious the two of them share a parent, and Grandpa Blackthorne’s genes are strong.

Strong enough that when he married another woman after his wife’s passing, no one batted an eye.

Daniel steps forward and offers me a small smile. “I have a proposition for you, Carter. How would you like to step back from the business a very rich and comfortable man?”

***

I pour myself a generous amount of whiskey and frown. “You should’ve given me a heads up.”

“I can have guests over. It’s my house,” Anita replies without looking at him. When Daniel is far enough away, she slams the door shut and wheels around to face me, a furrow between her brows. “Are you telling me I need permission to have people over?”

I brace myself against the counter and blow out a breath. “You know that’s not what I meant. I don’t like being blindsided, Anita.”

Anita bridges the distance between us and leans against the other side of the counter. “I understand that, but Daniel was in town on business, and he asked to meet with you.”

I take another long sip of my drink, and it burns a path down my throat. “Did you know he was going to ask me if I wanted to step down as head of the Blackthorne family?”

Anita sighs. “It did come up, but I told him to bring it up with you directly.”

While I’m still not sure if I want to step away from the empire I’ve helped build, the thought of leaving it in the hands of an older and more experienced Blackthorne does have its appeal. Not only is Daniel related to Anita, thereby giving him a direct claim to the position, but he’s also done a good job in Hong Kong.

Anita made it a point to tell me all about the things he’s accomplished in that part of the world.

A part of me is impressed, but the other part of me is wary.

Having a man like Daniel show up out of the blue and offer to take over my position while still ensuring I have a job in the family business sounds too good to be true.

Even when I was little, I was groomed to take over for my uncle.

Being the head of the Blackthorne family is all I’ve ever known, and up until a few weeks ago, it was all I wanted to know. Yet the longer I stand across from Anita, studying her and thinking about it, the less certain I am about everything.

“If you want my advice, I say take him up on the offer,” Anita suggests after a lengthy pause. She pushes herself off the counter and steps into the kitchen. After retrieving a glass for herself, she gestures to me, and I pour until the glass is full.

Anita downs the entire drink in one gulp. “I’ve known you since you were a little boy. You don’t like to half-ass anything, and I know you’re going to be like that as a father, too. All you have to do is let Daniel take over.”

I huff and press my lips together.

“It’ll give you more time to spend with Isabella and the baby,” Anita continues in a softer voice. “And isn’t that what you want? When you become a parent, priorities have to change, Carter.”

“I’ve built this empire with my bare hands,” I reply with a frown. “Handing it over to someone else feels… strange.”

“It’s meant to.” Anita claps me on the back and clears her throat. “It’s not supposed to be easy. None of this is. But I know Daniel would do well, and you’ll still have a job when all is said and done.”

Because of my career experience, I know no one else will hire me. And I’ll be damned if I let Isabella be the one to support us. I have enough in savings, but I’ve already started to think of how expensive it’ll be when the baby comes.

I hate that Anita is right.

She gives me another pat on the back. “Think about it anyway. You don’t have to decide right now, and if you decide not to take him up on the offer, no harm done.”

I twist to face Anita and raise an eyebrow. “You really think he’s going to let it go that easily? The man traveled halfway across the fucking world.”

“Daniel is a grown-ass man, and he never wanted to be part of the business anyway,” Anita replied, pausing to give me a bewildered look. “It’s why your grandfather didn’t consider him to begin with.”

“And yet he still ended up in the Blackthorne family business anyway,” I point out.

Anita shrugs. “That’s something you’ll have to ask him.”

Without waiting for a response, Anita swipes the bottle off the counter and takes it back to her room at the end of the hallway. I listen for the sound of the door clicking shut, then rummage around for another bottle. When I find it, I set it down on the tray and take the stairs two at a time.

Isabella is on her back, hair sprawled around her, and snoring lightly.

I smile, kick the door shut, and carry the tray over to the desk. There, I push a few things aside, then sit down and pick up my bowl. Halfway through my meal, Isabella stirs awake and blinks sleepily at me. I beckon her forward, and she stumbles, buck naked out of bed.

The sight of her glistening skin is almost enough to make me drag her back into bed.

But she swats my hand away, pulls on my shirt that falls just above her knees, and settles down on my lap. In silence, I feed her bites of soup and pasta. Isabella nuzzles against my neck when she’s done and drifts off again. Slowly, I carry her back to the bed and tuck her in. After taking the dishes back downstairs, I’m suddenly exhausted.

And when I climb back into bed next to Isabella, I realize I’m no closer to figuring out what to do.