The Sound of Secrets (The Monsters Duet #2)

Chapter 5

Win

“I have no problem understanding why a smart person sometimes does very dumb things. Mistakes happen and no one is infallible. However, I will not tolerate someone knowingly putting themselves at risk. That isn’t just stupid, it’s insulting. I’m working hard to give you a well-balanced life and to make up for what your grandmother put you through, Winnie. I’m sorry that you’re stuck being a Halliday, which means there’s always going to be conditions and consequences for the choices you make.”

I watched my niece carefully. I made a concentrated effort to speak to her in a kinder and gentler way than I would normally approach such a serious topic. I didn’t want her to feel like I was treating her like one of my subordinates. I always hated when my mother dictated to me like I was part of her staff and not her son.

Winnie refused to lift her head and look at me. She used her fork to poke at the half-eaten pancakes on her plate. I slept late because I was wrung out from both jetlag and sex. By the time I was fully functioning, Channing had made breakfast and slipped out the door. Winnie told me her aunt was meeting up with a friend, which was probably true. But it was also pretty clear she wanted to give Winnie and me a chance to talk without interruption. There were aspects of raising an heir to a historical family dynasty that Channing could never relate to, so it was up to me to guide Winnie correctly.

“If I promise never to ditch my security detail again, will you give Goldie her job back? I don’t want her to be fired because of me.” The teen wasn’t crying yet, but I could hear she was on the verge of tears. Her voice was small and thick with remorse.

“She wasn’t fired because of you. She was let go because she didn’t do her job properly. You made her task more difficult, but she’s a professional. She knows she didn’t follow her assigned duties. Be it keeping a constant eye on you or reporting back to Rocco that those kids were giving you a hard time.”

Winnie sniffled and her fork scraped across the plate with enough force it made me cringe. When she lifted her head, her eyes were bright with unshed tears and her mouth was clamped in a tight line.

“All kids get picked on over one thing or another. No one back home dared to say anything because they were all scared of Grandma. It’s different here. The kids at this school aren’t afraid of anything. Some of them even come from families like ours. They have as much money as we do, but their parents aren’t tragic like mine.”

I snorted and picked up my coffee to take a drink. I needed the caffeine to clear some of the fog lingering in my head. “Any family with the amount of money ours has faces endless drama. Some simply do a better job of keeping their skeletons hidden. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase ‘money is the root of all evil’? There’s truth to it. You’re suffering from small fish syndrome. You’re used to being the lone shark in a small pond. Now you’re a tiny piranha in a vast ocean.” I extended a hand to pull her plate away so the scratching would stop. “Keep in mind that even though piranhas are small, they can bite through flesh and bone. They can kill. You have the means to protect yourself, Winnie. I can only teach you so much before you have to figure out how to deal with those assholes on your own.”

She put her hands on the table and gathered her composure. I could tell she’d matured since my mother’s death. Before, she would’ve burst into tears and fallen into a near fit of hysteria if I corrected her in such a stern manner. I was proud of her for learning how to manage her emotions.

“I was wrong. It was all my fault. I didn’t want Goldie to tell Rocco about the kids picking on me because I didn’t want to get Ky in trouble. It’s already bad enough that those guys from my school know what school he goes to and that he’s on the soccer team. I didn’t want you doing a full background check on him and making more trouble because I ditched Goldie to help him after he saved me. He’s just a normal boy, Uncle Win. He refused to take money, and I had to practically beg him to meet up so I could replace his clothes that got torn because of me. You’re the one who taught me to appreciate those who come into my life without an agenda. ”

I watched her carefully and bit back a sigh. “You’re still young. I’m not sure you would recognize a hidden agenda if it fell in your lap. Your aunt is a rare breed. She’s the only person I’ve ever met who doesn’t have an interest in what the name Halliday can do for her. Just because you didn’t know who this kid was before he helped you out, doesn’t mean he didn’t know who you were. Saving someone from bullies is a solid way to endear yourself to someone who should otherwise have their guard up. Running away from trouble together is a clever way to justify ditching the methods put in place to ensure your safety.”

She shook her head adamantly. “It’s not like that. Ky was in the wrong place at the right time. I think he’s very kind. He didn’t have to involve himself, but he did. Even knowing those jerks can seriously mess with his life. I don’t think his family is very well off. He mentioned his mom is raising him alone. She’s got a lot of jobs, just like Aunt Channing used to.” Winnie gave me a big, bright puppy-dog look. “I want to invite him to my birthday party and introduce him to my friends from the Cove. I don’t even know if he’ll come, but if he does, it’ll make a statement to those nasty boys from my new school. You letting him come ensures that they’ll leave him alone. Didn’t you just tell me I had to learn how to deal with guys like them?”

Her expression turned stubborn as she stared at me across the table. She was growing up so fast. I felt like every time I blinked, more of the timid little girl disappeared .

I finished my coffee and got to my feet. “Even if I didn’t promise your aunt I would let you invite him, I was going to agree. I’m curious to see if he has the nerve to show his face after knowing he put you in danger.” I stopped next to her and waited until she looked up at me. “I understand as you get older, you’re going to be interested in things and people I can’t control. I hope you’re always smart and careful with what you bring into your life, Winnie. Come on, finish getting ready for school. I’ll drop you off.”

Getting what she wanted, she let the conversation die. Grabbing an orange out of a colorful basket in front of us, she bounded out of the kitchen in search of her backpack and laptop. I’d never noticed the fruit basket before. If I wanted an orange, someone brought it to me already peeled and ready to eat. I blinked at the mundane change and wondered why I felt the difference of having the fruit right in front of me so deeply. Having Channing around really altered my perception of what life was supposed to be.

I sent a text to Rocco letting him know I was ready to go. I needed to go into the office and start the lengthy process of transitioning things over to Bellamy and Alistair. Being the largest shareholder by a mile, there was little any sitting board member could do to derail my plans. That didn’t mean the handoff was going smoothly. There were several old-timers grandfathered in from my father’s time at the head of the table who refused to have anyone other than a Halliday at the helm. It didn’t matter that Winnie was likely to take over when she was old enough. The fact she was female made her only slightly more desirable for the role than my half-brother. I refused to let their antiquated way of operating impede my stepping down.

Once Winnie was safely inside the gates of the school, along with her new security detail, Rocco didn’t wait for me to ask before giving me the rundown of all my lingering questions.

“Channing is with her stylist friend. She stopped by the salon and they went for brunch afterward. She stopped in to see her old boss at the antique shop. No sign of anything untoward. She doesn’t appear to be making a run for it or scouting a new location to live for the time being.”

I scrolled through messages on my phone while flexing the fingers of my free hand. I really needed to go back to physical therapy. If I kept pretending the injury wasn’t there, my hands were going to deteriorate until they were useless. Maybe once Bellamy was around to monitor the bastard, I would have more free time to attend to myself.

“What about the kid? Ky?”

“Kyser Kent. Sixteen. No juvie record. Lives with his mother in a small apartment in a not-so-great part of the city. He’s got good grades. Seems above average at sports. Has a bit of a temper on the field. Likes to pick fights with the opposing teams. I couldn’t find any red flags. I’m not sure how questionable it might be, but he was adopted. Julie and Jordan Kent took him home when he was a newborn. The dad disappeared when he was a toddler. There’s no obvious connection to Winnie or anyone in your circle. From what I can tell, he’s exactly what Channing said, a normal kid.”

I hummed in acknowledgment. “You couldn’t track down the biological parents?”

Rocco shook his head. “No. It was a closed adoption. Those records are sealed. I can get my hands on them, but it’s going to take longer than a couple hours.”

“Get what you can. I have a feeling Winnie isn’t going to let him walk away without a fight.”

The bald man grunted in agreement.

I sent a text to Channing, asking when she thought she’d be back home. I didn’t want to be pushy or overbearing, but it was my nature. Plus, I was irrationally worried she might disappear on me if I didn’t have eyes on her.

She responded right away, saying that she was going to grab a few things for Winnie’s party and finish buying her gifts. She mentioned she might hit up happy hour at her ex-husband’s bar before going back to the brownstone.

Channing didn’t talk much about her previous marriages, but I knew she still had a friendly relationship with one of her exes. A spark of jealousy flared under my skin, but I fought it back down to a dull glow so I didn’t show my ass. There was no reason for me to worry about the man she divorced when I was the man to whom she was currently married. I didn’t know how long I had before I joined the ranks of her other ex-husbands, but for now I wanted to appreciate my title.

I paused when she asked if I already grabbed Winnie something for her birthday .

Most of the work of planning the party fell on Alistair and Channing. I didn’t have the first clue what a fourteen-year-old girl might like. The only thing that came to mind was something like Taylor Swift concert tickets, but I wasn’t even sure if Winnie was a fan. If I bought them, and it turned out she didn’t know a single song, it would prove I was doing a shit job of raising my niece. Her guardian should know her likes and dislikes. I was ashamed to admit that my mother and my assistant had always taken care of the gift giving in the past.

I was too busy.

It took too long to respond, making Channing send me a flood of question marks. I typed back a message telling her not to worry. I had time to figure out an appropriate gift before her party.

I straightened my tie and sarcastically asked Rocco, “Winnie won’t consider it a gift that I’m letting her little boyfriend come to her party, will she?”

My head of security chuckled and gave his head a firm shake. “No way, Boss.”

I sighed. “That’s what I thought. We’re going to have to leave the office early today so I can get her a gift. Have any ideas what she might like?”

There was a heavy silence while Rocco decided if he was going to weigh in or not. Eventually, he told me, “It’s not my place to guess. But if I was Winnie, the thing I would want more than anything is for my father to be there. He’s missed so much of her life. I’m sure she wants to show him that she’s doing well. That he doesn’t have to worry because you’re taking the best care of her. ”

I moved to clap a hand on his shoulder in appreciation. “I forget you’re the brains and the muscle in this relationship .” The man was a brilliant military tactician in another life. “I’ll talk to Archie and see what I can come up with.” Considering how fragile my younger brother was, I better have a plan B to be safe.

The rest of the ride to work was uneventful. I responded to emails and forwarded some contracts to the legal division. I messaged Bellamy to see if she wanted me to line up candidates for her assistant or if she planned to bring her own. One area we negotiated was the requirement to find positions for all of her previous staff if they wanted to transfer when she left the branch. A company like Halliday Inc. wasn’t known for having an abundance of vacancies. We operated in a highly competitive and high-profit field. Highly talented individuals wouldn’t leave unless they were forced out.

Except for me.

I knew people were talking about my sudden decision to step down and the shift in my life from visiting Buckingham Palace to frequenting corner bodegas. Most chalked it up to the turmoil left over from my mother’s death and all the speculation surrounding my family. Some thought I was simply too self-conscious to go on after being burned. Others convinced themselves I wanted to step down to make way for Archie as some type of misguided condolence. None dared to so much as whisper that the real reason was a woman.

My marriage to Channing wasn’t widely known. Those in my social circle who were aware didn’t consider my wife worthy of such a massive sacrifice. None of them knew the lengths I was willing to go to keep her.

I had no problem dying for her. Nearly getting blown up proved it.

When I got to Halliday Inc.’s main office, I was immediately inundated with various questions and concerns. I’d been away for a month, and mostly unavailable prior. There was a flood of documents waiting for me to go over and an army of people waiting to set face-to-face meetings. All I could do was plow through each item, piece by piece. The deluge of responsibility wasn’t helped by having my office occupied by my half-brother. I didn’t know when Alistair made himself at home, but it was disconcerting to see him sitting behind the antique desk that held a barrage of memories.

My unease must’ve been apparent because the younger man immediately rose to his feet and walked around to sit on the other side.

“I have my own office in my own company. I don’t need yours.” It took me a second to realize Alistair was more keyed up and twitchy than normal. Typically, he gave off a carefree and playful aura. Which was the reason he and Channing clicked so well. Neither took much too seriously. Today, my half-brother was noticeably tense and aggravated.

“I need to talk to you about this woman you bribed to indoctrinate me into the ways of the Hallidays.” He fiddled with the diamond tie-tack in the center of his silk tie. “I don’t think we’re going to be a good fit. She’s too — authoritarian. I’ve got thirty emails in my inbox from her, and she hasn’t even officially started yet. I don’t work well under someone else’s thumb, Win.”

I sat behind my desk. After a staring contest that neither of us won, I shrugged. “Bellamy is the best candidate. You have the bloodline. She has the knowledge. Like it or not, you’re a majority shareholder of this company, DeVere. None of us get handed our immense inheritance without putting in the work to earn it.”

Alistair shook his head and frowned. “I’m not afraid of hard work. You know that.” It was true. His company grew by leaps and bounds with him at the helm. It couldn’t compete with his birthright, but neither him nor his family would ever go without because of it, and there was nothing but potential for expansion if he kept at it. I was aware enough to feel a twinge of guilt for making him choose one responsibility over the other. “I’m afraid of butting heads with the person who is supposed to be my mentor right from the jump. I can’t follow in your footsteps unless I’m following someone I trust.”

I picked up a gold-plated pen and twirled it between my fingers. “Meet her first. Give it a month. If you decide you can’t work alongside Bellamy after that, we’ll sit down together and find someone you approve of.” I gave him a pointed look. “I wouldn’t have worked so hard, and missed time away with my family if I didn’t think you — and she— were worth the effort.”

My half-brother swore and changed the subject. “Did you have time to get Winnie something for her birthday?”

I dipped my chin in a slight nod. “I’ve got something planned. ”

He flashed a cocky grin and taunted, “I made a list of stuff she likes and left it on your desk, just in case.”

I saw the brightly colored sticky note stuck on my calendar. I ripped it off and crumpled it into a ball so I could throw it at his smug face. “You’re fucking annoying.”

“It runs in the family.”

How maddening was it that he was right?