Chance(5)

"No." He's on his feet now too. "He'll figure it out."

I look up into his face. I want to see a brief flash of compassion or concern, but those things aren't a part of the landscape of his features. He's stoic and calm. It's unnerving to know that when I walked into this apartment earlier that he was talking to a woman casually about sex, or perhaps it's more appropriate to label it as what it is, casual sex. That shouldn’t surprise me. I know the number of intimate partners I've had is only a fraction of the number of women Caleb's been with. He's never propositioned me and at moments like this, I'm glad. I don't doubt that he'd be incredible in bed but what he may make up for there, he's definitely lacking within his heart.

"He'll figure it out on his own?" I rub my hand against his arm wanting him to clear a path so I can finally leave. "You can't be serious."

"I can't keep fixing his mistakes," he spits back at me. "I thought you of all people would understand that."

The words pull me back to the stairwell when he told me that I'd be the only person who would understand what he'd done. He's delusional if he thinks I'm going to pat him on the back for having his brother arrested. I doubt that he recognizes the consequences of what he's done and the lasting impact it will have on Asher's life.

"Why would I understand?" I turn towards him, tapping the toe of my shoe against the floor. "How the hell am I supposed to understand any of this?"

"You're the one who told Asher that life only gives him so many chances." His finger darts into the narrow space between us. "He doesn’t get another chance this time, Rowan."

I push my hair back over my shoulder. "I didn't mean having him thrown in jail, Caleb. You know that's not what I meant."

"You meant exactly that." His finger wavers precariously close to my nose. "Rehab obviously didn't work. Talking to him does nothing. Maybe getting arrested will give him the dose of reality he needs."

"Or maybe," I begin before I push my way past him. "Just maybe this will send him back into a tailspin."

"He was already in a tailspin." He reaches for my shoulder. "He'll work out a deal that will require that he goes back to rehab. This is actually a good thing, Rowan."

"It's not a good thing." I turn on my heel to walk away. "You know how scared I am that he'll overdose. You know why that terrifies me and yet you have him arrested."

He throws his head back with a heavy sigh. "He's not going to overdose. You're not seeing this clearly. I thought you wanted what was best for him."

I doubt that anything I say will push Caleb off the righteous throne he's built for himself in his mind. "I need to go. I have to take care of things."

"What things?" He steps in front of me, blocking my path. "Don't go down there and fix this for him."

Wincing at his words, I look up into his face. "He needs someone right now and Gabriel isn't here. If you're not going to help him, I will."

"Don't call Gabriel into this." He rakes his hand through his short, dark hair. "He needs to be focused in Milan right now. We'll lose valuable contacts if he rushes back here."

His attention is on the strength of the business and there's absolutely no reason for me to be surprised by that. I cast my gaze down to the floor. "I won't tell Gabriel until he's back."

"Go do what you want then," he says huskily as he swings his arm towards the apartment door. "I can't stop you from running to save him."

His words bite. They're the same words he threw at me when the man I lived with right after I graduated from college let me down. Caleb warned me that the relationship would end with my heart broken. He was right then. The difference now is that I know that Asher wants to fight his way through his addictions. He just needs someone to stand by his side and if Caleb won't do it, I will.





Chapter 4


"Where have you been?" Clive Parker, my boss, greets me the moment I step off of the elevator on the thirty-seventh floor of the Corteck building. I've worked side-by-side with Clive for the past three years since I graduated with a degree in business. I may have gotten the job initially because of Clive's friendship with my brother, but since then, I've proven over and over again that I am a valuable asset. I've steadily climbed up the ranks in the company and now I proudly wear the distinction of being one of the few twenty-five-year-old Chief Administrators working in the tech field.

"Hey," I say as I step out of the lift. Anyone else working at Corteck may absorb Clive's tone as brusque, but I know him better than that. "I had to go see a friend."

His eyes briefly scan my face before he pushes a file folder into my hands. "I need you to take a look at this before the end of the day."

I know what it is. It's the proposal that Clive had drawn up to purchase an up and coming tech development company that is based in Chicago. The man has an innate ability to recognize potential. I stick as close to him as I can because I want to soak up every bit of knowledge that he tosses in my direction. Instinctively I know that when he's made a decision, there's little I can do to change his mind, but I still feel a silent victory each time he asks for my opinion. "I'll look at it as soon as I'm in my office."