Chances (Mystic Nights #1)(38)

Jonathan let out a long slow steadying breath thinking about the next steps they needed to take. He was glad to have his brother here. He needed all the help he could get. “I need you to go to security. Get Tom. I trust him and he is on duty today. I need him to shut down the wifi. Marco suggested it. He’s brought his own router so he can keep working, but it’ll stop anyone else from doing more damage. If they are taking anything electronically this will prevent anything else from going out.” Jonathan began to pace. “And have him put a security team on Simon, don’t let him leave the building, and watch who he meets with while the accountants are in. So far, I don’t think he knows they are here yet.”

Joseph was nodding. “Gotcha. Anything else?” he added over his shoulder as he began to approach the door.

“Yes, have the concierge call me. We are going to get some complaints about the wifi. I need to tell him a story to keep our customers appeased for the time being. Oh, and have the pit crews fill the ATM machines. They have a direct line to the banks and don’t use our system. We don’t want people not able to use their debit and credit cards there. At least they’ll be able to get cash until the wifi is restored.”

Joseph understood. It was going to be a very long day. “Mom is back in two days. Should we call and have her come in early?”

Jonathan just shook his head in resignation. “No. She would just be ordering us to do what we are already doing.”

“And Aliya?” Joseph asked. He wanted to know where his head was there. If he needed him to handle her.

Jonathan didn’t want to think about it. About her. Rubbing his hand over his face, he spoke. “A part of me really wants to think it is just some fluke, but I’ve got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just can’t figure out what is in it for her, you know. Was it the money, her studio? Peter has been riding us hard for years. He wants us to fail. I can see that now. But I still don’t know why. The only thing I can think of is money. Greed. Who knows? Maybe he convinced her to come work here for this exact purpose. To keep me distracted.” He was raw. He didn’t want to think about it, but could think of nothing else.

“Okay buddy. But again, you’re jumping to an awful lot of conclusions.” Joseph saw the naked pain in his brother’s eyes. He didn’t want it to be true. It would destroy him, but the pieces sure fit. The timing. “Do you think Peter is that twisted to set you up, us up like this?”

“I think so.” At that moment Dawn walked in glancing at both her brothers’ wary expressions, and shocked faces. She heard a lot of the conversation coming down the hallway.

“What are you doing here?” Jonathan snapped at his youngest sister.

“I didn’t think you would be in,” her voice sounded hurt. “Marco called me last night.” She looked hurt. “I came to help. I was coming to look at the books. This is my family too. My future.”

Jonathan shook his head. He kept forgetting she was grown up. But his instinct to protect her, and her twin was always there. “Sorry I snapped. I hired Risolli’s firm to look over the books because you always spoke so highly of them.” She gave him a gentle smile. The comment had softened her. “But what were you saying about Peter?” he questioned.

Dawn uncrossed the arms she had put before her in defense when Jonathan had barked at her. Before she answered she turned and shut the door. “I heard you all the way down the hallway. I won’t belabor you leaving me out all the time, but really? You should keep the door closed.” She turned back to face her brothers.

“What about Peter?” he asked again. “What do you know?” He crossed the room to stand before her. Joseph joined them in the center of the large open office.

She narrowed her eyes at them before speaking. She hoped she wasn’t breaking her mother’s confidence, for what was said between her and her mother and about past relationships was something she held close to her heart. Only her mother treated her like an equal. Her siblings all babied her because she had been so sick as a child. But from the expression on her brother Jonathan’s panic stricken face, she knew her mother would forgive her. So, she let out a breath and spilled. “Peter and Mom have a history. Before she met our father.”

Joseph clutched his chest.

Jonathan blurted out an expletive.

Dawn continued. “They dated in high school, but she broke it off before she went to college. When she came back to the reserve with you two, he tried to pick up where they left off. But she was not interested in renewing the relationship. Mom said he even proposed to her and wanted to adopt the both of you.

“Oh, God no,” Joseph made a face.

Dawn nodded in empathy. “She didn’t want anyone. She wanted to raise the two of you, and then get the reservation formally recognized. She spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to Washington, and when she was home she just wanted to spend as much time with the two of you as possible.”

“I remember, migitjoo kept us when she went out of town. That was a tough couple of years. She was gone a lot.” Jonathan voiced those words.

Joseph added, “Yes, we had just moved back here and it was our first year on the reservation.”

“But Mom got the Senate approval. She came back a hero,” Joseph remarked. They were all proud of the woman their mother was.

“And pregnant,” Dawn reminded them.