One More Taste (One and Only Texas #2)(48)

What Knox had done? Oh, please. Knox stepped around his desk until he was behind it. As discretely as possible, he clicked the record button on his computer’s camera. “What are we going to do about this? The inspectors say the building’s sinking toward the lake. They say the foundation’s cracked.”

Ty swabbed his brow with a cocktail napkin, then took a seat in a guest chair, seemingly unaware of the musical chairs they were playing. “We can make this go away. We’ll get a second opinion. The guys I told you about. I’ve been working with them for decades, and they’re amenable to persuasion.”

“You think we should bribe them? Are you insane?”

“No, but you’ve proven to be disappointingly na?ve. This is the way business works ‘round these parts. The Briscoe way. If you don’t like it, then just close your eyes. I told you I’d take care of everything. And I will.”

Oh, hell, no. “But what if the building failed? What if guests got hurt? You heard the guy. One bad storm and the resort could slide into the lake.”

“The Briscoes have been on this land for nearly a hundred years, first my grandparents as a farm, and then my parents when they turned it into a hotel. My father had an unorthodox building style, but he got the job done. The hotel he built has stood the test of time. We’ve never had a problem and we never will. The land is solid.”

Time to go for the jugular. “You’ve known about this land problem all along, haven’t you?”

“Would it matter if I did?” Ty said.

“You duped me,” Knox said. “You duped me and my investment team. We paid a premium to buy into the resort, and come to find out we flushed millions of dollars down the toilet because you inflated the value of the property with your scam.”

“I didn’t dupe you. I was protecting my business. My family. Our family. Like you should be doing right now.”

Our family? That was funny. “Now you want me to collude with you on this new lie? You want me to break the law and put hundreds of guests and employees at risk. Is that seriously what you’re asking of me?”

“You sit there pretending that you can compartmentalize business and family, but this business was built on the backs of our family. It’s all about family, and always has been, and I won’t let you bastardize what we’ve created. So I’m asking you, man to man, Briscoe to Briscoe, to shut up and follow my lead. I’m still the CEO of this business, so the call is mine to make.”

“For the record, you and I are not family in any way that counts. And you’re only the CEO for now. And that call is Briscoe Equity Group’s to make, as the controlling partners. That’s my company, in case you’d forgotten, so I’m pretty sure they’ll heed my recommendation to fire you.”

Just like that, the last vestiges of their mentor/protégé illusion, along with any semblance of civility, shattered.

Ty rose again, looming over the desk. “You ungrateful son of a bitch.”

Knox tipped back in his chair and propped his boots on the desk, inches from Ty’s nose, forcing him to back off. “I’m ungrateful? So, what, you expected me to go along with your plan because we’re family? Briscoe to Briscoe, like you said?”

“That’s right,” Ty growled from behind clenched teeth.

“You’re counting on me to stand in allegiance with you, to break the law with you, because we’re family, and family doesn’t let a business divide them.” Knox tipped his head back, face to the ceiling. “You hear that, Dad? Ty thinks I owe him a pledge of solidarity because we’re family.”

Ty’s head was so red and filled with so much steam, it was a wonder his eyes didn’t pop out of their sockets. “Don’t you dare bring him into this.”

Knox finished his drink, then spun the glass onto the table near his boots. “What do you think all this is about? Me, being here.” He pointed to the ceiling. “I’m here to deliver a big fuck you on behalf of my dad.”

“You’ll never get away with this.”

Looks like they were on to the empty threat portion of the conversation. “Get away with what? I could sue you for falsifying documents. It’s in the contract that I could. Hell, I’m pretty sure I could have you arrested, using this tape I just made of our conversation as evidence.” He made a show of stopping the recording.

All that bright red color drained from Ty’s face. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Why not? Let me hear you say it this time.” Knox cupped is ear. “Because we’re family?”

“You bastard. What do you want from me?”

Knox ignored the question while he uploaded the recording to a zip drive, then pocketed it. He brought his legs to the ground, then stood and shook them out. “Good question. And we’ll get to that. But, first, the engineers are waiting, so let’s get going.” He adjusted his hat, then buttoned his sports coat. “One last thing. I won’t sue you, Ty. I’ve got better things to do with my time. And I won’t tell your family or your employees just yet, either.

“All I ask is that you remember that I didn’t take anything from you. You did this to yourself. You were bleeding this resort dry, overextending your assets. But it’s okay because you invited my colleagues and me to this party and we’ll take it from here. Your pride’s wounded, but you know this is the right move. I’m the future of this company, not you. The sooner you get on board with that idea, the easier your life will be. And I’m sure we can come up with a great retirement package for you when you’re ready.”