Bro Code(50)

“Don't look so tense, son. You've got this.” His attention falls on Ava finally, surprise playing out across his face. “Oh, you're in the middle of hashing things out with Ms. Saunders. I should get out of your way so she can sign off on the contract.”

“Hashing out what with me?” she snaps, her face pale as she levels an accusatory glare at the folder sitting closed on my desk.

She reaches across to open the file, but I have to stop her, pulling it out of her reach. “Ava, you can't look at that. It belongs to the firm.”

“It's the same contract they served me with, isn't it?” She gets up out of her seat, stuffing her copy of the contract back into its folder. “Your firm is representing these assholes? You want my factory. You set this whole thing up from the beginning just so you could get what you wanted? Well, fuck you, Barrett Wilson. Over my dead body.”

“Roland, we need some privacy,” I say hastily, and Mr. Roland steps out, confusion furrowing his gray brows. Once he's gone, I turn to Ava. “Please let me explain.”

She moves toward the door, but I catch her by the arm, stopping her. The moment I touch her, she whirls around, defiance burning in her eyes. “Go to hell, Barrett. And get your hands off me.”

She wrenches her arm out of my grasp, her face awash with so much hurt, it makes me physically ache. Because I never wanted this to happen, especially not like this.

“How dare you.” Her voice is lower now but filled with just as much fury, almost a hiss. “Now it all makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” I know she's angry, but I'm not following the leap of logic.

“You and me,” she scoffs, shaking her head. “My whole life, you never showed any interest in me. Then you sweep on in and start helping everyone. Nick and my parents and—hitting on me like I was the hottest thing in town.”

“Wait.” I've wanted her since the beginning. Fuck. I’ve always wanted her. “That and this are not connected.”

Her eyes narrow. “Sure, they're not. How am I supposed to believe anything you say?”

“It's true!” This sure as hell isn't the way I wanted to bring this up, but I'm not letting her leave here believing that I was trying to screw her over from day one. “The only reason I held back was because of your brother. I told you that.”

“That's sure convenient. It didn't stop you in the end.” She gives a half-hearted wave toward my window, hurt still shining in her eyes. “It didn't stop you from inviting me here, to Chicago, and using me.”

“I wasn't using you.” There's so much I want to explain, but giving her details of the firm's side of the deal would land my ass in hot water. “The last thing I wanted to do that weekend was go into work.”

“But you did. And you've spent who knows how long building a case to take the factory out from under me.” She glances down at the nameplate on my desk, at the business cards with the firm's name etched on them in black ink. “How could you represent these people, Barrett? They only care about money. They're going to take away hundreds of jobs and leave all those hardworking families behind.”

“Ava, it's my job. I work for the clients that hire my firm, not the other way around.” It's not like I want to fire everyone at the factory, but that's not my call. My responsibility is locking down the deal so it's all done legally. “They're going to make me partner for this.”

She stares at me in disbelief, fingers holding onto the file folder so tight that the paper is starting to bend and warp. “So that's why. You saw the chance to get what you wanted, so screw everyone else, right?”

“I told you I had a chance to be partner and you encouraged me to take the case,” I insist. “Your business was struggling to begin with. Everyone told you to sell and get the factory off your hands.”

“You didn't.” She sniffles, then rubs one hand over her face. “You said I was smart enough to make my own decisions.”

“And this is the smart decision.” As soon as I put two and two together, I did everything I could, from talking to the senior partner, to drafting heavy handed emails to make sure the company trying to buy the place offered her a fair price; that was the least I could do with my hands tied. “With that money, you can start any kind of business you want. Something you want to nurture, not holding onto your dad's old career.”

“He gave up everything for that factory!” The volume fades from her voice as she draws in a ragged breath. “He almost died, Barrett. Just because you're heartless doesn't mean I'm going to be.”

Heartless is the last thing I am right now. My pulse is like thunder in my chest, hammering with adrenaline. “So, what? You're going to sacrifice yourself to that place like he did? You're going to get sued for the accident and end up with nothing to show for it? How is that honoring your father's work?”

“How about your stepfather?” she accuses, voice sharp. “He worked at the factory before he passed away. Don't you care about that legacy at all?”

“My stepfather didn't give a shit about me.” It's the truth, but some part of it still stings, the dull ache settling low in my gut. “We'd all be better off if that factory was in someone else's hands, instead of being chained to it.”