Yes, he was one hell of an executive and he had made himself and those around him exceedingly rich. But over the years, he’d grown cocky. His manner was less genteel and more arrogant, and the wry smile of disappointment had now become a sneer of disgust that anyone would dare to refuse or stand up to him.

Nevertheless, Wes Carter had done just that.

Despite it being Thanksgiving week, Austin had put every lawyer and favor he had at his disposal on the fax the minute it slid through the machine. He wanted to find a loophole, a lose end, a clause, a fuck-you. He needed to find one. Adam knew that Austin would rather die than let Carter take over WCS, but that was exactly what was happening. There was no way around it, and one of Austin’s cronies had delivered the news.

The vase had been the first casualty.

Adam watched his brother continue his furious journey around the office.

“You’re telling me,” Austin growled, “that there is no way to stop this?” His index finger smacked against the desk, pressing down hard into the fax.

Rick, his consultant, shifted on his feet and cleared his throat. “Yes, sir.”

Austin’s eyes grew impossibly wider. Adam had never seen his brother look so unkempt. His hair was ruffled and a light sheen of sweat covered his cheeks and forehead.

“I don’t fucking believe this!” he bellowed. “How is this even possible?”

“Well, sir—”

“Don’t answer me when I ask rhetorical questions, Rick!” Austin snapped angrily. “I can fucking read!”

Austin exhaled heavily and rubbed a palm over his mouth. “I thought we did everything in our power to cover this up.” He gestured toward the black-and-white photographs Ben Thomas had left. “I was told that things were in place to keep my company safe.”

Adam’s anger surged. And not for the first time. Austin had always considered WCS his. In all the time he’d been in charge, Austin had never once acknowledged Adam’s help or the work he did to keep him clean of all the shit he got into. Of course, there were the obligatory raises and single-malt gestures that would show up on his desk every once in a while, but neither made up for the amount of times that Adam had paid or bartered with people in order to keep his brother’s indiscretion’s off the board’s radar, his dealings with Casari included. Adam had told him Casari was bad news, he knew he was watched by the Feds, but his brother hadn’t listened.

Enough was enough.

The crunch, for Adam, was when it became a pissing contest over Kat, with Carter on one side and Austin on the other. It was pathetic, and Adam had wanted no part of it. He genuinely couldn’t understand why Austin wouldn’t just let Carter have his share of the pie. It would simplify things, keep Carter quiet. But Austin had had other ideas.

The photographs with Casari were all Austin’s doing, and Adam had reached his limit.

Shit, everyone made mistakes, for Christ’s sake, and it wasn’t fair to keep Carter reliving his over and over. Kat was, as Beth had conceded, very much in love with Carter. The guy had a real chance at turning his life around and being happy.

Adam couldn’t stop that from happening. And neither could Austin.

“Austin,” Adam muttered. The other five men in the room shuffled and fidgeted.

“No, Adam,” Austin barked back. “We need to figure this out, work out the next step.”

Adam blinked in confusion and caught Rick’s equally bewildered eye. Sighing, Adam took a cautious step toward his brother and clasped his hands at his front.

“There is no next step,” he said quietly. “This is concrete. This is happening.”

Austin’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is this?” he asked in disbelief. “Have you all lost your balls?” He eyed each man menacingly, finally coming back to Adam. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

Adam rolled his eyes and pushed his hands into his pockets. “It is over. It’s been over for a long time. It’s time to move on.”

The look of absolute fury on Austin’s face surprised even Adam. He tightened his fists at his side and dropped his chin. “Everyone out!”

Adam watched the staff scuttle out, closing the door firmly behind them. The room was oppressively silent for the thirty seconds it took Austin to reign himself in. He was furious, Adam knew, but honestly, he couldn’t have cared less.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Austin murmured through tight lips.

“There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Then what the hell are you doing standing there shrugging? Do you not understand what this means?” He held up the fax and shook it.

“I know exactly what it means,” he answered calmly. He took another step toward his brother. “It means that you and I each get a settlement that will ensure we never have to worry about money again, and Carter gets what’s rightfully his.”

Austin blanched. “I beg your pardon?”

Adam shook his head. “Oh, come on, Austin. Let it go. This is how it’s meant to be! He’s the rightful owner; it was written in black and white all those years ago. He deserves to have it back and not coveted by you!”

Austin lunged at Adam, but Adam was faster. It wasn’t always so, but age brought a strength that he didn’t have when they were kids. He pushed Austin away until his back was against the wall.

“Back the fuck off, Austin,” Adam growled with a pointed finger in his face. “I am not six, and this company is not your goddamn G.I. Joe. Face the fact that, this time, your dirty little bastards couldn’t get you out of this and move on with your dignity and name intact.” He pulled back and adjusted his jacket. “Jesus, man, get a grip. You’re losing it.”

Austin swallowed. His face was beet red, his eyes wild.

Adam shook his head. “What happened, Austin?” he asked sadly. “I fucking defended you. I turned Beth against her best friend for you! I’ll never forgive myself for that. Christ, man. I mean, this isn’t you.”

“This is me,” he countered. “This is me keeping this company alive before some coke-headed fuckup drags it back to the gutter he came from.”

Adam glared in disgust. “Like you’re so fucking perfect.” He chuckled without humor. “How can you be so self-righteous when you do the things you do?”

Austin’s back straightened and a glimmer of caution appeared in his eye.

“Yeah,” Adam whispered, glancing down at the photographs. “I’m sure the board would be interested to know who else you do business with. I don’t need photographs to prove the shit I know.”

Austin gave a wry smile. “You son of a bitch.”

“Maybe,” Adam countered darkly. “But I’m telling you: let this go, Austin. Walk away with your head held high. Forget Carter, forget Kat; take your stocks, buy a house, or go on a long vacation to butt-fuck nowhere, but walk away, or so help me.”

Adam turned slowly from his brother, adjusting his tie as he did.

“Well, hell, Ads,” Austin said. “That sounds like a threat.”

Stopping, Adam looked back over his shoulder. “No threat,” he answered before he walked toward the office door. With his fingers on the handle he continued, “It’s a promise.”

* * *

The tension in the car as Kat drove it back to Nana Boo’s was thick, much like the snow that lay like a blanket all over the city. Carter stopped tapping his foot against the car floor and cracked his knuckles, in hopes that the tension that had set his spine poker straight would somehow ease. He was utterly exhausted. It hadn’t been helped by the fact that he was running on seven hours of sleep over the past forty-eight hours. He closed his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Carter kept his eyes closed, quirking an eyebrow in sardonic response. Like an asshole, he had no words of comfort for her even though he knew that Kat needed them from him badly. She silently craved assurance and support. He simply didn’t know how to give it to her. He settled for placing his hand on her leg.