Page 17 of The Mastermind
“What’s his name?” Infuriation sparked in me.
“Some Lawrence asshole. His parents own the company . . . wait a minute. Didn’t you just buy a marketing firm?”
“Yeah. Lawrence Lafayette is no longer employed by Starke Vision.”
“Small world, but good riddance. Audri dealt with it in her own way.”
I half-heard Grayson’s words. “How dare he touch her,” I mumbled, not realizing I’d said it out loud.
“What?” Grayson asked.
“Nothing.” I couldn’t believe I’d let that slip through. “His parents are now off the Executive Committee. It’ll be an early exit.”
Audri and Grayson were family to me. No one screwed with mine.
“Anyway, I have to go now. Incoming call from Mom.”
“Please say hello to Mrs. Wu for me.”
“She’ll want to see you so she can stuff you with her wonton noodle soup.”
“I wouldneversay no to her soup.”
Grayson laughed and ended the call.
Mrs. Wu was the mother I never had. She treated all of Grayson’s friends like her own kids. Though she could be strict with certain rules, I took them as her way of caring too much, which was better than not caring at all. My mom died from breast cancer when I was twelve, and I gained a wicked stepmother and stepbrother. They showed me what Ididn’twant in a family.
I stabbed at the irritation clawing at me and typed in Lawrence Lafayette on the company’s internal site. I needed to see who he was. A blond-haired asshole who hid behind the façade of his parents’ wealth. A typical jerk I’d dealt with many times before. Staring at his face, my fingers itched, wanting to pound his face. I imagined the fear and frustration Audri must have experienced, and my rage boiled.
What exactly had he done to her? Grayson said she had dealt with it, but how?
Was I overreacting? No, I was reacting just as Grayson had.
But Grayson’s her brother.
And I was her friend. Yes, I was a friend who worried about her safety.
What the hell was wrong with me? Since when did I argue with myself over a woman? A woman I had no right thinking about. She existed in a world closed off from my sins. My darkness would stain her soul, dim her light. I wasn’t the boy who played video games in her basement. I was a man who had done things she wouldn’t approve of.
The absurdity of my emotions made me laugh. There was a clear demarcation line between Audri and me. Ihadto stay on my side.
The night of the housewarming resurfaced in my mind. I recalled how I felt when Royce placed a hand on her shoulder, looking concerned. He was my pal, so why was I uncomfortable with him worrying about her? We’d all watched her grow up. The scrawny teenager had become a beautiful woman with all the right curves.
Despite Royce being a close friend, I hadn’t liked seeing them together.
Was Royce interested in Audri?
Needing to move, I walked to the window and placed my palms against the glass panel, looking at the busy street. People strode by, chatting on their cell phones, some had shopping bags in their arms. A car screeched to a stop when a pedestrian abruptly crossed the street. The noise of the city reflected the chaos in my head.
If I wanted to get anything done today, I needed to relax, to clear my mind.
Don’t get distracted.
Listening to my inner voice, I sat back down and modified the plan I had laid out for Brian. “Family” issues took more energy, and this family member could siphon blood from me if I wasn’t careful.
Personal issues were like adversaries in my RPG games, where I had to kill off my opponent before leveling up. Viewing my tasks as external things made them easier to eliminate. Again, detachment made things simple to flick off like pesky mosquitos. After solidifying my plan, I sent another text message to an encrypted phone number.
Okay to proceed to the next project.