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“Rick heard the guy say his boss was gonna get him killed.”
“Call Morgan. Tell him to release the staff until further notice.”
“Therin, I don’t—”
“Vaughn? I don’t want to hear anything but ‘okay.’”
“Okay. But.” He raised his hands. “That’s not going to make this go away.”
“Course it isn’t.” Therin left the Jeep and turned toward the ocean view. “I’m just making it easier for the sons of bitches. They seem content takin’ the coward’s route—going after my staff.” He shrugged. “Once they’re out of the way, the jackasses can come after me. Stop all this pissin’ around. They want me to share the wealth, encourage our members to not be so generous with their donations, send them on to other worthwhile causes such as their own? I say no.”
“Dammit, T, do you hear what you’re sayin’?” Vaughn walked around to look Therin in the face. “Rick was stabbed. This has gotten physical. I think it’s fair to say your enemies might be so set on tamping down your philanthropic efforts, that they’d be willing to kill you to do it.”
“So be it.” Therin’s jaw clenched as he spoke the words.
“T—”
“I don’t wanna hear it.”
Vaughn bowed his head, and then nodded toward the house towering in the distance. “And what about her?”
“What about her?” Therin’s glare turned deadly.
Vaughn didn’t lose his nerve. “This crusade of yours could get you killed. I’d say that’d be an effective relationship ender.”
Therin wouldn’t comment on that. “I spoke to the general since I’ve been here,” he shared instead.
“Details,” Vaughn asked, his eyes narrowing.
Therin quickly recapped the highlights from his talk with Shepard Yale. He shrugged. “There’s no turning back, V. The general becoming the newest member of EYES is going to rock some pretty solid foundations. I’m guessing that the same folks behind my present difficulties are the same ones who won’t look too kindly on the general supporting my…crusade.”
Vaughn’s confusion cleared. “You’re trying to get them to reveal themselves?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and glared. “You’re insane. People like this don’t come out from behind the curtain, Ther. They send others to do their bidding. Even if you did find out who they are, do you really think they’re the only ones who oppose you?”
“Guess we’re about to find out how asinine my plan is, then.” Therin walked over to clap Vaughn’s shoulder. “The general wants to use the Vancouver event to announce his support for the organization, which is big considering his reputation. He’s spent his life focused on building a powerful military. To now say education is more important…do you know how many others that could influence?”
“Jesus.” Vaughn massaged a sudden ache at the base of his neck. “So what are you gonna do?” he asked when he saw Therin looking toward Kianti’s house.
Therin’s fist clenched. “The last thing I want to.”
Chapter 10
Though the majority of the plans for the EYES fundraiser had been handled, there was still a healthy mound of details that needed to be taken care of.
Therin dove right into the preparations and made himself available for all the press clamoring for information about the event. Big names in the political, sports and entertainment worlds were already making buzzes and offering their support to what many called the most enduring component of the nation’s future: education.
The crazed workload was exactly what Therin needed. Leaving Kianti a week earlier had hit him harder than he’d expected. He felt as though some part of him had—and still was—shredded.
She’d asked no questions, only told him to handle the upset so they could pick up where they left off. Again, he weighed the very real obstacles of pursuing a relationship with her. If he’d planned on pulling away, the time to do so would have been right then. He was back in Vancouver; it’d be easy to break communication. A day could turn into a week, a week to a month…such thoughts, however, only angered him, making his already edgy mood razor-sharp.
Break communication—to not pursue her in every way imaginable was unfathomable to him. He wondered how deeply his feelings for her had gone. How far would they go?
The elevator doors opened before he could ponder an answer to the question. He approached the nurse’s station and favored the three women standing there with one of his unconsciously devastating smiles. Of course, the smile was reciprocated and flavored with approving gazes as the women looked up at him.
