Everywhere and Every Way(45)

"I'd rather you do your job and get paid."

Dalton shook his head in disgust. "Why are you buying property anyway,  dude? That's not your role here. Your ass should be in this house with  Morgan and me to get this done in time. Instead, you're playing real  estate games, and you're no Million Dollar Listing agent. You're not  even half as good-looking and you have a hell of a lot less money."

Morgan bit her lip and tried to step in. "Umm, guys, how about we talk  about this later? We're tired, it's hot, and it's been a long day."

"Are you kidding me? That show is a joke. I could outsell any of those  agents, because I know how to redo a property. I pull my weight on this  project every day. Is it wrong that I'm the only one who can see the  future? Securing this property means we'll be renovating the project,  then we can sell it for a huge profit. Sticking with only building is a  mistake."

"We're not even gonna be here next year, dude!" Dalton yelled. "I  thought the plan was we get in and get out. Cal wants this company, not  us."

"Cal isn't capable of running this company the way I can. He's not Dad.  I've been thinking about this problem for a long time and finally came  to a decision." His jaw clenched. "I want to run Pierce Brothers. I  think it's time for a change around here."

The silence was deafening. Dalton stared in shock at his brother. "You never wanted Pierce Brothers."

Tristan's eyes turned cold. "Yes, I did. I was pushed out and decided  not to fight. But this time I'm not giving up. The company needs a  visionary, and Cal isn't ready to make the changes."

Dalton took a step back. "You'd turn on him?" he asked. "On me?"

"I'm not turning on anyone. I'm just claiming what's been mine all along."

"Is that how you see it, little brother?"

The familiar voice rang through the air. Cal stood framed by the  doorway, his gaze expressionless as he took in the exchange. Dalton  muttered a curse. Emotions swirled and crested in the room, and raw  masculine energy pressed down upon Morgan. This was a testosterone  battle way out of her league. Still, she needed to try.

Pasting a smile on her face, she stepped forward. "Cal, I just think  things got a bit out of control. Maybe we can take a break. Regroup.  Let's quit for the day."

"I appreciate your trying to help, Morgan. I really do. But I think it's best if you leave now."

She glanced back and forth between the three of them. Half of her  stubbornly refused to leave him, but this was a family crisis they  needed to solve themselves. There must be a way for them to find each  other again. Maybe if she left, the fight would turn and they'd make up.  Maybe they could be a family once more.

"Will you be all right?"

Another man might have mocked her or beat his chest in masculine outrage  at such a question. Cal only smiled, the last bit of warmth in the  room. "Yes. I'll call you as soon as I'm done."

"Okay." She paused. "I know you have issues. I know it's not my  business. But family is special. You don't choose blood, so it's not  supposed to be easy. You understand each other in ways no one else  could. Just . . . give each other a chance. For all of your sakes."

Morgan walked out and left them alone.


Cal heard her words, and his gut lurched. She sounded just like Mom.  Always trying to stop the bickering and remind them of what was  important. Yet, here he stood, listening to his middle brother plan to  cut him out and leave him behind. Had it really come to this?

Especially this week. God, not this week.

Six years and it still felt like yesterday. Six years ago, his mother  had died in that car crash and changed everything. His brothers were  finally together, yet so far apart, they hadn't even mentioned the date  to one another. Grief beat in his bones, and he desperately fought back.  Not now. The anniversary was always painful, but this year all the  memories were close to the surface, ready to draw blood. He just had to  keep it together a little while longer.         

     



 

Cal dragged in a breath and faced his own personal firing squad.

Tristan, never one to hide, met his gaze head-on. A crazy flash of  respect trickled through Cal. Even now, pitted against each other, he  managed to be proud of who Tristan had grown up to be. A man who had  carved out his own future. Still, there was a darkness in Tristan that  bothered him. A sad place he couldn't seem to reach, as if the best  parts of his life were already behind him and he'd accepted it without a  fight. "I don't want to make this a TV drama of the week, Cal. I was  going to talk to you anyway."

Cal walked into the shell of a house that wasn't his and leaned against  the new island Dalton had finished. "Seems like a good time now."

Tristan shifted his stance. Dalton glanced from one to the other.  "Tristan thinks he's smarter than both of us," Dalton said. "Guess he's  gonna save the business by his own hand."

Tristan shook his head. "What do you care? You just want to build your  own projects without consequences and go back to California."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Pierce Brothers is mine just as much as yours. If we  work together as a team, maybe we can build something even better."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Cut it out," Cal interrupted. "Do you really think I'll just step back  and let you take over what I built, T? You have great ideas. I want to  hear them and implement them, but we have to get through this project  and the next few months before we can start experimenting."

Tristan made a rude noise. "Right. You'll never give me validation, Cal.  You and Dad were alike and never enjoyed having anyone question your  decisions. You don't want input-never did. It's happening all over  again, but this time I'm not going to run away. This time I'm fighting  for what I want."

"You want me out?" he asked calmly. He tamped down on the slight panic.  His own brother seemed like a stranger. There was no trace of the boy  he'd grown up with. Going on adventures in the woods, and sharing  details of their first kisses, and facing down Dad as a team, always a  team. All of the memories drifted in front of him, but Tristan saw  nothing. Just what he thought he wanted.

"Of course not," Tristan said politely. "I want to work with you. But  the dynamics need to change. I want you to take a step back and let me  spearhead Pierce Brothers. I do have some ideas I'd like to implement,  and of course you'd continue as the main builder, but this company needs  more than you can give. It needs a new direction you're not able to  take it in. I can."

A humorless laugh escaped Cal's lips. "Oh, boy, this is good. You run  off and leave me with Dad and the mess left behind, refusing to come  home for five years. Now you want to ride in on your perfect white horse  and make it yours? Life doesn't work like that, bro. I'm the one who's  stuck around, taking the daily crap. The problem you've always had was  tunnel vision. I'm fine if you want to incorporate real estate and  redesign. Hell, I think it's great. But we're builders first. Pierce  Brothers Construction. If we lose sight of our main goal, we're going to  forget who we are."

Tristan shook his head. "You're wrong. My tunnel vision is being able to  see the future. I just bought two properties and plan to flip them for a  huge profit. If we keep being afraid to branch out, Pierce Brothers  will wither and die. You're afraid to grow. You think like Dad. Hell,  you're still taking his orders from the grave, just like a damn lackey."

Rage shot through Cal. His fingers curled into fists. "And you're a damn  coward. Instead of fighting for what you wanted, you slunk away. Now  you want to come back here and take the company because you think it's  easy. You know nothing about this company."

Tristan raised his voice. "I know when I asked for your backup, you  screwed me. You watched me walk without a glance back. I'll never  forgive you for that."

"It wasn't the right time!" Cal yelled. "I begged you to wait. Instead,  you got bullheaded and pushed too hard, too fast. I had no choice,  especially once Dalton followed you. One of us had to stay."

Dalton threw up his hands. "I'm tired of both of you. Whine and bitch  when you always had more than me. Dad treated me like crap."

"He recognized you had a gift," Cal said. "He treated all of us like crap. I just took it instead of heading out."

Tristan glared. "Don't get all high and mighty, Cal. You probably planned it that way. You always wanted what was mine."         

     



 

"It was all of ours to take or leave," Cal said. "You made your choice."

"Well, I'm making another one. This time I'm fighting for Pierce Brothers. Whether you like it or not."

They stared at each other. The tension crackled like a live wire between them, ready for a drop of water to fully explode.