Neilson grabbed his arm and spun him around, hatred so intense on his face, his eyes were burning with it. He opened his mouth to speak and spit bubbled at the corners of his lips. It seemed he didn't like not getting the last word.
"You arrogant bastard. Do you have any idea who I am? I can destroy you in less than a heartbeat. You'd better watch yourself, Joseph, watch very carefully. No matter what you do or where you go, I'll be one step ahead of you. I'm not going to rest until I've crushed you beneath me!"
Joseph looked at the boney hand tightly gripping his arm. He wanted to punch the man, but somehow managed to hold onto his temper. Barely.
Two years prior to that, he would've hit Neilson and then stepped on his head as he passed by. Neilson was begging for him to do it.
With an outer calm he wasn't feeling, he gripped Neilson's fingers and pried them off his arm, barely holding back the temptation to snap them backward. With his hand removed, Joseph faced him, his face mere inches from his enemy's.
"Be very careful, Neilson. I may be young, but I've a world of experience. Your threats mean nothing to me. I'm not afraid of you, nor intimidated. If you touch me again, though, I won't hold back my wrath."
Joseph looked into the man's eyes, not backing down. When he saw a spark of fear behind the rage filled depths, he finally retreated. Neilson was a coward, all talk and zero follow-through. He was done dealing with him. He had a meeting to attend and he didn't want to be late.
This time when he walked away, he knew Neilson was left standing in his shadow.
Joseph reached the door to the conference room, took a breath, then stepped inside …
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Anderson, but it's time for your husband's blood to be drawn, and then we need to give him a bath," a nurse said, stopping Katherine in the middle of speaking.
"No way. You absolutely can't stop right there. I swear I'll have nightmares all night. You have to tell us how the meeting goes. What happened? Did he get the CEO position right then, or did Neilson get his hands on it? We obviously know he eventually gets it, because it's still in the family's hands now, but … " Amy cried out.
"We can move to another room. Or go to the house for a while," Jessica suggested.
"Wait!" Emily blurted. "This is the corporation, right? This isn't one that he started on his own, is it? What happened? What was your reaction when he walked in the doors? How long did it take Neilson to get there? How did the other board members not know what Neilson truly was?"
Katherine laughed at their panicked expressions. Telling her story gave her a reprieve from the constant worrying she felt.
She looked around the room, at the eager expressions on her family member's faces, and took pride in knowing that her life had them so mesmerized. She'd always told Joseph their romance was meant to be in storybooks. It was her own fairytale.
"I promise to continue soon. I could really use a walk right now, though, to gather my thoughts. George, would you accompany me?" she asked.
There were several disappointed sighs but no one argued further. She could see that George had been hoping to sneak off with Esther, but she thought she'd help the kids out a little. Plus, she could use a bit of peace with her friend.
"Of course, Katherine," George said as she knew he would.
"How about we meet up here tonight after supper?" Katherine asked.
They all answered in the affirmative. She slowly got to her feet and left the room on the arm of her brother-in-law. As she stepped outside, she took in a deep lungful of fresh air. Then followed as George led her down to the garden path.
Chapter Thirteen
Austin walked from his Uncle's room, intent on finding Kinsey. She'd managed to stay away the entire time he was there. For that matter, she'd been avoiding him since they'd made love last time.
He didn't understand it. When she was in his arms, she was pliant, and obviously satisfied, so why the heck did she keep running every time he was away from her for five minutes? He was bound and determined to get answers. He'd proven by now that he wasn't just after her for the short haul. He wanted a relationship, not a one-night-stand.
He moved up and down the halls, searching for her, hoping when he found her, they'd have privacy. His aunt's story was getting to him. She was so filled with pain for the time she'd missed out on when she and Joseph had so many misunderstandings between them.
Well, he wasn't going to make the same mistake. Kinsey was going to talk to him, then hopefully, they could reconnect. The thought instantly had his body stirring. When he passed by her on-call room, he turned rock solid.
He shifted as he continued moving, quickly un-tucking his button up shirt and letting it hang down, hoping to hide the evidence of his desire. He was acting like a hormone riddled teenager instead of an experienced man. But that was what Kinsey did to him. She stirred him in ways he was beginning to not only expect, but anticipate.