Cameron Spade was a busy man. He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth so nothing he had was handed to him. He and he alone was solely responsible for the fortune he’d amassed and the empire he’d built.

His little sister, Veronica, normally stayed out of his business. She let him support her but then she’d always looked to him for guidance, long before their mother died. And Cam had been forced to become a man early on to shoulder the family’s responsibility.

“Veronica!” Cam pushed back his leather office chair and stood. The massive mahogany desk and floor to ceiling book shelves in the lavish, high rise office failed to dwarf his own intimidating size. Veronica hardly noticed. He could make a grown man tremble in fear with just a dark look but his sister, a dark haired, blue eyed petite beauty who stood hardly five feet tall and looked like she would blow away in a strong wind, didn’t see him that way and she never would. “This is a surprise.” One look at her face told him something was wrong.

Her blue eyes, normally alive and sparkling, glistened with tears. She blinked them away quickly, knowing how Cam hated weakness. “Cam… I need to talk to you about something.” She clenched her hands in the folds of her flowing yellow maxi dress.

“Sit down then.” He indicated one of the high-backed chairs in front of his desk. The things looked more suited to an evening by a fireplace than an office, but he liked them.

“No. I’d rather stand.”

Cam swallowed hard as his throat closed a fraction. This wasn’t Veronica. His sister was always full of life. She was as headstrong as she was carefree but she was joyful by nature. “It’s Redden isn’t it?”

Her head whipped up and Cam knew that he was right even before she nodded. “Yes.” Her voice was tiny and lost.

“What’s that bastard done this time?” Cam’s hand balled into a fist at his side. He imagined Trace Redden and longed to smash his fist right into the bastard’s face.

“Cam please!” Veronica rushed to his side and took his hand. Forced his hand open and tangled her fingers in his. She rarely touched him and he startled at the contact. They weren’t a family who displayed emotions easily; not the loving kind at any rate. Anger, rage, offense, grudges… those came much more naturally, at least to him.

“What’s he done? I warned you about seeing him. He’s a low life scum who didn’t even deserve the opportunity to kiss the soles of your shoes let alone date you. I told you nothing good could come out of it. He used to steal cars, run with gangs. God, he’s probably dealing illegal substances though I couldn’t find anything when I dug up dirt on him. He’s a sneaky son of a bitch. More snake than man.”

“Cam!” Veronica cut him off. Her beautiful, baby face twisted with sorrow and rage of her own. “Please! I know what you think. The whole damn world knows what you think.” She gripped his hand so hard it actually hurt. A tremble ran through her slight frame. “You were right.”

“What’s he done?” He asked again. The words were hard and grounded out as Cam struggled to control himself.

“He… oh Cam! I can’t tell you! It’s going to break your heart!”

Cam untwisted his hand from his sister’s death grip. He led her over to the chair he’d asked her to take earlier and forced her to sit. He hunched into the other one, trying to appear understanding though the only thing he felt was potent rage. “Tell me.”

Another tremble ripped through Veronica. “He has- pictures- of me. Naked. He told me that it was over between us and that he was going to sell them to every media outlet he could find. That failing, he’ll post them online himself and the damage will be done from there. Unless- unless we agree to pay him ten million dollars. He gave me five days.”

Cam’s rage was instant and so forceful that black spots danced in front of his eyes. What he felt could no longer even be described as rage. Trace Redden was little more than a bug; a roach that needed to be squashed under the heel of his boot.

“Cam please! Tell me you aren’t going to hurt him.” Veronica’s pleading voice startled him out of the revenge plan he was already formulating.

“No. Of course not. I don’t go around hurting people. Jesus, Veronica, you of all people should know that those stories aren’t true.”

Those angelic blue eyes never wavered from his face. “I know you don’t, Cam. You don’t, but you have men who do. I know what happens to the people who owe you money. I know that some people think you’re a bad man; a loan shark with no scruples. You’re not afraid to tear people’s lives apart, to take their houses, or instill the fear of god in them.”

Cam bristled. “That’s what happens when you borrow money and don’t pay it back. People know the risks and the consequences before they come to me. We are a legitimate business.”

“So I suppose your goons are legitimate as well. The threats and intimidation and broken bones…”

“Veronica!” She trembled again and Cam moderated his voice. Icy tendrils of guilt spread through him. He was never harsh with his sister. He loved her far too much for that. “I don’t break people’s bones. Clint broke someone’s finger once without my permission. The guy owed a substantial amount of money. Clint went there to convince him to pay. It was actually an accident. He went to bend the guy’s hand back and the man’s finger snapped. The stories snowballed after that. I thought you knew that. My men, despite the fact that they spread threats and intimidation when and where it’s needed, would never physically harm someone.”

“Intimidation and threats are just as bad.”

“Some would break every bone in a man’s body or worse. People still disappear in the middle of the night.”

Veronica’s eyes widened and he cursed himself. He shouldn’t have told her that. He wasn’t a bad man. He wanted her to understand that. It killed him that she might think he was one of those animals he’d tried so hard never to become. He’d forgiven millions in debt because he had no choice sometimes. If it meant hurting another person, the money just wasn’t worth it. That didn’t mean his goons didn’t install fear because they did. Fear was the only way to operate in a business like this.

“I would never do that. You know me. No matter what, I’m still your big brother. I’ll always look after you and take care of you. I would never, ever hurt anyone. Not even Trace Redden.”

“You won’t?”

“No. There are other ways to get revenge and to take care of the slime of society.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call him that I… I- thought- that I…”

“What? You thought you loved him?” What could his sister possibly know of love? She was just past her twentieth birthday. He was ten years older than her and he’d been careful to avoid such foolish notions. Emotions, feelings, love- it was all just weakness in his eyes.

Veronica hung her head. “He was a user. He knew who I was, probably the entire time we were together.”

Cam sighed. “Even though we have different last names to protect you, people can still find out I’m your brother. I warned you about men like him.”

“I know. I know what you said. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe you or that I wanted to scorn you or something. I just- he’s a good man. I know it. He hasn’t had an easy life. He might be rough like you said but he has a good heart. He’s smart, tender… I know you wouldn’t believe me but I know it. He has this sister, she’s younger. He took care of her. Raised her the same way you raised me. That’s how I know he could never be all bad.”

Cam froze. The start of a plan was already picking its way through his brain. “How did Trace get those photos anyway? Why would you have sent him something like that? I thought you knew better.” Veronica hung her head again. Cam couldn’t stand to see all her vibrancy shadowed by sorrow. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

“I didn’t send them. Trace… he was the one who took them.”

Cam’s blood turned to ice. He had never hurt someone before but this was different. He wanted to harm Trace Redden more than he’d ever wanted to do damage to another person in his life. This time it wasn’t about money. It was personal.

“Please Cam! I know what you think. You can’t imagine how I of all people could- give- myself to him.”

He slowly shook his head. “No. That’s not what I was thinking at all.” Veronica stared hard at him. He could tell she thought he was a liar. “I was thinking that Trace Redden is finished. If he’d treated you like the lady you are and treated you with respect I would have let him be. If he truly loved you, he never would have had a problem with me. I value what you think far too much to intrude in your life. I have to let you make your own choices even if I don’t agree with them.”

“I know that Cam but-”

He cut her off. “I will fix this but you aren’t going to like the outcome. You just have to trust me. I promise no one is going to get hurt. It might seem dire but it’s not. You know me. You know me as your brother, not the way the whole world sees me.”

“I- I do trust you but please, don’t talk like that. It’s scaring me.”

“You mentioned a sister.” Cam pointedly ignored Veronica’s words. “Trace Redden loves his sister. He cares for her. He would probably do anything in the world for her.”

“Yes. Of course he would.”

“Good. I’m going to take her.”

Veronica’s mouth fell open. “What? Are you insane? Take her? What does that even mean?”

“I’m going to take her to the island. It’s remote. No one would ever find us. I’ll stay there with her for as long as it takes for Redden to come to his senses and return those photos. His sister in exchange for the pictures. I think she’s worth ten million to him. Do you?”

“No! I mean, yes of course but you can’t do this! It’s not right.”

“No one will get hurt. She’ll just be removed for a couple of days or however long it takes Redden to give those photos back. The island is paradise. We both know it’s my refuge. It’s beautiful.”

“You never take anyone there! Not even me!” Veronica stared at him in shock.

Cam shrugged. There was no derailing his plan now. “It will probably be the best vacation Redden’s sister ever had.”

“Sarah. Her name is Sarah,” Veronica ground out. “Please don’t do this. Just pay him the ten million and be done with it.”

“Are you kidding me? He’s probably made copies. Whatever he gives us isn’t going to be half of the trouble that will come our way with men like him. We aren’t going to give in. That would be a display of weakness and once you show weakness, you’re finished.”

“I know that. You’ve always taught me that. This is just so- unlike Trace. You might think he’s a bad man and not worthy of me but he always treated me well. We were together for almost a year. You think that would mean something. I really did think he loved me.”

Cam stifled a baffled laugh. Of all the stupid things he’d heard, Veronica believing that a man like Trace Redden could ever love anyone. Cam did have to allow that Trace supposedly loved his sister enough to get her back. Cam’s whole damn plan hinged on it.

Cam reached over and placed a hand gently on Veronica’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of all of this.”

Large blue eyes glistened with sorrow and uncertainty. “That’s half what I was afraid of,” she whispered before rising and silently leaving his office.