Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 133321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 667(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 667(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
My hand settles on his strong jaw. “You own me, Grayson Bennett. That used to scare me, but not anymore.”
He catches my hand and kisses my knuckles. “You own me, too, baby.” He lifts me off the desk and sets me on the floor, righting my skirt for me, and I can feel the edge in him has eased. But it’s not gone. But how can it be? We’re under attack by a dead man.
Chapter sixty-five
Grayson
With Mia on my tongue, I do indeed feel better. The pleasures of a woman you love are too often underrated, usually by those who don’t know what it means to love a woman. Lord only knows I found out just how impossible it is to replace her when I lost Mia. I needed her. I need her. I won’t lose her again. I damn sure won’t let anyone take her from me.
While Mia freshens up, I grab my briefcase, check out for the day with Nancy, and Mia and I meet in the lobby. We exit to the elevator banks to find Blake waiting on us. As usual, he’s dressed in jeans and a Walker Security collared shirt that he manages to make look rich in all kinds of ways. He’s a man of confidence, skill, and wealth but what I like about him besides that skill, is his values, his morals, the love he has for his wife. The way he is who he is no matter who I am or who is around.
“I’m pleased as fuck,” he greets, “to report that the reporters are gone. The police pushed them back so far they just left.”
I arch a brow. “Why do I believe you had something to do with that?”
“They needed something from me,” Blake replies. “I told them I needed something from them. I know you legal folks know all about quid pro quo. Eric’s still at our offices. He was running some number sequence and I was afraid he’d have a damn seizure if I made him stop.”
Mia laughs that sweet musical laugh of hers and fuck me, I feel it in my chest. I own her? She fucking owns the hell out of me and I don’t even care. That’s how much I love this woman. The way my father loved my mother. “Just like old times,” she murmurs. “Eric and his numbers.” Her voice softens.
“And his loyalty.”
She’s right. Eric’s a good friend. One of the only people who knows just how not good I was without Mia. One of the few people I can say would die for me, and me for him. A real friend and a man like me can’t be confident anyone is a friend, except Eric. And Mia. A man appreciates the value of such things in times like these and therefore I count myself lucky as hell.
Blake motions to the hallway. “I’m still recommending we exit through the side door. We don’t need any company following us to the meetup with Reese.”
“I cannot wait until we can just live our life again,” Mia murmurs.
My hand slides to her lower back, but I don’t comment. At this point, it’s not about what I say. It’s about what I do and what I have to do is to make this go away, now, not months from now. The three of us make our way to the service elevator. Once we’re inside, with the door shut, I hand Blake the file. “Kevin Murphy gave this to me. He claims they’re all connected to Ri and dirty. All of them ex-employees of Ri’s we hired.”
Blake accepts the file. “We’ve already scouted out that group, but I’ll give it a look-see. You met him?”
“I did,” I confirm.
“And what’s your read on him?” He eyes Mia. “I know you got some weird vibe.”
“I did,” she says, “and I don’t know what to think. I never felt weird about him until today.”
“Could be nerves,” he comments.
“He told us that Ri killed his fiancée,” she adds. “because she was reporting him for evidence tampering and he wanted revenge. I never heard a word about a dead fiancée that worked at Ri’s firm. Granted I kept to myself but that still feels off.”
“If it’s true,” I add. “Revenge-seekers concern me. You never know when they might find a new target.”
“His fiancée did work with Ri. And she is dead. As for revenge, my fiancée before Kara was murdered,” Blake says. “And I damn sure wanted revenge. Tried damn hard to get it and Kara pulled me back to sanity when my brothers could not. My question would be what was Kevin doing to seek revenge and what’s his present state of mind?” He lifts the folder. “The contents of this folder, to me at least, do not constitute a plan for revenge. We need to know more.”