Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
“Not today,” I murmured. “This is just for you.”
He exploded inside of me with a grunt, stroking his hand up and down my back as he collapsed against me. When he’d caught his breath, he turned me in his lap and kissed me soft and slow.
“I love you,” he murmured.
“So fucking much,” I replied.
He gave me a lazy smile and dragged the pad of his thumb across my lips. “Did you miss me?”
I pressed my cheek against his chest and squeezed him with my arms. Of course, I missed him. I always missed him. But that wasn’t why I was there. Why did I feel so bad for doing this?
“Yes,” I whispered. “Always.”
“Then you’ll be glad to know I’m working on a solution to that problem,” he said.
“You are?”
“Yes. I’m redefining job responsibilities and management roles around here so I can spend some time away from the office.”
I stared up at him in surprise. “You mean you’re actually going to give up some control?”
He laughed and kissed my temple. “A little,” he admitted. “But it’s worth it if I get to spend more time with you and the baby.”
“I’m all for that plan.” I wiggled my brows.
“I thought you might be,” he said. “And I’ve made us an appointment to look at some houses on Saturday too.”
“Houses?” I asked. “You mean no more sterile apartments?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“You know I didn’t actually think that apartment was sterile,” I admitted.
“I know.” He laughed. “But even if you didn’t, you were right. We’re a family, that means we need a house.”
His words set my heart aflutter. I’d never lived in a house before. He really did want to be a real family and the idea of it was so sweet it almost overshadowed my need for information. Almost.
“Sorry to cut this short,” he said. “But I have to go.”
“It’s okay.” I stood up and gave him a weak smile. “Mind if I use your bathroom before I go. I’m sure I’m a mess.”
“What’s mine is yours, baby girl.” He kissed me on the forehead and swatted my ass. “I’ll see you tonight.”
I waited until he was gone and then locked the door behind him. But when I sat down at his desk and pulled out my key, I wasn’t sure I could go through with it.
I had the same feeling of dread as when I’d discovered his secrets back on Belvedere Island. But this was different. I knew Ryland thought he was protecting me by keeping this information from me. And I wanted to trust that he was right, but with our history, I just couldn’t.
I took a deep breath and opened up his file cabinet. There were about a million neatly organized folders in there, and none of them had anything to do with Brayden. So I went through each meticulous drawer one by one until I found what I was looking for. And sure enough, it was there. Right beneath his perfectly organized pens. God, I loved my neat freak.
Please don’t hurt me, Ryland.
I pulled the file with Brayden’s name on it from the drawer. And when I opened it, there were surveillance photos. Of Brayden in Chicago. With a bunch of scary looking guys I didn’t know.
I had a sinking feeling in my gut because it wasn’t too hard to guess who they were.
There was some information about Frankie and his associates, which I really had no desire to see. But Ryland obviously thought it was important, so I kept reading through it. From these records, it looked like Frankie’s boss was a guy named Alfredo Zucco. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t scare the shit out of me.
He had cold black, lifeless eyes. And Ryland had been keeping an eye on him too. But I didn’t know why. There were more pictures of Maria Gallo, Frankie’s wife. And they were recent. I was surprised by how scary she looked too.
I kept imagining someone like Norma, who may have been a little scatterbrained but was generally harmless. But this woman didn’t look harmless at all. Brayden told me Frankie didn’t really work for the mob, but some kind of loan shark. I guess in my mind that had equated to not as dangerous, but clearly, that wasn’t true.
If Frankie’s body being found in a dumpster was any indication, these people had no qualms about taking life at the drop of a hat. The Lockhart family was evidence to that as well. They were just collateral damage.
I wondered if Brayden was trying to look into these things. If he was, I didn’t know what his motive could be. By the time I’d gone through the stack of information, I was no closer to understanding what any of it meant. Ryland had been keeping tabs on a lot more people than I ever suspected. But he was the only one who knew why.