Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
I answer every question he asks and leave no skeletons buried.
My father kept an accounting ledger throughout his life to keep track of his extensive criminal transactions. It includes bribes paid to law enforcement and politicians. Salaries paid to hitmen, enforcers, and accountants. And hush money paid to the families of Denver’s victims.
The entries were meticulously maintained, some of them in a coded format. I’ve tried to make sense of it, but the ledger is thick, and I’m not a forensics expert.
I want to create a list of suspects from this ledger, but it will take too long to sort through decades of entries.
Wilson assures me that he has a team that can scrub it. So I remove it from the safe behind the painting in my office and ship it off to him.
He also wants Frankie to compile a list of every colleague, friend, ex-boyfriend, and acquaintance she’s made through the years.
Everyone is a suspect.
By the time we hang up, he knows every dirty secret in my family.
It’s unnerving to trust someone with so much incriminating information, but I’ll tell him anything he wants to know if it will keep her safe.
The morning passes in a flurry of calls and emails, each a step toward restoring order and protecting my family. As I work, my thoughts drift back to her, to the warmth of her body against mine, to the hope that still burns in my chest.
When the legal team calls back, confirming that Leo and Kody have been released, I rise to my feet, stretching, muscles loosening with relief. Then I slip out of the office to deliver the news.
She’s still asleep when I return to the bedroom, her form a gentle rise beneath the covers. I stand in the doorway, watching her, my chest heavy with emotion.
I long to reach out, to hold her close and tell her that everything will be all right, that we’ll find our way back to each other. But I know that will take time.
And more groveling on my part.
As I turn away, her husky voice tiptoes over my shoulder. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” I shift back, eager to rest my eyes on her again.
“Any news on Leo and Kody?”
“They’re on their way home.”
She closes her eyes, releasing a long, deep breath as if she was holding it all night. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.”
Thirty minutes later, I find myself standing on the dock beside her, the cool breeze off the water a welcome respite from the heat of the day.
When they arrive, I’ll lose her attention. All her energy will narrow on them. At least, that’s how it usually goes.
Except today feels different. Today, a sense of anticipation charges the air, a feeling that something is about to change.
When the boat finally arrives, I watch Leo and Kody disembark, their expressions weary but determined to move past their mistake.
Leo hugs her first. When he releases her into Kody’s arms, he approaches me.
“Thank you.” He maintains eye contact, a silent assertion of his sincerity. “I know you pulled strings and got us released early.”
“My attorneys—”
“You pay their wages. We fucked up, and you paid for it.”
“I helped you when you needed it. That’s what family does. But you already know that.” My eyes flit between him and Kody. “You do that for each other.”
“We would do it for you, too.” Kody paces toward me and claps me on the neck. “Thank you.”
His touch is a brand, a symbol of acceptance. I don’t hate it.
We make our way back to the estate. Oliver has prepared lunch, and we sit together, the conversation flowing easily despite the subject matter.
I update them on my decision to hire Wilson and tell them everything I discussed with him.
“You trust him?” She looks at me with those huge green eyes, making my pulse thrum.
“Yeah. I do.”
“Okay.” She pushes her empty plate away and stares at each of us. “We need to talk.”
“What is it?” I lean back in the chair, steeling myself.
“I know that all of you don’t like therapy, but you need it.” She holds up a finger. “Doyle doesn’t count. You’re not opening up to him. You’re threatening him. He gave me some referrals. For us to move forward, I want all three of you to see someone else. Someone you trust and respect.”
“We can work on our anger without confiding in a stranger.” Leo runs a hand through his hair.
“That’s not true.” She sets her jaw. “It’s not just your anger. It’s everything you’ve been through. Please. I want you to get help.”
“No.” Kody stands abruptly. “Instead of focusing on taming us into polished, trained men that you can take into public, how about we hunt down the motherfucker who’s stalking you?”
“I don’t want to tame you.” Her eyes flash. “I want to keep you out of jail.”