Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 104532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“Don’t jump the gun. It’s only an invitation for us to meet.”
“The moment Ethan Meyer sees your work, he’ll be sold.”
“We’ll see.” I guess there’s only one way to find out. “Does that mean you’re free?”
“There’s no question about it. Even if I weren’t, I would’ve dropped everything else.”
His words send a flutter to my belly. “Thank you.”
“Of course, darling. You’re my wife.”
Annie sticks her head around the doorframe, mouthing, “There’s someone to see you.”
“I’ve got to go,” he says.
I give Annie a thumbs-up. “Me too.”
“Wait,” he says. “Can you be home by six?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I’m going to the shooting range. I want you to do another few practice rounds.”
My muscles tense, but now that I’ve fired a gun, the stress is manageable. “Only if you draw a perfect egg face.”
He laughs. “I’ll draw it with my tongue on your—”
“Leon,” I whisper-cry.
“I was going to say stomach,” he says, not even trying to sound convincing.
“I’ll see you tonight.”
“Can’t wait.”
A smile splits my face when I hang up. I’m still grinning when I walk into reception where Annie is waiting. Instead of a client, as I expected, Elliot stands in front of the desk.
The smile vanishes from my face. My heart makes a racket in my chest. There can only be one reason my stepbrother is here. He discovered the photos are gone.
My steps automatically slow. To my dismay, the reception area is vacant of customers.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, stopping a safe distance away.
He stretches out his arms. “Aren’t you going to give your brother a hug?”
“I’m busy,” I bite out.
“I just wanted to see how my little sis is doing in her new job.”
“It’s quiet now,” Annie says, obviously meaning well. “Take a few minutes if you like. I’ll stand in for you.”
Miraculously, I manage to keep a straight face and not show my panic. “Thanks, Annie. I won’t be long.”
The hair on my nape stands on end at how closely he’s following on my heels when I walk outside. I suppress the urge to arch my back just to put distance between us. Once I’m on the veranda, I spin around.
“What do you want, Elliot?”
“So, this is where you work.” He looks around. “Nice place. A bit pricey though. I checked the price list while I waited.”
“Cut the bullshit. You didn’t come here because you were curious about my workplace or our prices.”
He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Touché.”
Now that the initial shock of seeing him is over, I take in his creased shirt and the sweat stains under his armpits. He lost weight. His clothes hang shapelessly on his bony frame. Stubble covers his jaw, and his hair is overdue for a cut. He looks haggard.
“What do you want?” I ask again, my voice calm despite the erratic beat of my heart.
He gives me a thin smile. “No small talk with your family?”
I don’t bother to disguise my disgust. “You’re not my family.”
“Mm.” He sucks air through his teeth. “I guess that means I’ll just have to cut to the chase.”
“Yes,” I say, my jaw clenched. “I prefer you spit out what you came here to say. I have a job to do.”
His upper lip curls. “You think you’re so clever. Did you really believe sending your husband to break into my computers and phone would make the photos disappear?”
My pulse jumps into overdrive. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cut the bullshit, Violet,” he sing-songs, quoting my earlier words. “There’s only one person who could’ve hacked into my and my PI’s devices.”
I turn on my heel. “This conversation is over.”
“I still have the evidence.”
Stopping in my tracks, I slowly face him. “What did you say?”
He takes his phone from his pocket and shows me the screen. It’s not a photo of my mom and her lover.
It’s worse.
It’s a video.
It’s a graphic motion picture of the two of them in bed.
With sound.
Grunting and moaning.
The blood drops from my head to my feet. I reach for the phone, trying to grab it. “Turn that off.”
He yanks it out of my reach. “Tsk, tsk. No grabbing. Didn’t your mother teach you manners? And don’t even think about asking your husband to erase the evidence again. This time, I planted the video in a hidden mailer program that sits on the office’s main server. If anyone tampers with my computer or my phone, the program will be activated and the video delivered to every desktop and company cell phone at Starley Solutions.”
“You son of a bitch.” I think I may be sick. “Where did you get that?”
He only bares his teeth in a mocking semblance of a smile.
Then I get it. Suddenly, I understand my oversight, the mistake I made. “The guy.” My mother’s lover. “He was in on it.”
“Of course he was,” he taunts.
The quiet street with all the neighbors hiding inside their houses comes back to taunt me. I should’ve thought about it. I should’ve told Leon. I shouldn’t have listened to my mom when she vowed she trusted him.