Total pages in book: 170
Estimated words: 160166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
My heart beats all wrong once and then twice. He’s referring to the info from Braelynn. Or at least information only she was supposed to have. I swallow thickly, trying not to think of that right now.
“All you have are theories and made-up evidence. My lawyer alerted me to those numbers and they don’t match what’s filed.”
He only grunts.
“Your detectives should have done their due diligence, none of that information matches what was filed.”
Heat coats my skin as I realize, had I given Braelynn the real numbers, I could be locked up for evasion, fraud, and laundering. More than once in the last decade I’ve narrowly escaped hard time. Never due to a woman I loved though. Hell…I’ve never loved a woman. I’m out of my depths.
“Mr. Cross?” his hardened voice raises and I’m brought back to the present. Back to being irritated and wanting nothing more than to get the fuck out of here.
“What?”
“You really think you’re going to get away with this?”
“Away with what exactly?”
“With everything you and your brothers have done. It’s going to catch up to you sooner or later and you’re all going down.”
I crack my own neck, more irritated than anything else. “Do you have any actual fucking questions for me?”
“I didn’t bring you in to talk,” Mauer tells me before standing up straighter. “You’d plead the fifth in any deposition like you have before. No fucking use.”
My brow cocks as I wait for him to tell me whatever the fuck it is he wants to get off his chest.
“You burned my house down to announce war,” he tells me, heading to the door. “I brought you in here to inform you that the challenge was accepted.”
“Is that right?” I ask him.
And with that he leaves me. My shoulders rise and fall as the anger grows inside me. I keep calm, waiting to be released. All the while, I realize we can find the kink in the chain.
All I need to know is how the fuck I had no idea this prick was watching us. Somewhere along the line one of my men knew and chose not to tell me. If I find that thread and pull, every man who works for me but failed to do their damn job is as good as dead. Starting with every cop on payroll who knew the two who worked for Mauer.
BRAELYNN
I know the second I step through the door that I won’t be able to sit alone in Declan’s bedroom. Lying in bed as the memories of all we’ve done and all we’ve been through fight for all my attention. I’ll only get trapped in my thoughts and emotions, and that will make me feel even more helpless.
The little black velvet box from the jeweler’s sits on the dresser and I stare at it longer than a sane person would. Swallowing thickly, I tell myself that I can at least try to wait patiently. I don’t have to call for help every time there’s a problem. The part of me that wants to be as independent as I possibly can says I should only reach out if something’s really wrong.
That it’s good for me to be alone right now.
But the other part of me knows that’s very much not the case. There hasn’t been much lately that serves as a good memory, other than being with Declan, so it’s all left me shaken and unsure of myself.
Without thinking, I move through the motions. I take off my coat and hang it up. Go to the bedroom and wash my face. I pull off my top and replace it with a soft sweater. It’s comforting, it’s luxurious even, but it doesn’t stop the racing thoughts in all this silence.
Then, as slowly as I can, I go back to the shared space of this massive estate and to what seems to be the gathering spot: the kitchen.
All the while my heart beats harder and harder not knowing how any of this will go.
The clock on the oven says it’s only been ten minutes. Ten minutes of shaking, ten minutes of triggering moments that threaten to undo the barely put together composure I’m holding onto. I’ve never been one to reach out for help, but something tells me I need to. I grab my phone and send Aria a quick text. Are you busy? Can I come hang out?
I’m in the studio and have a glass of wine with your name on it, she texts back.
It’s a huge house and these wings are like mazes, but I remember the way to her studio. Aria opens the door just as I raise my hand to knock.
“Hi.” She looks concerned, but not worried, which might be just what I need at this moment. “You doing okay?” She moves slightly, her black silk maxi dress swaying around her hips as she does. The dress is simple, and she’s only brushed her hair, yet everything about her looks expensive in a way that I could never achieve. An easy confident beauty. She ushers me into the room and I’m hit with the scent of roses and lavender. Her candles are lit.