“I’ve got wine, tins of frosting, and a few other edibleitemswe can test out.” She loosens the top button of her blouse to ensure I can’t miss what the “other” items on her list pertain to.
I swivel my tongue around my mouth to loosen the dryness there before asking, “I thought you’re. . . ah. . .indisposed?”
Regan’s brows furl for the quickest second before they smooth back to their original position. “Yeah, so? That just means we have to be more inventive.”
I smile, grateful the frisky, fun-loving Regan is back. Although, I will admit, I like seeing her timid side as well. It gave me a chance to show her I can take care of her when needed. She doesn’t need to hold the reins all the time.
“I’d love to come up, baby, but I’ve got a really important meeting I have to attend.”
The smell of burning skin lingers in my nose when she glares at me. My ego absorbs her anger as disappointment, but my brain shouts at me to stop being such an idiot.
“I’ll drop by tonight, hopefully with some good news.”
Regan’s slit eyes return to their normal width. “Good news?”
I nod. “Hopefully.”
I’m confident I’ve got enough to take Theresa down, but I’m just as confident she won’t go down without a fight. Theresa didn’t get to her position by playing nice. She is more ruthless than any male supervisor I’ve worked under. I used to respect that about her. Now . . . I wouldn’t piss on her if she was on fire.
“What type of news?” Nothing but inquisitiveness rings in Regan’s tone.
“It won’t be a surprise if you spoil it for yourself,” I jest, running my finger down the crinkle in her nose.
She folds her arms in front of her chest before drawing away from me with a huff. “I don’t like surprises.”
“I don’t like that you don’t like surprises.”Or the way you’re looking at me.
I see Regan’s anger work up from her stomach to her throat before she squeals, throws open the cab door we’re sitting in, then hightails it to her apartment building. When she enters the idling elevator without a backward glance in my direction, I make a mental note to return with ice cream or chocolate. Perhaps even both.
I want to stay with her, but I need to slay one dragon before returning to soothe another.
21
Ugh! The gall of that man.
I practically throw myself at him, and he rejects me!ME!I had no intention of getting him naked—again;I just wanted to keep him talking like I did in the plane. It took me a little longer than I care to admit to get over my shock after discovering what secret Alex was hiding, but once the fog cleared, brilliant idea after brilliant idea steamrolled into me.
The one I had in the bathroom in the seconds leading to Alex accosting me there was my most brilliant one yet. Alex can’t take me or Isaac down if he’s buried beneath a pile of dirt. I don’t mean death. Although I’m mad as hell at the way he deceived me, I don’t wish him ill harm—unfortunately.
Hard time behind bars, on the other hand, I have no qualms with that.
There is no way what he did to me is legal, so I’m confident this isn’t the first time he’s done it. I’ve never had an interest in prosecution, but I did study it in law school in case things with Isaac didn’t pan out. All I need to do is unearth Alex’s innermost secrets, then I’ll expose them for the world to see. He’ll be stripped from his position, dragged through the mud, and then he can become extremely friendly with some of the men he’s placed behind bars. . . and I won’t feel an ounce of guilt.
Maybe.
Somewhat.
Not even.
Argh!
I wish I were a vindictive person. It would be a shit ton easier if Alex didn’t look at me the way he did. I’m aware people are trained for this; they’re taught how to walk, speak, and act to ensure their cover isn’t blown, but nothing he did seemed like a ruse. I truly believed he cared about me.
I growl when I catch sight of the hopeful woman in the mirror hanging in the entranceway of my apartment. What a pathetic loser she is.He lied to you, repeatedly, yet you’re still seeking a way to excuse him. You’re better than this.
With sheer determination fueling my steps, I dump my overnight bag, charge into the office Isaac had fitted for me when I agreed to relocate to Ravenshoe, then I fire up the software program I had Hunter install while I flew home. I have a lot of evidence to process. Names, dates of birth, and the numerous pictures of Alex’s family I snapped on my way from the dungeon-like room he was hiding out in when he discovered me spying on him to his bedroom.
In a moment of anger, I tried to convince myself that Alex’s family members were agents brought in to fool me. But the longer I stared at his family portraits, the more I realized I was wrong. They don’t just have similarities; they have a connection that can’t be forced. Their dynamic matches the one I have with my family, so I’m confident they’re the one lie Alex didn’t attempt to pull over my eyes.
