She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. “I’ve been through worse. I’ll get through this.”
Colton whipped his gaze to her.Worse than this? Chad needs to keep digging.
She handed Tucker her credit card. “I’ll give you my phone number. Anything ruined can go. Only the piano has sentimental value.”
Tucker took the card, but Colton plucked it from his cousin’s hand. “You were on Mitus Conglomerate time. I’ll take care of this.”
“No,” she said. “You aren’t paying for my mistake…I mean, forthis.”
She blames herself? What the hell is going on?
Tucker threw his hands into the air. “While you two kids work out the payment plan, I’m going to make some calls.”
“Tuck, discretion please,” said Colton.
“You got it.” Tucker smiled reassuringly. “No worries, Brigit.”
“Brigit, Chad and I will help you pack.” Colton handed Tucker his credit card as the three retreated upstairs.
At the top of the flight, she paused. “You’re going to a lot of trouble for me.” She mustered a feeble smile. “You must really need a wealth manager.”
I do, but I’m not abandoning you, either.
Back in her bedroom, Brigit pulled a storage container from beneath her bed, lifted the lid and sighed. The box was filled with photo albums and childhood keepsakes. A smile ghosted across her lips when she held the Barbie tucked in its original packaging.
“My sisters must have each had ten Barbies,” Chad said. “Was she your favorite?”
Brigit looked up at the two men flanking her. “I was only allowed one. But she did have a kick-ass dream house and a fabulous wardrobe.”
One Barbie? What was that all about?His sister had once owned a slew of dolls.
“I’ll carry that for you,” Chad said.
“No, thanks. I’ve got this one.”
Under her instruction, Colton and Chad carried suits and several shoe boxes to the Bentley. “What is it with women and shoes?” Colton asked Chad as they loaded the vehicle.
“My sister told me that shoes complete the outfit.” Chad stacked the boxes. “I told her a beer completes mine.”
Back in Brigit’s bedroom, Colton pulled her aside. “Since you’re leaving your lingerie. I’ll have Zoe get you whatever you need. She’s my personal shopper. Did you meet her?”
“I did, but I’ll purchase my own undergarments. Thanks, though.”
“Should I guess your sizes or do you want to tell me?”
“Are all our conversations going to be this contentious?”
“Only if you disagree with me.”
“Better buckle up, then.” She gave him a little smile. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
* * *
Brigit backedher blackEscalade out of her garage. Sweaty palms and racing heartbeat aside, she hated leaving her home in shambles, but staying wasn’t an option. As she followed Chad through Georgetown and over Key Bridge into Virginia, she kept glancing in the rearview mirror. The sheer volume of traffic made it impossible to know if she was being followed. Had Vinny Ray escaped prison? And how had he tracked her down?
Six years ago, the abrupt and violent deaths of her parents launched Eve Francesco into a downward spiral. She was confident Vinny Ray would be found guilty, but he got off on a technicality. His drunk driving acquittal gutted her. Drowning in grief, she’d returned to Philadelphia, desperate for comfort from her longtime boyfriend. But when she found him in bed with another woman, his betrayal crushed her. While at Ray’s trial, a hotshot investor named Colton Mitus snatched up her family’s business, then refused to even discuss her future at the Francesco Company. That broke her.
When the need to avenge her parents wouldn’t subside, a straight-laced Eve had dropped off the grid and reemerged in Ray’s hometown an hour outside Philly. While her disguise was extreme, her plan was even more so. She hid her cropped mouse-brown hair beneath a long black wig, threw on glasses, and dressed in provocative clothing that left little to the imagination.
