Page 109 of Discretion at Its Finest

Either way… I needed answers.

And I was going to find out one way or another.

Chapter forty-three

Genevieve

By the time I padded downstairs, the lights in the hallway were dimmed, the only light from the low golden glow spilling from the living room.

My steps faltered as I saw Gregory standing at the bar cart he frequented on stressful nights, mornings… any time really.

I thought he’d gone to bed already.

I was wrong.

His back was to me as I entered. Shoulders stiff. One hand braced on the cart. The other setting down a half-empty whiskey glass with a soft click that sounded entirely too loud in the quiet room. I paused in the doorway.

My stomach tightened before my mind caught up, but I forced a gentle tone anyway, the one I used whenever I had to slip back into that role. It felt fake more and more these days.

“Ready for bed?” I said softly, but he didn’t look at me just yet, turning to lean against the wall, his shoulders slumped, posture heavy. My heart swelled in pity. Force of habit, maybe even a hint of guilt as my feet padded their way over to him, feeling obligated to carry old traditions like it was any other day.

“Greg, come on,” I said gently. “Let’s get you to bed.”

His head finally lifted, bloodshot eyes boring into mine. “I went through Reid’s office today.”

My eyebrows furrowed. Why would he—”Why?“ I asked.

He shrugged, careless on the surface. “His assistant was planning to clear it out anyway. And it won’t matter soon, right? Not like the Feds aren’t going to take every scrap of it if he’s put away for good.”

My hand shook by my side, but I crossed my arms, hoping it would hide the jittery feeling I had all of a sudden.

I swallowed. “Were you… looking for something?”

“I don’t think so,” he muttered, sniffing softly before he reached over, grabbed the glass and downed the rest of his drink. He placed the cup down, leaning back against the wall as if it eased him.

Meanwhile I was coming out of my skin, my mind racing at the possibility of… well, anything. The time felt like it was mocking me, moving at a pace that made me so anxious. Every second stretched too long.

“Did find something though.” He reached into his back pocket, pulling out something that made my blood run cold. The fabric hung shamefully from his finger.

“Found this in a drawer,” he muttered. “Did you know he keeps things of yours in there?”

My lips pressed into a thin line, my eyes lingering on my thong that my fiancé held in his hand.

Was I surprised Reid kept things of mine? No. If anything, a sick, stupid part of me, the part that had been long starved for affection, for being wanted, felt the familiar heat of being claimed and possessed by him in even just the smallest of ways.

But now was not the time for that kind of thinking. Not when the sight of him claiming me only made bile rise in my throat.

Greg pushed off the wall, throwing the thin fabric onto the floor. “Found something else in there…” he murmured. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

He stepped closer, my foot taking one back out of instinct. My heart clenched hard enough to hurt. Tears blurred my vision immediately, as I shook my head.

He shook his own head. “You and I both know that’s not true, Genevieve…” His voice lowered into something I’d never heard from him before. “You’ve been acting differently ever since he came back… Eugene too. He doesn’t even acknowledge me anymore these days. Doesn’t wait up like he used to, doesn’t care anymore if I’m even there or not. It’s almost like Reidstepped into my role… and fit just fine.”

He rubbed a hand across his jaw, eyes lowering to my stomach for a moment before finding mine again. He continued walking to me, his steps predatory, his eyes lethal, his expression calm, almost lethargic. I felt like running. But I couldn’t. My body felt pinned under his gaze.

“I just kept thinking about when you were pregnant with him,” he began, and the ache in his voice was unmistakable. “I didn’t question anything… I would never question my son,” he said softly.

“Greg—” I tried. But he cut me off.