Page 57 of Cash

“Just watch them.”

The door clicked behind Garrett.

I pulled up the first file. Lore’s bedroom came into view. A second later she walked out of the bathroom in a pair of light pink cotton shorts that showed off a hell of a lot of leg. The matching pink top strained against her breasts. Her brown hair piled on top of her head in one of those messy buns women wore.

Ready for bed.

Irritation surged.

Irrational jealousy.

Possessive and irrational.

Somewhere in the corner of my mind, I knew Garrett—a married man—wouldn’t have watched Lore’s security feed from her bedroom if she was about to…

I shoved that thought aside and unclenched my jaw.

Lore sat on the side of the bed, reached into her nightstand…and once again my molars clamped tight. She pulled a phone out and stared at it. The angle was such that I could see the screen—it was black. Her shoulders heaved and she touched the screen. Once she entered the password, she quickly navigated to her recent calls.

The King.

Three missed calls.

Nothing else in or out.

She went to the voicemail icon and played the first message.

Hey, it’s Cash. I need to apologize for being a dick. Call me when you can.

She backed out of that message and went to the next.

Hey, it’s Cash again. It’s been a week. I was an out of line motherfucker. I get you’re pissed and you should be but please call me, Lore. I need to tell you how sorry I am.

She backed out of that one but hesitated before she went to the last voicemail.

Hey, it’s me. It’s been two weeks, Lore. I get you’re rightfully pissed. But at least send a text. I need to know you’re okay.

She backed out of the message. Powered down the phone, brought it up and tapped the device against her forehead.

“Weak,” Lore drawled. “So fucking weak. You need to forget him, Stella.”

Stella.

So when she was being what she thought of as weak, she was Stella. When she was in badass, operator mode she was Lore.

It was interesting we had similar inferences—only I thought of her as Stella when she let her guard down and allowed herself to feel. But Lore would see that as a weakness instead of a strength like I did.

I glanced at the timestamp on the video—approximately three weeks after she’d left.

I opened the next file.

Stella and Cara in a pristine little girl’s room. The two of them snuggled together on the bed. I felt my chest compress at the sight of them.

“One more, please,” Cara begged with pleading eyes.

My eyes roamed Stella’s face she looked… at peace.

A faint smile ghosted her lips. “Have I told you the story of the King, the Dove, and the Snake?”