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His finger hovered above number one, but a light blue sedan caught his eye. He paused as it pulled up to the sidewalk. Maybe he could get in if someone was going into the building. He’d play the whole forgotten keys card.
He braced himself, carefully putting on what he hoped was a panicked face. Hell, he didn’t have to really fake anything. He legitimately did feel distressed.
He gaped in shock and stunned surprise as the driver’s door opened and a woman he recognized got out. Mandy. June’s friend. Brock couldn’t believe his luck. He started for the car and when Mandy saw him approach, she froze. She looked torn, like she was trying to decide whether to get back in the car and drive off or go through the showdown with him.
Brock knew he couldn’t let her get away. This was his chance. It might be his only chance. He ran over to the car and threw himself in front of it. There was a car parked behind Mandy, so she had nowhere to go. She stood frozen, one brow raised, face pinched, half in suspicion and half in amazement.
“Brock?” She stared at him like she didn’t actually believe it was him.
He was half in shock and didn’t realize that there was another person in the car until the passenger door opened and Jaz stepped out. “Oh my god. Brock! What are you doing here?”
“Is this some kind of trick?” Mandy’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, is this a joke?” Mandy and Jaz exchanged a look.
“If it is, I’m not in on it,” Brock assured them. “I was just wondering if you could help me get up to June’s apartment. I mean that in the least creepy way possible. We- uh- she left this morning before I was awake. She didn’t say a word. I- she might have seen something that made her angry and hurt and I didn’t have a chance to explain. I called the hotel, but they told me that you’d already checked out.”
“That’s a breach of privacy, I’m sure,” Jaz said sarcastically.
“I think it one hundred percent is. Should I phone and complain?” Mandy asked.
Jaz shrugged. “I guess not.” She turned back to him and her frown intensified. She looked adorable, her sweet pixie features pulled into something that she wanted to look menacing and black. Of course, he didn’t laugh. He needed them on his side. “Did they give you her address too?”
“That is definitely a breach of privacy,” Mandy confirmed.
“No, they didn’t give me her address.”
“Did she? I’m pretty sure she didn’t unless this is a huge joke and you were meant to meet us here.”
“No. It’s not a joke.” It was his turn to frown. He had no idea why they kept saying that. Unless… the back of the car was tinted out and it was hard to see inside, but suddenly it made sense. They weren’t actually ahead of him. They were behind him. They must have stopped along the way and he’d driven straight through. He’d beat them home. Which meant June was in the back seat.
“How did you get it then?” Jaz crossed her arms.
Desperation warred with an odd sense of exhilaration. Brock held out his hands. “Look. I’m not a creep. I- I just want to talk to June. I know she’s angry with me. I know she thinks it is the truth. She thinks I lied to her, but I just needed more time to explain. I was going to tell her everything.”
“My god, you’re already married?” Jaz’s mouth opened in shock and her scowl turned intense. The blackness in her gaze was almost frightening.
“You’re a killer?”
“You don’t like babies?”
“You weren’t really drunk when you tricked her into marrying you?”
“You- you recently got out of prison?”
“No.” This was just getting out of hand. Brock sighed. “I- she asked me if I was rich and I told her that I was alright. I blew it off. I didn’t want to tell her who I really am. I- I thought she’d look at me different. We don’t know each other. The marriage was- well you know what it was. I just wanted a day where I could try and prove to her that I’m me and I might be worth getting to know.”
Mandy scowled at him, a matching expression to the one on Jaz’s face. “Why would being rich change that?”
He shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I- it just would. It has for other people.”
Mandy’s eyes widened with sudden understanding. “How rich are you?”
“Rich enough that she could look me up online when she finally decided to figure out what my last name was. She saw the marriage certificate, which I wasn’t trying to hide. I would have showed her if she asked. I wasn’t trying to hide anything or pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I was just- I just wanted to be me. I didn’t want to be that guy, the Brock that sold his software company for six billion dollars… that kind of money, it changes what people want and expect from you.”
