Page 27 of Bedrock

She ran her hand through the sand and looked towards the horizon. “Someone wise once uttered those words to me, anyway.”

“I’m in love with you, Addison.”

Addie froze. “Please don’t say that. You hardly know me.”

“I know enough.”

Addie stood, dusting herself off and reached for his hand. “Come in the water with me.”

William stood and threw Addie over his shoulder. “So you think I’m too serious, huh?”

“Put me down.” Addie screamed as William waded further out into the water. Once the water reached his knees, William let Addie down. She surprised him by hugging his neck as she hung on, squeezing his waist with her thighs.

“You’re certainly not helping matters any, you know.” William said noting the way their bodies fit perfectly together. “Oh, by the way, I accepted an invitation for a last-minute business lunch tomorrow, right before we leave. I want you to come with me.”

Addie’s eyes squinted, and she bit her lip. “That’s probably not such a good idea.”

“Says who?” Addie leaned forward, kissing his neck, tasting the salt on his skin. Noticing the way the muscles in his chest flexed against her tongue, she moved lower. “If I didn’t know better, Mrs. Greyer, I’d say you were trying to distract me.”

“Never.” Addie whispered against his skin, biting just a little.

“I think, maybe, I’m in over my head.” William murmured.

“Not yet.” Addie replied right before he made love to her there in the water, both of them fully aware that members of his security team were likely looking on. When they were finished, they stayed that way, tangled and floating together, riding the waves for a long while. Neither of them wanted to come back to shore. Back to reality.

Patrick Greyer hated China from day one. Despised it. Why he’d even agreed to move there he had no idea. It was a mistake. He should be back in Texas where he belonged with his family and the woman he loved. The woman he really loved.

It was Michele, his boss and the woman he’d been seeing for two years, who had convinced him to take the promotion. Blackmailed him, really. Patrick wanted the promotion; he’d worked hard for it, but ultimately it was Michele who was the deciding factor in his decision.

Their affair had started off innocently enough: a look here, a little flirting there. But since they’d spent so much time together, working long hours and traveling often, it quickly progressed. Michele was older than he was, in her mid-forties and, as it turned out, much more savvy. She steered Patrick’s career, which helped him climb the ladder quicker than anyone expected, least of all himself. What had started out as an innocent affair quickly became something more. The situation snowballed so fast that, before long, he couldn’t find his way out of it. While Michele wasn’t as attractive as his wife and the sex only mediocre, Patrick found that he’d come to love her in his own way. She made it easy for him. Or was it difficult? He couldn’t figure out which. Patrick was attracted, perhaps even addicted, to her power. But it was a love-hate relationship at best. She made Patrick dependent on her, his career dependent on her. And that was dangerous.

He hated lying to his wife. But he’d become good at it. There were a few times he thought that maybe she’d suspected, but she never called him on it, even though there were times when he hoped that she would. Not that he made it easy. Over the last two years, Patrick had become an expert liar. He was paranoid and moody, while Addie’s attention was mostly focused on the children. He had purposely allowed more of the family responsibilities to fall on her shoulders, if nothing else to keep her occupied and out of his business.

But just because he was seeing Michele didn’t mean he didn’t love his wife. He loved her beyond measure. He just couldn’t stop what he was doing. Michele was a persuasive woman. He knew this because the few times he had tried to end things between them she knew exactly which threats to make to put an end to his requests. She had him by the balls, and they both knew it. Patrick understood Michele wanted him to leave his wife. But Greyer men didn’t just up and leave their families. Keeping a mistress was one thing, but a man who walked out on his family was another. In the end, Michele did what he figured any smart woman would do and got him as far away from his family as

possible. She concocted the expansion to China and put together a team in that placed her and Patrick in starring roles, threatening to tell his wife if he stayed. He had hoped that Addie would’ve put up a bigger fight and given him an ultimatum. If she had, Patrick swore that he might even tell her the truth, knowing full well that it would cost him his career. The problem was that the truth would likely cause him to lose his family, too. Losing both was more than he could bear. Patrick was trapped. But the worst part about it was that even he himself couldn’t be sure whether he loved it or hated it. His feelings seemed to change by the day.

And today, he hated the position he was in. He hated his job. He hated China. He hated Michele. His wife was in Italy on business, and there was nothing he could do to stop her from going. Ever since she’d taken that damned job, he’d felt a shift. He felt things changing between them. Maybe it was just his own guilt talking, but he swore it was the beginning of the end.

Scott Hammons woke up on the beautiful Isle of Capri in a better mood than he’d been in a long, long time. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. It was one of those days he just knew was going to be absolutely perfect. The day had finally come. He was over the moon.

Once and for all, Scott was going to put it all behind him, finally get the revenge he deserved. That bastard William Hartman had taken everything from him. But it was his turn now. The time had come for him to pay. He’d swindled his life right out from under him. He’d taken his business, tearing it to shreds, buying it off piece by piece until there was nothing left. Scott’s grandfather and great-grandfather had spent their entire lives building that business. And now it was gone. Sold to someone who didn’t give a shit about the blood, sweat, and tears it had taken to build it. William Hartman was pure evil, sent by Lucifer himself, and he was going to pay.

Hartman had taken everything from him: his business, his livelihood, and even his family. He caused Scott to become what he was: an old drunkard consumed by hate. That fucker would pay because everyone knew what the Bible said: “If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.” Hartman had stolen from him, and now he needed to know what it was like to suffer. And boy would he ever suffer. That bastard had to die. It was the only way because the Bible said, “Thou shall not steal.” And Hartman had stolen from him. He’d taken everything there was to take. He’d broken God’s law. Now, he needed to repent. He needed to give his life the way Scott had. The only option left was for him to die. That son of a bitch needed to experience a slow and painful death, just the way he had as he watched as everything was slowly taken from him: His wife and children. The family business. He knew that people talked about him, said he squandered it away with his drinking. Lies! All lies! Probably started by that liar Hartman himself just so he could take and take and take. But the Bible said: “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Hartman was a liar and Scott would fix that. He was here to do the Lord’s work. That bastard was evil and must die; there was no way around it.

Scott knew he was a smart man, no matter what others said about him. He knew what had to be done. He’d always taken care of business, despite what Hartman and the evildoers said. This time was no different. Once he signed away the last of his business, once he had signed away what remained of his life, he decided to do what any gracious man of God would do and invite that prick to lunch on his yacht to celebrate.

Scott would show him. First, he was going to slip a little something into his drink, make him a little drowsy, and then he’d make him pay. God’s will would be done. And since God himself had spoken to Scott and told him exactly what needed to be done to make that bastard pay, he was well prepared. God had said to tie him up. God told Scott to cut out Hartman’s tongue before he killed him because Hartman was a liar. The Bible said: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” Next, God had instructed Scott to cut off his greedy little fingers because the Bible said: “A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.”

Scott couldn’t wait to watch that son of a bitch beg for his life. Scott would please God, and God would smile down upon him, happy with his work. And in turn for his obedience, God would give him his life back. When you did God’s work, you were in His favor.

What Scott didn’t plan for was having that pretty little bitch accompany Hartman to lunch. He was infuriated. Now, he’d have to kill her too. The only problem was Hartman also had in tow three more members of his security team than Scott had planned for. Damn it! This wasn’t in the plan. Why hadn’t God warned him about this? Scott slapped himself over and over. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You are such a fuck up! Think. Think. Think.

Scott downed three glasses of gin and suddenly felt better. He went on with the lunch, abandoning God’s will for now, but as upset as Scott was, he was grateful. He knew the Bible said: “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who, through faith and patience, inherit what has been promised.” It turned out that God gave him an incredible gift that day. For years, he had been plotting and planning his revenge against William Hartman. But since Hartman was the devil incarnate, there were few things he loved—few things other than destroying people’s lives. God sent him a sign that day on the boat. Scott finally found something that Hartman loved just as much as Scott loved his family and his business—the family and the business that William had taken from him. Hartman was in love with this girl. Yes, it had indeed turned out to be a perfect day, the day that Scott Hammons met Addison Greyer. He hit the jackpot. He finally understood what God wanted. God wanted him to wait, to lurk in the shadows. And when the time was right, He wanted Scott to take away the one thing that William Hartman loved. Scott Hammons knew he was a smart man because when God spoke he listened.

William sipped his champagne from the deck intrigued by the way Addison interacted with Scott Hammons. He watched as she seemed to crack him, breaking him out of his shell. She was a natural. Scott Hammons was more talkative and friendlier than William had ever seen him.

William had reservations about bringing Addie. He beefed-up security and consulted with his team before making the decision. There was something about Scott that put him off. William didn’t trust him. For starters, he was an odd character, although the three liters of gin he was known to consume daily likely contributed to that. Scott Hammons was known as reclusive and strange in the business world, and William had always felt a little bit sorry for him—not sorry enough to walk away from a good business deal though. Business was business.

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