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But maybe it could serve another purpose.
It would be easy to pull out the gun and fire at the bitch who stands to gain everything I want.
Tempted beyond measure, I bite the inside of my cheek to control my irrational urges. Blood coats my tongue in a sharp metallic tang. My eyes mist the more I fight the pull, close to caving into the appeal of committing murder.
In the end, Trent is the one to stop me from giving in to my murderous impulses. He backs away from the cypress he’s hiding behind, retreating out of the park.
Where he goes, I follow.
I release my hold on the gun, and it falls into the bottom of my pocket.
Before I depart, I cast one last look at Simone, hating the woman with every fiber of my being.
In my haste to catch up to my boyfriend, my rushed footfalls cause my heels to sink into the grass path. My steps fumble as I try to right myself, twisting my ankle in the process. A hiss escapes my lips, catching Trent’s attention.
He stops walking, cautiously looking over his shoulder. His hazel eyes narrow in on me with a look of disdain, a look I see too often from him.
I’m massaging my tender ankle when he spins on his heels and approaches me with a low snarl in his voice. “You’re following me?”
“Yes,” I spit back, with equal disparagement. “Followed my philanderer right to his heartstrings.”
“Get a grip,” he chides me. “I followed them to see what the biker would tell Simone after he discovered my involvement with the Oldani file.”
I blink, blindsided by this recent development. “What do they know?”
Trent grows impatient. “More than they should. The worst part is, I had to implicate myself. A little digging, and they would have discovered the truth about my involvement with the account. I felt it best to be honest with how I became in charge of a mobster’s funds.”
Nervous, I lick my dry lips. “What else do they know?”
He pauses, anger blistering in his firm face. “They found your piggy bank.”
“Good.”
I sigh with relief. I didn’t want to give up the money, but I did it when Trent told me I had no other choice. There were bigger accounts showing more promise anyway, some I was already pocketing from. I have to have an insurance policy in case shit goes south.
“Maybe now they’ll go away.”
“Don’t be daft, Cynthia. They’re not leaving until they identify the culprit.”
My stomach plummets, but I can’t help seeing a silver lining where one doesn’t exist. “And that’s why you’re here? To spy on them and see if they drop names?” I press, hoping my earlier assumption was incorrect and Trent wasn’t longing for Simone.
Without answering, he turns away, shaking his head. He walks back to his vehicle, leaving me in utter suspense.
CHAPTERFORTY-NINE
CHASE
Yesterday in the park was one of the most difficult positions I’ve ever been in. And I’ve been in some shit scenarios, between my youth and my career. But telling the woman I love I understand if she wants to go back to her ex was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
After Simone cried her heart out, I took us back to the hotel, where I held her in my arms for the rest of the evening. I’m certain my woman is fighting an internal battle, warring between staying with me and going back to where she felt she always belonged, in a world of glitz on the arm of a polished financier.
Simone isn’t a shallow woman, but she’s worked hard in her career to live a certain way, in a fancy city, and to have the finer things this world offers. Fort Collins isn’t a hole in the wall by any means, but it’s not the lifestyle Simone would have chosen for herself. I can give her the home of her dreams and a fuck-ton of kids, but I’d always wonder if she was settling for me.
I’m grateful for her stubbornness. Had she not sent Trent up the creek, she may not have come to Colorado, and I would have lost the experience of loving her more than life itself. And if there’s one thing in this life I’ll never regret, it’s loving Simone, no matter how long or short our time together is.
This morning when she woke, she rubbed away the sleep from her eyes, shoved me away while muttering, “Stubborn ass. Can’t see what’s in front of you.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of her comment—I’m still not sure what she means. But it damn near broke my heart when I got on my bike and my obstinate woman donned her helmet to climb on the back of my hog. How many more chances will I have like this before she comes to her senses and leaves me for Trent?
