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Cole pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and growled. All they’d wanted was to be together, and Denyer had ruined it.
The woman they were speaking to was silent, but after a few drawn-out moments, she replied, “I like you. Both of you. You have principles.” Her sigh was resigned and a lot disappointed. “Look, this Denyer isn’t who he seems. On the surface, he’s a lawyer at a prestigious firm. He has some of the top clients in the country. But in reality, he has his fingers in dodgy dealings from east to west coast. I’m not done digging dirt up on him yet, but I’ve got enough to put him away for a long fucking time with what I have.”
Red tinted his vision. It wasn’t just them he’d screwed over. The man was supposed to be honourable or some shit, not break the law. He wanted Denyer in jail. He wanted him to rot in there and to see him destroyed.
“Find it all. I want him buried. I want him to burn,” Cole gritted. Ava gasped, turning to him wide-eyed. He couldn’t begin to process the shock etched in her features, but he swallowed, sucked in a breath and tried to calm down before he said something to her, he’d regret.
Clarity eventually won out over vengeance, and he calmed fractionally. Ava had explained how this lady would get paid—she’d take his assets. Cole wasn’t an idiot—someone who’d been able to dig up this sort of dirt on someone in such a short timeframe wasn’t doing it through proper channels either. But he had to ask. Putting him in jail wasn’t worth bankrupting himself or their business. “How much do we owe you?”
The woman on the other end laughed, a husky sound that made his blood heat up and run cold at the same time. “Oh, sweetheart, you don’t owe me anything. I’m going to clean this bastard out. Every single cent of it.”
Ava swallowed. “How did you find out all this information? What if it wasn’t really him?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe I’m sticking up for him.”
“The thing with people like Denyer is that they leave behind a trail of their dealings. It’s like a stain. To the naked eye, it might appear to fade. But look closely enough in the right spot and you can see the shadow of it. And I know where to look. I know how to look.” Shuffling like she was adjusting her phone sounded, and he could hear her clicking away on a keyboard. “He’s guilty of far worse things than outing your boyfriend.”
Ava added, “Bryce told us that Denyer spoke to him about his son. Did you find out anything about him?”
“Jacob Denyer. He doesn’t appear to have anything to do with his son. They haven’t spoken or emailed for the last few years. His son changed his name too. I’d say he knows exactly what kind of person his dad is and got out. He doesn’t have any other children.”
“Okay. Yeah, do it then. But I want to go to the police. Can you send what you have to them?” Ava asked.
“I’m not finished yet. I want to do a full workup on him. But when I’m done, I’ll send it to my contact in the police. Leave it with me; I’ll look after everything from here on out.”
Relief washed over him like a summer breeze straight off the ocean. The same breeze he’d enjoyed that first night he, Ava, and Bryce were together. He was already lighter knowing that Denyer would get his comeuppance. “Thank you, um… it’s so weird not knowing your name.” He huffed out an uncomfortable laugh.
“My online alias is Queen.”
“Like Queen Elizabeth?” Ava asked, pulling a face that Cole had to bite back a laugh at.
Queen chuckled. “No, like the chess piece. I can go anywhere. Boundaries other people set up don’t stop me.”
Ava’s eyes widened and she nodded. “Right. Well, thank you, Queen. We appreciate everything you’ve done to help us.”
“No worries. You won’t hear from me again.”
The line went dead, and Cole blinked, his eyebrows hiking up his forehead. She was… interesting. A little scary too. Fucking brilliant and slightly unhinged. Definitely a queen of old—that “boundaries… what are they?” attitude wouldn’t fly for most people these days, but on her it was kind of hot.
“We should call Bryce,” Ava murmured. Cole shook himself out of his thoughts and cocked an eyebrow at Ava when she laughed. “I had exactly the same reaction when I spoke to her too. She’s kinda scary and maybe a little crazy too but hot at the same time.”
“Mmm.” He tugged her between his legs and licked her throat. With a growl, he added, “This might be a new fantasy for me.”
Her reaction was immediate, a small shiver and an arch of her back, pressing her butt against his groin. His shaft thickened as she rocked against him.
“What might?” Bryce answered. Cole hadn’t even realized she’d pressed call. “Actually, I don’t care. I’m in.”
Cole huffed out a laugh, his skin flushing hot with desire. “Ava and another woman.”
“Deal. When and where? I’ll be there.” There was talking in the background, laughter too.
“Bryce,” Ava interrupted, her tone serious. “We have news. Do you want to go somewhere more private?”
“I’m with Jake and Mike and all the partners and kids. Do I…?”
“If you’re asking if it was them, the answer’s no,” Cole answered quickly. He wasn’t going to drag this out any more than he had to. “It was Denyer.”
“Denyer?” he shouted. “What the fuck?”
Cole expected a commotion in the background, but instead there was absolute silence.
