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The apartment sits undisturbed as I walk inside, and I kick off my shoes. A hot shower and a nap should do the trick to relieve me of my fatigue. Maybe a shot of something after to ease the sting of what I just witnessed. Maybe two shots.
“Kylie?”
I jump a little as Jax pops his head out from behind the couch, his hair flat on one side. Was he waiting for me there all night?
“Hey, Jax.” I nod his way before moving toward the hall. Whatever lecture he has planned can wait till later when I’m coherent.
“No, wait,” he says, stumbling to a stand. “I want to apologize.”
I shrug. “No need. You were right. I was wrong. End of story.”
“I had no right to ambush you,” he blurts out. “I told David to call the whole thing off once you left. It’s not fair of me to ask those kinds of things of you. Especially if it will put you in danger.”
“No kidding,” I mumble, leaning on the wall to hold up my worn-out body. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“Well, I can’t just leave without knowing my sister came home safely. Besides, I think a day off will do me some good.” He stretches with a yawn, and I can’t help but yawn in response.
“You have been acting a little crazy lately,” I admit.
“I promise from here on out not to interrogate you anymore,” he vows, holding up a hand.
I’d appreciate this apology a little more if Johnathan didn’t just prove him to be right. I want to tell Jax everything that happened, but I know it won’t end well. The last thing I need is for him to storm into the office with his big-brother pants on.
“Thanks, Jax,” I say through another yawn. “I think I’m going to go take a shower and a nap if that’s cool with you.”
I’ve never been so happy to stumble toward a bathroom in my life. Hopefully the sting of betrayal will wash away in the shower, and I’ll be able to take a decent nap before returning to the office. And this time, I will find what I’m looking for.
* * *
It’safter two by the time I return, and Johnathan is nowhere to be seen. Glad that he got the hint. His schedule reflects the rest of the day filled with back-to-back meetings, so I don’t anticipate him waltzing through the door anytime soon. Hopefully I can dig up what he’s been hiding before the end of the day. I don’t think I can take any more half-assed truths from him, and I’m definitely not going to sit around waiting for an explanation. It’s time that I took matters into my own hands. And it starts with Leonardo Guerra.
I pile the folders we’ve searched through on the window ledge to make some room for four large boxes of files that have been collecting dust in the corner. When I first showed them to Johnathan, he reassured me that he knew exactly what this was and that it had nothing to do with our investigation. But with his new character revealed, I’m convinced that this is exactly what we’ve been looking for. And all I have to do is crack open the first box to be proven right.
Endless correspondence with Frank and Leo about properties, some of while I’ve already read the files on. Agreements for wire transfers of large amounts to offshore bank accounts. It’s like half of the dead ends I’ve been scratching my head over are in this one box alone. Did Johnathan know this was here all along? And if he did, does that mean our late-night meetings have been nothing but a ploy to get under my skirt? Was that really the challenge?
CHAPTER21
Johnathan
She’s here.
I make my way toward her, heart pounding. How much has she been able to uncover in the last couple of hours? While I was busy in meetings, all I could do was imagine what Kylie was thinking. How betrayed she must feel after seeing me with Isabella. I’m grateful that she actually came back. If I was her, I’d have left out the front door and never returned. Maybe our time together goes a little deeper than I’ve been catering to.
She moves a box out of my way as I sit across from her. I lace my fingers on the table in front of me and take a deep breath. Time to come clean.
“I know there’s a lot I have to apologize for,” I start.
“Did you know about Leonardo?” she asks.
“Um, what about him exactly?” I stammer, completely thrown off. “The fact that he’s my father-in-law or—”
“What? Are you fucking kidding me? You’re married?” she yells. I can see the shock on her face, and I quickly realize she didn’t know Isabella is my wife.
Way to dig myself into a deeper hole.
“Look, Kylie.”
“Don’t Kylie me,” she snaps. “Admit it. You’ve been playing me this whole time. This so-called mission you’re after has nothing to do with the firm. Does it?”
