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“Really?” he asked, his eyebrows raising. “Which one?”
“None of the women she’s partnered with. Anyway, Claire said he showed up at a poker game she and Eli put together the night of Simmura Lee’s engagement. She’s this big pop star who had an image of being pure and virginal.”
He looked at her with a grin.
“And she’s visiting a sex club,” he murmured, then chuckled. “Okay, then.”
“Anyway, she’s the one who got pushed out a window,” she explained.
“So Montgomery was here when that happened? On the property?”
“Apparently. He got one of the other poker players to invite him,” Nita said.
“Why would he do that?”
“I think I heard something about Montgomery having Eli spy on Hartley,” she replied.
“Eli. Why him?”
“They’re half brothers by marriage. Claire did a lot of eye rolling when she talked about how they got into a fight that night at the poker game.”
“Huh,” Ryder said, looking into space. “And what does your gut tell you about Jackal?”
That made her laugh.
“I thought you’d be pissed at me for not telling you he texted me on Monday,” she said.
“I think I got over that in the shower,” he joked, but when his gaze drifted to hers, all the humor left. She caught her breath at the fierce look in his eyes and the convulsive way he swallowed.
“Ryder—” she murmured when he reached out and touched her cheek. Her voice seemed to break into his thoughts, because he smiled and brushed a knuckle under her chin, like she was a kid.
“But I should still be pissed. Security was breached, and that’s my domain. So what’s your take on him?” he asked.
“He’s always seemed pretty steady to me. Quiet. He seems as committed to Cavendish as I am, so maybe I’m a little biased. I think I trust him,” she said, her voice tapering off as she compared the two men in her mind. “I trust Montgomery, too, but—”
He frowned at her.
“But what?” he asked.
“I get why Jackal came back. He said he wanted to clear his name, and that makes sense to me. I’m not sure why Montgomery’s hanging around so much. He’s been here on and off ever since Hartley and her college friends bought the place.”
Ryder huffed a small laugh, but still looked serious.
“Maybe he doesn’t want a divorce and she does,” he suggested.
“She’s sure mentioned it enough,” she agreed. “And she treats him like shit in front of everybody, but he just lets it roll off him.”
“Well, maybe the bullshit doesn’t affect him,” Ryder said. “He strikes me as a guy who’s used to getting what he wants. Maybe he wants her no matter what she puts him through.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
“What?” he asked, looking put out at her implied humor. “I don’t always get what I want.”
“Oh yeah? Whatdoyou want?” she asked, and couldn’t stop her hand from tracing the letters of the name Blaze on his chest.
His eyes shone and she held her breath, willing him to say, “You.” As his lips parted, a buzzing sound came from the bathroom. He half sat up, listening, and she sank onto her back, trying to pretend that her question had been anything but serious.
“Duty calls,” she murmured, and tried not to sigh when he rolled out of bed and disappeared.
