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My bodyguard gives his employer a curt nod. I follow Hayden into his office, and once we’re inside with the door shut and locked, I open my mouth to tell him all about my father.
I don’t get the chance.
Hayden is on me in the blink of an eye. He slams his mouth to mine and spears my lips with his tongue, dominating my senses. I sag in his embrace, clutching the material of his dress shirt to keep from plummeting to the floor. When he finally breaks the kiss, my breaths are short little pants, and my chest heaves with every inhalation.
“Not that I mind, but what was that greeting for?” I ask.
“I needed it. One taste wasn’t enough. Now why are you here, disobeying my orders as usual?”
I drop my gaze as shame washes over me. “I learned something about my father today. It gutted me, Hayden. I had to see you because I’m falling apart.”
Hayden leads me over to the chair behind his desk and sits, pulling me onto his lap. He wraps his arms around me, resting his chin on the top of my head after placing a kiss on my temple.
“Tell me everything,” he whispers.
So I do. By the time I’m done, I’m crying again. I retrieve the handkerchief that Sebastian gave me, already damp with my tears from earlier, and wipe my face.
“The man I idolized is a stranger to me,” I say. “It’s like I’ve lost him all over again. Now I have to bury the idea of him, the one I grew up loving.”
“I understand. Although I cared for my mother, it was difficult reconciling her with the woman who was a drug addict. People are complicated.”
“I know.” I sigh and grip the handkerchief tighter. “But that doesn’t make this any less painful for me to swallow.”
Hayden goes silent for a moment, but when he speaks again, his body tenses against mine. “Did you find out the name of the pharmaceutical company he was in bed with?”
“Oh, right. AstraRx. It’s owned by Thomas Russell, who was my father’s point of contact. You know, it’s crazy, but that’s the same company Harper’s mother works for.”
“She does?” he asks, his voice deceptively soft.
“Yes. When I visited Harper in the hospital, her mother stopped by as well. That’s where I saw her work badge.” I reach out and take a notepad and pen, drawing the symbol from memory. “This is the logo. Do you know it?”
If I thought Hayden was stiff before, now he’s like stone. “Are you certain that’s the company’s logo?”
“Yes, why? Do you know them?” I swallow as a thought surfaces. “You don’t think Harper’s mom was another one of my father’s contacts, do you?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
I lean back so I can see his face. “Please don’t do anything crazy. Harper would never forgive me if something happened to her mother. Promise me, Hayden.”
He clenches his jaw, his gaze churning with his thoughts. And his rage. “I promise I won’t hurt her. That’s the best I can do.”
“That’s not very reassuring,” I mumble. At a normal volume, I say, “Better than nothing. Thank you.” I throw my arms around his neck and give him a quick kiss. “Hopefully, this new information will lead us to whoever sent me that box, and possibly identify my father’s killer. Mr. Davis, my father’s campaign manager, said that my father did everything he could to make things right. If he refused to work with AstraRx, then maybe that’s what led to his murder. I have to believe that he was a good man when he died, or nothing in my life will make sense.”
“Shhh. Don’t worry about your father. What’s most important is you and keeping you safe.”
“But if they killed my father because of his involvement, then why are they coming after me? I had nothing to do with any of that. It’s not like I knew before today.”
“I don’t have an answer for you. Regardless, you need to go home and stay there.”
I sigh. “Fine. What time will you be off work?”
“Same as usual.”
“Okay.”
Hayden assists me to my feet and leads me to the door. After opening it, he looks at Sebastian. “Take Callie home.”
“Yes, sir.” The bodyguard looks at me. “Right this way, Mrs. Bennett.”
