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A tear rolls down my face.
And another.
Bryce wipes them away. “You’re not the callous prick. Brad is.”
I sniffle. “That doesn’t absolve me from the guilt.” Too ashamed, I keep my eyes glued to my hand.
His thumb and forefinger grasp my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “You’re a good person who got caught in a shitty situation because of an immoral man who used you for his devious scheme without you knowing. What you did for that couple proves you have a heart of gold.”
I suck in a breath, wipe my tears away with the back of my hand, and continue. “Once it sunk in, they had been conned, the wife went into a mental break down. The husband was left dealing with his son, two disabled daughters, and a depressed wife. Even though I wasn’t responsible for cheating them out of their money, guilt prevented me from sleeping at night. I couldn’t live with myself, so I… um… gave them all the money I had left. It wasn’t enough money to set them up for life, but the kids would be able to get the care or medication they needed until the husband could figure out his next move… he had just lost his job a few weeks before Brad skipped town.”
Bryce growls. “I swear to God, Brad Hyler needs to be castrated. It’s an abomination for him to put these people in such a precarious position.”
“He’s a horrible human being—”
“No, he’s a piece of shit.”
“That too.”
Bryce shakes his head.
“How did you get connected with Todd?” he asks.
“A former part-time employee of mine.” I hesitate. “You’ve used her services.” He cocks a brow. “I met her at the first seminar of Brad’s I attended. I didn’t know at the time she was an escort. We started chatting and we became close. After buying the twelve-plex, I needed help. She volunteered. I warned her I couldn’t pay her much and she’d have to work from my home office—a spare bedroom. As long as I was okay with her flexible hours, she was in. Once my business went up in smoke, I found out she had ulterior motives for working for me.”
“Which ones?”
“She wanted to use real estate as a way to white wash all the cash she was earning as an escort. Working for me also allowed her to show a pay stub and lie low in the eyes of the taxman. She was only working ten hours a week, and I was flexible on the hours.”
He nods. “What’s her name?”
“You know her as Suzette Polson—”
“A tall redhead with green eyes?”
“Yes, but she’s a natural blonde. She’s back to her roots. Her name is Cassandra Fitz-James, Cassie for short.”
“I remember her well,” he says. “I booked her a few times, but never had sex with her. We’ve always parted ways right after the event.” Cassie didn’t lie. “She got you into the escort business?”
“Yes.”
He nods.
Silence hums in the air between us.
Bryce taps his chin with his index finger, his lips curled.
A million things seem to be going through his head. Just as many are going through mine.
“I’m going to grab my phone,” he angles his chin toward the kitchen.
My head jerks back. “Why?”
“I want you to repeat what you just told me. The second time around, I’ll record everything. This information will be transcribed, and I’ll get a few of my people to start investigating the degenerate’s whereabouts. Unless he sought refuge on a planet inhabited by aliens, he can’t hide from my team. We’ll find him.”
“I can’t pay for your services.”
His gaze clashes with mine. From his expression, you’d think I slapped him across the face. “Your mine, Sofia. And I protect what’s mine. Brad Hyler did you wrong and he stole money from people who instill their trust in him. He deserves to be lynched. I’m making it my personal mission to track him down.”
