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“Fuck it,” he mumbled as he pushed open the door. He walked out into the sheeting rain, drenched in seconds and not caring.
He’d blurted out the divorce revelation to distance himself from her. He’d guessed it would be a slap in the face, and he’d been right.So why do I feel bad about it?Why even care?
His anger surged again, and he jogged down the wide stairs to the circular drive, pea gravel crunching under his shoes as he headed to the empty stables.
When he shoved open the door and walked down the rough concrete path between the stalls, his breathing finally slowed. He replayed the scene in the bedroom, the intensity of their kiss tightening the muscles in his belly. How could he still be so affected by the woman he’d vowed to leave behind? It was embarrassing, especially because she now knew how she affected him.
Divorce or not, it would only be a matter of time before she realized the truth of that statement, and that he’d thrown it out there as a diversion from what had been about to happen.
He wasn’t too proud to admit that if he went down the slippery slope of sex with Hartley, it would fracture his focus on what he needed to do for Meyer Communications. And if that happened, if he didn’t get on a plane to Beijing with what they needed to move forward, the board would remove him. No arguments, no pleas, just a swift vote and he’d be plucked out of his position as CEO.
He walked down the long row of stalls, listening to the rain echo in the rafters. He tried to focus on the testing and the logistics of it, but his thoughts wandered to Detective Spencer Frank. How much longer could he keep the man involved with the investigation here? The senator’s favor that had brought him surely had a time limit, and his gut told him finding Lawrence’s body wasn’t the end of anything.
He paced back to the door he’d come in, standing outside but under the eaves. The wind and rain whipped his pant legs and soaked into his shoes.
His gaze drifted to the Manor, rain cascading off the roof in torrents. A faint light shone from the attic’s square window, and he swallowed. He’d called her a sickness, his feelings for her an infection. Yet there he was, craving the connection they’d once had—not just the sexual one, but the wavelength they’d seemed to inhabit together when talking about his business or her law practice, which had consumed them both. He didn’t actually know a lot about her personally, other than her love for her brother and her sorority sisters.
He sighed. Those memories were long over. Their marriage was a mistake, and whatever penance he needed to do to exorcise her from his heart was almost complete. He would find Rogue, put an end to the danger lurking within Cavendish Club, finish his fucking testing, and get on a plane to Beijing.
He pulled the stable door shut and retraced his steps toward the Manor. The rain continued to pour, drenching him to the bone, but it was a welcome discomfort, a cleansing baptism to wash away any remnants of feeling for Hartley. Now that he’d started the steps to a divorce, that’s how he needed to think of her. As someone in his past.
Inside the grand foyer, he stood for a moment, water seeping from his shoes. He shook his feet, then his arms. He thought of the boardroom upstairs, where Eli was probably wondering where the fuck he was. Thunder cracked outside, but within Montgomery, a sense of calm settled. He squared his shoulders, running his hands through his wet hair to get rid of the water.
As he stepped onto the elevator, his determination solidified. Whatever lingering emotions for Hartley still flowed through him, they wouldn’t derail his mission. He just needed to keep his distance from her until everything was over—distance from her body, and maybe not make eye contact. Also, he should let Eli do all the talking.
“Sheiße, this is pathetic.” He sighed. Finding a killer felt easier than having to work with his wife for the next few days.
The elevator opened on the admin floor, and he approached the boardroom.
“Taking a breather from the Fire Lady?” Eli mused when he walked in, inclining his head to the window.
“She took my news well,” he replied, moving toward the devices on the table.
“What news?”
“That I’m starting divorce proceedings,” he replied.
Eli went still, then walked to the table. The men faced each other.
“About time,” Eli said, but his expression was uncertain. “Why do that now, though? When we’re in the middle of finding a killer?”
Montgomery shrugged. “I didn’t plan on saying it now. It just happened,” he admitted, picking up a phone.
“You told the woman who can’t stand you, yet also couldn’t bring herself to file for divorce, thatyou’redivorcingher, and you say she took the news…well?” Eli asked.
Montgomery shrugged. “Well for her, yes.” He remembered her staring into his eyes after he’d called her his little whore. That wild look had struck a chord inside him. Their dirty word play used to fire them up, but her eyes had stoked a feeling of desperation. For what, he didn’t know.
“I hate to be a reminder of bad times, but the last time you tried to end your marriage, it didn’t go over too well. That time you had sex with her sorority sister?” Eli noted. “By the way, she’s been pestering Claire.”
Montgomery frowned. “Who’s been pestering Claire?”
“Maddy. She told Claire that Hartley got her kicked out of the Sigma charter, and it all stems back to your seduction.”
Maddy. That was the name he couldn’t think of earlier. “Why is she contacting Claire?” he asked.
“She and Claire were close in college. Maddy was Hartley’s nemesis. But then you probably knew that,” Eli said with a smug smile.
“Ah,” Montgomery said. He knew there’d had to be a reason Maddy was Hartley’s one rule.
