AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Arman
The toasts had been made, what I could handle of mingling with guests I couldn’t care less about done with for well over an hour. My mother was pleased, which was rare these days, beaming almost as much as Edmee was. I’d done my job offering my house for the illustrious event given my parents’ sprawling estate was in the throes of being renovated after a suspicious fire.
I’d done my good deed for the year. Suffering through the wedding would be my last, especially since I’d been asked to be a groomsman. I rolled my eyes at the thought, closing the door behind me.
I’d retreated to my office, determined to search for the girl’s identity myself. If I could find anything about her, then it would help me ascertain what in the hell I was going to do with her.
I yanked the phone into my hand before placing my drink on my desk and sitting down. When I navigated to the pictures I’d taken, my cock twitched immediately. The sight of her shackled to my bed provided an indecent sense of arousal. The filthy things I could do to her lingered in the forefront of my mind.
Including using sadistic implements that would mark her body for a longer period of time than my belt. The thought of defiling her body had kept me on edge the hour and a half I’d been away from her. I couldn’t leave her for that much longer.
Exhaling, I tossed the phone onto my desk, taking a swig of my whiskey before pressing the spacebar on my iMac, scrolling to the internet. A knock on the door came seconds before typing Google in the spacebar.
“Come in.”
Maddox walked in wearing a grin on his face. He took the time to make himself a drink before plopping down in the chair in front of me. I gave him a stern look when he planted his feet on the corner of my desk, but that usually meant whatever he was going to tell me was worth staring at the soles of his shoes.
Tonight was no exception, except my patience had run out. If Raven was a plant, attraction or not, I’d need to make a difficult decision. “Talk or else.” I took a swig of my drink, ignoring the desire to glance at her picture again. My sudden fetish was ridiculous, especially given the circumstances.
He remained silent, taking a gulp of his drink before pulling one of the pieces of paper from the rest, tossing it my way. The photograph immediately drew my attention, her smile beaming. I was taken aback once again by her youth as well as her beauty.
“The chick’s not lying,” he continued. “She’s a senior at LSU majoring in criminology and law and legal systems. And her last name is Cartier.”
The picture he’d provided had to be taken a couple of years before, the photograph lovely but reminding me of just how young she was. Although I could dare say she wasn’t innocent by any means. I found myself tracing the lines in her face, denoting the sparkle in her eyes as if she was holding a secret even then, determined to take on the world. “Continue.”
“She really overheard our conversation?” he asked, the jovial tone leaving him.
“I’m afraid she did.”
He tossed back almost the entire remainder of his scotch before making a suggestion that was his requirement, and one he knew I wouldn’t like. “I’d ordinarily suggest that you allow me to handle her quietly, but I don’t think you’re going to want me to do that.”
Lifting my gaze, I could tell he was serious. “Why is that, my friend?”
“She is definitely someone of importance, especially given how you found her.”
I tilted my head and laughed. “Well, she certainly wouldn’t want it known that she was fraternizing with a known criminal. What else? I can tell there’s more. I was right in my assumptions.”
“Hold on. She has a checking and savings account, the only deposits made from her parents for tuition, room and board, the almost exact amount going to LSU administration. She has six hundred and ten dollars and change in her bank account, deposits made from the coffee shop just off campus where she works thirty plus hours a week while taking a full load of classes. She has no boyfriend that I’ve found and absolutely zero connection to Grayson Alexander or anyone in his league for that matter. I checked on sororities, and one has been warned for their hazing techniques before, placed on temporary suspension last year but given the influential and wealthy parents who donate to the school regularly, the incidents were wiped off the records. Incidentally, her mother was sorority president twenty-five years ago.”
So the girl was telling me the truth. How did that come into play with her father? I swirled my drink, thinking about what he was telling me. “Just spit it out, Maddox. My patience is fading rapidly.”
“You were correct. She is the first of two daughters born to Thomas Garfield Cartier. Now, I want a raise.”
Fuck. I slammed my hand on the desk, hissing under my breath. Then I took a swig of my drink. After studying him for a few seconds, I reached into my desk, yanking my weapon from the holster, pointing it at his chest.
Maddox laughed, his deep voice booming in the room. He knew when I was serious and when I was fucking with him. We’d played this game with certain enemies, which had allowed us to catch them off guard.
“How about this. You get to live,” I told him, cocking my head and awaiting his answer.
“Then I guess I’m outta here.” He started to stand then leaned forward, sliding the rest of the papers with her information in my direction. “This isn’t a coincidence. Is it?”
“No, it’s not. Someone put her here.” I glanced down at them, uncertain I cared about any additional proof.
“Maybe not, Arman. She’s a kid. I doubt Thomas would mention you directly to her or her sister. She really might have stumbled onto the house and the party, but that doesn’t mean her misfortunate can’t be our good fortune.”
He kept a grin on his face as I took my time looking over the other items he’d brought, including her transcripts from the last semester of college. She was highly intelligent, her GPA incredible, especially given the hours she worked. She had scholarships as well, which meant she would need to keep her hands clean. But the information he’d provided meant nothing in comparison to who her father was.
