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Sophiehuffed in frustration. “Comeon,Damon.Itwasn’t my fault.Poppyresearched me to find out whenI’mthe most vulnerable.”
“Idon’t care.”
“No?"Shequirked her brows. "Shekept feeding me shots before seducing me."
Iwhirled around so fast thatSophiebackpedaled.Evenin this manic state, she couldn’t comprehend the depths of my darkness.Pushingme wasn’t in her best interest.
Whenshe spoke again, her tone held a hint of diplomacy. “AllImeant wasPoppyobviously got me drunk to pump me for information.It’swell known thatIexercise poor judgment while drunk off my ass.”
Theshockingly self-aware assessment gave me pause.Sophiewas right.Poppywould only slip someone shots if she had an ulterior motive.
Sophietook a deep breath. "I'msorry.Ishouldn't have touched her."Hergaze swung to the bat resting over my shoulder. “Itwon't happen again.Iwon't even message her back, okay?"
"Messageher back?"Itilted my head. "Poppytexted you?"
“Er, yeah,” she admitted unsurely. "Shewanted to meet up, butIwon't respond if?—"
"Giveme your phone,"Iordered, cutting her off sharply.
Oncemore, her eyes darted toward the baseball bat.Reluctantly,Sophiehanded over the phone.Iread through their texts, fist clenching and unclenching.Theflirtatious exchanges betweenPoppyandSophiemade my blood boil, andIcontemplated wrecking the rest ofSophie'scars.
Irubbed the tattoo along the back of my neck, taking in the calm it brought me at these kinds of moments.Anotherconsolation safeguardedSophie’sprized possessions.Poppysounded genuine in our exchanges, while her responses toSophieappeared fake.AsIscrolled through the thread, it became abundantly clearPoppycrafted the flirtatious responses with the help of anAIapp.Anelaborate ruse to trapSophiein the web she'd weaved.
Nolonger wasIworried about the petty jealousy whereSophiewas concerned.Somethingworse was at play.Therewas only one reason to go to these lengths.Shewas digging intoSophie’stestimony, searching for intel aboutRayyan’smurder.IthoughtPoppyhad shelved the matter, but her interest seemed far from over.Thiswas bad.
“Whatdid you tellPoppyabout your testimony?”Istalked forward, a death glare emanating from my eyes.
Sophiegave me an apprehensive look. “Nothing.Iswear,Damon.”
Idropped my voice. “IfIfind out you’re lying to me,I’llcome back to light the rest of these on fire."Ipointed my bat at the lineup of carsDaddyDearestbought her. “Doyou understand?”
Sophieeyed me warily. "Whyare you taking my phone?” she asked whenIpocketed her phone.
"You'regifting it to me as a thank you for not killing you,"Iexplained coldly. "Waitthree days before you get a new phone.Untilthen,I'min charge of your correspondence."Specifically, her correspondence withPoppy.
Sophierolled her eyes in frustration. "HowamIsupposed to get ahold of people?"
"Notmy problem."Withthat,Iturned away from her.
Sophiestomped inside, butIhad no sympathy to spare.Nomatter who initiated it,Sophiewas a friend of mine, and touchingPoppywas a betrayal.Damagingone car wasn't enough of a hefty price.Shewas addicted to social media.Nothaving a phone for a few days would be equivalent to torture.
Imarched to my car and sped off toPoppy’shouse, making a quick detour to gather a few items.SilencingSophiewas just a temporary solution.Ineeded to gainPoppy’sconfidence and understand why she was determined to overturnSophie’stestimony.
Thekey fobIstole last night granted me access toPoppy’shome through the staff gate.Switchingoff my headlights,Iparked my car near the courtyard, using the moonlight as my guide.Iretrieved the large bag from my trunk and climbed up toPoppy'sbalcony for the second night.
Thefrosted glass doors obstructed my view into her room, though the darkness confirmed she wasn't there.Atleast the heated floors and heat lamps created a cozy atmosphere, keeping out the cold.
Unzippingmy bag,Iassembled a projector and screen, an attached stand, and my laptop.Therewere blankets on a lounge chair.Iplaced them on the ground with the throw pillows from the accent chairs to create a makeshift spot.
Lastnight, the defiance was evident inPoppy’sbody language.Shewas torn between her mixed feelings for me and her loyalty toRoseand her family.Unsurehow she’d react,Ifroze at faint footsteps from the bedroom.Eonsseemed to pass in waiting, andImentally willedPoppyto move faster.
Finally, the glass doors slid open, revealingPoppy'sperplexed expression as she took in the setup.Iexpected her to be angry and make demands thatIleave immediately.Asubtle thrill coursed through me whenPoppystepped onto the balcony instead.
ChapterFourteen
POPPY
“Ms.Ambani.Thesewere delivered for you.”Rachel, one of the housekeepers, presented an opaque cylinder vase with an arrangement of black dahlias nestled in greenery.
