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“I sold that jewelry I found in your bag from one of your sugar daddies. You don’t need it anymore.”
“What jewelry? I don’t have any—” I stopped mid-sentence. “You have to get it back,” I said, scrambling out of the chair. “Right now.”
Drew furrowed his brows. “You’re going to have to forget about everyone who’s come before me. I didn’t think you cared enough about any of them to get so attached. I will say the bastard has excellent taste, whoever he is.”
“Thebastardis my mother,” I said, reaching for the envelope.
He clucked his tongue in disappointment. “I thought we were past the lies. Are you practicing your skills on me? Making sure you stay sharp?”
“No, you ass. She gave me the necklace, earrings, and bracelet when I graduated from Yale. She’d never worked, but she took a part-time job becauseshewanted to buy me something special.” Pain jabbed through the thick fog of anger. She could’ve easily used the money my dad earned, but when I figured out why she’d been working at the jewelry store, she confessed she’d wanted to use her own money to purchase the gift. That meant nothing to Drew.
The smirk slightly faltered, but only for a second. “Sorry, sugar. But we needed the money.”
“No.Youneeded it, and you should have asked me.” I glared, taking a step toward him. “You know what your problem is? It’s never enough. You stole a billion fucking dollars. Abillion. But you still have to steal from me. Because you’re a goddamned thief.”
“Sonya. If I’d known—”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Drew got to his feet and pulled me against him before I could protest. “It would have. I’m sorry.”
“I thought we weren’t lying to one another,” I hissed, twisting to get loose.
He only held me tighter. “We aren’t.”
“It’s always a game to you. You can’t stop.”
Hurt flashed across his face. “Like you have either.”
“I never would have taken your things without asking,” I insisted.
“From what you’ve told me, your track record says otherwise.”
Boom. He’d fired the loaded gun at me, throwing every truth I’d told him back in my face. I’d thought he understood and was on my side. Yet another mistake I’d made around Drew Carter.
Even a thief had boundaries. Not him. I doubted two wrongs would ever make a right, but I was going to try.
“Can you get it back?” I asked quietly, controlling my anger for show. He shook his head. I put a hand to his cheek. “It’s all right. It’s only jewelry.”
He looked relieved, but I ignored that, planting my lips on him. Men were so easy to distract and stupid enough to believe women got over shit as quickly as they did.
The fuck it was all right. He thought he could hock my thingsandkeep the money? No. No. No. He got away with everything.Iwas even guilty of letting his behavior go without consequences. But he’d best remember one thing: payback was a bitch, and she had sharp claws.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Drew
Had I fucked up?
A big part of me said an unequivocal yes. If I had known her mother had given her the jewelry as a graduation gift, Iwouldn’thave sold it. But when I’d seen it inside the box, I wasn’t prepared for what I’d felt. I’d been jealous. I hated that Sonya had gone back for something I’d assumed was from another man. The coin was one thing. She’d stolen it, and I knew she didn’t give a shit about Tamas Levitt. But she’d thought twice about the velvet box. Like it was important to her.
When I opened it and discovered the expensive pieces, I’d wanted to get rid of them immediately. I wasn’t keeping Sonya for myself, but as long as she was around, it was just us. When I figured out how to get in the storage unit, the rest of that crap was going too. I didn’t have the right to get rid of it, but it made me crazy with jealousy. The more I thought about all she’d amassed, and what she might have done to get it, the more pissed I got.
Sonya was doing something to me. Things I didn’t like. I’d spent the last half hour on the phone, trying to convince the man who’d bought the jewelry to sell it back to me. He didn’t want to do it for the same amount he’d given me, greedy son of a bitch. I had no cash to add to it. My hands were tied, but I’d figure something out. I had to. She’d been angry. I saw it the second I accused her of lying. Instead of dragging it out and refusing to get over it, she’d said it didn’t matter. But it did. I’d fix it. I’d worry about why I wanted to so badly later.
The city lights illuminated the darkness out the windows as I strolled into the living area.
“Mama, you’re up,” I said. She was a warrior. If I’d been in her condition, especially after the past few days, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed, let alone be up for company.
