Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Me: Thank you. Sixteen-year-old me needed your help, but twenty-seven-year-old me has it under control. I’m not sure what about me, uh, annoyed this guy so much. I hadn’t even spoken to him when he reacted rudely. I guess the sight of me was enough. Must not have been his type.
I rolled my eyes as I sent it, then grinned.
Me: Besides, I’ll never see him again.
A sadness sank over me. I hadn’t thought about it. Not seeing him again. I’d always imagined the day that I did see him, we’d talk, have drinks, maybe get together when I was in town for dinner. Be friends … and, yes, I also added him being attracted to me into the fantasy. Among other things. That was never going to happen.
Ransom: If you do, you’re giving me a name.
Six
Ransom
The door to my office opened without anyone knocking. Looking up to see who it was from the spreadsheet I was trying to figure out, I wasn’t surprised to see Than sauntering in. But really, it could have been any of the guys. None of them thought about knocking first.
He held up a large manila envelope. “This came for you. Ted just dropped it off,” he said, then looked at the back of it. “And it’s sealed.”
The wagging of his eyebrows was annoying. I knew what it was, and I didn’t want him or any of the others to see it. I’d hired Ted to do the job for a reason. He wasn’t family. He was a criminal. The genius kind who hacked into systems all over the world and fucked shit up. The family had our own guy who did this, but what I had needed wasn’t family business. It was my business.
“Put it on my desk and leave.”
He frowned. “What? Not gonna open it? See what he found?”
Yes, I would once he got his ass out of my office. I might even take it and leave. I didn’t want to be disturbed while I went over it.
“Than, I don’t have time for your shit today.”
“Testy, testy,” he drawled and dropped the envelope on the desk.
I fought the urge to snatch it up. He’d be more curious if I did.
“You haven’t told me how our sis is doing since getting back from DC,” he said, plopping down in one of the chairs across from my desk.
This was on purpose. He was testing me to see just how important the contents of the envelope were.
“She’s Opal. Living her life of politics among the privileged. What do you want to know? Go see her yourself.”
He sighed and stretched out his legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. “I want her to meet Montana,” he said. “Thinking of taking her to DC for a visit.”
“You do that,” I said. “But right now, why don’t you go do something? Try working.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been working. All damn day. It’s after three.”
I hadn’t looked at the time in a while. “Then leave, but I have to finish this, and I can’t with you yapping.”
When he straightened, I wanted to sigh in relief but held it in until he stood back up.
“I’m out then. See you at the house. We’re coming to dinner tonight.” We meant him and Montana.
He’d moved out of the house with the rest of us and into a house he had moved onto Carver property so that she’d live with him. I was so fucking confused by that shit, but whatever. He had always been the soft one.
I nodded and stared at the spreadsheet like I knew what the fuck this all meant.
The moment the door closed, I lifted my gaze and stared at it as I listened to his footsteps fade away. Getting up, I walked over and locked it, then watched the window for him to pass by on his way to his truck. As soon as he was inside it and pulling out, I went to the envelope and broke the seal to slide out the papers inside.
Although I hadn’t asked Noa about the bastard who had upset her this weekend again, I hadn’t let it go. It infuriated me that some piece of shit had upset her. She’d had enough crap in high school—until I got to know her and shut it all down. Noa might not have a lot going for her in the looks department, but she was kind. She was fucking funny too. And she was smart. I enjoyed our conversations.
Thinking about her sitting in a small office all day with manuscripts that weren’t hers, editing them all the time, was depressing. I knew she didn’t have a social life. She’d probably not changed much since high school. Only gotten more reclusive. When she hadn’t answered my text, I’d been ready to hunt her down and make sure she wasn’t dead in her apartment.