Filthy Dirty Alpha
Page 12
Now there was only one video left. Before I could overthink it, I opened the last file.
This time, it was Hope who held the rope. She and Burke faced each other as she tried to force it into his hand. Burke pushed it away, his face stern. I watched as Hope’s expression twisted. She gestured around them, clearly trying to make a point about where they were and what that meant. But Burke only shook his head. The people around them had started to drift away uncomfortably. They went back and forth for a minute, and then his anger became just as visible in the way his body stiffened as he argued with her. Finally Hope spat one last word at him, spun on her heel, and left the room. Burke stood for a moment, his face inscrutable. Then he straightened and walked out without looking at anyone.
I sat in silence, trying to comprehend what I’d just witnessed. Burke hadn’t only known Hope, he’d gotten into a public argument with her—in his club, where he was the ultimate authority—just months before she’d disappeared. Had he sent her away somewhere to save face? And why would he hide this from me unless he was also hiding his guilt? Maybe everyone who had refused to talk to me knew a different Burke than I did, one who scared them. Could I have been so blinded by desire and my growing feelings that I had missed an entire side of his personality?
There was only one person who could answer that question other than the man himself. I went downstairs to find Carter.
He was sitting at his desk looking over a spreadsheet when I walked in.
“Hey, babe. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. You and Burke must have been tied up.” He winked at me.
But I wasn’t in the mood to be flirted with. “Why didn’t you tell me about Burke and Hope?” I demanded. Hurt and betrayal bled into my words.
Carter’s face fell. “Lola, I...it wasn’t a big deal.”
“It wasn’t a big deal? Burke was fucking the woman who disappeared! The woman I’m here to investigate! And that didn’t seem like important information to share with me?” I let my frustration and anger override the pain pulsing within me. It made it easier to handle, somehow. I could tell Carter felt guilty, but I refused to back down. He should feel guilty about lying to me.
“Things between Burke and Hope were never serious. They played together a few times, but she was too dark for him. They broke things off before she disappeared.”
“I know. I saw the tape.”
Carter winced. “Why would you watch that?”
“Because no one around here would tell me the truth! I had to see it for myself.”
He ran a hand through his messy hair, pushing it off his forehead. His shoulders were slumped and his usually-sparkling eyes were cast down at the floor. “I’m so sorry, Lola.”
I wasn’t ready to hear his apology, though. “Did you fuck her too?”
“No.” He met my eyes, and his response was so quick and emphatic that I believed him. A measure of anger drained out of me.
“I need you to tell me the truth, Carter.” I pinned him with my stare, trying to convey just how important this was. “Do you think Burke had anything to do with Hope’s disappearance?”
“No.” He shook his head vehemently. “Burke is a good guy. He cared about Hope as a person. He never would have hurt her.” Carter hesitated, and then added, “He cares about you too, you know.”
I had to look away as tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. It seemed like knowing that I mattered to Burke would soothe the ache I felt in my chest, but in reality it only made it sharper. I shook my head. I needed to get away from all of this and figure out where I stood.
“I have to go,” I said to Carter. “Tell Burke…” Tell Burke what? I didn’t know. “Tell him that I know about him and Hope, and it’s not going to stop me from finding out what happened to her.”
And then I was out the door and down the hallway. One more ride up the elevator, and I was in the apartment, maybe for the last time. I didn’t know who to believe, but I knew I couldn’t figure it out here, in Burke’s home. No matter how much it had come to feel like my own.
I threw my open suitcase onto the bed as the tears I had held back in front of Carter began to flow freely. I was disappointed in Carter. I was disappointed in Burke. But even more, I was disappointed in myself. What had I been thinking, falling for someone who was part of my investigation? I knew better than that.
I’d changed my entire life by moving in here with him. I’d opened myself up to new experiences, and I’d had the hottest sex of my life. But worst of all, I’d begun falling for him. Burke. A man I’d known from the beginning was completely off limits.
I felt lost. Alone. Confused. Scared. And more determined than ever to solve this mystery. Because it wasn’t just about Hope. My heart was on the line, and I needed to know if Burke was involved in her disappearance.
Throwing my clothes into the bag, I tried to deaden the emotion that came with seeing each thing I’d worn while living there: the dress I’d had on when he made me breakfast, the red heels I wore with the lingerie he bought me.
A disturbing thought struck me: had I been in danger this whole time? If Burke had made Hope disappear, couldn’t he do the same thing to me? I wanted with all of my breaking heart to believe what Carter had said, but I didn’t know who to trust anymore.
I zipped up the suitcase and swiped my hand across my eyes, squaring my shoulders. There was only one thing I did know for certain: Hope was still missing. And I was going to find her. No matter what the cost.
* * *
Filthy Dirty Secrets
Coming May 18, 2015
Continue the erotic journey of Lola and Burke, and uncover the dark, troubling secrets he's been hiding.
My unique brand of kink has most women dropping their panties.
But not Lola.
Which makes her all the more interesting. You know the old cliché that men love the chase? Hell yeah we do. I want her to fight me. Resist me.
Because when I finally take her, I’ll have conquered not only her body, but her mind. And to a Dom like me, there is no better victory.
About the Author
Grace Morgan is a Midwestern girl who kicked off her snow boots and ran west to the land of sunshine and flip flops. You can find her sipping cocktails with her girl posse, going on epically bad blind dates, and pretending to be prim and proper while she dreams up steamy scenes, alpha bad boys, and sassy heroines.
Connect with Grace Morgan
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