by Lisa Cardiff
“Wouldn’t it be nice if that was the only evidence? Jack, go ahead and pull up those pictures.”
Lang’s eyes flared. “What pictures?”
Leaning forward, Jack’s hands flew over a keyboard. “You should’ve seen my face when I stumbled onto these pictures. I didn’t realize people could be this stupid. What kind of person keeps a photo record of their crimes?” Jack waved his hand. “That was a rhetorical question.”
I scoffed. “No one ever claimed intelligence was a requirement for being elected to the House of Representatives.”
Jack flipped through shadowy images of Representative Lang in various compromising positions with clearly underage boys. My stomach rolled, and I turned my attention to Lang instead of the monitor. After six clicks of the mouse, Jack minimized the images. “There’s more, but I think we all understand what’s happening in those pictures.”
Lang closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. “What do you want? Money? Favorable business deals? Insider information? I can send more government contracts your way.”
I clenched my hands to stop myself from strangling him. He had ruined people’s lives. He endangered our national security, and I didn’t see a lick of remorse on his face. He belonged behind bars, but it wouldn’t happen. Like too many before him, he was too big to fail.
“We want you to resign effective immediately.”
His eyes popped open. “What?” He moved his head from side to side. “No. Absolutely not. I’ve worked hard to get where I am.”
“You have forty-eight hours to announce your resignation due to health concerns or these pictures will be delivered to the appropriate law enforcement officers in your district, the media, and the FBI. You’ll lose everything. Your freedom. Your reputation. Your fortune.”
His gaze swiveled to meet mine. “What do you expect me to do for the rest of my life?”
My gut churned. I hated this. He should spend the rest of his life rotting in jail. Instead, he’d get away with a slap on the wrist if he agreed to my terms. “You’re going to move back to your hometown and live a quiet life. If you even dip your pinkie toe into anything political, this offer will be retracted immediately, and I will expose you for the fraud you are.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “That’s it? That’s all you want?”
“Yes.”
“If I do this, will you destroy those pictures and any other incriminating evidence?”
“No, but I can give you my word that no one will see them unless you break the agreement.” He didn’t answer for a second, and I thought he’d refuse. “I suggest you take this deal. A man like you won’t fare very well in prison.”
“Fine.” He sighed as he rubbed a trembling hand down his face. “You have a deal.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
Trinity
I cracked open my eyes and met Knox’s soft stare. He dragged me closer to him, stopping only when my breasts smashed into his chest. Heat pooled deep in my belly and I slid my leg over the top of his, wanting to be closer to him.
“Good morning,” I said, my voice rough from sleep.
“More like afternoon.” His thumb stroked over my lips and my eyes fluttered, savoring his touch.
“Hmm,” I said, hooking my arm around his shoulder, pulling him a few inches closer. “Well, we didn’t get home until four in the morning so that makes sense.”
With a half smile, he angled up my chin. “Thanks for helping last night.” His lips moved against mine tenderly.
“Which part? Driving the van in circles in the dead of the night or what happened when we got home?” I asked, already breathless.
He laughed, mischief dancing in his too-blue eyes. His warm fingers trailed up the outside of my thighs, setting off mini-explosions underneath my skin.
“Well, I was thanking you for driving us around, but I definitely enjoyed what happened later.” He rolled on top of me, bracing his weight on his splayed hands, his muscles rippling. “But now that I think about it, my memory is a little fuzzy. Maybe we could reenact it, and I’ll have something else to thank you for.”
“Mm,” I murmured as his lips brushed over mine. “I like that idea. I think I could use a refresher, too. I barely remember a thing after we got home.” I lifted my arms over my head, stretching lazily. “In fact, what happened to my clothes?”
“I distinctly remember tearing them off five seconds after we made it through the door.” His lips moved down my neck to my collarbone, and I felt the brush of stubble against my skin. “But I don’t think you’ll need them for a while.”
I arched, my body already buzzing like I had champagne in my veins. “I’m okay with that if you make it worth my time.”
He chuckled, the sound so deep and rich it curled my toes. “How generous of you.”
His tongue swirled over my nipple, and I moaned. “Don’t worry. You’re on the right track.”
“Good to know.” I felt the corners of his lips curve up against my belly, and I couldn’t stop the answering smile on my face. I wanted this morning to last forever. With his arms around me, and his mouth trailing down my feverish skin, I felt sheltered from everything and anything for the first time in forever. I knew I should care that I still had to talk to my brother. I knew the threat against my sister and me hadn’t vanished. But it felt good to be distracted. Being with Knox obliterated all of the bad stuff because I wasn’t alone. He was on my side. We were a team.
My stomach clenched under the swirling assault of his tongue as it dipped into my navel. “You’re killing me,” I whispered, mostly to myself.
He lifted his head. “Surrendering already?”
“No. Keep going.”
A ringing noise floated through the air, dragging me unwillingly back to reality.
“Shit.” He rested his forehead against my stomach. “I need to get that. It’s Jack’s ringtone. I told him to call me if there was any news about Lang. I’m sorry.”
My stomach dipped with disappointment, but I pushed it back, ruffling my hands through his golden hair, enjoying the silken texture between my fingers. “It’s okay.”
“No. It’s really not.” He rolled off me, the bed squeaking as he snatched his phone from the nightstand. He twirled it in his hand for a beat. “Maybe I should turn it off for a few days. No interruptions. Just the two us. We could even take a trip away from here. How does that sound?”
I laughed, knowing he wasn’t serious. “Just answer it. I’ll make coffee and something to eat while you talk to Jack.”
“As long as we continue where we left off after we eat.” He swiped his finger along the screen of his phone.
“Sounds like a plan.”
He turned around, sitting with his back to me, his bare feet planted on the floor. “Hello.”
Giving him privacy, I kicked the sheets off, pulled on his discarded shirt, and padded down the hallway to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I dug out some mascara and lip-gloss from my cosmetic case. I stared at my reflection in his brightly lit mirror. My lips were swollen. My hair was snarled. But my eyes glowed with happiness, and it hit me. I hadn’t felt this happy or hopeful since the morning before my mom disappeared without a trace nearly fifteen years ago.
Uneasiness snaked around my chest, and for a second, I couldn’t move. The mascara and lipstick slipped from my fingers, clattering onto the countertop and rolling to the tiled floor. I wasn’t in love with Knox, right? This was just a hook-up between two people in the right place at the right time who enjoyed each other’s company.
Images of the last few days and last night played through my mind. I bowed my head, gripping the edge of the countertop while my mind caught up with my heart. Fuck! If I wasn’t already in love with Knox, I was tipping over the edge of sanity. I should reel my emotions in and concentrate on my life, so I wouldn’t get hurt. I couldn’t handle another failed relationship right now.
I needed to go back to my place and put it into some kind of order. R
eality couldn’t wait any longer. Neither could my talk with Derrick. He’d sidestepped all my requests to meet him, but I was going to put my foot down today. I refused to be ruled by another man’s two-decade old sins any longer.
I twisted my hair up into a bun and made my way back to Knox’s bedroom with every intention of putting some space between us for a few days.
“Hey.” I froze mid-step, my brows pulling together. He was completely dressed.
He glanced over his shoulder as he slid his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. “I need to head out, but you can stick around and help yourself to whatever you want.”
“Oh, okay.” My stomach dropped. I should’ve been happy I didn’t need to come up with an excuse not to spend the day with him, but I wasn’t. “Did something happen with Representative Lang?”
“Yeah.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “His housekeeper found him dead this morning.”
“How?” I asked, feeling disoriented and more than a little dizzy.
“A self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, or at least that’s what it looks like.”
My eyes widened as my whole body sagged. “Holy shit.” I’d worked for Miles for over a year. Most of our missions centered on gathering information. I’d never been involved in anything where someone ended up dead; at least to the best of my knowledge.
He caught me around my wrist and gathered me close to him. The palms of his hands moved in smooth, even strokes up and down my arms. “Hey. It’s okay. I should have warned you this was a possibility.”
“You knew he’d kill himself?” I sounded lost and vulnerable. I didn’t even understand why I cared. I’d seen a few of those photos on his computer. Lang was a child predator. I knew that, but his death made everything seem more severe, more inescapable. The reality of it hit me with the force of a ton of bricks.
His hands framed my face. “I didn’t know anything for certain. Are you upset?”
“No. Not really.” I pushed away the uncomfortable feeling in my gut. “Just shocked.”
“Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”
“Really. I’m fine.” I swallowed, my throat feeling unbearably dry. “I’m actually going to head home today and clean up the mess. Maybe I can get Leslie to help me. It’d be nice to spend the afternoon with her.”
I’d been living with Knox for over two weeks. Other than stopping by her bar before we had dinner, I hadn’t made any effort to see her. I dodged her phone calls and ignored her texts because I didn’t want to explain my actions or my relationship with Knox. She wouldn’t approve, and I cared what she thought.
He nodded. “That’s a good idea. I had someone clean up your place, but he left your clothes in a pile. I didn’t know if you’d be comfortable with a stranger organizing your closet and drawers.”
“Thanks.” I lifted onto my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. My fingers curled around his neck, holding him like he was a lifeline. Like I was drowning, and he was the only thing keeping me above the surface. Even though I needed space to think, I didn’t want to let him go.
He stepped back, eyeing me through the fall of his thick lashes, the smallest smirk on his face. “I need to get going, but I’ll see you tonight. You’re coming back here, right?”
I shifted my gaze to the floor, studying the chipped baby blue polish on my toes. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Good.” He reached around me, grabbing his keys off the dresser. “I don’t think you should stay at your townhouse alone. Not until we figure out who’s threatening you and your sister.”
The minute Knox walked out, I fired off a text to Leslie asking her to stop by my place. By the time I arrived at my townhome, my thoughts were bouncing all over, and I felt like an emotional wreck.
“You beat me here,” I said as I padded up my front steps.
“Hey.” Leslie lifted her head, a huge smile on her face. “I’m glad you texted me. I was starting to think you were mad at me.”
I jammed my key into the lock and pushed the door open with my hip. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I’ve been really busy.”
She slung her tote bag over her shoulder and followed me inside. “I noticed. I stopped by two nights ago, but you didn’t answer the door.”
I paused in the entry. Knox’s guys did a good job. My house smelled fresh. Everything was back in order. Even the sofa looked normal. They probably flipped the cushions to hide the damage.
I dropped my purse on the long console table and retrieved a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen. “I’ve been staying with Knox.”
“Wow.” She blinked. “Things are moving fast between you two.”
“It’s not like that.” I poured the wine into the glasses, then rubbed my hands together, deciding what to tell her. I settled on a half-truth. “Someone broke into my house, trashed everything, and my cat is gone.” My voice shattered on the last word, and I silently prayed she wouldn’t force me to go into the gory details. “I didn’t want to stay here alone.”
She frowned. “What the hell, Trinity? That’s crazy.” She paused, then her eyes widened. “Wait. What do you mean Max is gone? Gone as in missing or gone as in dead?”
I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes for a second, fighting back tears. “He’s dead, but I can’t talk about that right now,” I pleaded, my voice low and urgent. “Not yet. Okay?”
“All right.” She nodded. “But I don’t get it. Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve let you stay with me.”
“I tried, but Knox insisted I stay with him.”
“Huh.” She cocked her hip to the side. “And how’s that going?”
“I don’t know.” I flopped onto the sofa. “Good. I think. I like him. I really like him, but I’m scared.”
She sat next to me. “Scared of what?”
“Everything. My relationship with Miles was a mess, and I ignored all the signs.”
She squeezed my hand. “Don’t beat yourself up over Miles. Everybody needs a shitty ex or two so you know when you’ve found someone worth your time.”
I tipped up my head and closed my eyes. “Maybe you’re right. I’m just so confused.”
“About Miles or Knox?”
My eyes popped open. “I don’t give a shit about Miles. I don’t know if I ever felt anything more than friendship for him, but Knox…”
She elbowed me. “Knox what?”
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “Even when I hate him, I like him. The last month has been the worst and the best month of my life. All this earth shattering stuff has happened, but when I’m with him, I feel sheltered and safe.” I turned to face her. “I don’t even know if that makes sense.”
She laughed, a light tinkling noise that was so her. “Not at all.”
I sat, staring at the wall, thinking over the last month. With Miles and every man before him, I pretended to be who I thought they wanted. Leslie said it was because I wanted them to accept me, but I didn’t think she was right. In truth, I couldn’t take facing the sting of rejection. I had a lifetime’s worth of it bottled inside me from my mom’s unexplained disappearance.
Yet I fell asleep night after night in Knox’s arms, revealing tiny parts of myself piece-by-piece, even though I knew it was like flirting with a stick of dynamite. My uncle told me the ones I loved the most would hurt me the most, and I finally understood what he meant. I loved Knox. His rejection would crush me.
“I’m in love with Knox,” I said quietly, fear coiling around my chest. “I don’t even understand it myself, but I am.”
Leslie’s eyes flared, confusion and concern etched into every line on her face. “Trinity, sweetheart, I don’t know what to say.”
I lifted one shoulder, then dropped it. “There’s nothing to say. It’s already done. I can’t hit the rewind button and make it go away.”
Groaning, she threw her hands into the air. “What about him? Does he love you?”
“I don’t know.” I sounded lost to my own
ears.
She rolled her eyes. “What does your gut say?”
I kicked off my shoes and pulled my legs up to my chest. Being with Knox made me feel alive. Sometimes when he looked at me with barely concealed lust simmering in the depths of his clear blue eyes, my heart raced and my entire body tingled with excitement. I hoped he felt something similar for me. “That it’s possible.”
Her lips flattened and turned down at the corners. “This whole thing is crazy. I’m worried about you.”
I smiled halfheartedly. “Don’t be.”
“Are you going to stay with him tonight?”
“I haven’t decided.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I dug my phone out of my pocket. “I was thinking I’d back away for a couple of days. I could use some space to sort through my feelings.”
She nodded. “That’s a good idea. Things went so fast with Miles. One day he was your boss and the next day you were together. Don’t make the same mistake.”
I stared at my phone, mulling over my options. Everything was so damn confusing. I had so many things to sort through. I didn’t know where to start. I took a deep drink of my wine as if all of the answers could be found at the bottom of my glass. Sighing, I typed a quick message to Knox.
I have some stuff to take care of. I won’t be back tonight. I’ll be in touch soon.
My hand hovered over the phone for a moment before I pressed the send button. Leslie was right. I needed a breather. I needed to take a step back while I still could.
My conviction didn’t last long. The minute Leslie left, guilt, regret, and loneliness overwhelmed me. I forcibly redirected my thoughts.
I thought about the all the things he’d done for me.
How I felt when I was with him.
How he smiled at me like I was special.
Somehow, I convinced myself he must really love me and he wouldn’t walk away forever if I asked for space. I fell asleep on the sofa, clinging to that idea.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Knox
It was past ten o’clock in the evening when I jogged up Trinity’s front steps and rang her doorbell. I had tried to sleep and give her the space she wanted, but I couldn’t do it. I needed to see her in person.
