“Who’s the young girl with the dirty-blond hair in one of these pictures?” she asked, completely overlooking my question, which increased my rage tenfold.
I inhaled deeply, trying to lower my blood pressure as I was transported back in time for a brief second—a time I had purposely attempted to erase from my memory. No one on this earth, not even Duke, knew the girl in that picture, and I wanted to keep it that way.
The sights, sounds, and scents of the city seeped into me, helping to calm my nerves.
“You can deny it all you want, Sabine, but I know you took my folder. You’re up to something, and I will find out.” I’d never hurt a female in my orbit, but I was ready to strangle Sabine.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said in a sweet voice.
“Cut the bullshit.”
“I just met Arturo the night he came into the restaurant.” She sounded innocent.
“You’re lying. I’ll have my folder picked up by my detective friend in Nashville. If you don’t give it to him with all the contents, then I’ll share with him that your son, Harris, is selling drugs, stealing cars, and all the illegal crap he’s caught up in.”
I hung up before a vein in my neck burst. I stood there staring at nothing, seething as I tried to process what the fuck was going on.
I didn’t have a chance to brace myself when Grace’s siren voice carried on the wind. “Brian.”
My pulse lowered one beat then two when I set eyes on Grace, who was approaching the gym. Her long brown hair fluttered behind her like she was an ethereal being. Her cheeks were rosy, and those soulful doe eyes grabbed hold of my heart, and suddenly, nothing else mattered.
“What’s wrong? You look like you had a knockout fight. Was it with Duke?”
I chuckled. “No.” I wished it had been with him. At least Duke wasn’t coy, or doing shit behind my back, or trying to pull the wool over my eyes.
“A lady friend? Fran?” she probed.
I stiffened. “Fran? No. God, no.” I knew my daughter was fine. I’d spoken to her after my long drive from Nashville to Boston that morning. I changed the subject. “Did you and Duke work out your issues?”
She giggled, a sound that drove the blood straight to my groin. “Not in the least. But I came here to talk to him about my meeting.”
“He’s not here. So, how did the meeting go?”
“Let’s just say I’m not going to jail.” She paused. “Since Duke isn’t around, maybe you can answer my question. Is he caught up with the cartel again? He gave me some excuse about hiring a bodyguard because he thought someone might be following me.But you hired a bodyguard for Fran too. So am I to believe both of you are returning to the criminal world?”
She was close enough that I could take one step and kiss her endlessly. Her bottom lip was slightly thicker than the top, and it was all I could do not to nibble on them.
She flattened a hand on my chest. “Brian? Are you in there?”
Nope, I was too far gone to do anything other than drown in her beauty.
“We’re not up to our old habits.” I stared at her mouth.
She slid a hand up my chest. “Then why hire a bodyguard for Fran?”
I was not talking to her about Arturo. “What’s the verdict of your meeting with the judge?”
She looked hot when she was frustrated. “You’re ignoring my question.”
I leaned closer to her ear. “I can’t concentrate with you touching me.”
She gave me a brilliant smile.
Duke’s voice made my heart stop. “So, nothing is going on, huh?”
I swore to myself, turning to my right and growling. For fuck’s sake. That was the second time he’d caught us up close and personal. So much for assuring him that there was nothing between Grace and me.
Duke didn’t appear pissed, but he was pushing a stroller containing his daughter, Emma. The beautiful child, who resembled her father, beamed at Grace as she held out her arms. “Teetee.”
