He looked so cute and expectant, just like a sweet puppy again, this time begging for a treat. I was tempted again, and that voice was back.
No one’s looking. Just throw him over your shoulder and take him home. Feed him and take care of him and he’ll be all yours in no time.
I fucking needed to get out of here before I did it. Megan wouldn’t like it, and Jeremiah would back her up. The pretending to be normal portion of this program had ended. My time was up.
“No, I don’t think that would be a good idea. Tell Jeremiah and Megan I had to leave. Bye, Worthington.”
I saw the flash of hurt in his eyes right before I walked out to my car. I’d already packed it before the ceremony. Home was a few hours away, and I couldn’t get there fast enough.
It was past midnight when I got home. I’d get Snow in the morning, so the house was still and quiet. I didn’t like it as much as I used to. I started my laundry, checked the greenhouses, and then fired up my computer. I hadn’t checked my work email since I was out of town and hadn’t had a secure server. There was only one message, but the name made my heart beat faster. I’d heard that name this weekend.
The longer I read the email, the angrier I got. It was full of terrible accusations and words like theft, fraud, and emotional abuse. The writer said that the accused pretended to be an innocent victim, when he’d actually roped this man into a depraved world of violence and kink, he’d never wanted any part of. Then he’d convinced the man to invest all his assets in his family business only to steal every last penny and ruin him financially before running off and filing for divorce. The man only wanted his money back but had no hope of getting it through legal means.
His evidence looked legitimate, and I’d seen the person in question seem to be one thing, before sliding into another role. He’d done it tonight when he slipped on a smile and pretended to be sweet and innocent. Liars, thieves, and cheats were evil. They needed to pay for the things they’d done. But in this case, it was personal.
I wrote back to this Terrance guy and told him I would take the job, but needed some evidence and location information. I didn’t really need the location, but I always asked for more evidence as a rule. When the records came back, I was shocked at the transactions recorded. The guy had been stripped of every penny he had. Even his car was repossessed. This wasn’t just theft. No, this was aggressive and cruel the way it was done so suddenly. It was hard to believe, but there it was in black and white.
Worthington Winters was a thief and a liar. He’d tried to pull me into his web of lies this weekend, wanting to get my number and date me when he’d just stripped his last husband clean and wasn’t even divorced yet. I was sick that I’d ever thought he was sweet or innocent like a puppy. He wasn’t sweet or innocent. He was a vicious junkyard dog who would rip you to shreds before you even knew what was happening. He would never stop. He’d keep preying on men with money, like a disease. He was rabid. And what did you do to a rabid dog?
You ended them.
