Gus took a beat, then sighed. “I’m leaving now. Headed to DC.”
“Yeah?” Walker didn’t look all that surprised.
“Not sure how long I’ll be.”
“We’ve got things covered here, Chief. No need to worry.” Walker scratched at the stubble on his chin. “You need to talk anything through before you go?”
“I’m good.” Gus tossed his water bottle in the trash bucket. “I don’t expect to be gone long.”
“We’ve got maybe a week and this job is done.”
He nodded. “Sounds about right.”
“That enough time for you to square things up?”
Gus slowly nodded. “Yeah. It should be.”
“Good. Because your sister has been riding my ass for the last two days and I’m this close to tossing her butt into the lake.”
“Ignore Iris.”
“It’s not Iris I’m talking about.” Walker frowned. “Speaking of Iris, does she know you’re headed back to DC?”
“I told her I’d go in a couple of days, but this can’t wait any longer.” He backed away. “I’ll check in with Dozer when I’m back.”
“I’ll keep things going on this end.”
Gus stopped by Lawson House to grab a shower and was more disappointed than he’d expected to be when he realized that Faith wasn’t home. He felt as if things were left badly between them and left a note under her door before heading back downstairs. It was short and to the point.
Hey,
Sorry if I was an asshole last night.
Mary had sent the company jet to bring him back to DC, and four hours later, he was sitting on butter-soft leather, staring at the manilla envelope Dozer had prepared weeks earlier. After accepting a drink from the stewardess, Jenny, he opened it up and began to read.
It was a comprehensive report on his siblings. Most of the stuff about Ford he knew. His brother had married his college sweetheart, and they’d had a son. They were well suited. Ford ran the family businesses while his wife was a lawyer specializing in family law. They were happy and, Gus swore, expecting their second child when a drunk driver crossed the median and hit her car head-on, forcing her back across the road into the path of an eighteen-wheeler. She was killed on impact. Ford had attended a therapist for a few months with his son. Took part in all the boy’s activities and, so far, had remained single.
Sunday’s report surprised him.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University and had danced and sang on Broadway. She was slated to play Maggie in a revival ofCat on a Hot Tin Roofbut had abruptly withdrawn from her role. Gus frowned as he continued to read. There’d been a stay at a psychiatric hospital. She’d never married and had no children, though there was a notation about a possible adoption during what seemed to be a chaotic time in her life. She now resided at the family home in Fire Lake.
He hadn’t asked Dozer to dig deep on his father because a part of him didn’t want to know. That part still held a lot of anger toward the man. But now he wished he had. Maybe then he would have been prepared for Misha’s revelations.
He sighed and tucked the papers back into the envelope. Then, closed his eyes. He was dead tired and knew he’d need to recharge before seeing his mother. But with a mind full of new information, sleep wouldn’t come. He found himself wondering about Faith and her day. Found himself remembering the look on her face when he was inside her. The feel of her. The sound of her laughter. The smell of her skin.
His heart took off, and he sat up, trying his best to shake off the feeling.
“Can I get you anything?” Jenny smiled down at him. “I’m here to please.” She was tall, blonde, and stacked. The kind of woman who was used to attention. The kind of woman who, in the past, he would have tapped with zero guilt. Maybe it’s what he needed. A quick fuck to make him forget about the woman he’d left behind.
He sat a little straighter. His company owned the jet, and sometimes, when not on company business, they booked outside their group. He was on a shared flight with another businessman who was clearly asleep.
“Anything at all,” she said softly, her eyes on his crotch. Her meaning obvious.
Gus could have this woman naked in less time than it took for her to grab him a drink, and yet . . . he didn’t want her.
What in the actual fuck?
Was he just tired? Was there too much on his mind? Or was it the woman he’d been inside the night before. The woman he couldn’t stop thinking about.
