He pinches my chin and tilts my head for one last kiss. “I’ll come get you if you aren’t in my bed very soon.”
I watch him walk away from me, thinking this might be the happiest I’ve ever been.
22
Chris
Sighing, I trail my fingers up and down Lily’s arm. Her cheek is resting on my pec, and she’s toying with my chest hair, her touch going straight to my cock.
“So, can you still be my attorney?” Lily asks.
“Uh…” I hesitate. I don’t regret for one second what happened, but it does complicate things somewhat. And her being my client was one of my concerns, but there’s no going back now. “You haven’t officially been charged yet, nor have you paid a retainer. So let’s just address that if we need to.”
She cuddles into my side even more. “I’m sorry I forgot about the laptop until now.”
“If you had told me about it days ago, I’m not sure I would’ve given it another thought. Going to see Bob was kind of a whim today when I really started thinking abouthow the firm could possibly fit into figuring out who tried to break in here and who did this to him.”
Her hand freezes for a moment before she tucks it between our bodies. Thinking she might be cold, I pull the comforter up and over her shoulders so only her head is sticking out.
“Bob brought up a good point: that the notes from his office may have made no sense alone, but it’s possible there’s something on the laptop that makes them understandable.”
I feel like this is some sort of jigsaw puzzle we’re solving without all the pieces.
“Should we hand the laptop over to the police?”
“If we find something, yes. They clearly didn’t care enough to find it since they didn’t when they searched the house, but you did. And they haven’t asked you if you have the laptop, so it’s not obstruction.” I kiss the top of her head just because I can now. “But if there’s something helpful on there, we’ll absolutely turn it over.”
She sounds so dejected when she says, “I don’t even know if I’ll be able to figure out the password. I have a few ideas, and I’ll look through his office again to see if I can find maybe a piece of paper or something with them on it. But it’s possible that I won’t be able to get in.”
I hug her into me and try to reassure her. “I’m not too worried about that. If you can’t figure out the password, I bet I can find an IT person who can hack into it for us.”
Jack or one of the other guys at Nash Security surely has a contact.
Her voice is muffled by the blankets and how she’s tucked in next to me, but I don’t miss the apprehension-laden words. “What if there’s nothing on there? What’s next?”
Taking a deep breath, I consider her question. It’s valid and something I worry about, but I’ll figure this out.
I have to. There’s no other option.
“I have an appointment with Vernon.”
The receptionist looks up at me and frowns. “Sir, with all due respect, I highly doubt you do. The only person on his schedule this afternoon is a woman. And she’s seventy-five.”
Putting on my most charming smile, I say, “Oh dang, you caught me. However, you did just tell me he only has one more appointment today, and it’s only”—I lift my arm, shaking my watch out of my sleeve on the way—“one p.m., which indicates he has plenty of time to meet with me. Just let him know Chris Rivers is here to see him. He knows who I am.”
She looks annoyed, but there’s a hint of amusement in her features. Picking up the phone on her desk, she pushes a button. After a few seconds, a man’s muffled voice comes through the line, and she glances up at me. “Yes, sir. Mrs. Brown isn’t here yet, but there’s a Chris Rivers here. He says you know him and that he’d like to talk to you.”
There’s silence on the other side of the line before Vernon gives a clipped response, followed by a clatter of him hanging up the phone. The woman hangs up the receiver and waves her hand at the door. “You can go on in.”
Nodding in thanks, I make my way to the door. I don’t bother knocking before stepping inside.
“Vernon. It’s good to see you again.” I smile wide, taking a seat in front of his desk.
“Rivers, cut the shit. What the hell are you doing here?” His scowl is severe, but I’m not worried.
Sobering, I level him with a hard stare. “I need information.”
Vernon scoffs. “Don’t we all.”
