Yup, it’s definitely her.
Anger boils in my veins, my jaw clenching as I gaze at the woman who nearly destroyed me ten years ago. You’d think after all that time, I would have forgiven her, but you can fuck off. This woman is the reason I nearly died. The reason why I swore off all women, and I’ll be damned if I have to work with her.
Blake looks at me, her own horrified expression staring back at me. She hasn’t changed in the years since I last saw her; if anything, she’s only gotten more beautiful. My teeth grind at the admission.
She’s the spawn of Satan, Theo. Remember what she did.
Frank carries on, not noticing the tension that’s just ratcheted up in the room. “Blake, Theo here will show you the ropes. You’re to shadow his every move. He’s the best we have, and you’ll learn a lot from him.”
Blake blinks out of her trance, shaking her head slightly as she stands up and walks over to me. “Hi, Theo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She holds out her hand. “I look forward to working with you and learning from the best.”
If I could storm out of this room now and hit the nearest bar, I would.
Taking her hand in mine, I ignore the sparks flying up my arm and the instant wave of calmness I feel. In typical Theo fashion, I haul her into my arms for a hug and whisper in her ear, “You picked the wrong law firm to come work at, firefly. I’m going to make your life a living hell, just like you’ve made mine.”
I release her, and she stumbles back. “I’m excited to be working with you, Blake. We’re going to have so much fun,” I exclaim excitedly for Frank’s benefit. He won’t take kindly to the thoughts and ideas swirling in my head as to how I’m going to ruin this woman, career and all.
I’ll ruin her, just like she ruined me.
Chapter Five
BLAKE
Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.
Why the fuck is Theo Moore here, and how the hell do I get out of this? I haven’t kept up with anything he’s done since I left. I haven’t wanted to. The ache in my chest would widen every time I thought of him, and I couldn’t do it. But ending up at the same law firm as him? As his associate? There has to be some sort of cosmic prank that’s being played on me, and I want off this roller coaster.
Theo looks even better than I remember. He’s always had long hair—it was one of the things that first drew me to him when I was eighteen—and I’d never met a man who looked like him before. His large, bulky frame made me feel safe and secure, and in the situation I was in at the time, it drew me to him all the more.
“Come on, firefly. I need to go and teepee James’s house before he gets back. I’ll even let you throweggs at his car.”
His voice comes through loudly—the memory of a Halloween so long ago that I’d forgotten how he used to treat me reverently, like I was the most precious thing in his world.
I swallow, my mouth dry at what working with him now means. For me, for him, for us. Can we forget about the past and move on? Before I can think any more, he tugs me in close. I breathe in his woodsy scent, the one I subconsciously look for but have never found. It's inherently Theo, and I refuse to admit how much I’ve missed it.
Gripping his arms so as not to lose balance, I focus on the hot breath that’s tickling my ear. What he says, though, has me clutching him tighter.
“You picked the wrong law firm to come work at, firefly. I’m going to make your life a living hell, just like you’ve made mine.”
He draws back so quickly I stumble, cursing my shoes for the umpteenth time today. I try to school my features so he doesn’t see how much his words have affected me, because they have. I just didn’t expect the vitriol he’s spewing to come out. There’s so much hatred in his tone, and I’m not sure why. I mean, I dislike the guy, but I don’thatehim.
“I’m excited to be working with you, Blake. We’re going to have so much fun,” he says, bouncing around like a little kid.
I straighten my spine. Okay, this is how we’re doing it? Fine, two can play this game.
“We really are.” I smile broadly, my hands clasping in front of me to mirror Theo. “I’ve always wanted to work with kids, so this is perfect.”
Theo stops bouncing, his eyes going cold, but Frank laughs. “Theo is definitely a big kid.” He goes to sit back behind his desk as Theo takes a seat next to me, his frosty exterior causing me to shiver. “I’ve given Aimee the next case I want the two of you to work on together. This is high-profile,” Frank adds. “Harper Thomas is the daughter ofSenator Thomas, but she was kidnapped. Her boyfriend was killed in front of her, and the guy who killed him took her. She managed to get away from him, but she’s been gone for three years.”
“The hell?” Theo whispers. I look at him out of the corner of my eye and see his fists clenched tightly around the arms of the chairs. His entire body rigid.
“Where has she been?” I ask, sitting forward. “If she’s a senator's daughter, how did no one know about it?” I don’t recall ever reading about it in the papers or hearing about it on the news.
Frank looks at me and swipes a hand down his face. “No one knew. The senator kept it quiet. The media assumed Harper had gone away for school, and they weren’t corrected.” He sighs. “This is the biggest case we’ve had to date. I don’t need to explain to you the importance of getting this right.” Frank lifts a brow, and we nod in unison. “Senator Thomas is a personal friend of mine, so I only want the best working on this.” He looks at Theo. “And that’s you.Do notlet me down.”
Theo’s face is a mask of seriousness as he replies, “I won’t.”
“Wewon’t,” I add, giving him the evil eye since I know he left me out on purpose.
