“I have an appointment with his brief this afternoon, and they don’t call me Lucky Lochy for nothing. Let the negotiations begin.”
“Fuck, all these months, and it’s really going to be that simple.”
“Madness, right? He’s going to give up his rights. I’ll have the deal signed today. The only question that remains is the number in his head.”
“Whatever it is—”
“It won’t be anywhere near our last offer,” Lochy persists. “That bastard deserves the bare minimum.”
He deserves much worse than a subpar payoff, but I can’t murder my niece’s father. Not if I want her in my life because there are some things you can’t hide. I have thought about it, sometimes obsessively. This whole experience has been the one time I’ve ever felt powerless in my adult life.
“Well done. I’m glad we’re putting this to bed.” Glad doesn’t cover it. I feel my chest expand like I’ve been holding my breath for far too long.
“Speaking of beds, I assume you want me to hold off filing this marriage paperwork until then?”
Hold off. And then what? Shred it? Make our marriage little more than a few words exchanged in front of witnesses on my payroll.
It’s not even consummated yet.
My mind begins to spin. The reason I needed Lavender—the primary reason, that is—will be null and void come this afternoon. I’ll have Daisy for good. Her father will be out of our lives except for access visits he’ll eventually tire of.Before dropping out of our lives.
I could cut her loose. Rewind. Return our lives to as they were last Friday afternoon. Only, a time before Lavender seems so long ago.
“…I’ve already called Gib.”
Gibraltar?At Lachlan’s voice, I surface into the present again.
“I spoke to Moreno. Told him to lock the documentation away until he hears from me.”
“Right.”
That she’s Brin Whittington’s sister was always secondary to my cause. It wasn’t even supposed to be her, but that’s on her brother. If he hadn’t fucked up, I would never have sought her out. She was just too good an opportunity for payback.
If she found out…
Fuck, I don’t even want to imagine.
“…and that’s five mill you’ll save at the end of the day. Not to mention your car.”
Could I? Humiliate heranddash her hopes? Not that I… No. She hasn’t built her hopes on me—her hopes and dreams are in an art gallery that isn’t even bricks and mortar but a glorified shipping container with a rent that’s still crippling her bottom line.
Could I leave her in that mess?
It’s not like she’s poor, I guess.
For the second time today, I experience that pinch of discomfort in my chest.
I feel protective of her, I realize with a jolt. And how I feel about that is…
Fucking perplexing.
21
LAVENDER
I want a driver,I find myself thinking as Antonio pulls away from the curb.
Riding the Tube when this is all over will never be the same.
