I slid the ring off my finger, securing it in the compartment underneath the stereo. Without much more thought, I exited my car with my Chanel briefcase in my hand. Somehow, now, even it felt criminal to carry.
Click.
Clack.
Click.
Clack.
My entry was seamless. In front of the silver table, I halted. As I inhaled, the door on the opposite side of the room slid backward. I had no time to prepare. To exhale. To gather. To settle.
There he was. In all his dark, alluring glory. My eyes were fixated on him. But, I was silently chastising my brother for tossing me into his ocean. I was in the middle of nowhere.
Stranded.
Surrounded by water.
And, though I could swim, the tides were high. The waves were too strong. The current was pulling me along. I couldn’t grab hold of anything or anyone to be pulled to safety.
My God he’s incredible.
I was engulfed in flames, though water was all around me. Josiah rounded the table and pushed the chair furtherunderneath me, insisting I had a seat. I didn’t protest. I lowered my body until I was planted in the chair. He pushed it up to the table.
He rested his bones and his eyes. Once his orbs were on me, they never left. Handcuffs secured his hands. They made a ruckus as he placed them on the table, pressing his palms together.
“Good morning, Sunshine.”
My jawline flexed as I digested his greeting. I softened seconds later, quickly reminded by those dark, curious eyes that I was not facing the enemy. Neither was there a threat.
I’m safe.
This safety wasn’t the same as the safety I experienced in Kason’s arms. However, they were both addictive. Not equally so, but equally interesting.
“Attorney Range Childers, Mr. Blackwood,” I breathed out, pulling my briefcase in front of me.
I dislodged the file and split it down the middle. It wasn’t often I made the same mistake twice. Because I was genuinely interested in the man in front of me and because Teddy had made it clear that this was my mess to clean, I’d done my due diligence. My research had begun. My commitment to his freedom had been activated.
A low chuckle fell from Josiah’s lips. Hadn’t my ears been so sensitive, anticipating his next breath as much as his next words, I would’ve missed it.
“Scholar from kindergarten until senior year. Graduated a year early and at the top of your class. During your senior year, you were also taking college courses, completely obliterating your prerequisite list.
“By the time you reached your Ivy League campus, you were already three semesters ahead of your classmates. Your love for chemistry blossomed. Your hunger for education never faltered.Even after you’d graduated. All through your master's program, your performance never wavered. Your doctoral program proved more of the same.
“You’ve sat in rooms at tables alongside people who were light-years ahead of you in the industry. Still, you managed to make fools of them all with your sharp, yet studious nature. You led pharmacy after pharmacy to success, even when they were sinking. And after gaining the experience you assumed you needed, you started Blackwood Pharmaceutical.
“BP hasn’t experienced a bad year… quarter… month… week… day… hour… minute… second… Not until now. Not until you were accused of murder. Tell me–” I pulled the jacket of my suit together and straightened my spine.
“How does a man like you fall from grace?”
So gracefully?
Josiah didn’t move an inch. He remained grounded in his chair. Eyes still on me, weakening me. His silence was unmatched. It began undoing me. All of me. Stripping me of my threads, my position, my persona, and my pride. Leaving me naked, vulnerable, and desperate.
I swallowed back the nothingness in my throat.
“Mr. Blackwood. Would you like to speak? Profess your innocence? Give me anything to use in your defense? Anything?”
He tilted his head as if in deep thought. I braced for impact. Something was on the horizon. A shift quickly began to take place. He was gaining control of the room. Of me. Without a word from his mouth. Still, I was driven to the point of no return.
