Page 80 of Queen of Ruin

“Of course not, why would you think that?”

“She has no reason to fulfill the contract now, Darren. You gave her access to the money.” Alistair is not supposed to be the voice of reason, but here I am, doubting myself.

“I gave her access to it because it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to hold her to something that should have never been a condition in the first place.” I run a hand through my hair and look up at the grey sky.

I hear Alistair sigh on the other end and I stop breathing, my heart no longer pressing against my chest with vigor.

“She wouldn’t,” as soon as I say it, I can feel my heart seize like an electric shock trying to bring it back to life.

She didn’t say it back last night, but I felt it in the way she kissed me. I felt it in the way she gave her whole self to me. At least that’s what I had thought. When I left this morning, she was still asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. Perhaps I thought if she opened her eyes and didn’t look back at me the way I was looking at her, it might break me.

I needed to get my head in the game because I broke all my rules.

Stupid rules about sex before an exam.

Reckless rules about falling in love.

“Look, I know how it sounds, but you know Evan, she’s never been interested in the money. It was so she could pay for her grandmother’s care, and well, her grandmother passed away.”

“I thought I knew her, too,” he offers sympathetically, and his tone makes me uneasy. He knows something I don’t.

“Did she take the money?” I question, gripping the phone tightly.

“You know I can’t tell you that. It’s against the law.”

“Since when are you ever worried about walking a straight line?” I ask, angrily.

“Darren, don’t do this to yourself,” he pleads.

“I’m standing on this fucking curb and she’s not here. I need to know,” I practically beg, knowing there is a tremor in my voice that I can’t hide.

“Darren…” he tries to reason with me.

“Did she take the fucking money?!”

Alistair sighs and I know he’s given in. “I got the liquidation order this morning.”

“Fuck!” I want to punch something, to throw my phone into the concrete sidewalk, but I don’t. That was the old Darren.

“Darren? Darren!” is all I hear before hanging up the phone, just as Bailey pulls up at the curb.

I yank the car door open before Bailey can get out, knowing she’s not in there but still feeling shocked when the backset is empty.

“Where is she?”

Bailey gives me a sympathetic look. “I took Mrs. Walker to the airport this morning.”

I slide into the back seat and slam the door.

“I’m sorry, boss,” Bailey offers. “I thought you knew.”

I rub my chin and look out the window as we pull into traffic. “No, I did not know.”

I should be angry at him for taking orders from her, for letting her leave, but it’s not his fault. He was just doing his job. I was gonna let her leave before, but things are different now. I fucking told her I loved her.

Jesus!

“Take me home.”

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