Page 8 of Love & Heart Braking

Don’t take the bait, Sol.

“Yes,” she declared in a ringing voice.

Took the bait.

Soleil grabbed my hand. “We’re going.”

The siren dragged me to the front door, but Bain’s call stopped her in her tracks.

“One question.” He hadn’t chased after my friend, and she would absolutely hate that.

Because in her words, she only chased to kill. Which meant, if she had to do the chasing in their relationship, Bain was going to die. Though the way he’d kissed her, pretty sure he’d go to death willingly.

Soleil raised her chin. “What’s that?”

“Mr. Fenton Icktus. He has three financial backers. Backers that I know will not agree to sell Pick Up to you.”

Soleil cocked a brow. “That’s not a question.”

True love was nearly impossible to screw up, unlike general love matches, but my friend would ache over her words later, and so would Buff Unicorn over there. I answered, “Fenton put an exit clause into the contract.”

Soleil continued, “He’s able to buy the backers out without explanation and without negotiation.”

Fenton was proving to be a smart lad. Still a sleaze. But a smart one.

“I see,” Bain hummed.

“So happy for you,” she said sarcastically.

I was dragged out of Real Nepos Bank and didn’t utter a word as Soleil hauled me to Nox Street and through Juno Park to Ceres Close. She jabbed a finger at the keycode box for entry into my building.

I quickly punched in the seven-digit code, then was allowed to walk to my apartment unmolested.

Soleil burst inside my place. “He’s such a jerk!”

“I know, right?” I murmured, walking to the kitchen.

My meal at the date tonight was interrupted, so I set about fixing a chicken salad. I pulled out a head of lettuce, absently wondering what the quality was like. If this night had gone differently, I might have known.

“All muscly and mysterious,” she seethed, following me into the kitchen.

“So muscly,” I agreed. Remembering I hadn’t done my routine checks yet, I left the kitchen and walked across the living room and past my bed and bookshelves.

She followed me as I walked into the wardrobe. “He only kissed me so I’d bank there.”

Even Soleil didn’t believe that. Well, she hoped that wasn’t the reason. And she feared that it was. A childhood in the serpent’s nest would do that to a gal.

“I don’t agree.” I switched on the light in my wardrobe.

Checking my bow had become habit whenever I came home. I really had to invest in a lockbox charm, but Sintin’s bill for his work against the NBC had been higher than anticipated—my guess was that he’d whacked on a whole heap after Soleil said she wasn’t on the dating market.

Soleil barred my path into the wardrobe with her arm. “You don’t?”

“Hmm, what?”

She narrowed her gaze. “About the stupid kiss thing. You said he maybe didn’t just do it so I’d bank there. Or something.”

I struggled not to snort. “Oh, that. No, I think he was surprised to learn he’d hurt your feelings, and he tried to show you it wasn’t the kiss by… kissing you.”

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