Page 14 of Sold to the Beret

I want to blame her mother, but I understand Beatrice’s need to find companionship. That bastard played on her weakness and manipulated her. My grip tightens on the steering wheel and Iimagine punching Jared Fields in the face, over and over until the bastard passes out cold in his own blood.

I’m almost tempted to drive by his place after my meeting with Theo and turn my imagination into reality. Rose would believe me if I say I had nothing to do with his assault, but I don’t ever want to break her trust.

After a few minutes on the busy roads of Seattle, I arrive at my office building. Stepping out of the elevator, I give my secretary a sharp nod.

“Good morning, Mr. Hart. Mr. Kane is waiting in the boardroom,” she says briskly.

“Thank you, Jane. Do I have any pending appointments?”

“None that are urgent. As per your request, I’ve moved appointments to next week and I’ve informed the respective clients,” she replies calmly.

“Good. Have the clients that don’t need my personal involvement transferred to Mike and Daniel until I’m back in office. And if they have too much on their plates, keep it as is until I resume work,” I inform her.

“Noted, sir.”

I give her a nod and walk down the corridor. Jane is the third secretary I’ve had since I established my PI company. The first two hadn’t met my standards. They asked too many questions, or were a littletoofriendly. A client recommended Jane, and she has been the perfect fit.

She asks the right questions, enough to keep the legal side of the company running, and leaves the rest to me. Besides, most of my clients with shady dealings know not to contact me through my secretary.

I push open the boardroom door to find Theo reclining on one of the seats, looking relaxed as he scrolls on his phone. Theo Kane is built like a linebacker, and I debate taunting him into a brawl to ease the violent rage still coursing through me.

Instead, I settle for a good old jibe. It’s not that I can’t hold my own with him, but I’d rather finish quickly here and go back to Rose.

“What the fuck do you want, asshole?” I grunt out.

He snaps his head up and smiles slowly at the frustration on my face. “Well, hello to you too,” he replies, straightening in his seat.

“Fuck off,” I growl, then smile reluctantly at his explosive laughter.

Theo is one of my favorite clients, and it’s not his fault I’m frustrated. I should be more cordial. I stride deeper into the room and take the seat opposite him, the huge boardroom table between us.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?” I say in a dry tone.

Theo raises his brows. “More information? I’m glad you found him, but you didn’t elaborate in the text so I had to call for a meeting.”

“You could have asked through text, or even a call—we wouldn’t have needed to meet,” I drawl.

“I could’ve, but then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of seeing your pretty face,” he taunts.

“Theo,” I growl.

He grins nonchalantly, then schools his features back to the hard-faced fucker I know him to be. “Okay, I’ll get straight to the point. I have another job for you, and it’s urgent. I have this friend that…”

My mind is back on Rose—I can’t help it. I think about her gorgeous blue eyes and how they twinkle when she smiles. I want to see her smile at me for the rest of my life. The thought of forever with her settles into me like a second skin.

I’ve never been averse to the concept of love or being in love. I’m not a jaded man who fears giving himself to a woman. I just always thought that love wasn’t for me. I find it hard to let people into my life, other than my family. I prefer to keep people at arm’s length and interact with them on a less personal level.

But all of that went to shit on the day I met Rose. She saw the cold, detached man and still wanted me. I know I can’t ever let her go.

My parents loved each other openly, and I was raised in that love. So, I’ve seen an example of what a loving relationship looks like and I think I might… No, Ihavefound it with Rose. I’m completely in love with her, and the admission fills me with happiness.

I need to tell Rose…

And I hope she feels the same way for me. If she’s not there yet, I’ll just have to keep showing her how much she means to me. How her happiness means more to me than anything in the world. How I’ll make sure she never feels unsafe again. And how I’ll raze the world down if she demands it.

But firstly, I need to come clean about her mother. She needs to know that her mother loved her and looked for her until the very end of her life. And I only hope she understands why I kept the knowledge from her.

“Damien,” Theo calls out, breaking into my thoughts.

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