Page 38 of Sapphire Storm

“Did she ever say anything to you about the guy he cheatedwith? Michael?”

Andy shook his head and looked down at his food. “Thatwasn’t his name. He was just some hooker using an alias. His real name’s in thefile, though.”

Just some hooker.The words speared him, and ittook him a second to realize what he was feeling.

Defensive. Of Ethan.

“Wait,” Roman said, “you’ve seen the file?”

Andy nodded, shoveling food into his mouth.

“I didn’t know she still had it. I thought she threw it awayafter the divorce.”

“Nope,” Andy said and swallowed. “She said she used to takeit out once a year to remind herself not to be so naïve about men. Didn’texactly melt my heart when she told me that story on our first date, but thatcame later, I guess. Figure it’s in one of those boxes we loaded today. But ifyou want to do a search for it, we’ve got to do it another day because I’ve gotdrinks with the boys later.”

“No,” Roman said too quickly, “I don’t need to see it. It’sfine.”

He didn’t want to bother with the old version of Ethan.

He liked the new version—therealversion—far toomuch.

Thanks to Sunday traffic, what should have been an hour anda half drive back to Laguna turned into a three-hour crawl.

A text from Ethan arrived when he was just north of Corona,and things were moving slowly enough that he felt he could read it withoutrisking a wreck.

Meet at boardwalk on Main Beach in Laguna at 8 p.m. for updatesand a surprise?

Roman was grinning from ear to ear as he typed out in allcaps YES!

No way could he already have an update from the lawyer. Itwas Sunday.

And the surprise could be so many things.

Roman realized what Ethan really wanted out of him, even ifhe was too uptight to say it.

A date.

11

Ethan was at his desk, typing up task lists to guidehis team while he was visiting Donnie later that week, when a text from hisboss arrived asking him todropin for a chat.Even as the wordsUh ohechoed through his brain, he respondedwith a thumbs-up.

When he knocked, Logan Murdoch, the hotel’s director ofsecurity, opened the door and gestured for him to enter. Toweringly tall, theman was handsome in a manner Ethan found severe. Years of service in the MarineCorps had left him capable of instant laser-like focus, which was what he’dfixed Ethan in now. While the large, windowless office behind him was emptysave for Connor Harcourt, his presence here might be a bad sign. Or it mightmean nothing at all. Perhaps he’d been stealing some at-work personal time withhis devoted fiancé and would quickly excuse himself.

No such luck. The blazer-clad giant sank back down onto theoffice’s Chesterfield sofa, studying him with unnerving calm and a placidsmile.

“First off, you tell that son of a bitch Donnie Bascombe heneeds to send me the Padres schedule if he wants me and Connor to come downsoon.” Logan grinned.

“Of course,” Ethan said with a smile, even as he figured hewas being buttered up for a difficult conversation.

“You guys are getting together this week, right?” Loganasked.

“We are, unless that’s become a scheduling issue.”

Because he’d barely had any transition time between hisLondon gig and Sapphire Cove, he’d negotiated some early vacation days into hiscontract and was hoping to use the first few on his trip down to San Diego.

“No, no problem,” Connor said quickly, then he and Loganexchanged a look. Logan, it seemed, was silently requesting permission to speakagain. His fiancé and boss granted it with a small nod, and Logan turned hispenetrating attention back to Ethan. “Security heard yelling coming from the penthousesuite during your meeting with Roman Walker, and it didn’t sound like you werethe one yelling.”

“Oh, he’s fine. He’s just under a lot of stress with thewedding.”

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