Page 105 of Mess With Me

He looks at me, and I read exactly what he’s telling me. We can’t afford to have anyone get hurt because of us. Aside from it being against our very values, the harm or even death of a public figure—one related to an employee of the firm—would be suicide for our business. No one would be able to believe we could protect them if we were at the center of something so messy.

I think of how messy things have already gotten, thanks to my fucking feelings for Sasha.

“You keep that girl safe, Griffin. But most of all, keep your head clear. You can’t afford any mistakes.”

“I’ll keep the lines of communication open,” I say stiffly. “I’d appreciate it if you would, too. If you hear of anything—”

“You’ll be the first to know if Creelman rears his ugly fucking mug.”

“Thank you, Lionel.”

It’s weird for us to be so polite with each other. But as the man who’s gotten us into this mess—one who could lose everything to one who already has—my thanks is all I have to give him.

“So, Lionel,” I start, shifting my helmet to my other arm.

But Lionel waves a hand at me. “We’ll send you your new project in a couple weeks. I’m hooking Ford up with Yang in Texas, and we’ll check in next month to see if Creelman’s moved on.”

I swallow. I need to say thank you again, but Lionel only meets my eye and says, “Stay close to her, son.”

I nod.

Lionel and I shake hands, and I get the strangest, most ominous feeling that I’m not going to see him again.

It’s illogical—I’ll be back down here soon enough. He’ll probably video call me by this time next week. But I can’t shake it.

But maybe it’s not that. Maybe it’s the guilt of knowing I’ve pivoted so easily from feeling the pain of losing the last person I cared about to being completely consumed by another woman.

To falling for her.

Guilt squeezes my chest as I think about losing Sasha. I’ll die before seeing her name on a stone like this one.

I can’t forget about what that was like with Laura. I can’t lose my fucking head before I’ve even made sure Sasha’s safe.

“Hey, Lionel?” I ask before heading back down the hill toward my bike.

He grunts.

I pause, my eyes dancing over Laura’s marker. “I won’t forget about her.”

Lionel’s lips seem to vibrate slightly as he presses them together. Then he nods and turns back to his daughter’s grave.

CHAPTER29

Sasha

It’s the middle of the night when I hear the rumble of Griffin’s motorcycle. I check the clock—I only went to bed an hour ago. My head is still foggy, my muscles sore from hauling giant boxes of clothes around the store yesterday.

My heart lifts.

He came back early.

The soft sound of the lock turning into place echoes through to the open bedroom door as Griffin comes into the cabin. I smile to myself, suddenly wide awake and practically giddy.

I want to run out there to greet him. I’m fully naked—I’ve been sleeping that way since he’s been gone, loving the thrill of being naked in his bed. Would my lack of clothes combined with my excitement be a little over the top?

I don’t care about playing it cool, but I don’t want to be a manic banshee flying out of the room and scaring the shit out of him, either.

The bathroom door sounds a moment later, followed by the rush and splatter of the shower. I lie back, forcing myself to stay put. The anticipation of waiting for him to slip into bed will be better anyway.

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