Page 85 of Cruel Revenge

It’s just after four in the morning.

I’m a patient woman, but this is getting to be a bit much.

Whatever he’s up to and trying to hide from me is only going to get him killed, because if nothing else, I’ll kill him myself if he went back on our agreement.

I don’t take kindly to being made a fool. Never have. Never will.

The front door creaks open, and Joshua steps inside.

I remain sitting on the couch in the dark.

He flicks on the light and jumps nearly a foot in the air. His hands clench into tight fists when his gaze locks on mine before he relaxes slightly.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He kicks off his shoes and slings his coat over the chair in the corner.

Seriously, what is it with this guy and coats on chairs?

I cross one leg over the other, leaning back into the cushions. “Have a good time with Emily today?”

His eyebrows pull together before understanding dawns on his face. “You think I was out cheating.”

Shrugging, I bounce my foot. “I don’t know what you were doing.”

Joshua strides into the living room and sits on the edge of the coffee table in front of me. “My brother was an idiot who didn’t know the worth of the person standing right in front of him, but you can be sure as hell that I know it. I’m not interested in anyone else, and I wouldn’t ruin what we have.”

“And I’m supposed to just trust that?”

He shrugs. “You can trust it or not, but you know that I’ve done nothing to warrant your suspicion. I was at the warehouse all night, though there are things you and I need to talk about.”

“And if I decide that I can’t trust you?”

“Then that’s your problem to decide what to do with.” Joshua leans forward, his hand cupping my calf and pulling my foot into his lap, massaging the tense muscles in my leg. “I’m not going to jump through hoops to try and prove anything to you. I don’t need to.”

I study him for a moment, and damn him.

I have no idea how I know this, but I do know without a doubt that the last thing he was doing last night was cheating on me.

Though I may not know Joshua as well as I once thought I knew Logan, the man I stupidly let myself fall for isn’t the kind of man to cheat. I don’t think he’s the kind who would even consider doing that.

Not when it would come back to bite him in the ass one way or another.

His grip tightens on my leg to the point of being almost painful. “Now, you and I are going to have a long overdue chat, and you’re going to tell me exactly what the fuck it is you’re hiding from me.”

Shit.

I kick out, catching him in the chest with my foot, but he braces, barely shifting more than a couple of inches with the impact.

“Nice try.” He digs his fingers deeper. “You’re going to tell me the truth, and you’re going to tell me now.”

This is it. This is the moment I lose him.

Because I have to tell him the truth. I can’t delay it anymore.

And when I do, he’s going to think I’m a monster and write me off. Just like everybody else. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

But maybe I can persuade him to let this go. I sure as hell will give it my best shot.

The corner of my mouth twitches as I lean forward, grabbing him by the throat and squeezing hard. “You don’t want to know. You think you know what you’re talking about, but you don’t have the slightest clue, do you?”

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