Page 150 of The Bet
Xavier pressed his forehead against hers, holding her wrist in the palm of his hand. “I wish I could do something to make it better,” he said, his words caressing her soul, the way his fingers caressed her wrist.
“I am over that. I’ve moved on, and now you know.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“You might know him, I think.”
“I might know him?”
Was she imagining it? His jaw clenched, and a tiny muscle along the side of it twitched again. “He knows someone who was at Tobias’s wedding.”
“The fucker was at the wedding?”
“Not him,” she said. Xavier wasn’t listening. “A friend of his.”
“Who?”
She exhaled slowly. “That day when Jacob and I were going to the waterfall, and I dragged you along. That guy I was talking to, someone Rothschild, I think.”
“Oliver Rothschild?” he growled.
“He’s a friend of the creep’s, and he recognized me at the wedding, and he thought I still worked for them.”
“Who’s the creep, Izzy?”
The way he said it made her think twice about telling him. “You’re not going to do anything silly, are you? Because that’s not why I’m telling you.”
“I’m not going to do anything.”
“Gideon Shoemoney.” The words fell out. “I don’t know if you actually know h—”
“Gideon Fucking Shoemoney?”
Her heart missed a beat. Shit. Xavierdidknow him.
“Jeez.” His voice tensed, and he rubbed his forehead.
“Is he a friend of yours?”
“He’s no fucking friend of mine.”
“Why are you so angry then?”
He leaned forward and cupped her cheek then. “Because I hate what he did you.” He seemed miles away. “Rothschild and Shoemoney belong to the same mastermind group that Tobias belongs to. I’ve been a few times.”
“Mastermind group?”
“Don’t ask. Those assholes all mix in the same circles.”
“They can’t all be assholes.”
But Xavier didn’t seem to have heard her. “I hate that he did that to you. And I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize for anything.”
“I’m sorry on behalf of all those assholes who think this stuff is okay. I’m not one of those assholes.”
She wondered why he’d needed to make that point. “I know, Xavier. I know you’re not.”
