Page 2 of The Tempo of Truth
None of my current bad choices had anything to do with Winnie Halliday.
“Should I be honored that someone like you sees me as the villain in their life?”Her delicate features shifted into an expression of disbelief.“That’s not a role I ever envisioned for myself, but I like it.Villains seem to have more fun than anyone else—at least until someone stops them.”
I swallowed a mouthful of beer and glared at her over the rim of the glass.I was too inebriated to go toe to toe with her verbally.
This version of Winnie Halliday was sharper, tougher, and more cunning than the teenage girl from my memories.She still screamed cultured refinement with every movement, but the invisible barrier I always imagined between us no longer seemed to be as impenetrable as it once was.Somewhere along the way, Winnie Halliday became more human and less like an antique porcelain doll.She was no longer on a shelf collecting dust.She was out in the real world, risking cracks and breaks just like the rest of us.
“If I show you a real fun time, will you go the fuck away?I never want to see you again, Winnie.I can’t stress enough how much I regret getting mixed up with the Hallidays back then.”I approached them with ulterior motives when I thought Win Halliday was going to use any means necessary to separate me from my mother.I learned the hard way that a Halliday never suffered fools lightly.I was digging my own grave and didn’t even know it.
Perfectly manicured fingernails tapped on the table, and her rust-colored eyebrows raised mockingly.“Do you think you’re capable of showing anyone anything?Look at the state you’re in, Ky.You’ve never looked worse.”
I snorted and involuntarily nudged the pint glass out of the way.“I’m a professional athlete.I can perform under any conditions.”
“Youwerea professional athlete.Now, you’re just a messy drunk who is feeling sorry for himself, even though you created this situation with your own two hands.You don’t have much to offer, Ky.You never did.”
It was my turn to scoff.“Is that why you’ve been chasing me all over hell and back for so many years?Because I have nothing to offer?”
Her pale cheeks flooded with color, and her teeth bit into her lower lip nervously.Her hazel eyes held a million different colors and just as many secrets.I shouldn’t be surprised she learned how to be dishonest, but I was admittedly uneasy when she lied directly to my face.
“Whoever you saw wasn’t me.Do you think my Uncle Win would let me trail after you like a stray dog?You have to know that Hallidays are required to have more decorum than that.”
She slipped back into the role of entitled heiress so effortlessly that I nearly forgot she showed up in this out-of-the-way pub when she was supposed to be attending classes at her college in Spain.I was here because I wanted to drink until I forgot what was happening to my career and lick my wounds where no one was likely to recognize me.I’d never been in this establishment before, so there was absolutely no reason for Winnie to show up here out of the blue.
I staggered to my feet, accidentally bumped the table, and sent the half-full pint of beer flying.The bartender yelled at me in Portuguese while Winnie apologized and reached out to grab my arm as I stumbled.She was soft, and she smelled good.It was impossible to keep myself from leaning my weight against her as she paid the bill and did her best to drag me out of the pub.I belatedly noticed there were plenty of lush female curves pressed against me.She was no longer too skinny and starved for more than affection.
I let her guide me to a sleek, black car.I didn’t bother asking her where we were going.My place in the city center was out of the question since sports media and gossip reporters from different tabloids were likely surrounding it.They’d been like vultures since the news broke.I knew they were waiting for a glimpse of me looking downtrodden and woeful.I knew that I would never be repentant enough for those who called for my head.It’d been a little over a week since I’d been dismissed, and the fervor hadn’t died down at all.
Winnie’s family made its fortune in real estate development, and one of her uncles was involved with hotel and resort planning.It wasn’t worth asking if the Hallidays owned property somewhere on the Iberian Peninsula; I just assumed they did.Her family’s reach was endless.I knew that before making a deal with her uncle to disappear, but I’d forgotten how hard it was to wiggle out of the grasp of someone who held the world in their hands.
Winnie and I didn’t speak on the ride to the luxury condominium complex.I kept my eyes closed and ignored her while trying to sober up and convince myself that the best way to get rid of her was to prove every terrible thing she might think of me to be absolutely true.As long as Winnie Halliday stayed intrigued and partially infatuated with me, I would never know a minute of peace.
Her attention was too expensive for a guy who was about to have less than two pennies to rub together.
I followed her into a luxury condo that was triple the size of mine and didn’t let her so much as put her purse down before I yanked her into my arms and planted a feverish and impatient kiss on her pouty lips.
She made a breathy sound and reached up to wrap her arms around my neck.I wondered if I tasted like abject failure because she tasted as fresh and fancy as she looked.And she kissed as innocently and awkwardly as I imagined.If I were a betting man—which the entire professional football association believed me to be—I would put money down that I was the first person who ever got to kiss Winnie Halliday.I was the first to use my tongue to tease a taste from her, the first to put my hands on her flawless flesh and feel her quiver uncontrollably.There was no doubt that no one else had ever gotten the opportunity to strip her bare and pin her against the wall so they could go down on her.And there wasn’t a single soul who tumbled her into a massive bed and made her gasp and moan through emotional tears while they fucked her.I was drunk, but no matter how inebriated I was, the sounds she made and the way she whispered my name like it was something special were going to stick with me for a lifetime.
That memorable night, I managed to make her come a few times despite being clumsy and rough.I knew I would never forget what it felt like to be her first.The only lie I told that I never convinced myself to believe was that Winnie Halliday meant nothing to me and that I wanted nothing to do with her, in my past, present, or future.
Winnie Halliday
Sixish years later
“Do you have any enemies?”
I looked at the middle-aged police officer who asked the question and tried not to roll my eyes.
“My last name is Halliday.Of course, I have enemies.”More than I could count on my ten fingers and ten toes.I’d run out of breath trying to list business adversaries and disgruntled employees alone when he asked for a list of suspects.“But I can’t think of any who were aware of my recent travel plans.I decided to move up my return to the city at the last minute.”
I received a call that my Uncle Alistair was stepping down as the acting CEO of Halliday Inc.and moving to more of a figurehead position.I always thought that when he was ready to step down from his leadership role, my Aunt Bellamy would take over the day-to-day operations of the global, multibillion-dollar corporation.She’d been my uncle’s right hand for so long; she deserved the recognition and promotion far more than I did.I wasn’t the only one surprised when she decided to step away from the conglomerate altogether once her husband cut back his responsibilities.I was stunned when I heard she wanted to take some time away from work to focus on their family.My cousins were getting old enough to notice that their parents were rarely home and often missed important moments in their lives.It took several generations for the Hallidays to learn that no amount of money could make up for the memories they didn’t get to make with loved ones while feeding the beast that was the family business.
No one demanded that I return to the States and helm the centuries-old conglomerate.My entire family knew I enjoyed my quiet, calm, and leisurely days on a small island off the coast of Italy.It was the place where I’d laid my mother to rest many years ago when I scattered her ashes in the sea after my Aunt Channing stole her urn from a mausoleum.It was that very rescue mission that brought us closer.I had deep, sentimental ties to the remote location and often visited after moving abroad for college.The island was the place where I’d gone to lick my wounds and adjust to the changes in my life after my final run-in with Kyser Kent.I went for a long weekend to get my thoughts and feelings in order and just…never left.
The island was off the beaten path enough that I didn’t have to `worry about prying eyes or watching my back for sneaky reporters looking for a scoop on the runaway Halliday heiress.The locals didn’t care what my last name was or how much money was in my bank account.They embraced me as one of their own and offered a safe place for me to figure out what my next move should be.I had to grow up very quickly, but on that island was the first time in my existence that the pressure of being an heiress disappeared.I lived as simply and easily as the people around me, pretending I had more in common with the villagers than the glitzy and gaudy tourists who meandered aimlessly through the picturesque town.Much to my surprise, when I found out it was time for someone new to helm the lumbering beast that was Halliday Inc., instead of balking or crumbling under the perceived pressure, I found myself excited to return home and step into the role that had been patiently waiting for me.I couldn’t fake that I was a lonely wanderer who was barely getting by or that I was an average young woman trying to find my way in the big, imperfect world for much longer anyway.
Family was important, and I’d left mine hanging far too long.
“Is your family expecting you?”The police officer looked impatient.He kept looking past me, over my shoulder, as if whatever was there was far more interesting and important than taking my complaint.And when he spoke, he looked over my head and refused to meet my gaze.“Don’t the Hallidays have a private security team they use?I’ve seen them around the city since I was a rookie cop on patrol.I’ve even worked with them a few times during those big events your family throws for charity.I’m just a bit confused as to why you called the police instead of handling it on your own.Seems like a waste of public resources if you ask me.”He grunted and finally gave me an impatient stare.“I understand you feel uneasy and think someone was following you from the airport, but we can’t find any evidence of that.Are you sure you’re not overreacting, considering it’s been a while since you’ve been back in the city?You’ll have to adjust to the press being one step behind you if you’re here to stay.”
