Page 34 of Hart of Hope
“Li’l bug.” Grace lifted the little girl out of the stroller and into her arms.
“Hi, Emma.” I winked at her. She was all smiles and rosy cheeks. I doubted she remembered me.
“Say hi to my friend, Brian,” Grace cooed in a sweet voice. “He’s Daddy’s friend too.”
That was to be determined.
Duke and I exchanged a bro hug.
“We should talk.” I might as well address the elephant between us.
“Agreed, but I can’t. I have to take Emma to a doctor’s appointment for her checkup. I’ll call when I find some time.”
I always prided myself on knowing Duke inside and out. But at the moment, I couldn’t figure out if he was angry.
Duke held out his arms to his daughter, who giggled when she was safely with her dad. “Grace, why don’t you come with me? You can fill me in about your meeting with Judge Dixon.”
“Fine.” Grace gave me a sad smile. “Anything to spend time with Emma.”
It would be best if she and I created distance between us. Both for her sake and mine.
12
BRIAN
Isipped my bourbon, trying to appreciate the kickass view of Boston I was paying good money for. Stark white walls. Gourmet kitchen where I hadn’t yet had a chance to cook. A spacious living room with a fireplace that my daughter would love. But instead of feeling content and satisfied with my two-thousand-foot prime Boston real estate, all I could focus on was the shit that was piling up. I expected fewer problems after I left Nashville, not more. Nor had I anticipated the feelings that I had for Grace would explode like an atomic bomb.
Fuck.I shifted on the couch, adjusting my damn erection. Three bedrooms on the other side of the apartment, and all I could think about was Grace in mine. Duke would murder me if he knew my thoughts about his sister. But if I decided to act on my feelings for his sister, I owed it to Duke to tell him how I felt about Grace.
A text came in from Detective Stuart, my cop friend in Nashville, which halted my pity party.
Stuart:The background check I did on Sabine Sullivan was normal. Went to her place, and she wasn’t home. Tried Rogues. She hasn’t been to work in two days. The new owner mentionedthat she hasn’t called or anything. I’ll stop by there tonight and see if she’s working. However, her son, Harris, had one misdemeanor for a simple drug possession. First-time offense, so no jail time. I’ll track her down and let you know when I have your folder.
Sabine had hardly missed a day under my employment, and when she did, she gave me a heads-up. I couldn’t help but think that something had happened to her. As much as I couldn’t figure out her endgame, I hoped she was okay.
Me:Maybe she got into an accident and is in the hospital.
Stuart:I’ll do some digging.
Me:Thanks.
Sabine’s sister was in a long-term care facility. Maybe Sabine had gotten caught up with her for some reason. Yet I found it suspect that she worked for me for nine months without any issues, but since I sold the restaurant, she had stolen my folder and now was nowhere to be found.
The condo phone rang, cutting through my brooding. My muscles tensed automatically, bourbon forgotten as I moved to answer it. The phone was mainly a communication device, specifically for the security personnel to announce a guest or an emergency situation. I doubted there was a fire or problem, which meant that someone was here.
“Mr. McCauley, I have a guest by the name of Arturo Rodriguez here to see you.”
Son of a bitch.My hand instinctively checked for a gun at my lower back, but I remembered I’d locked it inside my safe in the bedroom.
If Arturo knew where I lived, that meant he’d had me followed. Several expletives fell from my mouth. I’d been sloppy, and if I didn’t snap out of my brooding, I was a dead man.
“Send him up.” If I turned him away, he would only cause trouble.
I opened the door and waited.
Strutting in, Arturo—dressed in a sharp suit and shiny loafers—whistled as his gaze darted around. “You do have money.”
Money I’d made from running a drug empire and my dealerships. I’d stashed my profits for a rainy day, which would keep serving me well if I didn’t blow it. The sale of Rogues had yielded very little after all the expenses I had to pay.
