Page 12 of Corrupted Memories
“It would be a shame if people believed such a nasty rumor, though. Imagine if it got back to Gianna too. Poor girl would be heartbroken,” Nico says with a click of his tongue.
I nod. “It would be such a shame, so it’s probably best that you keep that little tidbit about me knowing Gianna to yourself. You get it, right?”
She grabs her shoes, her face paling and her answer coming out meekly. “I understand.”
She exits the car, standing unsure near the open door.
“Thanks for the invite… It’s been eventful,” I say, wanting to be alone and confirming I wouldn’t be calling her again. I slam the door shut before she can respond.
As soon as we pull away, I undo my jacket, throw it to the side, and unbutton the top of my shirt.
Fuck, I’m pissed.
“What are you thinking now?” Nico asks.
My eyes lift to catch his. “Get Knox on the phone. Do we have a judge who will push something through overnight?”
Nico is momentarily silent before clearing his throat with a grimace. “Depends on what you have in mind and where. Jersey, perhaps. New York, I don’t think so.”
A malicious grin stretches across my face.
Chapter 4
Gianna
My brother shakes me awake,and I open my eyes to stare into his soft brown ones. His expression is sad, blanketed in concern as he holds out his hand to pull me out of the car. When I hop out, I realize the security detail has driven me to his house in the suburbs outside of the city.
Matt notices my bewildered gaze and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “I figured you’d feel safer staying with me. I called Jeremy and told him you had a panic attack and I picked you up.”
Oh, right. Jeremy.
The boyfriend I ditched at his promotion party.
The heavy guilt settles in my chest, but it doesn’t outweigh the fear that is still making me tremble. After what happened in the bathroom, anyconfidence I had about confronting Sebastian has dwindled to nothing but a lost hope. I folded faster than a speeding bullet.
“Thanks. I wasn’t thinking,” I say, my voice as soft as a whisper.
Matt nods, leading me into his home and guiding me to sit on the couch. He moves to the kitchen to grab water and brings it back for me.
“Drink it. Need to hydrate after a rush like that.”
I sip it while I pull the blanket hanging limply over the back of his couch and wrap it around myself. Matt sits in the chair across from me, watching me carefully as we wait until I’m half done with the bottle before I sigh.
“We can debrief now,” I say with a small smile, knowing that’s what he’s waiting for.
His lips quirk. “What happened?”
“Sebastian was there.”
Matt jerks back, his eyes widening with shock and then he stands up, storming into another room and returning with his laptop. “Impossible. I tracked him earlier and he was…” He trails off, his mouth slacking as he sits back down.
“What?”
“The signal went out, as if he knew I was checking. I’m just—never mind.” He slams the laptop closed and shakes his head. “I’ll discuss it with my team later. It’s not important. Tell me what happened at the party.”
I swallow, taking another sip of water to stall for a second. “He cornered me in the bathroom.”
Matt’s fists curl on his lap and I know he’s assumed the worst, so I hurry through the rest.
