Page 89 of Secrets (The Sins Trilogy 2)
“You mean aside from the NDA?”
“He’s the one paying you, not me.”
She gives me a flat stare. “And I have my own code. Part of that being, I don’t rat on clients I’m guarding. If Tony wants to spy on you, he needs to hire a PI, because that isn’t my job.”
Oh shit. She’s insulted. I wish I could go back and pull the foot out of my mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to question your professional ethics.”
She considers, then finally nods. “We have an hour before the appointment. Let me go scout the area. If everything looks okay, I’ll text you and pick you up outside the building here. Don’t act like you know me. Walk straight to Starbucks. I’m going to follow you, my nose buried in my phone. At the store, you need to let me grab a drink first, then go talk to this Peacher guy. If it looks like he’s trying to intimidate you or harass you, all bets are off, and I’m going to beat the shit out of him.”
Bobbi going berserk on Sam will create another viral video for sure. Half the people in the place are going to be on their phones. But from the flinty glint in her eye, I know this is the best offer I’m going to get. “Okay.”
I go back to my desk and try to work. It’s impossible to focus. I make three typos on an executive memo and glare at the monitor. I do not make typos. My fingers are too precise for that. But my mind’s not on the task.
Finally, my phone buzzes.
All clear.
At five to two, I leave the office. As soon as I hit the street, Bobbi’s half a step behind, a Bluetooth headset jammed in her ear and speaking Spanish. Her voice is dulcet, as though she’s talking to a lover. To anybody who’s looking, she and I are strangers.
We step inside Starbucks. I spot Sam immediately. He’s all the way in the back of the café, sitting at a booth. The impact of seeing him again is like a rumbling quake, sending chills down my spine. He’s dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks, looking like any other well-heeled white-collar professional taking a break. Last time he attacked me, he was calm and almost superior. This time, he’s hunched in his seat, his body language radiating tension. What is he planning now? Did I make a mistake by coming here?
Bobbi orders. Her cool, flat voice reminds me I’m not alone or helpless this time. She takes a small table for two by the door, and I grab a fresh cup of Americano and walk past her, my gut knotted tight.
I sit opposite Sam, pull the dress from my purse and throw it on the table. “How come you have this?”
He barely glances at it. His predatory gaze is on me. “Why wouldn’t I have it? I was there.”
My heart thunders, pumping anxious anticipation in rapid, erratic beats. “Where did it happen? Who is she? Is she alive?”
“First, make Anthony back off. He’s fucking with my livelihood.” Sam’s voice has lost its usual oily smoothness. It’s taut now. Ugly. “All my investors pulled out. Make him change their minds.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Tony has influence, but this much? “How could he make all of them change their minds?”
“He’s the one behind it.”
“Oh, come on.” I laugh. “You always say you can get whatever you want because you’re rich. So how can Tony mess with your investors like that? By threatening them? Beating them? Maybe trying to drown them?”
The last one hits the mark. Sam flinches. “He’s a devious man. You don’t understand how devious.”
“I think I understand enough.” I’ll never forget Sam’s grim face as he shoved me into the water. There wasn’t a hint of human decency. “He’s the one who saved me.”
“Don’t be so sure, Iris. You don’t know anything. He has money, and with money comes connections. He’s fucking with me. And I will not be a nobody. Never again!” He points a finger like it’s all my fault.
“It isn’t my problem if your investors don’t want to do business with you.” And I can’t blame them if he’s anything like this in his dealings with them. “You have money too. So use your connections to fight this if you want, but don’t drag me into it. I’m not lifting a finger for you after what you’ve done.”
“I saved you, you ungrateful bitch!”
Of course. It always comes to that. Him saving me. Keeping me alive on the life support. Not giving up on me while I was comatose for a year. “Yeah, and then tried to kill me. Don’t expect me to be grateful anymore.”
Red floods his pudgy face. His chin trembles.
“You dangled the dress and the girl in front of me, but all you really want to talk about is your money and company. Were you planning to tell me anything?”
“I will if you’ll just agree to help! All you have to do is bat your pretty eyes and whisper in his ear that you’d appreciate it if he’d let me be. Men are exceptionally malleable after sex. By now, you should know how to give a decent blow job.”
My lips curl with disgust. I hate Sam for even thinking about turning sex between me and Tony into some kind of transaction. I’ve never shared my body with Tony for anything other than love and mutual pleasure, and I’m never changing that, even if somebody holds a gun to my head. “I’m not going to become a whore for you. And we’re done. Don’t ever contact me again.” I start to get up.
“You little bitch,” he hisses. “You think you’re so clean? We all have dirt we’d rather not show the world.”
