Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“Fine. We started living together a couple of months later. He traveled a lot—or so that was what he told me. I realized later that he was going home to his wife.” She said the last word with a trace of venom in her tone. “My roommate at the time had gotten engaged and moved out. I couldn’t afford to renew the lease on my own. He convinced me that moving into his place would help him out. He wanted a puppy, but he traveled so much that he couldn’t get one.” Her face darkened. “I’d always wanted a puppy. That was what finally got me to agree. He even let me pick her out. Losing Remedy made the entire nightmare worse.”
“Remedy?” I asked, thinking that was a weird-ass name for a dog.
She turned her head slowly to level me with hate-filled eyes. “Problem?”
“Who named it?”
Her nostrils flared. “Her.”
“Her?”
“Who named her?”
Right. Whatever.
“I did.”
“You named her after a Black Crowes song,” I stated.
She shot me a scathing glance, then turned to look back at Linc.
“I lived there for almost three months, happily, with Remedy, until I was called into my boss’s office one morning. Ben had a woman in there with him. That was the day I met Florence Hark Allen. She despised me on sight, did not believe that I hadn’t known of her existence. I was not only fired, but my things had been removed from the apartment and were sitting out on the street for me to pick up on my way out. She had made sure I would never work in marketing or in the state of Florida. I never saw Harland again. The last time I had seen him was two days prior, when he left for California. We haven’t spoken or had any contact since I was sent packing.”
Linc picked up his glass of whiskey and took a drink while studying her. I waited for him to speak. There were too many gaps in her story. She was a smart woman, and I didn’t believe that she hadn’t done research on him before moving in with him. That lie alone made me question everything she’d just told us. People always held back truths, twisted them to fit the way they thought made them look best. She’d clearly just done that. But, damn, she had looked convincing, doing it.
“Did Florence have you do this? Take me? Question me? If Harland is having another affair, it isn’t me. I wouldn’t throw water on him if he was on fire.”
“Eh, I find that a little hard to believe. Much like you not having done your research on Harland before moving in with the man,” I pointed out.
She swung her gaze to me. Her eyes were narrowed. “I was young and stupid. Clearly, I hadn’t learned my lesson and got in the car with YOU without doing my research!”
I smirked. “I don’t believe that either. Although all you would know from a search is that I am a very successful owner of a whiskey distillery. Why not get in the car with me?”
“This has nothing to do with Florence,” Linc said, standing up from where he had been perched on the edge of his desk. “I’m not sure if you already knew that or not. You’re a hard one to read, Miss Fox.” He cut his eyes to me. “For now, we keep her. See if he bites.”
“Keep me?” she asked, sounding panicked.
“All right,” I said, getting up. “Well, let me know if you need anything. I’ve got shit to handle at the distillery.”
Before I could turn to leave, Linc stopped me.
“When I said we keep her, I meant you.”
My brows snapped together as I stared at him to see if he was serious, then down at the woman who had not only gone pale, but looked horrified at the suggestion.
“What?” I asked Linc.
He had to be joking.
His pointed look, however, didn’t appear to be. “You heard me.”
I shook my head. “Why can’t she stay here? Downstairs?”
“My wife and child are in this house. I don’t keep prisoners.”
“You kept Lace,” I argued.
Linc sighed as if I was exasperating him.
“Luther kept Lace. Not me. I didn’t want her here. Besides, she was different. She’d been beaten and had no memory.” He pointed at Bay. “She has a memory, is possibly working with a man we want dead.”
Motherfucker!
“What…what about the cabin on the back of the property?” I asked.
“So she can run and we have to keep chasing her down? Or do you want me to put guys there to guard the door? We don’t have time for that.”
This was not what I’d thought was going to happen. I lived alone. I liked it. I didn’t want a woman there. Messing shit up.
“Dead?” Bay croaked out.
I shot her a glance and saw she’d lost even more color. Her eyes were wide. Yeah, he probably shouldn’t have said that, but she needed to know.