Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
The vision ended, leaving me slightly disoriented. After shaking my head, I slipped the frame back into her desk and hurried back to the door. Pulling it open, I quietly slipped out, hoping the receptionist wouldn’t notice how long I’d been in there. Nate had her full attention, so she barely noticed when I joined them.
He finished his story and glanced my way. I gave him a slight nod, and he smiled at the receptionist. “Guess we’ll be going. But it was nice to meet you.”
“You too. I’ll tell Aubree you stopped by.”
“Thanks.”
We strode out of the building, straight to my car. After sitting down, Nate turned to me. “You were in there a while. Good thing I’m so charming. Did you get anything?”
“Yes. She had a framed photo of you and her in her top drawer. The glass had a big crack in it, and it was upside down, like she’d broken it on purpose. I picked it up and saw her giving money to a man with tattooed fingers.”
“Johnny.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t see his features, but it has to be him. But why would she pay him to set you up the other day?”
“Shit. I can’t believe she’d do that.”
“Yeah. She must have a reason, and it’s gotta be more than the fact that you broke up with her, right? At least we can assume she has a way to contact him, so that’s good.”
Nate nodded. “We just need to talk to her. Then we’ll know what’s going on.” He checked his watch. “We’re a little early to head to the restaurant, but that might be best since I can take a look around and make sure it’s not a trap.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” I’d been to that restaurant before, so I knew how to get there. It wasn’t far, and we soon pulled into the parking lot. “Do you see her car anywhere?”
Nate shook his head. “No, but she could be driving something else by now.”
I held out my hand for his.
“Don’t you want to try a kiss first? Just as an experiment?”
I huffed, but then leaned toward him and captured his lips in mine. He reached for me, cupping my face with his hands. I grasped his shoulder, then moved my fingers up to run them through his dark, wavy hair. So soft. His masculine scent filled my senses, and all I wanted to do was put his seat back and climb onto his lap.
A blaring honk startled us, and we jerked apart. A car had stopped right in front of us, and Aubree stared daggers at us from the driver’s seat. Her contorted face held anger and hatred. Her lips parted, and a low scream sounded through the glass. Whoa. If looks could kill, we’d be dead.
“Shit.” Nate hurried to open the door. As he stepped out, the car sped off. Coming back, he slipped inside and closed the door. “Well, damn. That was bad timing.”
“Should I follow her?”
“Yes.” He twisted to catch a glimpse of her car leaving the parking lot.
I pulled out of our parking space and drove through the parking lot to the street. “Do you see her car anywhere?”
“No. She probably turned right, so go that way.”
“Okay.” I had to wait for several cars before I could pull out. I kept driving, but with all the traffic, it was a lost cause. “I don’t think we’ll find her now. Should we go back to her office?”
He sighed. “I don’t think she’ll talk to me now.” He glanced my way. “We’ll have to corner her somehow.”
“Yeah. That was kind of scary. She looked mad enough to kill you without Johnny’s help. You’re lucky she didn’t try to run you over.”
“I had no idea she was so… unhinged.”
“Well… they say a woman scorned and all that… but there’s got to be more to it, right?”
He shrugged, unconvinced. “I have no idea. We’ll have to track her down somehow.”
“Yeah. In the meantime, do you want to head to Brandon’s office? We could try the same thing there and see what happens.”
He chuckled. “With my luck, he’d see it and probably try to kill us both.”
I laughed. “He could try, but he’s no match for you.” I turned on the next street and made my way toward Brandon’s office on the south side of town.
“What does Brandon do, anyway?”
“He works for a plumbing company. He’s an accountant and does the payroll.”
“Does he usually go out for lunch?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. If he does, we’re early enough that we can catch him.”
A few minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot in front of his building. Part of me did not want to go inside, but, this time, Nate was with me, and that gave me the courage to get out of my car.
I still found it hard to believe that Brandon would try to kill me, but who else could it be? I stepped inside, with Nate right behind me.