Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Sure, since you’re the star. Don’t tell the security company. They have procedures and probably don’t want the liability.”
I’m already heading for the exit to find Delaney. “I won’t. Thanks. Have a good one.”
“You, too. Hope you catch up to her.”
Me too, though I have a feeling we mean it differently. As soon as my feet hit the pavement again, I’m running.
What a fucking idiot I’ve been.
The setup.
The act.
The lies.
Asking for millions.
The fucking I love you she said when I got wise to her con.
She loves fucking heist movies, for crying out loud. I’m so fucking stupid for falling right into her trap. Why, because she has a great ass? I’m so easily distracted, and for what? I should probably check my bank accounts and make sure they haven’t been emptied. Fuck.
I run too fast for the new guy to reach the door. “Everything all right, Mr. Landers?”
“Great.” I push the button to call the elevator when I realize she might not be here. The lies are being exposed. She ran from the reception, knowing the con is over. “Hey, Rob?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Have you seen Mrs. Landers tonight?” The words curdle in my throat, but I can’t waste time explaining how I became an accomplice to the con artist as she steals whatever she’s after.
His smile brightens. “She got home about fifteen minutes ago.”
The elevator doors open, and I jump inside. “Thanks.”
No one can ever say she’s not fearless. The woman has the audacity of a fighter betting on himself to win a match. That arrogance is always overplayed, just as it has been with her.
I get off the elevator, wondering if she’s deadbolted me out of my own damn apartment, but when it opens, I find the minutest relief in the gesture. I close the door and start down the hall. My steps have slowed like each beat of my heart. When I reach the living room, I look right to the kitchen, glance toward the balcony, and then down the hall. I remind myself once again that this is my place before calling out, “Hello?” I’m greeted with silence. I reach the bedroom and look inside before entering. “Delaney?”
CHAPTER 28
Delaney
Warner’s voice echoes down the hardwoods of the hall before damping at the entrance to the bedroom. Kneeling next to my suitcase in the closet, I lower the clothes I have in my arms and wait to see what happens next. Will he allow me to collect my belongings and leave in peace, or do the dirty details of what I’ve done need to be revealed to satisfy his burning curiosity?
Either way, I’m praying I can hold on to a smidgen of the dignity I have left, which is wrapped up in my family, and walk out with my heart intact. I know that’s an impossible task, but I have nothing left of myself to sacrifice. I played the hand I was dealt. I’ve been such a fool for believing that somehow I could win this round—save the restaurant, and my family’s home, and get Warner. Why’d I go and fall in love with the jerk?
Squeezing my eyes closed, I drop my head, knowing there’s no going back or fixing this. What could I possibly say that could salvage what we had together? I got caught up? The ends justified the means? I didn’t expect to fall for you. Those wouldn’t be lies like the ones I told before. But would he even believe me anymore?
The worst part is knowing this is how we end. Not by our own admissions since we’d gotten so good at lying to ourselves, but by some sideswipe when we least expected it. That’s karma. And we’ll pay the price. I just hope I can take the brunt of it since he never deserved any of this.
Warner fills the doorway to the closet, a mass of man and muscle taking up space like he owns the place . . . Guess he does, technically. I’m the intruder. From the beginning, I’m the one who broke into his life and stole parts of his identity to selfishly benefit my own and my family. Hell is paved with good intentions for a reason. “Were you not going to answer me?”
“What could I possibly say? Anything I say will sound so off the wall that the truth couldn’t win this battle. So my not responding was the answer.”
“Just tell me what you wanted from me. You owe me that much.”
“I owe you nothing.” But that’s not entirely true. I wanted something that I should have known he’d never be able to give. “I wanted your heart, but I’ve been denied twice.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dammit. Make sense, Delaney.” My gaze already left his, but I can still feel the heat of his stare. “You’re leaving? Just like that? No courtesy of an argument, or giving me the option to hear your side of the story? You’re going to slink out of Tribeca like you did the reception? Like . . . Like a thief in the night, which probably isn’t far from the truth. How mature of you.”