Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 217988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1090(@200wpm)___ 872(@250wpm)___ 727(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1090(@200wpm)___ 872(@250wpm)___ 727(@300wpm)
“No,” she said quietly. “I don’t think you do. I like you how you are.” Red filled her cheeks. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay, Autumn. I like you too.”
“Why are you investigating this fox company? Is there tax fraud or something? But you don’t work for the tax department.”
“No, nothing like that. I’m not here to take the money from you or anything like that.”
“Sorry, I probably seem overly concerned about that. It’s just . . . I didn’t know how I was going to keep paying my rent. I had a small nest egg, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever. And I wasn’t ready to go back to work after . . . after . . .”
“The senator kidnapped you,” he finished for her.
She sucked in a breath. “Yes. That. How did you even know about the money?”
“My boss’s friend started dating a woman who won two million dollars in a giveaway that she never entered.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And the money was delivered by a man called Ken Jones. On the check, it said the company’s name was—”
“For Fox Sake.”
“Yes. So, you had the same thing happen?”
“Yes. Ken Jones turned up on my doorstep with a check and Freddy Fox.”
“Freddy Fox came from him?” he asked.
“Yes. Do you . . . was it illegal money? Like from the Mafia or something? Is Freddy Fox a criminal fox?”
“What? No.”
“Good.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Because I couldn’t give him up.” She held the toy fox tight to her chest.
“No one is going to take your fox from you,” he told her fiercely. Jesus. What was wrong with him? “All I wanted was to see if there was a connection between you both.”
“How would there be a connection? I don’t know her, do I?”
“No. But her sister was one of the senator’s victims.”
Tears filled her eyes. Shoot. He’d made her cry.
Idiot!
“What was the name of her sister? The one that the senator k-k-k—”
“Killed?” he provided gently.
She nodded.
“Daria.”
“Daria. I never . . . I never looked up the news stories. I just couldn’t . . . I don’t know his other victims’ names. I was meant to die too.”
“But you didn’t. And you’re here.”
“Why would we both have gotten money? What about the other victims’ families?”
“The other victims didn’t have any family that I’ve been able to find. There was just Millie and you.”
“Millie? She’s Daria’s sister?”
“Yes.”
“I wonder if Daria was the woman I could hear when I was there,” she said quietly.
He wanted to ask more questions, but he didn’t want to pry.
“I’m still confused, though. Where did the money come from? Someone gave it to us because of what happened to me and Daria?”
“It looks that way. I’ve been trying to figure out where it came from. Do you have any idea?” He didn’t want to mention the Fox unless he had to.
A strange look came over her face before she shook her head. Hmm. Why did he get the feeling that she was keeping something from him?
“Was there anything you can remember from that night that might give me some idea of where the money came from?”
He glanced down at Freddy Fox, held tightly against her chest.
Again, lucky fox.
I wouldn’t mind being pressed against her breasts.
Shoot. What was wrong with him? He barely knew her.
“No, nothing.”
Again, he got the feeling she was lying. But he didn’t have the right to pressure her into telling him the truth. Plus, she was so fragile that he didn’t want to try.
“Why are you looking into it? What does it matter?” she asked.
“I guess it doesn’t really. My boss just wanted to make sure it’s not going to come back on Millie.”
There was a long silence. He got to his feet, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I should go. Would you . . . would you like to meet up online to play? And I could give you my phone number. In case you ever think of something or need anything.”
She gave him a strange look. “Need anything?”
“Yeah, like when you can’t find your switchboard or something.”
Her lips twitched. “Okay, yeah. Leave me your number.”
Eagerness filled him and he had to force himself to chill. It didn’t mean she would ever call. He pulled out one of his business cards that Ink had insisted he get. And he wrote his personal number on the back.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry I freaked out before.”
His hand hovered in the air, wanting to touch her but not wanting to scare her. “Don’t be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about, understand me?”
She gave him a shocked look. She probably wasn’t expecting the stern note in his voice.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. What happened to you . . . I’m so damn sorry. That bastard he was . . . he was sick, and I’m very glad he’s dead.”