Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“Love the outfit,” he said, hoping to put her at ease.
She smiled. “I have to wear my favorite clothes while I still can. My jeans don’t close anymore.” She treated him to an exaggerated pout, and he laughed.
For a brief second, even he’d forgotten why he was here, but the ringing of her phone reminded him. She glanced down and sighed. “Front desk,” she said to Harrison. She answered the phone and instructed the doorman to let the police come up.
She disconnected and met Harrison’s gaze.
“It’s going to be okay.”
She nodded. “I’m not scared. Am I freaked out? Yeah, I am. There are mentally ill people out there and I don’t know what this one’s end goal is. But I appreciate the protection.” She tipped her head in the direction Dana had gone.
He had a minute, maybe less, to tell her his plan before they were joined by the cops. “After you give your statement, I’d like to pack up and go to my Hamptons home tonight. Zach had a good point. You’re safer where we know the people in town and have more control of who’s coming and going. I have a fenced-in property and cameras.”
She pursed her lips in thought.
He watched her, unable to read what she was thinking. He wanted to kiss those pretty pursed lips but now wasn’t the time. If she agreed to leave the city, he’d have a few days before his family descended for the weekend to seduce her and cement his place in her life.
When she remained silent, he realized that instead of planning seduction and the future, he ought to be organizing his arguments in case she decided she didn’t want to leave her home.
“You really think leaving makes the most sense?” she finally asked.
He nodded. “I do. More rooms to be in, you’ll be able to take the dog on the property outside by yourself. I think, all around, it’s a safer, more controllable environment.” He already had Dana’s boss headed to his place in the Hamptons to do a thorough check of his security system and cameras to make sure it was completely up to date and working as needed.
A knock sounded, followed by the ring of her doorbell.
She flinched at the noise, and he put a steadying hand on her thigh. She might not be scared but she sure as fuck was jumpy.
“Well?” he asked before she decided to go to greet her company.
“Okay,” she said as she rose to her feet. “We can go to your Hamptons house.”
Relief flooded him for reasons that went far beyond her safety, even if that always came first. “Good. Let’s get the interview with the police over with. Then you can pack.”
* * *
Talking to the police hadn’t been an experience Winter wanted to repeat. There had been two detectives, one a friend of Zach’s and the other, his more uptight partner. While Remy Sterling had been interested in every last detail Winter and Harrison had to offer, Detective Sterling’s partner thought they were wasting their time on fan mail.
They’d asked if she had any enemies. It was all she could do not to laugh. Other than the occasional tough question to someone she was interviewing, Winter wasn’t confrontational. Well, unless she counted the time she’d walked into Senator Bettencourt’s home and informed him and his wife she was the daughter Collette had wanted Winter’s mother to abort. But she’d chosen not to mention that to the police. Her personal life wasn’t up for Detective Asshole’s dissection.
More than once, she’d had to grab Harrison’s hand and squeeze tight to prevent him from allowing a verbal confrontation to escalate thanks to his frustration with the disinterested detective. Fed up himself, Zach had cleared his throat and his friend had then strongly suggested his partner take a walk and let him finish getting details.
Detective Sterling, who, after his partner had stormed off, had insisted Winter call him Remy, had apologized and assured her that he would take the case seriously. Apparently Detective Asshole—the nickname bestowed upon him by Harrison—had a bias against actors since his wife had cheated on him with a Broadway performer.
Both Remy and Zach swore they’d handle things, and she believed them. Harrison had quietly assured her that given the men’s close friendship, they would be working together off the books.
Zach left not long after Remy and Dana had also ended her shift and said goodbye. Harrison’s security detail was waiting outside, and they didn’t need two people when she and Harrison would be together.
Packing up for an extended time away wasn’t simple. Winter needed everything for both herself and Panda, along with her laptop and headphones for work, and her eReader for the downtime she assumed she would have. After she’d gathered their things, Harrison had a driver and car waiting to take them to his apartment so he could do the same. Although he packed up much less since he had clothing and necessities at his house.