Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
We stay like that for I’m not even sure how long before suddenly, there’s a pounding at his office door.
“Leave,” Damien thunders out. The knock comes again, and he reaches up, grabs a mug off of his desk, and hurls it at the door, making me giggle at how much of a caveman this insanely wealthy, cultured, art-collector of a man can be when he wants to be.
“Fuck off,” he roars at the door. The phone on his desk starts to ring, and he groans as he leans in and kisses me.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he grins as he reaches up and hits the speaker button on the phone.
“What?” he mutters.
“Damien, open the fucking door.”
His grin fades at the seriousness in the man’s voice.
“What is it, Cole?”
Cole laughs humorlessly. “You know that scenario you never wanted to see here at Castle Capital?”
Damien’s jaw twitches.
“Well, it’s here. The fucking FBI just walked in.”
“Thanks.”
His response is robotic, and before I know it, he’s reaching up and hanging up the phone.
The whole world spins around me as the reality of what’s about to happen slams through me. My heart jumps into my throat, and before I know it, I’m lurching to my feet, my eyes wild as I scan the office for I’m not even sure what.
“You have to get out,” I hiss, dropping back to the floor next to him and taking his hands in mine.
“Please, Damien, you can’t go. I can’t lose you!”
“Angel—”
“No, no. You must have a passport, and I’m sure you’ve got a plane. If you leave now, you can go where they can’t get you. I’ll come with you!”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “No, baby girl, you can’t.”
“I can!” I scream, throwing my arms around him. “I am not going to lose— why are you laughing!”
And he is. Not even just chuckling, this dark, dominant man is flat out laughing big belly-full laughs.
“It’s not funny!” I slap at him, but he only laughs harder before he grabs my wrist and suddenly kisses me. I moan, melting into him before he pulls away and grins at me.
“You can’t come with me, Lyra, because I’m not going anywhere.”
“But—”
He shakes his head.
“I already told you, angel. You know who I am.” He shrugs. “I’m not going anywhere because I’ve got nothing to run from. I’m not a thief, I’m not a criminal, and I’m not going anywhere — jail, or a non-extradition country, or anywhere else.”
I stare at him, slowly shaking my head.
“You’re really not leaving are you?”
“I’m really not leaving, because I’ve got nothing to hide, and everything to stay here for,” he says the last part fiercely, pulling me into his arms.
“Now, let’s get dressed and go say hello to the FBI, shall we?”
He pulls me to my feet and kisses me again, and he’s pulling his shirt back on when he suddenly stops and turns to me.
“Oh, and how attached to Bill are you?”
“Not,” I say flatly, making a face.
Damien grins.
“That’s probably a good thing.”
14
Damien
Lyra’s mouth makes this adorable “O” shape as she stares at me. She turns back to Agent Hall, shaking her head slowly before she drags her eyes back to me.
“You knew about all of this?”
“Yes and no,” I say slowly, my words measured. “I had hunches, before I even started the acquisition process with Bill’s company. And when Agent Hall and her team approached me...” I shrug, smiling grimly. “Well, I’m more than happy to help when it comes to cleaning up the scum who’d cheat their way to the top.”
Lyra shakes her head. “But Bill said…” She trails off, scowling as she glares at Agent Hall “You said—”
“I said what I had to make sure your stepfather did what we needed him to do.” The older woman clears her throat. “I’m sorry if you feel lied to or misled, but we needed your stepfather wearing the wire when he engaged in illicit and insider trades here at his place of work in order to have a case. And he’d only do it if he thought you were on ‘our side’ too, helping to sting Mr. Castle.”
Lyra glares at her again, and I can’t help but grin at the fire I can see in her eyes. I’d make a note never to lie to this girl, but I already know that’s never even going to be an option.
I’ll never lie to her. Ever.
Lyra suddenly pales though, her eyes growing wide. “But doesn’t that implicate all of Castle Capital?”
“Nope.” I grin. I fucking love it when a well orchestrated plan comes together, and the pieces to this one are falling into place beautifully. I let my eyes linger, drinking her in as she stands there shaking her head. Yeah, she might be young, but there’s a wiseness to her that sucks me in — a depth to her I’ve flat out fallen into. With all the chess pieces and moves I saw in my head with this whole plan, there’s one piece and one move I never saw.