Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Sofia chuckled. “Damien’s cousin, Sofia.”
Raven jerked a little, all the tension leaving her body. “Oh, of course! Sofia, it’s so nice to meet you,” she enthused, her sudden change of mood making me hold in my amusement. Raven held out her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“And I you,” Sofia said, her own amusement evident. “Not from this lug, though. He seems to have forgotten I exist.”
“That’s my fault,” Raven insisted. “Entirely. And Egan. I know he’s been extra busy because of me. He is such a great guy. So handsome and charming. Talented. He cheats at cards, though.”
For a second, Sofia was taken aback, then she smiled. “I agree to all those things. Especially the cheating at cards. Backgammon too.” She narrowed her eyes. “Sounds like he has a fan in you. It seems mutual.”
Raven waved her hand. “Oh, I think he’s great. He likes me because I tell him stuff straight. He is crazy for you, though. Totally gaga. I mean—”
I cut her off, pressing a finger to her mouth. “I think Sofia knows, baby.”
She pursed her lips against my finger. “Oh. Right,” she mumbled. But she kept talking. “You should give him a chance.”
For a moment, Sofia stared, then she began to laugh. “I like her, Damien. You should keep her.”
“I plan to.”
“We should do lunch one day,” Raven said. “Just us girls.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll pop upstairs, and we’ll figure out a day.”
“Awesome.” Raven leaned forward and hugged Sofia, whispering something to her. Then she turned and went back to get her wings.
Sofia looked at me. “She is going to keep you on your toes, cousin.”
“She already does.”
She studied me with narrowed eyes. “You’re in as deep as Egan said. Deeper, I’d say.”
I didn’t deny it. “As deeply as Egan wants to be with you.”
She began to shake her head, and I gripped her arm. “Let the past go, Sofia. Raven is right. The man is crazy about you. Totally gaga.”
“Oh my God, the two of you sound alike.”
“It’s the truth. He would lay down his life for you.”
“You know I don’t want that.”
“It’s still true. Don’t think of the bad what-ifs. Think of the joy. Remember how great love is.”
She frowned, then hugged me. “All I can remember is the pain it causes.”
“Try harder,” I urged.
She nodded slowly, reached up and kissed my cheek then walked away.
Egan had a long road ahead of him. I hoped he was up for the monumental task.
Raven came over, holding her box of wings.
I glanced down at her with a smile. “Ready to go home, my little jealous ball of fire?”
She rolled her eyes. “I saw a strange woman hugging you, talking about you having dinner and sleeping over. I didn’t know that was Sofia.”
I tucked her to my side, pressing a kiss to her head. “I liked you all jealous and possessive. Putting Sofia in her place with your ‘And you are?’” I chuckled. “You were fierce.”
“I’ll show you fierce when we get home.”
“I look forward to it.”
She looked up at me, her eyes twinkling. “After the wings.”
I laughed. “Of course.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Damien
Two weeks later, Raven shook her head, trying to convince me it was time for her to go back to her apartment. “Damien, Andy’s stopped. You yourself said so.”
“I just meant I was cautiously optimistic. Not that I was convinced.”
Frustrated, she ticked each item off on her hand. “Not one sighting. Not a single hidden message, hang up, even a hoodie-wearing glimpse while we’re outside with the kids. The bugs you examined were no longer activated. Face it. Andy’s given up and moved on. Your men have better things to do.”
I shifted, lifting the mug of coffee she’d handed me after dinner and taking a long sip. Raven was right on all accounts. It was as if Andy had vanished. I had spoken to Jeff from The Real Connection, who praised the tight security he had allowed us to install on his system and informed me all breaches had been stopped dead with our software. He also told me he’d done a thorough search in his system and tightened more protocols.
“I found no trace of any outsiders anywhere. I also spoke to other site managers, and they have locked themselves down tighter. As a personal favor, they searched their systems and found no trace of his presence either.”
“We can’t find him,” I admitted.
“Perhaps he has moved on. I am sorry your friend experienced what she did, but I think this Andy, whoever he is, got the message loud and clear.”
“I had wanted to stop him from doing it to someone else.”
“If I hear anything, I will be in touch.”
“Thank you.”
Unfortunately, he hadn’t returned to the off-site building, or if he had, he hadn’t accessed the computer there. And even if Andy had given up, moved on, or whatever you wanted to call it, I still wanted to know who he was. Make sure he stayed away. Ensure he didn’t do this to another woman. I had to keep overturning rocks until he crawled out from the one he was hiding under.