Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
My heart drops, and immediately, I want to kill the fucker who did it to her. Every person who thinks it’s okay to take what’s not theirs. Who overpower and manipulate others.
She begins to sob, and I stand and lean against her chair to hold her closer and comb back her hair. Macy leans into me as I level a glare at Lesley, who has the same burning resolve in her gaze.
“Where was your security?” I hiss out.
“She wasn’t on a job,” Lesley says. My eyebrows furrow. Last I understood, Macy recently got engaged and wasn’t seeking other partnerships outside her job. I can tell in Lesley’s tone that I’m missing something here.
I crouch down again and meet Macy’s tear-filled eyes as I pull a handkerchief from my pocket.
“Macy, it’s very important you tell me what happened, and I’ll make that fucker pay.”
“I don’t know who he was,” she says, sobbing. “I mean… I sort of do.”
“Sort of?” I ask.
I give her a moment to control her shaky breath. Her resolve quickly begins to harden. A coping mechanism many of us have nurtured over the years.
“Macy, who did this?” I push.
She takes another deep breath and wipes at her still-streaming tears. “I had a drink with girlfriends a few blocks from where I was meant to meet with the client. I was an hour early, so I waited at the bar, and a guy sat beside me. He said he worked for you and that I had to advise my client I wasn’t making it for the night.”
I exchange another anguished look with Lesley.
“I would never send another escort on someone else’s job.”
“I know that,” she says with a shaky breath. “But he was so convincing. He said he came straight from the office and, I don’t know, the stuff he said sounded legitimate. And I did screen him because I know we must be careful, but I really thought you sent him,” she says desperately.
“I know. I know,” I reply calmly. It’s the same fucker. It has to be. “Then what happened?”
“He ordered us a drink,” she says. “And we just spoke about stuff. How our business was going. You know, general work small talk.” Which means he knows the industry. “And then…” She hugs herself tightly. “I can’t remember much more past that. I just woke up in a hotel room alone and…” Macy begins to sob.
I eye Lesley. “I want you to contact the restaurant she was at and find any information you can on this fucker.”
“He’s following your movements,” Lesley warns.
The muscle in my jaw tics. This is personal, and I don’t know why or who… yet. But when I find out, he will wish he never fucked with me or my empire.
“I should go,” Macy says, shooting from the chair.
I hold her hand. “Whatever you want or need, you let us know.”
She wipes away a tear. “I’m not going to sue or blackmail you or anything, Dawson.”
My smile is grim. “I know, Macy, it’s not even about that. What happened was not okay. I’ll find who did this to you and kill him,” I promise.
At my words, a scared edge comes over her but also an understanding.
Thank you, she mouths.
Because she knows I’ll follow through on my promise.
Getting my hands dirty to protect what I built and those who put their trust in me is not only a necessity but an honor.
I pull out my phone and call Crue.
I don’t want to call in that favor, but this hits too close to home, and this fucker is going to be buried for it.
CHAPTER 26
Honey
Since I lost my virginity, I haven’t seen Kit.
It’s been almost a week, and I’m unsure how to feel. The fact I have no one to talk about it is the worst part. I mean, I guess I could call Dawson. He is the only person who really knows what happened and the one person I can speak to about it. I’ve fought with myself for a week about reaching out to him. We said we were done, and I haven’t seen him since the auction, but not talking about it is eating me alive.
Me: Can we meet after work?
It doesn’t take long for him to reply.
Dawson: I’ll be there in ten.
I look at Alana and then at the clock. I don’t finish for at least another hour.
Me: I still have another hour, so after that?
I pocket my phone.
However, in true Dawson form, he arrives precisely within ten minutes. I’m restocking shelves when he fills the entrance. “Fuck,” I curse under my breath.
Alana is bringing out another box when she sees him walking in, and she cocks a lopsided smile. “You’ve been making your rounds a lot more lately. I’m starting to think I’m either going to be fired or I’m due for a pay raise,” she says in a way of greeting. I imagine few could joke with Dawson like that, but since her husband does his accounting, I figure that may have something to do with it. “Or maybe there’s another reason?” she boldly adds as her gaze flicks to me.