Chapter 31
Ledgar
Payson is sound asleep next to me, my hand draped over her as I watch the way her fingers curl loosely against the pillow.
She doesn’t move when I slowly pull my arm back, careful not to wake her.
I lean in gently, softly pressing my lips to her forehead.
The longer I stay here lying next to her, the harder things tend to become.
Slowly, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand, keeping my steps light as I cross the room to the closet.
I dress quickly and head for the door. I pause at the bedroom doorway, turning back one more time to look at her.
As I left her, the door closes ever so softly behind me.
My mind thinks back to how close she came. The attack wasn’t random. Nor sloppy. It was carefully thought out. And I know exactly who thinks like that, and who happened to know Payson was here. I don’t need to confirm it, but I do anyway. I type out a single message to Vivian.
Me: MY OFFICE. NOW.
She doesn’t ask why, doesn’t even reply. When I walk in, she’s already there, standing over by the windows. She doesn’t acknowledge me immediately, just waits. Testing me no doubt. I close the door behind me, locking it. “You sent them,” I say, no time to waste.
Vivian slowly turns her head just enough I can see the snide smirk on her lips as she looks at me over her shoulder. “You’ll have to be more specific.” Her tone is light, controlled, unbothered by my accusation.
“The men who tried to harm a certain relative of yours.” She doesn’t look away.
“You have no proof,” she shrugs.
I take a step forward, toward her, and she turns fully facing me. She may act like I don’t intimidate her, but I know better. “I was there,” I add, keeping my voice even. “I saw how they moved. How they followed everything according to plan, as if they knew where she would be, and when.”
Vivian studies me, something sharper settling behind her expression now. She sighs. “You took care of it?” he says, a silent question.
“Yes.”
“Yet you still felt the need to summon me in here at this time of night,” she says. “Are you sure there wasn’t something else on your mind?” She reaches out to touch me, and I grab her wrist harshly.
“Keep your filthy hands off me,” I spit.
She snatches her hand away, rubbing at it before speaking again. “I did what was necessary,” she adds, unapologetic.
“Necessary,” I repeat.
“Yes.”
“You sent men to kill her. A Reith. Your family.”
“Oh please, it was only meant to scare her.” She can deny that all she wants, but I know different.
“It got your attention did it not.” And there it is.
The truth beneath her words. Cold. Calculated.
Precise. “You had to insert yourself where it didn’t belong.
” She points at me, taking a step closer.
She studies my face which I try to keep as calm and stern as possible.
“You care about her,” she says. “Enough to trace this back to me and summon me here even though you already knew the answer.”
My jaw tightens. “Tell him,” I quip.
Her brows lift in confusion. “What?”
“Whatever it is you think you have on me.” My voice stays level. “Tell him.” She smirks.
“That’s an interesting risk.”
“It’s not a risk.”
“You are willing to risk everything over a piece of ass. Not very good ass from what I’ve heard either.” I don’t answer, and she sees the shift. Rage courses through my body begging me to end her.
She exhales softly, shaking her head. “You don’t fear him finding out; you fear you’ll never see her again once he does,” she says.
There is little truth to her words. Now that I know who she really is, the betrayal will only make it worse if and when he does find out.
“I won’t expose your secret…” she adds. “You will.” She holds up her phone, images of us lying naked in bed, sheets ruffled, Payson’s hair wrapped around my wrist as she sucks my cock.
The image looks like it was taken through the window, but how I’m not so sure.
I live on the top floor, with no other rooms around, except one on the corner.
There is no access to my room from the outside, not to my knowledge.
I step closer to her, coming face to face, towering over her.
“You won’t go near her again,” I spit, my words laced with venom.
“I won’t have to.” She pauses for a moment, scanning her eyes over me, licking her lips as she finds mine again.
“I’ll let you destroy her yourself.” I’m taken aback at her words, stepping away, and toward my desk, as her words stab me in the chest. She chuckles, viciously.
“You have a week.” My gaze flicks to her.
“One week to decide,” she continues. “You leave, without explanation, and move back to wherever you came from, and this ends clean.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll never stop.” Something cold settles into place. I go to her, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her hard into the wall. I swore to my mama I would never lay a hand on a woman out of rage, but so help me God, she has pushed me. “You don’t get to come in here threatening me,” I snarl.
“I already have,” she whispers, barely able to breathe.
She taps my hand and I release her with a shove.
“I expect you to protect her.” She stands, regaining her composure.
“You have my word. Leave, it ends. Stay and you’ll be the reason she dies.
” She turns to leave like this conversation is over.
“One week,” she says, opening the door, and walking out.