Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
Marie
Beyond late because my morning chat and cuddle with Jace turned into a morning lovefest that ended with both of us naked and me experiencing three glorious orgasms to his one, I hustle through the door toward my boss, my head spinning with details and excitement.
Because Attie was excited by what I found too.
Because we’re closing in.
Fucking finally.
“Jace,” Jean-Michel says, pushing out of his chair and moving toward us, hand extended for Jace to shake. “Just a second,” he tells him before turning to me and taking my arm.
God, my heart squeezes, my boss is such a good guy.
And I’m so glad he found a woman who finally appreciates all of that goodness.
But when he starts to guide me from his office, likely intending to give me privacy, I dig in my heels and say, “No.” I nod at Jace. “Mr. Henderson is the reason we found the connection.”
Jean-Michel frowns, blue eyes flicking between Jace and me. “What connection?”
I open my mouth. Close it. Unsure where to start.
Thankfully, Jace bails me out.
“Duarte tried to fuck us over too,” he says, handing over the stack of papers I pulled together last night. Jean-Michel’s frown deepens as he starts quickly flipping through them—contracts, emails, and?—
I watch him go still.
And I know why—both the Lyon family and Angela’s name are all over those papers. The real estate company, the Duarte contract, the security reports, the scientist at Genen-core.
It’s concrete evidence of her connection with the trafficking ring that Agent Phillips has been trying so hard to bring down.
Speaking of?—
“I called Attie,” I tell him. “And she’s coming down to talk while her team heads to Mr. Henderson’s office.” There’s excitement in my voice, so much so that I can practically feel it bubbling through my insides.
Or maybe that’s just because I’m next to Jace.
Champagne in my veins. Hope in my heart. Love in my?—
I jerk my gaze away from Jace.
He’s wearing another suit that is temptation personified, and I’m having a hard time keeping my professional focus.
Hard to do when I want to launch myself in his arms and lick him all over.
Focus.
“Suzanne and I have been looking for a connection between all of this,” I tell him, “and we finally have one that will actually pay off?—”
“Roll this back for me,” Jean-Michel says, not meanly, but deliberately. And I know I have the luxury of yesterday, of talking it through with Jace to make sense of the loose ends. “Last I heard,” he says, “all we had proof of was her bugging the shit out of me and fucking with our contracts. It’s bad news that she’s doing that shit with other companies”—he flicks his eyes to Jace’s—“sorry she’s being a pain in the ass for you too.”
Jace shrugs.
“But unless I’ve missed something, I don’t see anything that connects her to something bigger.”
I frown.
It’s there.
It makes perfect sense and?—
“That’s because you didn’t see this,” Jace says, snagging the stack of papers and flicking through them, pulling one out and showing Jean-Michel?—
“Fuck,” he hisses.
I exhale. Because I know it’s the defense contract, which along with the other paperwork…provides the connection between Angela and the Lyon family that the FBI has been searching for.
“She was this fucking dumb?” he says, and I know what he’s thinking. His ex-wife has been slippery and smart, impossible to pin down.
Until now.
“Dumb or not,” I say, “it’ll be enough to hold her, and it should be enough to persuade her to go the fuck away and stop bothering us, especially with the FBI on her ass.”
Jean-Michel doesn’t look completely convinced, but at least he’s nodding.
“Your ex has been a pain in my ass for months now,” Jace tells him, an intense scowl marring the beautiful lines of his face.
“Tell me about it,” Jean-Michel mutters.
“But,” Jace goes on, moving close to me, “if opening my doors to the FBI means I can run my business without her trying to burn shit down from the inside out then, like I told Marie, I’m open to it.”
Jean-Michel nods. “Appreciated.”
“I know that you’re both busy,” I say, gathering the papers up. I can feel the heat of Jace’s body, can smell the spicy scent of him, and his closeness makes it a struggle to focus.
I’ll punish him later for his insolence.
A breath.
Then I focus and turn to face him, looking up into dancing hazel eyes. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me, especially after he fucked me senseless on his desk last night.
Something that’s not helping me concentrate.
I shake myself, lift my chin. “I’ll liaise with Attie’s team and your company, Mr. Henderson. I’ll make sure we follow this to ground, and hopefully it’ll pan out as we expect.” I pull out a pen, a pad of paper, and glare at him for a moment before glancing down at my pad.
It’s either that or stab him with my pen.
Or kiss him and all this playing it cool stuff will go out the window.
“Who’s the best person to coordinate with this on at Genen-core?” I ask archly.
He doesn’t miss a beat. “Me.”
I blink, feel my cheeks get hot.
He reaches into his pocket, passes me a card…and it has the stink’s cell phone number on it.
I can’t wait to spam the shit out of it.
Or maybe sell it on the black market.
“I need to run to another meeting,” he murmurs, those dancing hazel eyes holding mine. “Call me anytime.”
Then he’s gone.
“Something you need to tell me?” Jean-Michel asks quietly.
Yes! Fucking yes.
But…one problem at a time. “No.”
“Marie,” he warns.
I carefully pocket the card, weigh how much to tell this good man, this overprotective man. I settle on, “We met a few months back. I didn’t know who he was, and he tried to take my Lyft.” I snag the papers, stack them carefully, taking my time and making sure each of the four edges is carefully aligned. “We had words.” A shrug. Another sigh as I fumble with my words. “And now he’s here.”
He falls quiet, studying me for a long moment, and I’m this close to spilling my guts when he releases me from that intense stare and says, “Tiff is waiting, and I need to get home to her. Do you need me here for this?”
“No,” I say, probably far too eagerly before I settle myself and add, “It’s the same as before—keep your distance, I’ll update you with what you need to know, and hopefully that’ll keep you well away from any investigation fallout and future court dates.”
“Let’s hope those court dates for her aren’t all that far into said future.”
I smile as he leaves, but I know it’s distracted.
Because I have the weight of that card in my pocket.
And because I know that Jace will be waiting for me to use it.
Same as he’ll be waiting for me tonight.
No matter how late I get home.