Chapter 30 #2
“The ex-manager and the ex-boyfriend got together and created a website that not only put Sloane’s location out there for anyone to find,” Ethan said, sitting down on the edge of a table and turning his gaze toward us, “but it encouraged them to come after her and attack her.”
“That’s what we believe,” Vinny said.
Ethan directed his gaze on Lee. “We gonna go after them, boss?”
Lee’s smile was wide. “Damn right, we are.”
As my coworkers discussed the best way to bring down Hobson, Sloane squeezed my arm. When I looked down at her, she stood on the tips of her toes and spoke into my ear. “I need a refill. Come with me?”
“Of course.” I followed Sloane back to her table, where she picked up her empty coffee cup. When we reached the break room again, she turned to face me.
“I can’t believe this!”
“I know, Diva, I know.” I reached for her at the same time she reached for me, wrapped my arms around her as she hugged my middle so hard it almost hurt. “You’ll be okay. We’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”
“I just…” She turned her face up to me. “I want to be free of them, Kolton. I don’t want to have anything to do with either of them ever again.”
“You won’t have to. We’ll be by your side through all of this. We’ll get them both sent away for as long as we can. Get restraining orders if we need. Plaster their names all over the media so everyone knows what they’ve done. They won’t get away with this anymore.”
“Why did I ever fall for their lies in the first place?”
A tear trickled down her cheek, and I reached to wipe it away. “Because you see the good in the world. When bad things happen to you, you don’t let it make you hard.”
“What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“It’s me who doesn't deserve you, Diva.”
She cupped my cheeks with her palms. “Don’t say that. There is no one in this world more deserving of love than you, Kolton. You are the most genuine, goodhearted man I have ever known, and I will do everything I can to make sure you know that. So you know I love you.”
Closing my eyes, I pulled her closer, until I could feel her breath on my face. “Tell it to my heart, Diva.”
As her lips brushed mine, her hand slid down from my cheek to my chest, covering the thumping organ that was beating uncontrollably for her.
“I love you, Kolton Johns.” When she deepened the kiss, I let out a groan that felt like it came straight from my soul. This woman was mine. More than that, she wanted me. She loved me. I was walking on clouds, flying over the highest mountain. I was—
“What the fuck?”
At the sound of Lee’s deep voice, I jolted away from Sloane and whipped toward the door.
My boss’s green eyes looked red—as red as his hair and now, his face.
The sight forced me to take a step back.
I’d never seen anyone so pissed off, and I wanted to shrink into nothing because this was one person I’d never wanted to disappoint, and this was more than mere disappointment.
While my heart raced with the need to run away, to grab Sloane and get the hell out of here as fast as we could, Sloane stepped in front of me, closer to the fuming man.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?
” Lee demanded and I reached my shaky fingers toward her, grasping nothing but a handful of her shirt and hair.
He advanced a step. “Do you have any idea how fuckin’ bad this looks, Kolton?
We’re in the middle of a goddamn investigation and you’re in here feeling your client up? ”
“He wasn’t feeling me up.” Sloane lifted a hand, snagging my own where it tangled with her hair and shirt. “He’s done nothing wrong.”
“Nothing wrong?” Lee’s voice got louder as he turned his furious gaze on me. “She’s your fuckin’ client! It takes a real fuckin’ idiot to not realize this—”
“Don’t you dare say that!” Sloane demanded, interrupting the man. “Don’t you dare! Do you have any idea what that does to a person? What that does to him?”
Lee’s head snapped back, and he looked like I felt—like I’d been slapped across the face.
Sloane didn’t stop. “You of all people should know how that kind of talk affects him,” she said, lowering her voice.
“He’s confided in you. He’s told you about the abuse he’s suffered at the hands of someone who was supposed to love him, and you think you can get away with treating him the same way? That is not okay!”
Lee shook his head. “Abuse or no abuse, this,” he said, gesturing toward me, “is not okay.”
“Why not?” Sloane side-stepped, so her entire body was in front of mine. Like this petite woman could possibly protect me from the beast of a man in front of us.
He sucked in a breath, his nostrils flaring.
“You’re his fuckin’ client. He’s your goddamn bodyguard.
It’s not only completely unprofessional, but it opens us up to a shit ton of legal issues when something goes wrong.
“This is the exact kind of thing I discuss with all my employees when they’re hired, and all of them—including him,” he said, pointing a thick finger at me, “know that this is grounds for termination.”
I knew this. I knew all these things. My heart withered in my chest as my fingers went lax. My shoulders slumped and my hands fell to my sides.
Sloane only straightened her spine. “That’s unfortunate.
” Lee narrowed his eyes, and everything in me wanted to reach for her and protect her from his wrath.
But she continued, unaffected. “I would hate for you to lose a client and one of your best employees all in one day. I was actually enjoying my time here today and had planned on discussing some changes with our contract to allow for more work-life balance for your employee.”
She reached behind her, grabbed my hand and strung her fingers between mine. “But if a termination is in order, then I guess we’ll be leaving.”
Lee’s eyes flared as Sloane took a step toward the door. “You’re not leaving.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not safe for you out there.”
Her shoulders rose, then fell. “Does that concern you? Because if Kolton’s no longer employed here, then I’m no longer your client.” She took another step, then paused. “That is, unless you’d like to reconsider.”
Lee lifted his chin, and I felt like shit, like he was looking down his nose at me. “You’d put your safety on the line for him?”
“Better my safety than my heart.” Sloane pulled me closer, wrapping my arm around her as she leaned back against me.
“I’m in love with this man, Mr. Bridgewater.
I fell in love with his good, kind heart.
His dedication and attentiveness are unmatched, and I would risk my life to have this man by my side.
And if you knew what was good for you, you’d put aside any preconceived notions on what is or isn’t right and understand that true love conquers all. ”
His attention drifted for a moment, his eyes unfocused before they snapped back to me. I was shaking, sure he was going to push me right off the precipice I was standing on. Before my eyes, his entire countenance softened.
“You should have told me the minute things changed between you two.” He folded his arms across his chest. “We’re going to have a talk about that when you get back from California.”
I blinked at him. “California?”
He nodded. “In light of everything that’s happened, I feel it’s best that someone connected to the case and this company accompany our newest employee to take down these two assholes once and for all.” He gave me a tight smile. “Vinny and Ethan are making arrangements with the Feds now.”
“You want me to…” My brain froze, trying to compute what was going on. It stumbled and fell, tripping over something. Something…
“If you need time to pack, I suggest you do it now. Plane leaves in a couple hours.” With that, Lee turned on his heel and started for the door.
“Wait!” Both Lee and Sloane spun to face me. I looked down into her beautiful brown eyes, and everything became crystal clear. “There’s a problem.”
“What is it?” Lee asked, coming toward the two of us.
I squeezed Sloane’s hand, traced my fingers along the hair at her temple, worried how this was going to sound. But more, how she would take it.
“The purse Sloane was carrying today.” I glanced up at Lee and swallowed under his studious gaze. “It’s new.”
“Okay…” Lee’s brow furrowed, and he dragged out the word.
“She bought it the day we left for New York,” I told him, shifting on my feet.
“Beckett and Calvin wouldn't have had any access to it. And even if we could explain how Beckett got into Sloane’s building, or how that girl got into Sloane’s apartment, there’s no way anyone would have been able to plant the GeoDot in her purse unless… ”
Sloane gasped. “Brooklyn.”
“What’s this now?” Lee asked, his demeanor changing before my eyes.
“We went shopping in New York, to find a new outfit for Sloane to wear at the rescheduled charity concert. When we got back to the hotel that evening, Brooklyn O’Dell was there.
Sloane talked to her at the back of the restaurant, to keep the people gathered in the lobby from making a big deal out of it. And she—”
“She hugged me.” Sloane’s eyes unfocused, darting back and forth across my chest before she raised them back to me. “You think she planted it on me then?”
Nodding, I told her, “It’s the only thing that makes sense. The only time anyone could have put it there. And all those people at the hotel, the increased security.”
“They were using that website to track me.”
“That girl used that website to attack you.” Sloane and I both looked up at Lee. He pursed his lips, then gave a single nod. “Right. Ok. That changes things. Kolton? Go pack your bag. You and Ethan take off in two hours.”
“What about Sloane?” I asked, glancing between the two of them.
A smile tugged at Lee’s lips. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a job for her as well.”