Chapter 16 #2
Braxton stares at me as though I’m missing something important.
“The stories, the podcast, the photos, they were all rapid-released after someone let slip that you were stranded with a mystery woman. The information that was leaked wasn’t hearsay.
It wasn’t random town gossip. They had details, receipts.
They had access to Savvy’s unreleased podcast.”
My mind swirls with scenarios—each one more dysfunctional than the last. “There’s no way anyone could have predicted my land would turn into a literal island, and Savvy didn’t tell anyone that she was coming to my house. It’s why she was so freaked out about Clover.”
“That’s what I mean. Someone had access to the details, and Madi has a pretty good read on people.
My gut is telling me that someone has been building a case against Savvy—and possibly you—for a long time.
If it’s not Quinn, it’s someone else that’s close enough to us to know the intimate details.
Someone willing to sell you out. Someone willing to work with families like the DeVanes and the Ashfords. ”
I nod as suspects form before my eyes. Quinn knew Savvy was with me, and her voice is ice-cold anytime she mentions Savvy’s name.
“What could Quinn possibly gain by doing that?”
Braxton’s chuckle tells me he thinks I’m being obtuse. “Money, your attention, you,” he lists as though they’re the most obvious things in the world. “Take your pick. Why does anyone do anything?”
I snort out a wry breath. “I think it’s well-documented that I’m far from a prize to be won. But it doesn’t make any sense, regardless. These attacks feel personal to Savvy, but I can’t tell if the hits are meant for the both of us or if I’m just the accelerant used to hurt her.”
“Greyson, I love you, but you’re an idiot.
People, women especially, adore you. I don’t know what the endgame was, but let’s talk in absolutes.
In your email to our employees, you specifically mentioned riding out the storm with family.
Only a handful of people knew you were home alone, and Quinn was one of those people. ”
Braxton stands and paces as he talks. “Yes, the attacks feel personal on Savvy because other than the perception of you marrying what the media is calling a stripper, nothing has been personal to you.”
I scoff. Everything about Savvy is personal to me.
He says, “The DeVanes want to make her pay, and they’ve proven they’ll take their time to make sure they cause her the most amount of pain possible because they’ve known for years that there was some connection to Ace.”
“Right,” I say. “If they’ve been patiently waiting, they could’ve been searching for a way to hurt her since he took her from Vegas.
They’ve probably been putting out feelers, biding their time for the right moment, and that right moment exposed itself when news of our… relationship was made public.”
It’s all very plausible, but is it realistic?
“It sounds to me like they found a mole willing and able to help take her down, and you’re just a casualty they were willing to lose.”
“A mole? Seriously?” A migraine tugs at my eyelids. How many punches will I take today?
“As I said, I don’t know what the end goal is, but I do believe the stories being presented to the press were preplanned, so we need to be open to the possibility that we might have a traitor within our company.”
“Let me guess.” Savvy barges into the room as though she owns the damn building. She’s a walking contradiction—fragile in body yet fierce in mind. “Quinn is your prime suspect?”
She’s touched up her makeup, and she stands before me as the worthy adversary I know her to be. Pride makes my fingers twitch, and my brain nearly combusts at the realization.
My, how quickly I’ve converted to the dark side.
“There are no suspects,” I say. Quinn has been my assistant since I was in college when Braxton and I first took over Omni-Reyes. I refuse to believe there’s not some loyalty there. If this is all true, I’ve failed every promise I ever made to Ace.
“There are no suspects yet,” Braxton says. “But we’re not taking it off the table. Until we have a better handle on what’s going on, all conversations should be kept to our family.”
“Clover—” Savvy starts, but Braxton doesn’t allow her to finish that train of thought.
“Clover is and always will be family, as are Pops, Moose, and Chief,” he says.
“But we should probably keep some details away from Pops,” Madi says with a grin. I’ve been so focused on Savvy that I didn’t even see Madi hiding behind her. “We can’t trust him to keep any kind of secret.”
“Agreed,” I say. The man’s middle name is menace.
“So…what now?” Madi asks. She’s practically bouncing on her toes. Giddy is the word I’d use to describe her, and it makes me uncomfortable as hell.
“First, I think the fake part of this relationship should stay between us,” Braxton says, eying me curiously. “It is fake, right?”
Savvy nods while scowling at me. “Obviously.”
Why does her anger make me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning for the first time in my life? I never had a traditional Christmas morning as a kid, and by age thirteen, all holidays were focused on Sage.
“It can’t get out to anyone else then,” Braxton says.
“I won’t keep it from Clover or Elle.” Savvy crosses her arms, the same way she did during the bathroom incident a few days ago. Her cheeks flush when she catches me staring at her tits, and she’s quick to drop her arms to her sides. Is she remembering too?
“Of course.” Braxton smiles at Savvy, and she visibly relaxes.
It makes me want to punch my beloved brother in the throat. I don’t like that he gets her softness while I’m stuck with the thorns.
It’s your own fault. Fucking conscience.
“Moose and Pops will have their suspicions though.” Madi’s scowl now matches Savvy’s. “Especially since Pops pushed all Grey’s triggers to get us to this point.”
“That could be a problem.” Braxton chews on his lip while he thinks. “We have to convince everyone that this is real. The chemistry between you two should do the trick, but that means you need to really pack on the PDA.”
“No,” Savvy all but growls.
I shrug. “Fine by me.”
She narrows her eyes and purses her lips. “We just spent nearly an entire week with you telling me how much you hate me. Hate. With a capital H. Why are you suddenly so keen to be my husband?”
Why, indeed? I don’t have an answer for her, but I do know that witnessing her struggles changed the chemistry of us—of me—and now I’ll burn the world to the ground to keep her by my side where I know she’ll be safe and cared for.
It’s that fire that matches hers that has me lurching forward, and before I know it, we’re standing toe-to-toe as I lower my voice to just above a whisper. “Maybe I like the idea of watching you…submit.”
She snorts, and spittle hits the side of my face, which makes her laugh out loud. But when she reaches out and wipes it away, I lean into her touch as though I’m helpless to do anything else.
“The day I submit is the day I die.” Can she hear the lie in her words? Because I can.
“So…morbid, dear wifey.” I lean in, fully aware that we have an audience, just not giving a shit.
She fills a void that’s resided in my soul for months, possibly even years, and under the guise of helping her, I allow myself to explore it.
“But you do submit, Monroe,” I rasp into her ear.
“Even if it’s in private, you’re still submitting.
In fact, that might be how I like you best.”
“Y—you’re an asshole.” She shoves me away with two shaky hands on my chest.
Point for me.
“I’m really going to love this game of ours, Monroe. I think you will too.”
“Not likely.”
A knock on the door interrupts us, and we all turn to see Quinn and Sage enter the room. She’s visibly annoyed, but I don’t comment on it because Sage is upset—it’s written all over his face.
I don’t want to believe that Quinn is guilty of treason, but she’s not family, so I won’t trust her. Finding a replacement will be a real bitch though.
“What is it, Quinn?” I ask.
“Clover’s trying to reach you.” She makes a point of looking at everyone except Savvy. “All of you. She received a…threat at her home.”
“What? No.” Savvy’s hand fists at her chest. I know she’s protective of Clover, and though I don’t know all the details, I know enough to understand that Clover is more fragile than either Savvy or Madi.
Quinn shrugs, then turns to leave. “That’s what she said. They haven’t been able to reach you,” she calls over her shoulder.
Everyone in the room begins patting their pockets, while Sage hands Savvy hers. How did we all leave our phones, which are typically glued to our hands, in my office?
I’m already pulling my car keys from my pocket when I meet Savvy’s gaze and know instantly that something’s wrong. Grabbing her by the elbow, I forgo retrieving my own phone, yell for Braxton to grab it for me, and guide her out of the office, into the elevator, and toward my car.
She doesn’t speak until I attempt to buckle her into my passenger seat. Swatting my hands away, she blinks as though she’s coming out of a trance. “I’m fine, I can do it.”
I release her and hurry to my side of the car.
“We’ll meet you at Clover’s,” Braxton calls. Looking up, I see him ushering a shell-shocked Madi into his car with Sage close behind.
Once in the driver’s seat, I start the ignition, then turn to Savvy. “What did Clover say?”
She stares at me for a long moment, then shows me the screen.
It takes me a moment to understand what I’m looking at, but once I do, anger fills my every pore.
The photo is of a box containing what appears to be a wedding dress with a knife jammed into the center of it, holding a note in place. The note says: Obsession is forever, and mine is written in the blood of others.
“Send that to me,” I say, then put the car in reverse and speed out of the parking garage.
I don’t believe in coincidences, and this has DeVane written all over it. They just signed their own death certificates. No one threatens what’s mine, and since Savvy is now mine, that means, by proxy, so is Clover.