Chapter 55
I sat up suddenly,my eyes flipping open in the darkness.
“Duchess?” came Bones’ sleepy voice. “You okay? You have a bad dream?”
I fumbled with the lamp on the nightstand until the light came on.
“Jesus, warn a guy,” Bones grumbled as he threw an arm over his eyes.
I jostled his shoulder until he was forced to look at me.
“What?”
“I don’t think Arnold’s death was a suicide,” I blurted out. When Bones didn’t say anything, I rushed on. “He was incommunicado for days. No one saw him or heard from him. And then suddenly, he’s found dead in a seedy motel room with a suicide note? My stepfather is rich. He would’ve licked his wounds at a five-star hotel. You only go to a motel off the highway if you don’t want to be found.”
Bones still hadn’t reacted.
“You think I’m crazy,” I accused. “You think I’m overreacting.”
His hand crept over to my leg and he gripped my thigh. “I don’t think you’re crazy or overreacting.”
“Then why aren’t you—Oh my God, you already had the same idea, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wasn’t going to give you something more to worry about. I’m looking into it.”
“What do you mean you’re looking into it?”
“I mean, the club has some connections we’re using to find out the whole picture. Because I agree. Your stepfather’s disappearance was because he was afraid. He said something to you in the board room, remember? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? They’re going to come after—And then I cut him off. I think whoever they were caught up with him.”
“Is my life still in danger?” I asked.
“I’m not sure, Duchess. But I’m taking all the precautions necessary. Why do you think I have my boys guarding your house? Why do you think I refuse to let you go anywhere without me?”
“My own private security,” I murmured. “What the hell did my stepfather get into?”
“I’m not sure yet. But we’ll find out.”
I let him pull me into his arms and I buried my head against his chest. A dark sense of foreboding settled in my body. I eventually fell back asleep, but my dreams were murky and unsettling.
The news of my stepfather’s death hit the tabloids. And while I was having breakfast with Bones, Oliver called to tell me the stock price of the company had plummeted. I had made a call to Spencer Pharmaceuticals’ general counsel a few days prior and had confirmed that I could legally buy back as many shares as I wanted. We’d expected the shares would tank. So upon hearing the news from Oliver, I picked up my phone and immediately contacted my private attorney, James, and instructed him to purchase all the shares that hit the market.
I set my phone aside and picked up my fork and dug into my omelet. When I was halfway finished, I looked up to find Bones watching me.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m just impressed. All that accomplished before 9 AM.”
I grinned. “Maybe I am cut out for this business.”
“Maybe you are,” he agreed.
The flower deliveries started an hour later. The dining room table was soon covered, and eventually there was no more room. My housekeeper Helen began putting them on the kitchen table.
Mom called with the time and place of the funeral. We’d bury my stepfather a day before the wedding celebration.
“How’d she sound?” Bones asked.
“Resolved,” I said with a sigh. “What are we going to do with all these flowers?”
“No idea.”
“Ah, I’ve got an idea. Let’s donate them to the hospital. Fresh flower bouquets always bring a smile.”
“Great idea.” Bones pulled out his cell.
“What are you doing?”
“Texting the prospects to get a van and get over here. They’ll take care of it.”
“Then what are we going to do the rest of the afternoon?” I asked.
He raised a brow.
I rolled my eyes. “Is that all you think about?”
“Yes.”
He strode toward me. I put a hand up to stop him, but my hand settled on his chest and my fingers curled into his shirt of their own volition.
Bones slid his thumb underneath my eye. “You didn’t sleep well.”
I shook my head.
“You’re still worried about it, aren’t you?”
“It’s all I’m thinking about,” I admitted.
“You’re not alone in this, Duchess. Remember that. I’m here.”
“Right. You’re here. But what if you’re in danger now too, because of me?”
“Then I’m in danger.” He shrugged. “I’m used to danger. But now I have more than just my club to protect. So, take a deep breath and know that I’m here with you.”
My brow furrowed. “You know what would take my mind off this?”
“Sex?”
“Bones,” I warned.
“What would take your mind off this?”
I grinned. “I’ll grab the keys and show you.”