Page 68 of Sins and Secrets

“I know it is.” Billie gets up and moves the chair back where she got it from. “I have some other things that I need to get done. Have a good day.”

Her tone is cold, and her shoulders are stiff as she walks out of the room. I don’t know what just happened between us. One minute it felt like we were having a good time and the next we acknowledged the reality of our situation. I didn’t think that would make her this cold to me, though.

She is the one who has been wanting this to end since the beginning.

There’s something going on in her head that she isn’t sharing with me.

Maybe she’s starting to fall for me the same way I’m falling for her.

It’s a wild thought and one that has no place in my life right now. I need to focus on finding Paolo and putting an end to the shit he’s doing.

Billie is in the pool when I get home late that night. She swims beneath the stars, the pool lights set to a dark purple tone. I should go inside and continue putting distance between us, but after the day I’ve had, I need someone to talk to.

“Hey,” Billie says as I kick off my shoes and take off my clothing. I leave the clothing heaped in a pile before jumping into the cool water. As I surface and push my hair back from my face, she climbs into one of the floating loungers.

“Hey.” I climb onto the other lounger and cross one leg over the other. “How was the rest of your day?”

“It was alright. Got some of that filing done. Reworked your schedule.”

I nodded and sighed. “Thank you for that. The last thing I was expecting was a call from Christian.”

“Why would Christian be calling again? I thought the two of you got everything sorted out when we were in Miami.”

“We did. And then we didn’t.” I sigh and tilt my head back, trying to find a constellation in the sky above me to distract my mind from the thousands of racing thoughts. “Paolo has pulled out of Tennessee completely. I spoke to Jovan after speaking with Christian and there is no sign of him in Florida anymore either. He’s coming to Georgia and he’s planning something.”

“So, Christian called to warn you?” Billie asks, braiding her hair back from her face.

“Sort of. He called to warn me that he would be coming out here. He’s at a bunker right now, but he’s going to be moving into the house later today. I don’t want anyone else to know he’s here.”

“Won’t people see him coming and going from the compound?”

I shake my head. “I’m going to go pick him up personally. Turn off the cameras when I approach the house and pull into the garage. He’ll come and go using the tunnels that run beneath the house and out into the rest of the city.”

“You have tunnels beneath the house?” Billie’s eyes widen. “You’re going to have to take me walking down there one day. I only knew about the escape tunnels from the main house.”

I laugh and shrug. “It’s not that exciting, but one day, maybe.”

Billie gets a strange look on her face before nodding and closing her eyes. “So, with Christian in town, do you think that the Paolo situation is going to be dealt with faster?”

“I don’t know. Paolo is clever and he knows how we operate. He’s been a member since he was born. He was raised alongside me and my brother. But he’s also losing control.”

“What makes you think that? Didn’t he just pull everyone back here?”

I skim my fingers through the water. “Yes. But if he was playing the long game, he would have gone farther underground. He would keep his moves hidden until he was ready to attack. He wouldn’t make it known that he had pulled out of both Florida and Tennessee. That makes me think that he’s getting desperate.”

“Or that’s what he wants you to think.” Billie glances over at me and gives me a soft smile. “I should get to bed. It’s getting late and it’s been a long day.”

She slides off the lounger and into the water, swimming to the edge of the pool. I watch as she hauls herself out of the pool, water dripping down her sun-kissed skin.

I should be going to bed with her. I should be showing her how much she means to me.

I should be keeping my distance because chasing after my best friend’s daughter — especially while he is living in my home — is a recipe for trouble.

As I relax in the pool, the cool breeze blowing, I know that this is going to be the last chance I have to relax for a long time. It’s the last chance I have to prepare myself for dealing with Christian Herrera.

The sooner Christian goes back to Tennessee, the better.

23

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