Page 36 of The Fallen One

I trusted her. Of course I did, but I didn’t trust her husband. If Sierra told Karl that Carter was in town, he’d call in the cavalry and have him arrested. Well, try to have him arrested.

Maybe Carter was long gone by now anyway? It’d been six hours since he’d been at the office, and my heart had yet to stop colliding with my rib cage. Even after all that time, and with every dark rumor that’d spread about him since, my body still responded to him.

“Earth to Diana?” Sierra waved her hand in front of my face. “William pushing you to date him again?”

Ugh. My ex from once upon a time ago was a serious pain in my ass. Relentless in pursuing me. There’d be no “third time is a charm” when it came to that man. I’d rather be forever single than give him another shot. “No, there’s only one person who makes me feel like this.” I’d said too much, damnit. Wore my heart not on my sleeve but right smack in my eyes for all to see.

Sierra knocked over her glass and cursed, wiping up the spill with a stack of napkins as she leaned closer and hissed, “Diana, please don’t tell me you’re thinking about him again.”

Ever since our text exchange a few years back, I’d stopped mentioning Carter’s name to her. Once she’d dropped the news on me that Karl had witnessed video footage of Carter killing people, I knew he was an off-limits topic. Even if she was my best friend.

She shook her head. “You saw him, didn’t you?”

“How do you know that?”

“Hence the emergency meeting and the fact you look all flustered. I’d even say like you’ve been properly fucked.”

“I do not look”—I swallowed—“like that.”

“What happened?” She took my full glass away from me and gulped half of it back. “Tell me.”

“You’ll tell Karl.”

She lowered the glass. “I won’t.”

“Liar,” I called her bluff. “Karl made you hate Carter.”

“I’ve seen things, Di. Things I never want you to see.” She finished off my drink. “More than just that one video I told you about.”

“And how does your husband have these ‘things’ for you to see? Why show you them?”

“Defense contracts. Private military stuff. Bad guys. It’s his world, and he knows all the players in it.” She massaged her temples, and this was clearly a bad idea.

But who was I going to go to about today? Mom? Dad? My boss?

“Please tell me what happened so I can talk you down from whatever high seeing this man has so clearly given you.”

“That’s not?—”

“You look like you’re playing a game of Candy Land right now, but really, you’re about to enter an episode of American Psycho.” She reached across the table and covered my hand with hers. “He’s dangerous. I have no idea why you can’t get this man you barely know out of your head, but you have to.”

“Well, I didn’t see him.” My lie was so weak it about folded out right from under me.

“The company,” she said, putting two and two together. “He came back because of the company, didn’t he?”

You know me too well and know too much. I hesitantly nodded.

Looking toward 007, then in the direction of Jake, she chewed on her lip as her fingers flew through her mahogany-colored hair.

“What is it you’re not telling me?” I asked, chills covering my arms like sleeves.

“Nothing, I promise. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. This infatuation you seem to have with him makes me nervous.”

“I’m not infatuated.” I don’t know what I am other than confused. I peered out the window and about fell off my chair.

“Is that Senator Paulsen out there?” she asked.

I trembled at the sight of him standing beside a limo, waving me out. I’d seen that man more than I cared to since he’d become friends with my mom, but what was he doing there? How’d he find me? “Shit, I’ll be right back.”

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