Page 106 of Defended By Love

“We haven’t been too loud lately, have we?”

Grant shrugs. “Maybe they’ll go away?”

They don’t. The knocking becomes more insistent. Each bang at the door resounds with an authority that makes me shiver.

I know it’s impossible to know who’s at the door based solely on a knock—but I know who’s at the door.

Without even thinking about it, I start walking towards the door.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Grant says, getting off his knees.

“I think I do.”

Whatever it is that he has to say will only become worse the longer he’s left waiting.

“Reinhold,” I say when I answer the door. It’s barely a greeting. It’s certainly not an invitation to enter.

It doesn’t matter. He pushes past me and ingratiates himself into my home.

“You have a nice place.” He takes a seat on my couch and sets down his briefcase on my coffee table. His eyes linger over the art on my wall—a Monet print. “Although your art fails to make an impression on visitors. Would you like to connect with the painter responsible for the art in my office?”

Right, because when I’m trying to unwind at the end of a long day, viscera and violence are what I want on my walls.

“No. Why are you here?”

The corner of Reinhold’s lips twitches. “I do appreciate that you’re direct. If your new law firm venture doesn’t work out for you, you have a place on my team.”

“No. Why are you here?”

His mouth twitches again. Seriously, has this guy never learned to smile before? Missed that day in super villain pre-school?

“Loose ends,” he says simply. “Please have a seat.” He gestures to the two armchairs that flank the coffee table.

I would ask who he thinks he is, inviting me to sit in my own home, but the answer is clear: he’s Reinhold Cragg. So, I sit.

“First off, Mr. Hart would like to thank you for your dedication towards environmental issues. We were unaware of the issues regarding the marine life around our facility. We appreciate you bringing them to our attention.”

Grant sits in the other armchair, watching with apprehension. I give a subtle shake of my head. I don’t think I’ll need him to step in. Reinhold didn’t bring any muscle, so I think this is my battle to fight.

If this even is a battle.

“You admit to polluting?” I ask.

Reinhold’s face goes even stonier. “Not in the slightest. Hart Link Incorporated is dedicated to upholding the very best environment practices and we have never wavered on that. The aquatic life was never harmed, only displaced.”

I stare him down. “Displaced? Just went on a little vacation? The entire ecosystem?”

“You should really ask for clarification instead of making assumptions, Miss Cox. The marine life was displaced in time, not place. Although, I’d prefer it if you kept that information between us friends.”

Reinhold pulls out an envelope from his briefcase. He considers it for a moment. “That being said, some of our Research and Development did impact the ecosystem, albeit temporarily. Although he is not legally required to, Mr. Hart feels so much remorse over the inadvertent actions of his company that he has made a sizeable donation to local, ocean preservation initiatives.”

How kind.

Not that I trust that at all.

“Why are you telling me this?”

He smiles a smile that only makes him look more sinister. “You were paramount in helping our errors be corrected. If Mr. Hart weren’t the philanthropic good doer he is, you would have taken us to court and you would have won. We would have paid out a sizeable amount to correct our wrongdoing and your firm would have taken a cut. Mr. Hart has decided to give your new legal firm the cut it would have received.”

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