Page 50 of Layne Closure Ahead

“Only because you know I’m right.” A cocky smile appeared on his mouth.

After Joey was confident that Layne wasn’t going to go on a mission to immediately hunt Eric down, he went back to the basement to wrap up discussions with his associates. It turned out that they hit a snag in the encryption of data that would take some time to bypass.

There was enough time for her to soak in everything he had said to her. When he came back upstairs ready to leave, she stopped him. “Did you mean what you said?”

He lifted a brow at her. “Which part?”

“That we would handle this together. The way things went down with Franzetti—” Her words were interrupted by his finger pressing against her lips.

Joey’s eyes met hers to make his intentions very clear. “You’re stuck with me, Layney. Hell or high water. I just need you to be on the same page. And, until you are,” his hands moved to embrace her face, “I’m going to slay any demons standing in your way to get you there.”

Words were pretty things. Layne wondered if they would hold the course of time or would he end up another chapter that abruptly closed in her life?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Now that Layne knew how much Eric had taken up the role of puppet master in her life, she struggled to play her part now that the veil had been lifted from her eyes. Regardless, she pushed through her feelings knowing there would be inevitable retribution if only she played the game intelligently.

Joey had been keeping his distance while working diligently with his tech-savvy associates to uncover how far Eric’s web stretched and exactly what secrets it held. He didn’t want Layne’s involvement in this to get any deeper or last any longer than necessary.

As a way to refocus her energy on something other than violence and sex, she found a healthier form of escape in running through Central Park. There was something cathartic about her feet against the ground, the brisk winter air against her face and in her lungs, and her muscles being pushed to move faster for longer.

She was three-and-a-half miles into the run and finally getting into a groove of things. Layne had her earbuds in listening to Let the Sparks Fly by Thousand Foot Krutch to keep up her pace. With frigid winter temperatures in full swing, she was thankful she had decided to toss on ivory gloves to keep her fingers warm and a matching knit hat on her head before she had left the house.

As she began to feel a surge of energy to keep gunning for her planned five miles, the sound of an incoming call dulled the upbeat music inside her ears. She groaned as she slowed down to answer the call through her earbuds. She panted as she tried to gradually ease her legs down to a walk.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded as out of breath as she felt.

Eric greeted her on the other end warmly. “Little harpy, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. It seems you have been quite busy.”

She winced at the stupidity of not screening her call before answering. Layne stepped off to the side of the path as she kept walking so her muscles didn’t seize up on her. “I’ve had a lot going on.”

“Oh? You’ll have to tell me all about it. I will come meet up with you and we can catch up.”

Layne suppressed a groan as she placed a hand on her hip. “I’m actually in the middle of a run. Now’s not a great time.”

His voice during the start of the call had sounded cordial, but now there was something darker lurking underneath the words. “I wasn’t asking whether or not it was a good time for you. Would you prefer I send my men to pick you up instead?”

She shook her head as she glanced around the section of Central Park she was in. It wasn’t the most populated section, but she could quickly remedy that. “No, that’s okay. I’m in Central Park, I can meet you near the first-mile marker.”

His tone was quick to switch back to that lighter tone he had started the call with. “That sounds better. I will be there in fifteen minutes.”

The call ended and all the inner peace and calm she had begun to achieve on this run was quickly dissipating.

It only took her ten minutes to sprint back to the mile marker she had told Eric to meet her at. When she arrived, he was just walking up to it a solid five minutes early.

She pulled her earbuds from her ears and tucked them into the pockets of her leggings. Her face was still flushed from the mixture of physical exertion and the burn of icy wind hitting it during her workout. The warmth of her labored exhales was visible as it hit the freezing air.

Eric gave her a light smile as he looked her over. He had on a navy winter coat with a pair of dark leather gloves to fend off the cold.

When he leaned in to greet her with a kiss, she leaned away from him. “I’m all sweaty from my run.”

His eyes narrowed but seemed to brush it off. “I wanted to talk about expectations that I may not have made clear enough, Layne. Let’s walk.” Eric’s hand didn’t make it a suggestion as he linked his arm with hers and began to escort them both down the path toward the more scenic and wooded area of the park.

Layne walked with him already calculating the odds of various things he wanted to talk with her about. Had he known she had taken his phone? Was he upset that Liam was still struggling to get access to the last of the primary bank accounts?

“What type of expectations did you want to talk about? Aside from a few minor items, I feel like this arrangement has been going fairly smoothly.” She tried to keep things in a positive light and not immediately jump to doom and gloom.

Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out a turquoise jewelry box. “I realized that I may have been unfair in expecting you to take us seriously when I haven’t held up all of my end of the bargain. If I want you to act like my wife, I should at least act like your husband.” He drew back the top of the box to reveal a diamond ring nestled inside.

---