Page 25 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

“Thank you, Worthington. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Hardly. And if there is anything else, please do not hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you,” she repeated as she closed the door and hurried with her reward to her armchair. She aimed the remote at the television on the wall and settled in to stream an old prime-time soap, happy to immerse herself in another wild world with problems that weren’t hers.

The sweet, cold, chocolate danced across her tongue as the iconic theme song played, already providing her a sense of release and relief.

Across the room, her chiming phone drew her attention. She took another bite of her sweet treat before she set the bowl aside and retrieved the device. She hadn’t checked it since before dinner.

As she settled into the chair again, she checked her notifications. A text message from her sister announced that Ethan had landed, and she passed the information from their earlier conversation to him.

The second text came from her brother-in-law himself, thanking her for taking the time to meet him and asking her to call when she had the chance.

She checked the time. It was already after one in the morning. She sent him a text back. Sorry, intense writing session. Just seeing this. I’ll call in the morning. Let me know when you’re up.

She ate another spoonful of ice cream, surprised to hear her phone chime again.

Hey, you’re up late. I’m still awake. Want to talk now?

She smiled at the phone as she pressed the call icon. Something felt comforting about the message from someone who knew her, who she didn’t have contractual boundaries with. The line trilled, and she pressed the phone to her ear as she paused the show.

A second later, Ethan’s voice filled her ear. “Hey, Juju.”

“Hey,” she said, her voice brightening despite her tension. “I hear you’re braving the big city.”

“Barely,” Ethan said, his response tinged with exaggerated terror. “I made it from the airport to the hotel, and I’m still shaking over it.”

“Did you rent a car?”

“No, I took a cab. Dropped me off right at the hotel, and I still had trouble navigating.”

Julia let her head rest against the chair as she laughed. “You’re such a kidder. I’ll bet you did great walking across the sidewalk and into the doors.”

“Get ready to be impressed. Because I had to go upstairs, too.”

This admission pulled another chuckle from her. Her tension melted as she allowed the silly conversation and usual jokes of her brother-in-law to take her mind off everything else.

“Let’s just say I much prefer the one stoplight in Harbor Cove to this. Anyway, Alicia said she pressed you into service to take care of me.”

She traced the edge of her robe, a grin on her face. “Well, you know Alicia. I think she actually pressed you into service to check on me…make sure I’m alive and kicking.”

“Sounds like her. Well, I’m happy to do it. We could even take a picture together to prove it.”

“Wow, you can really tell you’re a cop with all these great ideas.”

They both laughed before she said, “So, how’s your schedule look?”

“Well, tomorrow morning may be best if your schedule can bear it. After that, the conference looks jam-packed, but I may squeeze another life check before I go.”

“Tomorrow morning’s great.”

“I’d come to your place, but I’m not sure I’d make it alive.”

She chuckled again. “Well, we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

“Probably not because then I can’t reassure Alicia that you’re still living which would not be good.”

“Definitely not. I’ll meet you at the hotel.”

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