Page 61 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

With a sigh of relief, she pushed into the late afternoon air. Her fingers tightened around her purse strap, and she swallowed hard. The weight of the day threatened to crush her. She craved nothing more than the silence of Harrington House rather than the sharp sounds of the city that surrounded her.

As she descended the stairs to cross to the visitor parking lot, a familiar voice called to her. Her heart stopped, rising into her throat.

Her features pinched as she spun to find Kyle hurrying down the stairs toward her. “Julia, wait.”

He jogged the distance between them as she shifted her weight, her fingers tightening on her handbag. “You promised we’d talk.”

“Kyle, I’m exhausted from all of this. I just want to go home and–”

“Please tell me you have somewhere else to stay away from him. I can’t imagine with the legal team he has at his disposal that he won’t get bail.”

Julia slid her eyes closed for a moment. Did he honestly believe everything he was saying or was this some sort of ploy to strike at Grant?

Warm fingers wrapped around her forearm. “Julia…”

She bristled at the touch, pulling back from him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You just seem…so upset.”

“I am very upset, Kyle. My husband is in jail right now for no reason. And you don’t seem to be listening to anything I’ve said.”

Kyle set his hands on his hips as he lowered his gaze to the ground before he shook his head. “Julia, I know this is hard–”

“It’s not. It’s impossible. You’re making it impossible.”

“I’m not. Please, let’s go find a quiet place to talk. I’ll listen to your side, but you have to listen to mine. I’m not inexperienced in this sort of thing. I’ve seen a lot of women–”

“No,” Julia said with a vehement shake of her head. “I’m not being abused. This conversation is finished.”

She spun on a heel and took a few steps toward the parking lot.

“Julia, wait,” Kyle said as he hurried after her. He pulled a card from his pocket along with a pen, quickly scrawling something on the back. “This is my personal cell phone number. When you’re ready to hear what I have to say, call or text. Anytime. Any hour, day or night.”

Julia side-eyed it, refusing to take it. She reached her car and tugged the door open, sliding behind the wheel. As she reached for the door to pull it shut, Kyle blocked her, crouching to eye her as he held the card out.

“Take the card, Julia. You will regret it if you don’t.”

Her brow furrowed as the last statement came across as a threat. With reluctance lingering, she reached for it and slid the card from his fingers.

“And I mean it. Day or night, Julia. Whenever you’re ready.”

“There really is nothing I can say to convince you, is there?”

He pressed his lips together as he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Julia. As a physician, I’ve seen this far more often than you may think. It starts with tiny things that seem innocent, but it escalates, sometimes more quickly than anyone expects.”

She kept her eyes trained on the steering wheel.

Kyle studied the well-appointed interior of the flashy sports car. “Did he buy this for you?”

“That’s really none of your business.”

“I’m guessing it was a very expensive apology for his bad behavior. It’s lovely, but it shouldn’t make up for what he’s doing.”

The image of the sapphire bracelet he’d dangled in front of her after the incident with Bianca danced through her mind. Perhaps Grant did have a tendency to buy his way out of situations.

“Actually, he bought it to give me more freedom. I don’t think an abusive spouse would do that.”

Kyle flicked his eyebrows up. “You’d be surprised what they do when they’re feeling guilty. But you’re not ready for this conversation right now, and I’m okay with that. It’s hard for me to let you go because if something happens, I’d never forgive myself, but it has to be your choice.”

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