Page 63 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

“Mr. Harrington, so very good to have you home.”

“I assume you heard,” Grant said as he stepped into his private office.

Julia chewed her lower lip as she studied the unmistakable bruise on his jaw. She descended the stairs as voices floated through the still-open doors to his office.

Grant pressed his bourbon glass against his jaw.

Julia rounded the railing and made her way to the kitchen to fill a bag with ice and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Despite her desperate desire to avoid the painful conversation, they had to have it. She had to talk to Grant. She hoped the ice pack would be a small peace offering.

“Perhaps a real ice pack, sir?” Worthington said as she stepped into the doorway.

“I’ve got it, Worthington,” she said, her eyes fixed on Grant.

He snapped his gaze toward her, his stormy eyes searching her face.

“I’ll leave you both to talk.”

Worthington hurried from the room, closing the doors behind him as Julia crossed toward Grant. Her heart thudded faster than it should have with a mix of dread and determination as the conversation loomed ahead of her. It could change everything. It could unravel the fragile threads holding them together.

CHAPTER 17

GRANT

Grant’s pulse sped as he studied Kyle’s features, trying to decipher the intensity in his eyes. There was something more than professional concern for Julia. The doctor’s icy gaze was too sharp and too focused, like a man driven by something deeper.

Grant kept his voice low and steady as he probed for answers. “Why are you doing this? This isn’t just about Julia, is it?”

Kyle flicked his eyebrows up as he grinned. “Wow, someone’s got an ego. Julia’s a very beautiful woman. I’m surprised she’d even waste her time with someone with your reputation. She deserves far better.”

Grant studied him. The amused act wasn’t fooling him. A flicker of something unidentifiable but unmistakable had passed through his eyes just before he deflected by trying to push his buttons with his talk about Julia.

Grant offered a chuckle. “Julia is an amazing woman. That’s why she’s my wife.”

“Not for long.”

Grant leaned forward, the handcuffs clattering against the metal table. “We’ll see. But I’d still like to know why you’re so…invested.” He eyed Kyle, scrutinizing every twitch of his lips, every raise of his eyebrows. “This is far more than a doctor’s concern for a patient or even a man enchanted by a beautiful woman.”

Kyle leaned away from him, his jaw tightening. Grant let a moment of silence stretch between them. He was on to something.

“You have a reason. And I’m going to find it.”

Kyle’s ire-filled glance burned through him before he cocked his head, letting his amused smile return, though this time it looked more fake. “You think you’re so perceptive, don’t you, Grant? Let’s just say, I have my reasons. Reasons you couldn’t possibly understand.”

Kyle rose from his seat, leaning forward as he lowered his voice to a chilling whisper. “But those reasons are going to destroy you.”

With a final smug smile, Kyle stalked from the room, slamming through the door and leaving Grant alone in the sterile room again. He’d left Grant with more questions than answers, but his behavior hinted at something personal.

A chill ran down Grant’s spine as he realized this was more than a random encounter. And that he’d just unwittingly put Julia in the middle of a dangerous game.

He shifted on the uncomfortable chair, tugging against the handcuffs as frustration set in. While he sat in this room, confined, he wouldn’t be able to protect Julia from his threat. His mind returned to the scene he’d walked in on at the Azalea Room.

As cool air filtered from the vent in the ceiling, making the room even more sterile, he imagined an even more chilling scene. Julia sank her head into her hands as tears rolled onto her cheeks. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It was a mistake.”

Kyle slid an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, Julia, you couldn’t have known what a monster he was.”

His thoughts spiraled, entangling with fears of Julia’s perception of their entire relationship. What if she started to believe his drivel? The relationship, particularly lately, stood on shaky ground. It couldn’t afford such deep-seated doubts.

Grant tightened his fist at the thought of Julia, confused and convinced by Kyle’s words, swirled in his mind, amplifying his frustration. He had to get out of this police station.

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