Page 79 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

Julia shifted her weight, her eyes going to the sky before she held up her hands. “Okay, this conversation is over.”

“Julia, wait,” he said, reaching for her.

“Hands off, Carter,” James shouted at him.

Julia bit the inside of her lower lip as she sucked in a breath. “If you want me to stay, you need to give me some answers.”

“Fine. Can we just…sit down?”

With a sigh, Julia perched on the edge of the bench with Kyle.

“Maybe a little privacy?” He wagged his head toward James.

“James stays. Why are you doing this?”

Kyle swallowed hard, his eyes falling to the ground.

“Well?” Julia prompted.

“I’m sorry. This is not easy, particularly with an audience.”

Julia’s frustration grew with the circular conversation. “You don’t have any real reason, do you?”

She shifted her weight to stand.

“Yes, I do. I do. Uh, look…” Kyle slid his eyes closed. “First of all, did you know he threatened me? Twice?”

“If you’re referring to his phone call earlier, yes. I was with him when he made it.”

Kyle offered her a concerned glance. “Oh, Julia, I hope my call didn’t cause any trouble between you.”

She fluttered her eyelashes. “No, it didn’t cause any trouble between us. But it did cause a lot of trouble. Just like the incident yesterday.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to escalate like that.”

“Then drop the charges.”

“I can’t,” he hissed. “That is the only thing I can do to get him away from you unless you take that step yourself.”

“I’m not leaving Grant. There is no reason for me to leave him.”

“Julia, a normal man doesn’t threaten people on a regular basis.”

“I don’t blame him for calling you today. What you did crossed a line.”

“Fine, and yesterday?”

“He says you threatened him.”

Kyle’s shoulders slumped. “Did he? That’s not true.”

Julie flicked her eyebrows up. “Then what is the truth?”

Kyle heaved a sigh, glancing up at her as he tilted his chin downward. “I went to talk to him to see if maybe I’d misread things. Maybe I was wrong. He made it clear that I wasn’t. He threatened me. Even lunged at me in the interrogation room. Said you were his and you’d always be his. And the day you even considered leaving him, he’d find a way to stop you.”

Julia listened to the words, a mix of disbelief and shock coursing through her. None of that could be true.

“Now, do you see why I’m so concerned?”

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