Page 117 of His Wild Seduction

“Deal,” she said and grinned.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

MEREDITH

It took some convincing, but I finally got Mario to agree to drive me to my stepfather’s place, just the two of us.

I really didn’t want to wait for the other guys to return from the grocery store. Even though I used the fast pickup app, they were going to be at least another half an hour. And I wanted to get home before Josef got there.

Excitement pumped through my veins, and I bit my lower lip. One week was long enough without my husband.

It was funny, or not, depending on how you thought of it, but we’d been apart for fifteen years. I hadn’t realized I’d been living a half-life in all that time without him.

Josef was like my own personal missing link. I needed him like I needed air and water and food.

He was the breath in my body.

My reason. My hope. My dream. My beautiful reality.

Christ, I loved that man.

“Everything okay, ma’am?” Mario asked.

“Do not call me ma’am. You make me feel like I’m a hundred,” I said, trying my best to glare at my bodyguard.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, a slight smirk on the corner of his face.

The fucker.

Mario was a good man, and I felt safe with him, but not like I did when I was with my man, of course.

Still, Josef had handpicked him to be my bodyguard when I left the condo, and I trusted my husband to do what he thought was best.

“The men just alerted me they are en route with the groceries,” Mario informed me, and I nodded.

Good.

Ellie and Sammy would get a text when they left, locking the downstairs section of the house, and arming the security system. I voted against having an armed guard at the place.

Mrs. Stevens was a fifty-seven year old widow, an ex-marine who’d also worked for Sigma International. She was more than capable of handling any security needs, and even better, she was a woman.

I knew from experience it would make it easier on the residents, well, once I filled the other floors with more residents, to have a female on site. Especially one with a background in security.

Mrs. Stevens would also manage the house insofar as toiletries, groceries, and what not. I’d set up a fund for such things. None of the women would have to worry about food or towels or the basics until they were ready to move on.

Even then, I had a system in place to help them continue their education, get a job, or move anywhere they wanted. As long as they felt safe to do so. But they were welcome to stay as long as they needed.

“Here we go—oh, I’m getting a message,” Mario said, frowning at his phone.

“No worries, just find me when you’re done,” I told him and exited the vehicle.

He pursed his lips, and I knew he wanted to argue, but I was already on the move.

The quicker I found out what was going on, why Gretchen had called and messaged me so frantically, the quicker I could leave.

The house loomed ahead, and I shivered. It always felt so cold, so big when I was a child.

Everything looked the same.

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