Page 38 of Strictly Forbidden

Too bad I was crossing my fingers behind my back.

“See. I think if we do the cover release over a period of a few days we’ll really build the excitement.”

“I like that idea. Do me a favor, make the red a little more…”

“Like blood?”

“Yeah, exactly like blood.”

Kathy sighed. “You are one macabre woman. Do you know that?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Let’s put together something for TikTok as well, but I want to make certain we actually have the final version of the cover in our hot little hands.”

“Stop worrying. I know that. I have been your assistant since God was a baby.”

“You do know that’s not possible?”

She laughed and all I could do was think of Kage. When my phone rang again, the ringtone was thankfully just for any ordinary Joe calling. I had an order I was checking on, expecting a reminder about an upcoming doctor’s appointment and was hopeful Kage was calling so I answered it right away.

“Noel Young.”

Kathy pulled my attention away by pointing to a banner she’d created. I gave the ‘ok’ sign then realized I wasn’t hearing anything on the other end of the line. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

I could tell the moment I pulled the phone away from my face that the other end wasn’t dead. The same kind of chill I used to get trickled down my spine. There was no chance this was the asshole calling me. He was behind bars awaiting his trial.

Still, I was shaking enough Kathy grabbed my arm.

“You okay?” she asked, shifting her gaze back and forth.

All I could do was nod. “Look, jerk. Whoever you are, this isn’t funny. I’m hanging up now and blocking your number.” I did just that, feeling much more comfortable.

“Do you want to tell me what that was?” Kathy pushed.

“Nothing. That was a whole lot of nothing.”

And I prayed to God it was.

CHAPTER 11

Kage

“Mistakes are made by idiots. Any man who harbors a weakness deserves what he gets.”

I’d heard my father say those very words dozens of times while growing up. He was a hard man, a former con who’d done his best to try to make amends to society and to his family, becoming a model citizen. But in my mind, he’d failed. He was nothing but an insufferable bastard who I knew would eventually give into his weaknesses. My mother had sworn he’d turned a corner and he acted as if he adored her.

I didn’t buy his shit for one second.

Maybe because he’d always led me to believe I was just like him.

Yeah, well, I’d kind of proved him right after all.

I’d hated him all these years. At least he had provided a decent income for my mother, allowing her to live in a nice house, driving a new car. It was funny thought that he’d shunned me for my supposed crimes when my gut told me he hadn’t gotten the extra cash by working to the bone.

He was a shyster and nothing else, always looking for a fast buck.

Okay, so maybe I was pushing it a little, especially since I had no proof. However, the fact his words were burning in my mind at this moment meant I’d held some belief in what he was saying.

Or maybe it was solely because I’d allowed my guard to fall so far that it had taken me disappearing to try to keep it from flying into the abyss. Because of Noel.

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