Page 7 of Tempting Devil

It had been years since I last looked at the contents of this particular box. I almost didn’t bring it with me when I moved, hoping to finally leave my past behind me. But something prompted me to pack it at the last minute, as if a part of me knew it wasn’t over. That there were still too many unanswered questions.

After taking a fortifying sip of wine, I sat on the floor in front of the box and lifted the lid, immediately assaulted with a wave of memories of what once was.

Memories of a past I thought I’d moved on from.

Memories that now threatened to break me all over again.

Chapter Three

Gideon

“Any changes?” I asked as I slipped into what had become Henry’s makeshift command center in my house. The room was filled with screens connected to computers via a mess of cables, a faint hum filling the air from the array of equipment.

I couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone into his actual office. Then again, when he agreed to help, he told me he didn’t want any of his actions to hurt his company or employees. He’d taken a temporary leave of absence, using his own time and resources to help me.

“They’re still pissing themselves, more or less,” Henry answered, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “But they haven’t made any significant moves yet.”

“Good.” I collapsed onto the leather sofa and chugged a bottle of water, sweat clinging to my skin.

I’d just spent the past few hours going to town on a punching bag in my home gym. Not just to stay in top physical condition, but to mentally prepare myself for the next phase of my plan.

Alton may have been dead, but I wasn’t done yet.

If anything, I was just getting started.

Alton was an easy target.

James and Liam wouldn’t be.

Especially James, considering he was a United States Senator. While he didn’t have the same level of protection afforded to the president, he still had more security than the average citizen.

But that wouldn’t stop me.

He was the reason Jonah was arrested and falsely accused of my murder. He used his influence as a prosecutor to ensure that Jonah would never have his day in court.

For that, I’d make sure James suffered much worse than Alton Sinclair. In the grand scheme of things, Alton’s death was quick and painless. While his death was driven partly out of revenge, there was a greater purpose behind it.

To send a message.

And judging by the way James and Liam were pacing around Liam’s opulent office, they’d received that message loud and clear.

“They’re worried that, with the fingerprints being found at the scene of Alton’s suicide, the police may decide to reopen the investigation into Samuel’s death,” Henry explained. “Considering James is no longer a DA, he may not be able to influence the investigation like he did last time.”

I wiped my towel along my face, unable to stop the grin from spreading on my mouth as I watched the two men panic over what the police might find if someone actually did a thorough investigation into what happened to me. It was even better than the look of dread on Liam’s face when he learned Alton’s recent trading advice was shit, causing him to lose millions.

“There’s one thing you should know,” Henry stated after a moment, his voice guarded.

I sat up straighter. “What’s that?”

He hesitated, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips. “Imogene showed up about a half-hour ago.”

I nodded, not all that surprised by this.

While she hadn’t spoken to Liam since their argument last weekend, she wasn’t heartless. In fact, she probably cared too much for her own good. Which was why it didn’t shock me to learn she would have gone to see Liam upon learning about Alton’s death, despite their differences.

As much as I hated the idea of her spending any time with Liam, considering what I knew about him, I couldn’t outright forbid it. Not without revealing everything.

And I had no plans to do that.

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