Page 28 of Smitten with the Single Dad

“Okay. Cool. You still haven’t told me who you are or what you want with her. So why would I disclose anything? For all I know, you’re a contract killerfixing to give Ms. Vitale a pair of concrete slippers she can wear to a gala at the bottom of the Puget Sound.”

Sir Grunts-a-lot grunted. “We work for Wyndham Croft.”

“Cool. And?”

“Mr. Croft would like to offer Ms. Vitale a settlement.”

If they hadn’t been attached to his forehead Wyatt’s brows would have flown clean off his face. “A settlement?”

“For her discretion in this matter.”

If Wyatt had his say, these men could take their “settlement” offer and shove it up their assholes and tell Wyndham Croft to do the same. But he couldn’t make that decision for Vica. She had a right to know what was being offered to her.

Pulling in a deep inhale to calm his nerves, he dug his phone out of the back pocket of his shorts and punched in Brooke’s number. “Hey, Brooke. Could you run over to my house and relay a message to Vica, please?”

“Sure thing. Hang on. What’s the message?”

“I’m going to text it to you.”

“Oh. Covert. Gotcha.” The sound of her front door opening and shutting echoed through the phone. There was the knock, then the door opening, followed by her calling out for Vica.

He shot off the text to Brooke as Vica answered.

“Hello?” came Vica’s sweet, sexy voice.

“Read the text I just sent Brooke, please.”

“O-okay.” She gasped. “A-a settlement?”

“Yes.”

“Th-they are there right now?”

“Yes.”

“I-I’m coming.”

She was stammering. This was not good.

“No. Stay there.”

“Meet me at the gate. We can talk with the gate between us.”

“A gate doesn’t stop a bullet, Vica,” he gritted out. He didn’t have to see the gun on the guy in front of him to know the man was packing. Wyatt had a sixth sense about that kind of shit. His years in the marines and growing up with a dad in the army had lent him a keen sense of intuitiveness that had yet to prove him wrong.

“Not gonna shoot her,” Sir Grunts-a-lot murmured with a bored tone.

“Words and actions are very different, my gargantuan friend.”

He grunted again.

“Brooke and Clint are going to accompany me to the gate,” Vica said. “I want to hear what they have to say.”

“I don’t like this,” Wyatt said, knowing he’d already lost the argument but figured one last-ditch effort wouldn’t hurt.

“And you think I do?”

Fair enough.

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