Page 4 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

Dillyn lifted her chin toward the pen, which had been in the envelope. “Sign the papers.” She snapped her finger as if she’d forgotten something. “Don’t even think of a murder-for-hire scheme. It won’t work because if a strand of my hair were to come up missing, I’ve built in contingencies, and all of your dirty laundry will come out. All. Of. It!”

Steven pressed his lips into a thin, firm line. As if resigned to the fact that Dillyn had executed a well-thought-out plan, he picked up the pen, found the signature pages, and signed them.

Dillyn was falling apart, but she’d be damned if she would allow him to see it.

After Steven finished signing the documents, he dropped the pen on the table. “When will the money be in my account?”

That’s all he had to say? Dillyn was more heartbroken than she led on. “What happened to you?” she whispered, voice trembling.

He looked into her eyes. “I want to be the next New York AG. I’ll need my family to make that happen. I had a choice to make. You or them. It’s as simple as that.”

“Why not just divorce me?” Dillyn asked again since he’d never really answered the first time.

“If I’m honest? I planned to. I just hadn’t figured out how to do it cleanly and quietly. I guess you could say you beat me to it.”

Dillyn’s chest wanted to cave into her back. The pain she felt was unlike anything she’d ever thought she would feel again.How could he be so matter-of-fact?So cold and callous?They had taken vows to spend forever together. Steven was supposed to be her happily ever after. Instead, he’d successfully managed to do what others failed to do—break her into a million little pieces.

Dillyn gathered the papers up from off the table. Her voice sounded like she felt . . .drained. “I’ll have my attorney file these in the morning. Once they’re filed, you can expect the money to be in your account within seven to ten business days.”

“Seven to ten business days?! What am I supposed to do for money in the meantime?”

Dillyn shrugged. “I don’t know. Ask Sam.”

Steven clenched his fist and let her jibe go. There was nothing he could do about it just yet. “And this property? I didn’t see any liquidation of assets.”

Dillyn grabbed her black trench coat from off the back of one of the dining room chairs. “You and Sam can have it. According to the security footage, she seemed to be pretty comfortable in my bed.” With her head held high and her back ramrod straight, Dillyn walked out of the room.

*****

Earlier, Steven had watched all of the emotions play out on Dillyn’s face. She’d won round one, but he knew this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. Dillyn was playing at being ruthless. She wasn’t that person. However, he was the real deal.Did she think she could embarrass me? Take my money and threaten me without consequences?Dillyn was still a liability. One, he had to figure out how to neutralize. She changed the game with this little stunt. Steven had worked too hard to set the pieces in motion to become New York’s AG to have this hanging over his head. When the tables turn, because they would, Dillyn Anderson-Havenhurst would wish she’d just walked away.

Now, he was beside himself. Steven was wearing the floor out, pacing back and forth while holding his cell phone in a death grip.

Steven was dreading the phone call he had to make.How could I have allowed an affair to bring down everything I’ve worked so hard for?This was a clusterfuck. However, there was one silver lining—Dillyn seemed to have only uncovered his relationship with Sam and a few shady deals. She had no idea about the actual information in her possession.

Angrily, he ran his hand through his five-hundred-dollar haircut.Dammit!Steven’s voice bounced off the walls as he growled out his frustrations.

Steven was so close to his end goal that he could almost touch it. Dillyn was the key. She jumped the gun prematurely. He still needed her. More specifically, Steven needed her contacts. She wasn’t the only one who could keep a secret. He knew all about her work for CyberCom.

Think . . . dammit . . . THINK!He could not make this phone call without a viable plan. Otherwise, it could cost him his life.

Tentatively, Steven dialed a number he’d rarely called and placed the phone up to his ear. After the first ring, his heart slammed into his chest.

No answer.

Steven listened to his call ring for the second time.

Again, no one picked up.

By the end of the third ring, his call finally connected. A deep and heavy accented voice responded. “Why are you calling me at this number?”

“We need to meet.” Perspiration lined Steven’s brow. He used his forearm to wipe it away. Briefly, his eyes closed before finally getting to the point. “I’ve been compromised.” Steven rushed his words. “But I can fix this.”

There was dead silence on the other end of the line. It lasted mere seconds but seemed like an eternity. “You better hope so. Be at our usual place in thirty minutes.” The line immediately went dead.

Steven had thirty minutes to figure something out. In Dillyn’s efforts to be cute, she had put both of their lives in danger.

Chapter 3

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