Page 58 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

The serious energy in the truck immediately changed. Dillyn laughed. “Mace isalwaysa good idea. You can never go wrong with that.”

Chapter 24

Dillyn didn’t spend the night with Ben. It almost felt strange to sleep in bed alone since she hadn’t done it over the past couple of weeks. Dillyn needed to get up early to prepare for several virtual meetings with her staff to catch up on a couple of important projects. She had been off-line and only available for emergencies since moving to Summer. Dillyn had left strict instructions not to contact her unless it was critical while she got settled into her new place.

Though she slept in her own bed, it didn’t help. Dillyn was dragging. Ben hadn’t brought her home till the wee hours of the morning. She currently had her bathroom steamed up like a sauna while standing underneath the hot water from the shower. It cascaded down her body and felt like heaven to her achy muscles. Between Ben and Whisper, Dillyn did not need a cardio workout. She smiled at the thought then stilled. Dillyn thought she’d heard her cell ring while she was in the shower. She shut off the water and stood completely still to listen. Everything was silent. At first, Dillyn didn’t hear anything. She opened the glass door with tentative fingers and stepped out of the shower stall. Dillyn reached for a towel and wrapped it around her body. She waited to see if her phone would ring again.

Damn.There it was. Dillyn’s eyes closed briefly at the sound after hoping she had imagined it the first time. She hadn’t. The tone was different from her regular calls and messages.

Dillyn picked it up from off the sink. There was one message. She tapped in her passcode to unlock the screen. The text was simple. “Call me.”

There wasn’t a telephone number associated with the text, but Dillyn knew exactly who it was. She released a pent-up breath.Everything’s been so peaceful. Please God, just a little longer.Slowly, she lifted her head. Quickly, Dillyn went to her room and got dressed. She threw on a pair of joggers and ran-walked down the steps. The house was quiet save for Cat. She was in the kitchen making coffee. Cat was always up early and didn’t miss a thing.

Cat called out to her from the kitchen. “Hey . . . where are you going this early? You’ve got to give Ben a rest!” Cat said cheekily.

Dillyn plastered on a fake smile. “I left something in my truck. I’ll be back in a second.” Swiftly, she turned on her heels and walked out of the house. The second Dillyn shut the door, she bounded down the steps and slowly jogged to her truck. Dillyn opened it, got inside, and locked the doors. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings to ensure she wasn’t being watched as if it would matter. Dillyn wouldn’t be able to see someone with a long-range lens. Getting out of her head, Dillyn placed the call to a number she had dialed so many times before.

The phone didn’t finish the first ring before he answered. Dillyn didn’t get a chance to speak before he started talking. “Steven’s dead.”

Dillyn’s chest almost caved in. She felt like she’d been submerged in ice water.Dead?Her feelings for Steven were complicated, but she didn’t want him dead. Dillyn was in complete shock. “Steven’s dead?” The words came out hushed. Saying them aloud didn’t make the news any more real. Thoughts began to rush inside her head as she struggled to speak. “I-I just saw him a couple of weeks ago!”

“I know.”

“Of course you did.” Dillyn had flashbacks of their last conversation. “What happened?”

“We’re still trying to figure it out.”

“Do you know who would have done something like this?”

“Not yet. The police are on their way to his house.”

Dillyn’s brain could barely slow down long enough to form a coherent thought. However, one bubbled to the surface. “If the police are on their way to his house, how do you already know he’s dead?”

“We have eyes.”

In a moment of understanding, Dillyn sat up straight. “You were spying on us?”

There was a long pause before she received an answer. “Not until you left.”

Dillyn raised her voice. She didn’t believe that for a second. “Why?! Why would you be spying on us?”

There was no admission of guilt, but still, Dillyn received an answer. “We believe Steven may have compromised you.”

Dillyn fell silent. He spoke in the present tense, not the past. “Compromised me? How in the world could he have done that?”

“We believe you might have stumbled upon more than just his affair.”

Dillyn swallowed hard. “You know about that too? What am I asking? Of course you do. Look, I’m certain that I don’t have anything so sensitive someone would want to kill him over. I mostly found pictures, emails, and several offshore banking accounts.” Dillyn knew that Steven had been straddling the fence of the law but was skeptical about him being foolish enough to mess around with people who could bring about his death. “I can’t believe Steven would have gotten involved in something that would have gotten him killed?”How can you honestly say that after his warning?

“What I know is that someone tried to access your account.”

Her body went from cold to hot. The hairs on the back of Dillyn’s neck stood straight up. Still, she tried to be the voice of reason. “Hackers are always trying to get into my accounts. I haven’t had any recent breaches.”

“This attempt was different. Much more sophisticated, and they didn’t try to hack via your company. They went for your other access.”

Dread spread throughout her body. Dillyn knew if Syntax was bringing that up, shit was serious. Dillyn closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are my friends in danger?”

“We’re not sure. That’s why we’re sending a couple of men over to your place. They’ll be working undercover as extra hired hands. They’ve been assigned to protect you and your friends. But the clock is ticking. Find out what the people who killed Steven wanted, and we’ll find out who’s behind all of this. Your team is small, but you might want to double and triple check your security.”

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