Page 25 of Peyton's Price

Peyton searched his face. Matthias seemed to be enjoying himself. Suddenly in need of a drink, she grabbed the glass, downing half the contents in one gulp.

“How did you find me? And why did you rescue me? Or rather, how?”

He lifted his glass. “Well, it wasn’t with a superpower or anything exciting like that. I just used cash. I happen to have a lot of it.”

“I can see that,” she muttered, finishing the rest of her glass. “But youboughtme. And from what I’ve seen and heard, it’s not the first time. The people holding me said so—you’d bought from their competitor before. You’re a consumer in the human-trafficking trade. Aren’t you supposed to be one of the good guys?”

Matthias poured himself more wine. “Now Peyton, there you go making assumptions. Whoever said I was a good guy?”

Chapter 14

Peyton stared at Matthias, aghast. “But you helped before. How can you justbuypeople?”

His smile was devilish. “I mentioned the buckets of money, right? As it turns out, when you have enough, people start offering to sell you…just about anything. Even other people.”

“But you’re Liam’sfriend.” At least she’d thought he was before realization struck. Liam avoided talking about Matthias. Whenever he’d been asked about the elusive billionaire who’d pitched in to help Eva, he’d quickly changed the subject or answered evasively. He must have been aware of Matthias proclivities, and that was why he’d cut him off.

A little corner of her heart shriveled inside her. Liam wouldn’t have just let something like that go, right?

Perhaps Matthias had threatened him. This cut-rate Norse god had more money than anyone she’d ever met—and that was saying something. As a Caislean insider, Peyton had rubbed elbows with some of the richest people in the world. But that was how she knew there was a dark side to all that shiny money. Wealth of that kind made people think they were above the law.

Thor-lite was looking less and less like the hero and more like a villain.

But would Liam have turned to him for help if that were the case? And not just once. Her rescue made two times.

No, no! Liam wouldn’t do that. He was a principled man. Or at least, she’d always believed he was…

More waiters entered as her thoughts churned. She stared at the plate they set in front of her like it was radioactive. The conversation hadn’t done anything to dampen Matthias’ appetite. He picked up his fork and knife, cutting up a large medallion of filet mignon as he spoke.

“I definitely wouldn’t go as far as to call what Liam and I shared friendship, but, yes, we do have a history. And because of that history, he knew I might be able to help you.”

The idea the man she’d loved for so long kept close ties with a slaveowner didn’t sit well with her, but she knew better than to say so.

Live to fight another day.A new motto to live by. “Are you going to let me go home?”

Matthias stopped eating, pausing to study her. “Do you really want to go back to Boston?”

Peyton shook her head. “Boston isn’t my home anymore. I live in California now…although I suppose I’ll have to find a new roommate after this. The last one didn’t work out.”

“That may be the understatement of the year.”

She stilled, her hand halfway to her water glass. “You know what Dylan did? Does Liam?”

“That’s how he learned what happened to you.” He leaned back in his chair. Again, she cursed the fact he was so handsome. “Tell me honestly, did you believe he’d let you go off to the other side of the country without interference?”

“I assumed he would,” she said with a shrug. “I was never a very big part of his life.”

Matthias laughed aloud. One look at her confused expression made him subside. “Oh. You were serious.”

She didn’t understand his reaction. “I am close to the Tyler family—well, Maggie and Patrick, anyway. I watched them build their business together.”

“As I understand it, you were a key part of their success,” he said. “You were there at the very start with that charming little B&B their parents founded. You changed beds, booked reservations, cleaned…”

This conversation had veered off into the surreal. Hearing him speak about her and the Tylers as if he knew them was unnerving.

She eyed him up and down. “Liam wouldn’t have told you that.”

Had Matthias hired private investigators? She knew from experience that kind of thing was second nature to certain members of the elite. Was he obsessed with the Tylers or something?

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