Page 35 of Outlaw

For a moment, I stood there and looked at the building in front of me. I’d been here four days ago, yet it no longer felt the same. The comfort and security that being here had provided was gone. Now, I would rather be anywhere else.

Sixteen

Linc

Stevie went right back to watching her show once Branwen stepped out of the limo. My eyes followed the sway of her hips as she walked up to the entrance. Fuck, I wanted to grab her ass. I blew out a sharp breath and forced my gaze in another direction. The decision to fly home rather than drive had been made for Stevie’s benefit, but, damn, it was for mine too. Another six hours with her sitting across from me, and my dick would have had a permanent zipper imprint on it.

My cell started ringing, and I leaned forward so I could slide it out of my pocket. Garrett’s name lit up the screen, and I frowned. I didn’t hear from him too much since he’d handed over the running of things to Blaise.

I hit Answer, then put the phone to my ear, leaning back in my seat again.

“What’s going on?” I asked, preparing for some shit I was goingto have to deal with.

“I’m the one who should be asking you that,” he replied.

I glanced over at Stevie. “I’m assuming you are talking about the background check I had run.”

“That, and I was curious how she was doing. It’s been years since I checked in on her.”

I frowned, trying to figure out what the fuck he was talking about. Checked in on who?

“Uh, I’m not following you. I only had one background check pulled in the last week—on a Branwen Hester. Who are you talking about?”

“Branwen. How is she? And why didn’t you mention you’d fucked her five years ago?” He let out a deep, amused chuckle.

I shifted in my seat, trying to figure out how Garrett knew Branwen and why he thought I knew her too. Before Vegas. “I met her in Vegas. At a club. Am I understanding that you know her?”

I’d not read through her entire background check. I didn’t care about her childhood or even her twenties really. That wasn’t my concern.

Had she been connected to someone within the family? Or a business associate? She was too young to have been a friend of his. Unless he’d dated her once. Before he met and married Fawn, he had fucked around with some young ones.

I sat up, my hand tightening on the phone. If she’d fucked Garrett, then had she known who he was? About my connection to him?

“Linc”—his tone sounded incredulous—“you’re kidding, right?”

No, I wasn’t fucking kidding, and if he hadn’t been the boss for most of my life, then I would be demanding he tell me what the hell he was talking about.

“No,” I replied as calmly as I could. “I’m not. How do you knowBranwen?”

There was silence for a moment, and I was starting to feel caged. A pounding behind my eyes took root as I waited for him to tell me who she was.

“She’s definitely grown up now, and not recognizing her is understandable, but you have the same background check that came through Blaise’s office. I can’t believe you don’t remember her, of all people. She was your fucking shadow. You called her something…some nickname.”

My eyes swung over to look at Stevie as she giggled at whatever the dogs were doing. The pale blonde head, full of curls, and her perfect little features. Then, she turned to look at me and smiled.

“Jesus Christ,” I whispered.

Garrett was saying something, but all I heard was her laughing, and another laugh from years ago began to replay in my head. That was why she’d looked familiar. Even the freckles that peppered her nose.

“Linc.” Garrett said my name into the phone, and I blinked, then swallowed hard.

“Yeah?” I croaked out.

“Everything okay?”

I shook my head, although he couldn’t see me. No, I was not okay.

“Yeah,” I replied. “I, uh…yeah.”

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