Page 46 of The Passion

“And yet here I am.” He stands in front of me, arms crossed, and his body language tells me he isn’t leaving either until he is satisfied everything is okay.

“I don’t want Tori in here ready to beat my ass because you aren’t there dancing with her,” I say, trying to play on his weakness for his wife.

“Yes, please, don’t leave the wedding because of me, Nic, I’m so sorry I’m here at all and disrupting such an important day,”Felisha says with more strength than she had ten minutes ago, and I know it’s because of this internal strength she has trained to pull from down deep somewhere when she needs to.

“Which is why I’m here, Felisha. I don’t know you that well, but I do know two things. The first being you have more integrity and courtesy than to just turn up here randomly for something trivial. And the second is the look in Flynn’s eyes like he is ready to kill someone to protect you, and that’s something he has tried to hide from everyone including himself the last few months. So, something big has happened, and no matter who you are or what you own, or how you do business, if you are important to Flynn, you are just as important to us. As annoying as he is, for some reason we are kind of fond of him.”

I don’t know what it is about Nic, but from the moment I met him, I knew that he would always be a big part of my life, and this is why.

He is the calm to my crazy storm in life.

“Well, some of us have the choice, but I unfortunately have been stuck with him since birth, and I just haven’t been able to shake him. And believe me, I’ve tried.” Forrest looks very pleased with himself. I don’t know what is going on with him lately, but his jokes are getting better, and I’m even proud of the timing of the delivery.

“Asshole.” I would have punched his arm if he was standing closer.

Rem raises his hand. “And I’m just here because I’m sick of being on the back foot with this one, so I want to know what is going on now to try to be on the front foot this time.” He is actually the most serious with his reasoning for why he is here.

I look toward Broderick to see if he can beat all of them with his answer.

“What?” He is looking at me. “I’m just here because you ordered me to. But yeah, what he said.” He points at Rem.

“Felisha, this is Broderick Jones, our security specialist for the four of us. He doesn’t work in the business as such but instead has the pleasure of working on more sensitive things outside the normal scope. Also now known as Nic’s mum Sally’s partner.”

He steps forward, extending his hand to Felisha’s and gives it a quick squeeze, rather than a business handshake. More like a fatherly reassurance that he will look after her just like he does with us.

“Okay, well now you have all said your piece, sit down and get settled. I’ll give you the outline, and tomorrow we can start to brainstorm, before Forrest, Felisha, and I get back on the jet to London. Because another night is not going to make a difference with this information. It’s going to be a process, I feel, to get to the bottom of this. But you, you have thirty minutes, and then I’m kicking you out of the room no matter what you say.” I point my finger at Nic, and he just smirks at me and gives me a nod.

All of them find seats in the room, and I can feel Felisha tensing next to me, anxious for what she is about to tell them.

Taking her hand in mine and placing the other on her cheek, I turn her face toward me. “Do you want me to tell them, or do you want to repeat what you told me?”

Her face rests in my hand, closing her eyes for a brief moment while she makes her decision.

“I can do it.” I think she is convincing herself more than me.

“I know you can.” Kissing her forehead, I then give her the space to pull her toughness out and start her story. Which truly is her story to tell, not mine.

Straightening her spine, sitting up taller, she pulls her shoulders back as she begins to share why she is here.

I didn’t have to explain that she could trust them. She knows that if they are in this room then I trust them, and that is enough for her.

There were a few times she blinked back tears, and she didn’t share everything she told me, and that’s okay, because she told them the important parts. And watching the look on all their faces when they heard that the person behind it all was her father was probably like looking at a mirror of how I reacted. Pure rage from every single one of them. Without a doubt they are on her team, and together we will help her. Emphasis on the helping and not trying to just take over and fix it for her, that would be disastrous.

After a small discussion, the guys left, and I knew that Broderick would be working behind the scenes tonight, and by the time we talk tomorrow, he will have some information to start off the discussion.

I hope the others are going back to the wedding reception to enjoy the rest of the night. But I know it will be in the back of their minds, because how can anyone hear that story and not be left with a sick feeling in their gut.

“Crawl into my bed, princess. I just need a quick shower.” The wedding had been on the beach, and I can still feel the sand in between my toes and that dry-salt feeling on my skin. I’m not a man that has some nightly routine, but I do want to feel clean when I take her naked body in my arms tonight.

“Okay,” she replies as she wanders toward the bed, and I don’t waste time closing the door into the bathroom and strip off the clothes from the wedding. Being Nic’s best man was the biggest honor, and the day was beautiful, but I know I will always remember his wedding day for totally different reasons than he will.

Not bothering to put any clothes on, I walk back out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around my waist. The vision before me takes my breath away for a moment.

The clothes that Felisha had changed into after her shower are neatly folded on the chair in the corner of the room near the bed.

Her naked body is lying with her back to me, and her still slightly damp brown hair is now fanned out on the pillow and down her back. The white sheet is draped across the dip in her lower back, and as stunning as she looks and is almost making me salivate, there is something just not quite right with the vision.

Her body is tense.

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