Page 20 of Outplayed

“You tapped my phones,” she fumed through clenched teeth.

Well, fuck.

Had my thinking been aloud?

“Warden called me. He thought it was time to check the system for any bugs. Guess what he found?”

“Bugs,” I said calmly before sipping my drink.

She gripped the counter between us. “Fucking bugs, Travis. He traced the source. He found the company. He fucking found the goddamn motherfucking owner of that company. Guess who the owner is?”

My lips twitched, which wasn’t good since she eyed the knife block again. “Me?”

“Yes,” she hissed. “You. Tell me why you tapped my work and home phone, Travis? And it’d better be a good reason, or I’m thinking you would look good bathed in your own blood.”

“Violet—”

“Explain,” she yelled.

“If you just calm down—Fuck,” I cursed when a vase came flying at my head.

“Do. Not. Tell. Me. To calm down.”

That was certainly something to take note of.

“All right. You may not understand the reason for it right now, but one day you could.”

She waved her hand around. “Keep talking.”

I put my coffee down. “I’ve wanted to reach out to you since I moved back to Ballarat. I wasn’t sure you would want me to. So instead, I reached out in a different way so I could assure myself you were protected.”

“I have my men, Travis. You know this.”

“I do.” I ran a hand through my hair. “You’ve always been on my mind, Violet. Me tapping your phones was a mistake, but I don’t regret it, or I wouldn’t have been able to help with the Zara situation.”

Her jaw clenched. “You’re just fucking lucky you have that as an excuse. Ring your people, Travis. What you did was creepy as fuck. I’ve been on your mind, so you go behind my back and invade my life in a way I didn’t know about.” She shook her head. “Only stalkers do shit like that.”

There was that word. Stalker.

Hell, I probably was one, but my worry for her overtook my mind more. “It will stop.”

“Good. Now go.”

“What?”

“Do you seriously think I would want anything to do with you knowing this? I’ve been on your mind? Man the hell up and come at me instead of doing scary shit like this. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t find out?”

“I was going to tell you.”

“Yeah? When?”

“After you’ve warmed to me being in your life.”

“It’s not happening, Travis. I don’t want you to be in my life, and I don’t want to be in yours either. Especially not with the way you have it. Prostitutes, Travis? Really?”

Christ, she did know. Of course she knew. I was dumb to think differently. Dumb to hope.

“Now, Violet, it’s just a business.”

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